Article

The use of evidence-based practice (EBP) is encouraged in the
physical therapy profession, but integrating evidence into practice can be
difficult for clinicians because of lack of time and other constraints.
OBJECTIVE: To survey physical therapy clinical instructors and determine the
methods they use for screening for deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a type of venous
thromboembolism (VTE) in the lower extremities. DESIGN: Exploratory survey.
METHODS: Twelve survey questions written specifically for this study were sent to
a convenience sample of clinical instructors associated with seven universities
across 43 states. RESULTS: Eight hundred fifty clinical instructors (22.4%
response rate) completed the survey. Of those who responded, 80.5% were taught to
use Homans sign to screen for a possible DVT in their entry-level education and
67.9% continued to use Homans sign in clinical practice. Regardless of
post-graduate education, respondents were more likely to choose Homans sign than
a clinical decision rule (CDR) to screen for a suspected DVT. Additionally,
nearly two-thirds of respondents failed to correctly identify one or more of the
major risk factors for developing a DVT/VTE. LIMITATIONS: The response rate was
22.4% and therefore may not fully represent the population of physical therapy
clinical instructors in the United States. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this
exploratory survey indicated that approximately two-thirds of physical therapy
clinical instructors used outdated DVT/VTE screening methods that they were
taught in their entry-level education and nearly two-thirds did not identify the
major risk factors associated with DVT/VTE. These results suggest that change is
necessary in physical therapy education, clinical practice, and continuing
professional development to ensure a more evidenced-based identification of DVT
and VTE.

Langue : ANGLAIS