title: An acute care physical therapy clinical practice database for outcomes research.
abstract: Clinical practice databases are frequently used to assess outcomes in various medical specialties. Formulating a computerized physical therapy medical record requires standardization of clinical assessments among the users. The purpose of this article is to describe an acute care physical therapy database system that emphasizes high-quality measures of function. The logic underlying the development of a physical therapy computerized medical record is described. Selected uses of the database are demonstrated by projects that assess data quality, generate clinical hypotheses, manage clinical data, develop clinical measures, and generate pilot data on patient variability. Patients seen in physical therapy for total joint replacement, pain, and decreased ambulation were studied to demonstrate some of the present capabilities of the database. Clinical practice databases contribute to the overall research mission, provided the data are of high quality. The use of databases in conjunction with randomized clinical trials may serve an important role in determining effective physical therapy interventions to reduce disability.
authors.affiliation: Physical Therapy Graduate Program, College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242.
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Shields
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Leo
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: W F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Dostal
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Barr
mesh_terms: D003628:Database Management Systems; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006801:Humans; D008124:Locomotion; D008499:Medical Records; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010147:Pain Measurement; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012046:Rehabilitation; D004561:Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation