{"id":{"repo_id":"texas-state","oai_identifier":"oai:digital.library.txst.edu:10877/20881"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/texas-state/oai:digital.library.txst.edu:10877/20881","repository":{"repo_id":"texas-state","name":"Texas State University","base_url":"https://digital.library.txst.edu/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"The Relationship Between Perceived Wellness, Physical Function and Traditional Medical Outcomes in Physical Therapy","abstract":"Background and Purpose. An individual’s perception of wellness has been shown to be a stronger predictor of mortality and morbidity than measurements of physical disability, disease, and biological or lifestyle risk factors. Most healthcare professionals, including physical therapists, do not utilize wellness measures in patient assessment. The purpose of this research was to determine if there is a predictive relationship between perceived wellness as compared to traditional medical outcomes such as age, gender, diagnosis, goals achieved, number of visits, and rehabilitation compliance. How perceived wellness and outcome variables compare to physical function was also investigated. Subjects. The subject population consisted of a convenience sample of 116 orthopedic patients beginning physical therapy. Methods. The Perceived Wellness Survey (PWS) and the SF-36 Physical Functioning Scale was administered to patients pre- and post physical therapy, or after six visits, whichever occurred first. Traditional medical outcomes information was later collected from patient charts. The data were analyzed using the multiple linear regression stepwise procedure to predict the effect of wellness and physical function on the stated medical outcome variables. A t-test for paired samples was also performed between the pre- and post-physical therapy PWS scores and the pre- and post physical therapy SF-36 Physical Functioning Scale scores. Results. Pre-physical therapy PWS and physical function scores did not predict any of the stated outcome variables. However, correlational relationships were found between physical function scores, as measured by the SF-36 Physical Function Scale, and certain outcome variables. In addition, a significant relationship was found between pre- and post- physical function scores. The results of this study suggest the emphasis physical therapists place on physical impairments as opposed to wellness. Conclusion and Discussion. There is overwhelming support in the literature as to the importance of self-rated perceptions of health and subsequent health outcomes. Therapists are in a position to encourage and participate in widespread, collaborative measurement of patient functioning and wellness, which should improve the effectiveness and efficiency of physical therapy rehabilitation.","abstract_html":"Background and Purpose. An individual’s perception of wellness has been shown to be a stronger predictor of mortality and morbidity than measurements of physical disability, disease, and biological or lifestyle risk factors. Most healthcare professionals, including physical therapists, do not utilize wellness measures in patient assessment. The purpose of this research was to determine if there is a predictive relationship between perceived wellness as compared to traditional medical outcomes such as age, gender, diagnosis, goals achieved, number of visits, and rehabilitation compliance. How perceived wellness and outcome variables compare to physical function was also investigated. Subjects. The subject population consisted of a convenience sample of 116 orthopedic patients beginning physical therapy. Methods. The Perceived Wellness Survey (PWS) and the SF-36 Physical Functioning Scale was administered to patients pre- and post physical therapy, or after six visits, whichever occurred first. Traditional medical outcomes information was later collected from patient charts. The data were analyzed using the multiple linear regression stepwise procedure to predict the effect of wellness and physical function on the stated medical outcome variables. A t-test for paired samples was also performed between the pre- and post-physical therapy PWS scores and the pre- and post physical therapy SF-36 Physical Functioning Scale scores. Results. Pre-physical therapy PWS and physical function scores did not predict any of the stated outcome variables. However, correlational relationships were found between physical function scores, as measured by the SF-36 Physical Function Scale, and certain outcome variables. In addition, a significant relationship was found between pre- and post- physical function scores. The results of this study suggest the emphasis physical therapists place on physical impairments as opposed to wellness. Conclusion and Discussion. There is overwhelming support in the literature as to the importance of self-rated perceptions of health and subsequent health outcomes. Therapists are in a position to encourage and participate in widespread, collaborative measurement of patient functioning and wellness, which should improve the effectiveness and efficiency of physical therapy rehabilitation.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Otterbach, Hayward H."],"institution":"Southwest Texas State University","degree_name":"Master of Science","degree_level":"Master's","degree_discipline":"Physical Therapy","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Bezner, Janet R."],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":["Sanders, Barbara","Hunter, Diana"],"year":1997,"date_issued":"1997-05","date_published":"1997-05","updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:22:32Z","subjects":["health attitudes","self-perception","outcome assessment","health status indicators"],"languages":["en"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/10877/20881","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Bezner, Janet R."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Sanders, Barbara","Hunter, Diana"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Otterbach, Hayward H."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2025-05-08T15:49:45Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["1997-05"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Physical Therapy"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Southwest Texas State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["health attitudes","self-perception","outcome assessment","health status indicators"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/10877/20881"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Background and Purpose. An individual’s perception of wellness has been shown to be a stronger predictor of mortality and morbidity than measurements of physical disability, disease, and biological or lifestyle risk factors. Most healthcare professionals, including physical therapists, do not utilize wellness measures in patient assessment. The purpose of this research was to determine if there is a predictive relationship between perceived wellness as compared to traditional medical outcomes such as age, gender, diagnosis, goals achieved, number of visits, and rehabilitation compliance. How perceived wellness and outcome variables compare to physical function was also investigated. Subjects. The subject population consisted of a convenience sample of 116 orthopedic patients beginning physical therapy. Methods. The Perceived Wellness Survey (PWS) and the SF-36 Physical Functioning Scale was administered to patients pre- and post physical therapy, or after six visits, whichever occurred first. Traditional medical outcomes information was later collected from patient charts. The data were analyzed using the multiple linear regression stepwise procedure to predict the effect of wellness and physical function on the stated medical outcome variables. A t-test for paired samples was also performed between the pre- and post-physical therapy PWS scores and the pre- and post physical therapy SF-36 Physical Functioning Scale scores. Results. Pre-physical therapy PWS and physical function scores did not predict any of the stated outcome variables. However, correlational relationships were found between physical function scores, as measured by the SF-36 Physical Function Scale, and certain outcome variables. In addition, a significant relationship was found between pre- and post- physical function scores. The results of this study suggest the emphasis physical therapists place on physical impairments as opposed to wellness. Conclusion and Discussion. There is overwhelming support in the literature as to the importance of self-rated perceptions of health and subsequent health outcomes. Therapists are in a position to encourage and participate in widespread, collaborative measurement of patient functioning and wellness, which should improve the effectiveness and efficiency of physical therapy rehabilitation."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["Text"]},{"key":"dc:format.medium","label":"Dc Format Medium","values":["1 file (.pdf)"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Relationship Between Perceived Wellness, Physical Function and Traditional Medical Outcomes in Physical Therapy"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Bezner, Janet R."],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Sanders, Barbara","Hunter, Diana"],"dc:creator":["Otterbach, Hayward H."],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-05-08T15:49:45Z"],"dc:date.issued":["1997-05"],"dc:description.abstract":["Background and Purpose. An individual’s perception of wellness has been shown to be a stronger predictor of mortality and morbidity than measurements of physical disability, disease, and biological or lifestyle risk factors. Most healthcare professionals, including physical therapists, do not utilize wellness measures in patient assessment. The purpose of this research was to determine if there is a predictive relationship between perceived wellness as compared to traditional medical outcomes such as age, gender, diagnosis, goals achieved, number of visits, and rehabilitation compliance. How perceived wellness and outcome variables compare to physical function was also investigated. Subjects. The subject population consisted of a convenience sample of 116 orthopedic patients beginning physical therapy. Methods. The Perceived Wellness Survey (PWS) and the SF-36 Physical Functioning Scale was administered to patients pre- and post physical therapy, or after six visits, whichever occurred first. Traditional medical outcomes information was later collected from patient charts. The data were analyzed using the multiple linear regression stepwise procedure to predict the effect of wellness and physical function on the stated medical outcome variables. A t-test for paired samples was also performed between the pre- and post-physical therapy PWS scores and the pre- and post physical therapy SF-36 Physical Functioning Scale scores. Results. Pre-physical therapy PWS and physical function scores did not predict any of the stated outcome variables. However, correlational relationships were found between physical function scores, as measured by the SF-36 Physical Function Scale, and certain outcome variables. In addition, a significant relationship was found between pre- and post- physical function scores. The results of this study suggest the emphasis physical therapists place on physical impairments as opposed to wellness. Conclusion and Discussion. There is overwhelming support in the literature as to the importance of self-rated perceptions of health and subsequent health outcomes. Therapists are in a position to encourage and participate in widespread, collaborative measurement of patient functioning and wellness, which should improve the effectiveness and efficiency of physical therapy rehabilitation."],"dc:format":["Text"],"dc:format.medium":["1 file (.pdf)"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/10877/20881"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:subject":["health attitudes","self-perception","outcome assessment","health status indicators"],"dc:title":["The Relationship Between Perceived Wellness, Physical Function and Traditional Medical Outcomes in Physical Therapy"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Physical Therapy"],"thesis:degree_level":["Master's"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science"],"thesis:institution_name":["Southwest Texas State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:22:32Z"}