Purpose: To compare parents' and physical therapists' perceptions of Therapeutic Electrical Stimulation (TES) in children. Subjects: 56 licensed physical therapists and 39 parents of children who were currently being treated with TES. Method: Self-designed surveys were mailed directly to physical therapists to be distributed among colleagues and parents. Mean and standard deviation, frequencies, cross tabulations, and chi square analysis were performed. Results: Agreement was found between parents and physical therapists regarding demographic data and expected goals for TES. Significant disagreement was discovered between parent/PT pairs regarding changes in tone, use of adaptive equipment, and bladder/bowel function. Conclusion: Results showing disagreement between parents and physical therapists indicate ineffective communication between both populations. Parents may lack the knowledge or understanding necessary to discern functional changes in children. Possibly physical therapist who advocate TES influence parents perceptions. The investigation of the perceptions of TES has provided insight as to the effectiveness of this new innovative home treatment program. Effective communication between parents and physical therapists and parental involvement are essential for the successful rehabilitation of children.
| Date of Award | Jan 1 1998 |
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| Original language | English |
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