Perme ICU Physical Therapy Competency

Perme CS, Damasceno MS, Chandrashekar R, Xu J, Ratnani I, Masud F, Wilches-Luna EC. Perme ICU Physical Therapy Competency: Development of an ICU Knowledge and Skills Assessment Tool. Intensive Crit Care Nurs. 2024 Jun 25;85:103750. doi: 10.1016/j.iccn.2024.103750. PMID: 38924825. *Open access

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Article Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0964339724001356?via%3Dihub

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In brief, the purpose of this article is to:

1. Highlight the importance of a competency process for ICU physical therapy

2. Describe the development process and content validation of the Perme ICU Physical Therapy Competency,

 

Key points about the Perme ICU Physical Therapy Competency: 

• Physical therapy evaluation and treatment for patients with critical illness in the ICU is an advanced practice demanding specialized knowledge and skills.

• The absence of widely accepted validated critical care physical therapy assessment tools led to the development of the Perme ICU Physical Therapy Competency.

• The Perme ICU Physical Therapy Competency is a novel instrument with a structured framework to verify and document the required knowledge, skills, and standards of care for physical therapy in the ICU setting.

• The Perme ICU Physical Therapy Competency includes 30 items divided into two categories:

  • Part I: 19 items including aspects related to specific knowledge of critical illness and the ICU environment.

  • Part II: 11 items addressing essential elements directly associated with ICU physical therapy practice.

• The Perme ICU Physical Therapy Competency has satisfactory level of face and content validity.

• Clinically,  the Perme ICU Physical Therapy Competency can be utilized as part of any ICU physical therapy competency program as a self-assessment tool by individual therapists, or in collaboration with mentors and evaluators as part of a competency program within any ICU setting.

• The Perme ICU Physical Therapy Competency marks a new milestone and offers an opportunity to create a vision for advancing the physical therapy profession by positively impacting quality care and improving patient outcomes in the ICU.