Attitudes and Perceived Barriers of Acute Care Physical Therapists Toward Phase I Cardiac Rehabilitation

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if gender, length of work experience, and format of cardiopulmonary classroom education were related to perceived barriers to participation in phase I cardiac rehabilitation. Subjects were acute care physical therapists in Arkansas and its 6 contiguous states. Two copies of questionnaires were sent to 25 randomly selected acute care hospital physical therapy departments in Arkansas and the 6 contiguous states with the request that 1 copy be given to a male and 1 copy to a female physical therapist. Questions were related to gender, length of acute care experience, format of cardiopulmonary education, quality of student clinical experience in cardiac rehabilitation, and Likert scales related to potential deterrents to participating in phase I cardiac rehabilitation. Chi-square analysis was used to determine if distribution of 1 response varied with responses to selected items. Significant differences were found in the distribution of responses in 8 areas: 1) males and females had different preferences of patient population, 2) experience vs preference of patient population, 3) experience and lack of education/training as a deterrent, 4) experience and perception of adequacy of education, 5) adequate education vs willingness to participate in cardiac rehabilitation, 6) adequate education vs lack of education/training as a deterrent, 7) adequate education vs format of education, and 8) format of education vs lack of education/training as a deterrent. With more experience, acute care therapists develop a preference for either cardiac rehabilitation or other patients, whereas a greater number of less experienced therapists express no preference. Those who received a full class of cardiopulmonary physical therapy and less experienced therapists both perceived a greater sense of adequacy of academic preparation for cardiac rehabilitation. Acute care physical therapists who perceived having an adequate education were more willing to participate in cardiac rehabilitation and perceived lack of education/training as less of a deterrent to participation. Those who received a full class of cardiopulmonary physical therapy also perceived lack of education/training as less of a deterrent. Academic preparation of physical therapy students can impact the willingness of acute care therapists to participate in phase I cardiac rehabilitation by decreasing the deterrent of a feeling of inadequate training.