Characteristics of Instruction and Feedback Given by Physical Therapists When Guiding Activities of Daily Living

Abstract

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to assess the characteristics of instruction and feedback given by physical therapists when giving movement teaching to patients. [Participants and Methods] Ten physical therapists were asked to instruct a simulated patient with left hemiplegia following a stroke in bed, and to record a video of the movement of the therapists and patient. Participants watched the video after completing the task and were asked to comment on their own teaching. From the videos, we measured teaching time, types of instruction and feedback, and the number of times of each type of instruction and feedback. [Results] The frequency of instruction with an in-ternal-focus was high for all subjects. A significant positive correlation between the frequency of instruction with external-focus and years of experience was found. [Conclusion] We hypothesize that physical therapists are more likely to use internal-focus when teaching activities of daily living.