Referral Source and Outcomes of Physical Therapy Care in Patients With Low Back Pain

Study Design Retrospective longitudinal cohort. Objectives To describe the clinical characteristics of patients with low back pain according to physician referral source, and to identify associations between referral source and discharge functional status, as well as number of physical therapy visits. Background Little is known about associations between physician referral source and outcomes of physical therapy care for patients with low back pain. Exploring these associations can contribute to better understanding of physician-physical therapist relationships and may lead to improved referral patterns. Methods Data from a proprietary clinical database were examined retrospectively. Physician referral source was classified as primary care, specialist, or occupational medicine. Outcomes were overall health status at discharge and number of physical therapy visits. Descriptive statistics and bivariate associations between referral source and each outcome were assessed by calculating differences and 95% con...