Physical Therapists’ Perceptions of Providing Services to Adults With Childhood-Onset Neuromotor Disabilities

ABSTRACT

Adults with childhood-onset neuromotor disabilities face problems accessing health care services. There are often challenges finding primary care providers or specialized providers, such as physical therapists, who are knowledgeable about neuromotor disabilities. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of physical therapists regarding (a) barriers to providing therapy to adults with childhood-onset neuromotor disabilities and (b) resources that would be beneficial for improving and/or providing these services. An online questionnaire was sent to 1,250 therapists licensed in Oregon and Southwest Washington. One hundred fifty-two physical therapists responded resulting in a 12% response rate. The top three barriers to providing therapy were extra time for complex patients, lack of insurance coverage, and lack of experience. The three most frequently cited resource needs included information on equipment, continuing education, and written educational materials. These findings suggest that physical therapists may benefit from further education in working with adults with childhood-onset neuromotor disabilities.

KEYWORDS. :

• access to health care
• adults with disabilities
• barriers
• developmental disability
• life expectancy
• medical management
• transition care