Integration of Spirituality and Whole Person Care into Doctor of Physical Therapy Curricula: A Mixed Methods Study.

A novel whole person care course, emphasizing spirituality in healthcare, was developed for first-year Doctor of Physical Therapy students with interprofessional collaboration between faculty members of the School of Religion and the School of Allied Health physical therapy program. The course was designed to support compassionate, person-centered care, inclusive of spirituality, using the biopsychosocialspiritual framework. The purpose of this study was to explore physical therapy students' perceptions of spiritual care, identify student comfort level in addressing patient spiritual issues, and assess change in perception of the value of addressing spirituality with completion of a required whole person care course. Seventy-two first-year physical therapy students completed a 10-week required course with core course themes of religion and spirituality in healthcare, the practice of spiritual care, utilizing spiritual history tools, the concept of total pain, incorporating spirituality into therapeutic alliance, and developing capacity for empathy and compassion through spiritual practices. Stu¬dents were given pre- and post-course surveys to determine change in perceived importance of spirituality and whole person care in physical therapy. Quantitative results indicated a significant change in student perception from the beginning to completion of the course in all survey questions (p<0.001). Qualitative analysis of student reflections revealed six main themes in the categories of change and value, change in myself, change in future patient care, value of the patient's story, value of my story, value of new knowledge, and value of supportive classroom climate. Additionally, themes of personal wholeness, spiritual healing, and the reorientation to the "why" or mission of physical therapy emerged. To our knowledge, this is the first research study to analyze response and change in perceptions of physical therapy students upon completion of a required whole-person care course inclusive of spirituality.

Non-specific chronic low back pain and physical activity: A comparison of postural control and hip muscle isometric strength: A cross-sectional study.

Most research on sedentary lifestyle has focused on pain and disability, while neuromuscular outcomes (postural control and strength) have received less attention. The objective of the study was to determine whether low level of physical activity is negatively associated with measures of lower body muscular strength and postural control in individuals with and without non-specific chronic low back pain (NSCLBP).Twenty-four subjects with NSCLBP (28.8 ±â€Š5.9 years) and 24 age, gender, and body mass index matched healthy controls participated in the study. Subjects were sub-classified into 4 subgroups based on their physical activity level: Non-active NSCLBP; Active NSCLBP; Non-active healthy control; and Active healthy control. Each subgroup consisted of 12 subjects. Peak force of hip muscles strength was assessed using a handheld dynamometer. Postural control was assessed using computerized posturography and the Y Balance Test.There was no significant group by physical activity interaction for strength and static and dynamic postural control, except for static control during left single leg stance with eyes closed (P = .029). However, there was a significant difference in strength and postural control by physical activity (P < .05). Postural control and peak force of hip muscles strength were significantly associated with physical activity (r ranged from 0.50 to 0.66, P < .001 and r ranged from 0.40 to 0.59, P < .05, respectively).Postural control and hip strength were independently related to physical activity behavior. A sedentary behavior may be an important risk factor for impaired postural control and hip muscles strength, and that physical fitness is vital to neuromuscular outcomes.