Practicing Shared Decision Making in Physical Therapy

Learn how to increase PT patient engagement with the KINVENT Physio App.

Keeping patients engaged in the physical therapy process – and encouraging them to complete prescribed programs – is a near-universal challenge for clinicians. Adherence to both in-clinic rehabilitation plans and home exercise programs (HEPs) is notoriously low: non-adherence generally ranges from 50% to 70%.  

Various factors contribute to these low levels of compliance. According to one study, two of the primary barriers to engagement include a “lack of positive feedback” and a “degree of helplessness” patients feel.  

Luckily, these barriers can be removed – and shared decision making (SDM) can help. SDM, a healthcare approach that empowers patients to take a more active role in decisions around their care, fosters increased engagement and, ultimately, drives better health outcomes.  

KINVENT’s new suite of digital biofeedback devices and the connected KINVENT Physio App enable SDM by measuring progress more accurately than current alternatives.

What Is Shared Decision Making?

SDM is a collaborative process between healthcare providers and patients. Similar to Evidence-Based Practice (EBP), SDM takes patient perspectives and desires into account when formulating a care plan. The three primary factors considered are: clear medical evidence, clinical expertise and patient goals.

In practice, an SDM model of care generally progresses as follows:

1. Clinician establishes the problem
2. Clinician recommends potential care plans
3. Patient and clinician discuss the harms and benefits of proposed approaches
4. Patient and clinician decide on a course of care that takes the clinician’s expertise and patient’s values into account
5. Patient and clinician communicate frequently and collaboratively adjust the care plan when necessary

The Benefits of Shared Decision Making in Physical Therapy

Studies have concluded that, when clinicians follow an SDM approach, it can diversify care and improve health outcomes. These benefits are particularly pronounced when a care plan requires patient buy-in and participation to be successful – like physical therapy.  

When physical therapists incorporate SDM into their care, patients have more agency and are able to take a more active role in their care. Further, SDM allows patients to assert their own, diverse needs. When patients are empowered in this way, they are less likely to report feelings of “helplessness” or disengagement in the process – and are more likely to adhere to their physical therapy program.

How KINVENT Enables Shared Decision Making

Collaboration and transparency between clinicians and patients are the bedrock principles of SDM. KINVENT’s suite of digital biofeedback devices – which includes force plates, a goniometer, an EMG sensor, and hand, hand-held, traction, and pneumatic dynamometers – and the KINVENT Physio App are tools physical therapists can use to foster increased collaboration and transparency with their patients.

When patients use KINVENT’s Bluetooth-enabled devices to perform rehabilitative exercises, the quantitative data is sent to the KINVENT Physio App in real time. The app’s patient facing portal, My KINVENT, gives users access to the information and tools they need to remain engaged including:

• Personalized assessments and training plans
• Progress tracking and reporting
• Information about upcoming appointments
• Educational resources
• Visual analog scales and opportunities to offer feedback

The comprehensive information available to both patients and physical therapists on the KINVENT Physio App leads to a host of positive outcomes:

• Patients and physical therapists work from a single, unambiguous source of truth, based on precise numerical data
• Patients have the power to communicate challenges and collaborate with their physical therapist to adjust treatment plans
• Physical therapists can easily tailor and tweak treatment plans based on biofeedback and patient feedback
• Patients can see the results of their hard work – and remain motivated to adhere to their care plan

Read KINVENT’s blog, Transformative Healthcare: Shared Decision Making, for more.

Schedule a Demo

KINVENT’s biofeedback devices and the KINVENT Physio App have revolutionized the way physical therapists, sports medicine practitioners and others deliver care to their patients. The flexibility, accuracy and efficiency of KINVENT devices, and the app’s advanced reporting capabilities, help clinicians provide superior – and collaborative – care to their patients.

Contact JLW Instrument's KINVENT product experts to learn more or to schedule a demo.