Attitudes toward standardized data collection.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Clinical databases will gain importance as physical therapists need to determine the effectiveness and justify the expense of treatment. Obstacles impeding participation in standardized data collection need to be identified and addressed to construct high-quality databases.

SUBJECTS

Subjects were clinicians involved in patient care in a multisite physical therapy/occupational therapy practice that had initiated a standardized data collection program.

METHODS

Questionnaires, asking about participation in the data collection project, were distributed to participating clinics. Factor analysis identified attitudes toward standardized data collection. Relationships between efforts to learn standardized methods, attitudes, clinic and clinician characteristics, and levels of participation in the project were investigated.

RESULTS

Most respondents (66%) had made some effort to learn the standardized procedures. Five attitudes were identified: inconvenience, acceptance of operational definitions, automation, paperwork, and training.

CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION

Inconvenience of data collection and training in standardized methods need to be addressed to construct large, high-quality databases.