PHYSICAL THERAPISTS' PERCEPTIONS AND UTILIZATION OF MEDICAL IMAGING INFORMATION IN PRACTICE. Tamara Little*1; Rolando Lazaro2 1. Physical Therapy, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA; 2. Physical Therapy, Samuel Merritt College, Oakland, CA PURPOSE: This project was descriptive study which aimed to gather information about Physical Therapists' perceptions of the importance and utility of information from medical imaging sources. Additionally this study aimed to gather information about the availability of this type of information, and the utilization of this information in clinical practice. BACKGROUNDS/SIGNIFICANCE: The practice environment for Physical Therapists is increasingly autonomous. Many Physical Therapist educational programs graduate students entering the profession at the Doctoral level. This reflects the fact that the role of a Physical Therapist, in response to the demands of the healthcare system, is changing. As this occurs, the educational process for entry level therapists must change accordingly to address the needs of the graduating student. These needs are reflected in the accreditation requirements for educational programs. Although accreditation requirements state that medical imaging should be addressed in the curriculum, little information is available that describes how Physical Thearpists currently use this information in patient care and what their perception is as to the importance of the information in making clinical decisions. Medical imaging studies can provide important information to Physical Therapists about thier patients. In some cases this information may change the choice of intervention used by the therapist, and in certain cases this information may have important safety implications with respect to treatment. Such information is important for entry level programs to assure that students are well prepared for practice. This study is a first step in gathering information to define the role that medical imaging plays in various practice settings, and the needs of both entry level and post professional students. SUBJECTS: Three hundred subjects were randomly selected from licensed Physical Therapists practicing in two counties in the state of California. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A survey instrument was developed that aimed to gather information in three general areas. The first section of the survey included questions that related to demographic data, including years of practice, practice setting, level of education, and area of specializaiton. The second section of the survey included questions relating to the therapists' perception of the importance of medical imaging information, and how frequently they used this information in practice. The third section of the survey included questions relating to the actual availability of medical imaging information, and the types of information available. 300 participants were randomly selected, and a survey was mailed to each of these individuals. 120 participants completed and returned the survey. Data was transcribed from the surveys to spreadsheets for analysis. ANALYSES: Descriptive statistics were generated using SPSS 11.5 for Windows. Means, medians, and modes were calculated for demographic information, perception questions, and utilization information. RESULTS: Physical Therapists recognize the value of medical imaging information, however, availability of the information (both reports and images) is limited across all practice areas. Therapists also allude to a lack of knowledge regarding the interpretation of the medical imaging informaiton for use in the Physical Therapy setting. CONCLUSIONS: Medical imaging information is limited. While Physical Therapists perceive that this type of information is important, they have limited knowledge about how to interpret this information an utilize it to improve patient care. The potential for enhanced patient care exists through education about medical imaging information. FUNDING SOURCE: None KEYWORDS: evaluation, physical therapy, medical imaging, diagnostic imaging, clinical practice Copyright 2009 by the American Physical Therapy Association. Requests for reprints should be directed to the corresponding author of the article. Educators, students, and other academic customers may receive permission to reprint copyrighted material from Physical Therapy (ISSN 1538-6724) by contacting the Copyright Clearance Center Inc, 222 Rosewood Dr, Danvers, MA 01923. Other types of customers who want permission to reprint should contact the APTA Editorial Office, Attn: Physical Therapy.