| Although physical therapy (PT) improves function and reduces disability in patients with RA, PT services are underutilized. To identify factors associated with receipt of PT services we conducted a prospective study of 772 patients who completed questionnaires and received a physical examination at baseline and completed a 12-month follow-up survey. Measures included: demographics, self-efficacy, social support (BSNI), function (MDHAQ), quality of life (EuroQoL), disease activity (RADAI) and self-reported PT service use (yes/no) at 12-months. Descriptive statistics characterized the sample and bivariate comparisons identified potential variables for logistic regression analysis. Using a modified liseral approach, variables were selected and entered into the model in groups, to develop a parsimonious set of predictors. Most of patients were Caucasians (93.6%), female (82.3%), married (64.7%) with a mean age of 56.29 (+/-13.57) years. Using bivariate analysis, factors most predictive of PT services were: disability, RADAI, income, EuroQoL, co-morbidities, MDHAQ and BSNI. In multivariate analysis, the most significant predictors were RADAI (OR=1.14 95%CI=1.02-1.28) co-morbidities (OR=1.5 95%CI=1.04-2.07) EuroQoL (OR=0.06 95%CI=0.01-0.32), BSNI (OR=1.05 95%CI=1.01-1.10) and disability (OR=2.00 95%CI=1.01-3.93). Patients with greater disease activity, co-morbidities and disability and who reported lower quality of life and greater social support were more likely to receive PT services. This model explained 86% of the variance in PT service use. |
