What are the Benefits and Perceptions of Physical Therapists About Aquatic Physical Therapy?

Purpose: To describe the opinions of licensed physical therapists about Aquatic Physical Therapy (APT). To determine if instruction of Aquatic Physical Therapy at the college level can influence the perceived effectiveness and rate of referral to Aquatic Therapy in the future. Subjects: 300 surveys were mailed to licensed physical therapists in Palm Beach County, Florida. Methods: A 22 question survey including demographic data was used in this study. The measure variables included whether the therapist was instructed in Aquatic Therapy in college, whether APT should be instructed in college, factors affecting the rate of referral to APT, and the perceived effectiveness and benefiting patient populations were measured. Results: Frequencies were obtained for all survey questions and demographics. Cross tabulations were conducted between whether the therapist had been instructed in college on the techniques and uses of APT, whether the therapist felt it should be taught in college, if the therapist had referred patients to APT in the past, and whether the therapist believed APT was an effective form of treatment, compared to land based therapy. Conclusion: There is no significant correlation between whether therapists were instructed in APT in college, and their belief that it should be taught in college, their rate of referrals to APT, and its perceived effectiveness compared to land based therapy