Changing health care environments--implications for physical therapy research, education, and practice. A special communication.

This article explores changes in the organization and management of the health care system and their impact on physical therapy services. It discusses why and how the demand for physical therapy services is changing and how the practice of physical therapy is being altered. The impact of change on physical therapists is presented in terms of such effects as stress, burnout, absenteeism, and job turnover. The article develops approaches that physical therapists, individually and collectively, can pursue to position themselves more effectively in a changing health care environment. These are opportunities as well as constraints. The theme that is presented is how to adapt to change in a positive and proactive manner.