John Morris, Patricia Crane, Evan Bohan, Brooke Tripp, Michael Parlatore, Maria Flach
{"title":"Characteristics of high-performing physical therapists managing cervical and lumbar conditions: a mixed methods review.","authors":"John Morris, Patricia Crane, Evan Bohan, Brooke Tripp, Michael Parlatore, Maria Flach","doi":"10.1080/10669817.2025.2554213","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To identify self-reported characteristics of physical therapists who consistently achieve superior outcomes in the management of cervical and lumbar conditions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Mixed-methods study combining quantitative analysis of risk-adjusted patient-reported outcome data with qualitative surveys and structured interviews. Clinicians from Jefferson Moss-Magee Rehab were included if their Focus on Therapeutic Outcomes (FOTO) scores for cervical or lumbar patients met or exceeded risk-adjusted national benchmarks from 2021-2023. High-performing therapists were surveyed regarding demographics, clinical experience, post-professional education, and treatment approaches. A subset participated in structured interviews, and thematic analysis was used to identify common characteristics contributing to success.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>For the lumbar cohort, 32 therapists met criteria; for the cervical cohort, 11 met criteria. Surveys were completed by 20 lumbar and 6 cervical cohort members; 18 participated in interviews. Thematic analysis revealed four key characteristics among high performers: (1) use of evidence-informed practice, (2) commitment to lifelong learning via post-professional training, (3) strong therapeutic alliance, and (4) clinical experience with spinal conditions.</p><p><strong>Discussion/conclusion: </strong>Effective management of cervical and lumbar conditions is linked not only to clinical expertise but also to key clinician attributes, such as ongoing professional growth and strong interpersonal skills. These findings may guide professional development and quality improvement efforts in musculoskeletal physical therapy practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":47319,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10669817.2025.2554213","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"REHABILITATION","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective: To identify self-reported characteristics of physical therapists who consistently achieve superior outcomes in the management of cervical and lumbar conditions.
Methods: Mixed-methods study combining quantitative analysis of risk-adjusted patient-reported outcome data with qualitative surveys and structured interviews. Clinicians from Jefferson Moss-Magee Rehab were included if their Focus on Therapeutic Outcomes (FOTO) scores for cervical or lumbar patients met or exceeded risk-adjusted national benchmarks from 2021-2023. High-performing therapists were surveyed regarding demographics, clinical experience, post-professional education, and treatment approaches. A subset participated in structured interviews, and thematic analysis was used to identify common characteristics contributing to success.
Results: For the lumbar cohort, 32 therapists met criteria; for the cervical cohort, 11 met criteria. Surveys were completed by 20 lumbar and 6 cervical cohort members; 18 participated in interviews. Thematic analysis revealed four key characteristics among high performers: (1) use of evidence-informed practice, (2) commitment to lifelong learning via post-professional training, (3) strong therapeutic alliance, and (4) clinical experience with spinal conditions.
Discussion/conclusion: Effective management of cervical and lumbar conditions is linked not only to clinical expertise but also to key clinician attributes, such as ongoing professional growth and strong interpersonal skills. These findings may guide professional development and quality improvement efforts in musculoskeletal physical therapy practice.
期刊介绍：
The Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy is an international peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the publication of original research, case reports, and reviews of the literature that contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the field of manual therapy, clinical research, therapeutic practice, and academic training. In addition, each issue features an editorial written by the editor or a guest editor, media reviews, thesis reviews, and abstracts of current literature. Areas of interest include: •Thrust and non-thrust manipulation •Neurodynamic assessment and treatment •Diagnostic accuracy and classification •Manual therapy-related interventions •Clinical decision-making processes •Understanding clinimetrics for the clinician
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
