title: Describing what we do: a qualitative study of clinicians' perspectives on classifying rehabilitation interventions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To gain an understanding of clinical thought processes about treatment classification and description, and to identify desired characteristics of and challenges to be addressed by a future rehabilitation treatment taxonomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative analysis of data collected via focus groups and semistructured interviews.
  
  
  METHODS
  Inpatient rehabilitation programs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinicians (N=84) in 7 disciplines involved in data collection for practice-based evidence studies of spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury rehabilitation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Not applicable.
  
  
  METHODS
  Summary of themes reported by clinicians, determined by content analysis of focus group and interview transcripts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The multifaceted nature of rehabilitation treatment was identified as a major challenge to the process of classifying interventions. Simultaneous delivery of multiple interventions, performance of integrated tasks that challenge multiple body systems, and conversation-based treatments were reported to be difficult to classify. Clinicians reported that treatment classifications that make reference to goals of treatment were clinically intuitive, but they also reported difficulties when attempting to classify activities that could address multiple goals. These rehabilitation practitioners considered the setting in which treatment occurs, equipment used, assistance or cueing provided, type of treatment participants, and specific tasks performed to be important descriptors of their interventions. They recommended creating a classification system that can be applied at greater or lesser levels of detail depending on the purpose for which it is being used.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Treatment descriptors identified may be useful for differentiating classes of treatments or characterizing treatments within classes. Precise definition of the concept of the goal as it relates to treatment theory and definition of boundaries between treatments may aid classification of multifaceted treatment activities. A balance between detail and feasibility of use will facilitate successful clinical application of a future classification system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY. Electronic address: jzanca@kesslerfoundation.org.
authors.forename: Jeanne M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Zanca
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY.
authors.forename: Marcel P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Dijkers
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D064702:International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D010347:Patient Care Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D059825:Physical Therapists / Q000523:psychology*; D026761:Physical Therapy Specialty / Q000145:classification / Q000458:organization & administration*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*
keywords: Classification; Focus groups; Health services research; Medical records; OT; Occupational Therapy; PBE; POC; PT; Physical Therapy; Point of Care; Practice-Based Evidence; RT; RTT; Recreation Therapy; Rehabilitation; Rehabilitation Treatment Taxonomy; SCI; ST; Speech Therapy; Spinal Cord Injury; TBI; Traumatic Brain Injury