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. 2023 Jan 26;31(2):134.
doi: 10.1007/s00520-023-07589-7.

Practice patterns of physical therapists and physical therapist assistants treating patients with breast cancer related lymphedema

Meredith Wampler  1 , Elizabeth Campione  2 , Charlotte A Bolch  3
Affiliations

Practice patterns of physical therapists and physical therapist assistants treating patients with breast cancer related lymphedema

Meredith Wampler et al. Support Care Cancer. .

Abstract

Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) aim to improve patient outcomes through implementation of proven interventions and decrease variation in practices. The relevance of this article is to describe the current state practice of physical therapists who diagnose and treat patients with Breast Cancer Related Lymphedema (BCRL). It also provides a description of physical therapist-reported adherence to the BCRL CPG recommendations which establishes the need for implementation interventions to improve adherence.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe practice patterns of physical therapists (PT) and physical therapist assistants (PTA) who treat patients with breast cancer-related lymphedema and determine if they are adherent to best evidence recommendations for lymphedema diagnosis and intervention.

Methods: An electronic survey to collect practice pattern data of PTs and PTAs who treat patients with BCRL was distributed. A descriptive and quantitative statistical analysis was performed.

Results: Twenty-six percent of respondents read the American Physical Therapy Association sponsored lymphedema diagnosis clinical practice guideline (CPG) and 20% read the lymphedema intervention CPG. Lymphoscintigraphy was the only diagnosis or intervention tool with a significant difference in use between therapists who read versus did not read the CPGs. Adherence to "should do" recommendations was variable: bioimpedance (18.2%), volume calculation (49.3%), ultrasound (0%), patient reported outcome tools (64.9%), compression garments (43.9%), exercise (87.2%), and compression bandaging (56.8%).

Conclusions: There is variability in adherence to recommendations for both the lymphedema diagnosis and intervention CPGs. Interventions to improve implementation and adherence to CPG recommendations are warranted.

Keywords: Breast cancer; Clinical practice guidelines; Clinical practice patterns; Lymphedema; Physical therapy.

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