Use of standardized outcome measures among physical therapists in the United States: A cross-sectional survey study.

As value-based care becomes increasingly central to healthcare delivery in the United States, physical therapists (PTs) are expected to use outcome measures (OMs) to demonstrate meaningful improvements in patient health. Although OMs play a critical role in supporting value-based practice, prior research suggests they are not routinely used, and limited attention has been given to how resource availability may influence their implementation, particularly for performance-based tests. This study aimed to assess PTs' use of OMs, including their perceptions of value, motivations for use, and the resources available for administration.

Evaluating the construct validity and test-retest reliability of the Orthotic Patient-Reported Outcomes-Mobility (OPRO-M) short forms in lower limb orthosis users.

Lower limb orthoses (LLOs) are often prescribed to facilitate mobility in individuals with functional impairments. The Orthotic Patient-Reported Outcomes - Mobility (OPRO-M) is a self-report instrument developed recently to measure LLO users' perceived mobility with an orthosis. An observational, prospective, psychometric validation study was conducted to evaluate the construct validity and test-retest reliability of the OPRO-M 12- and 20-item short forms.

ASsessing Clinical outcomes with microprocEssor kNee uTilization in a K2 population (ASCENT K2): randomized controlled trial results for above-knee prosthesis users over age 65.

Purpose: To assess the effects of microprocessor knees (MPKs) versus non-microprocessor knees (NMPKs) among unilateral, above-the-knee prosthesis users classified as Medicare K2 ambulators over age 65.

Materials And Methods: A two-arm, 12-month randomized controlled trial to compare MPKs (intervention) to standard-of-care NMPKs (control). Fear-of-falling avoidance behavior (FFABQ), falls and near-falls were assessed alongside additional measures of mobility, balance, and health-related quality-of-life (HR-QoL).

Development of learning health system competency items related to health and healthcare equity and justice for rehabilitation researchers.

Introduction: In 2021, the Learning Health Systems Rehabilitation Research Network (LeaRRn) developed and administered a needs assessment survey, based on the Agency on Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ's) original seven domains of learning health systems (LHS) researcher core competencies, to identify knowledge and interest in LHS research competencies among rehabilitation researchers. In 2022, the AHRQ added a new health and healthcare equity and justice (HE) domain to the existing seven domains for LHS researcher core competencies.

Methods: LeaRRn utilized methods similar to those employed in the development of their original needs assessment survey to generate and refine competency items for the HE domain.

Drought legacy in mature spruce alleviates physiological stress during recurrent drought.

Forest ecosystems are facing severe and prolonged droughts with delayed recovery, known as "drought legacy". This study presents positive legacy effects following a long-term, experimental drought and subsequent recovery in a mature mixed Norway spruce and European beech forest. Approximately 50 mature trees were exposed to five consecutive years of summer drought by completely excluding growing season precipitation from May 2014 to June 2019.