Mapping the Choosing Wisely campaigns in physical therapy: Are we missing an opportunity to reduce low-value care?

Abstract

Background

The Choosing Wisely campaign (CWC) aims to reduce low-value care by encouraging healthcare professionals and patients to discuss unnecessary tests and treatments. While this campaign has been adopted in various medical fields, its implementation in physical therapy is still emerging.

Objectives

To (i) identify physical therapy associations participating in the CWC and (ii) characterize the content of their recommendations.

Methods

We identified physical therapy associations affiliated with World Physiotherapy and conducted a search on their websites or contacted them via email to identify existing Choosing Wisely recommendations. The identified recommendations were categorized into musculoskeletal, neurology, cardiorespiratory, women's health, and mixed themes.

Results

Out of 127 physical therapy associations, seven (5.5 %) had Choosing Wisely recommendations, representing associations from Brazil, the USA, Norway, Italy, Australia, Spain, and Switzerland. We identified 62 recommendations, with the majority (48.4 %) related to musculoskeletal physical therapy, followed by mixed themes (27.4 %), women's health (14.5 %), cardiorespiratory (6.4 %), and neurology (3.2 %).

Conclusion

The adoption of the Choosing Wisely campaign among physical therapy associations appears to be limited. Most recommendations focus on musculoskeletal physical therapy, indicating an opportunity for broader engagement with the campaign. Efforts to promote awareness and adoption of this campaign is needed to support evidence-based practices and reduce low-value care in physical therapy.