Department of Physical Therapy Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Document Type

Thesis - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Master of Physical Therapy (MPT)

Copyright Statement

All rights reserved. This publication is intended for use solely by faculty, students, and staff of Nova Southeastern University. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, now known or later developed, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author or the publisher.

Department

College of Health Care Sciences - Physical Therapy Department

Publication Date / Copyright Date

1998

Publisher

Nova Southeastern University

Abstract

Purpose: To determine clinical practice patterns of general physical therapists concerning urinary incontinence (UI) management.

Methods: Self-generated questionnaire mailed to 330 board licensed physical therapists who practice in Alachua, Dade, and Pinellas counties in Florida. A pilot study was conducted on 30 physical therapists.

Results: The actual study revealed seventy-four percent of the therapists initiate inquiry to less than 10% of their patients. Patient embarrassment was most likely to hinder therapist's inquiry (66%). Seventy-nine percent were pessimistic concerning the percent of patients who can improve with intervention. Only 18% felt fully/pretty well prepared to discuss UI management. Forty-five percent knew of a local specialized physical therapist, but only 23.7% refer patients greater than 75% of the time. Chi-square tests revealed Alachua county therapists had a greater knowledge of specialized therapists than Dade (p=.001) or Pinellas (p=.022). Those who practice in elderly settings versus non-elderly revealed 1) more patients volunteer information (p

Conclusions: The results support the hypothesis there is an overall lack of knowledge among general physical therapists concerning UI management.

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