title: Perceptions of physical therapy competencies in rheumatology. Physical therapists versus rheumatologists.
abstract: The purpose of this article is to report the differences in perceptions among three groups of respondents who assessed the importance of 80 competencies for entry-level physical therapists who treat patients with arthritis. Nonparametric statistics were used to analyze the responses of physical therapists and rheumatologists who completed a questionnaire regarding the competencies. I used the Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance to make group comparisons and the Mann-Whitney U test to complete pair-wise comparisons. The results revealed significant differences of opinion among the groups (p = .007) for 20 of the 80 competencies. The significant differences in opinion were among physical therapy clinical educators (n = 100), physical therapy arthritis health professionals (n = 108), and rheumatologists (n = 80). Although the results suggested that some groups perceived certain physical therapy competencies in rheumatology to be useful but not essential for the entry-level physical therapist to perform, considerable variability existed within groups. Despite the variance in opinions, teaching of these competencies should be included in the entry-level physical therapy curriculum or in clinical settings.
mesh_terms: D001168:Arthritis / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000628:therapy; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D006801:Humans; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards*; D011361:Professional Competence; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012219:Rheumatology / Q000193:education