Content Validation of PT Solutions Physical Therapy Clinical Pathways© for Management of Musculoskeletal (MSK) Conditions Using the CARE-CCF Tool

Content Validation of PT Solutions Physical Therapy Clinical Pathways© for Management of Musculoskeletal (MSK) Conditions Using the CARE-CCF Tool | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Content Validation of PT Solutions Physical Therapy Clinical Pathways© for Management of Musculoskeletal (MSK) Conditions Using the CARE-CCF Tool Aditi P. Vyas, Daniel G. Pernell, Jennifer Nunn, Travis Barefoot, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6473270/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Musculoskeletal (MSK) care shows significant variability in clinical decision-making, influenced by differences in clinician judgment. To assist with streamlined care, clinicians have consistently used support from tools such as clinical practice guidelines and algorithms. In this study, we have developed six clinical pathways to provide clinicians with patient care guidelines to manage MSK conditions with consistent care. This study evaluated the contents of the six novel PT Solutions Physical Therapy Clinical Pathways© used to manage MSK conditions. Content validation is necessary to confirm that they accurately represent clinical knowledge and are evidence-based to ensure their efficacy. Methods Thirty-five subject matter experts (SMEs) were invited to complete an anonymous 34-question online survey on clarity, applicability, relevance, effectiveness, comprehensiveness, completeness, and feasibility described as the CARE-CCF tool for usability of the pathways in different clinical settings. The study design included the Delphi Method to validate the contents across three rounds, which involved initial responses (round 1), refinement and consensus (round 2), and final consensus (round 3). Results Mutual consensus was achieved in a total of two rounds. The Content Validation Index (CVI) was used as a statistical analysis to quantify the responses to the survey. The CVI acceptance threshold was > 0.78. The Item-CVI evaluated the individual item content validity with a response. Five questions had an I-CVI of < 0.78. This included 2 Likert-type and 3 Yes/No questions. The overall CVI or SCVI/Average was ≥ 0.80. The results of round 1 and revisions were shared with the SMEs. Twenty-nine responses were received in round 2, and > 79% agreed on the revisions. The survey was closed and completed with round 2 as a mutual consensus agreement with the set threshold on all items was achieved. Conclusion The results of this survey provide excellent validation for the pathways' contents and their use to standardize clinical decision-making for MSK care. The SMEs agreed that the structure and content of the clinical pathways provide them with guidance to handle varied types of MSK disorders while also maintaining their clinical autonomy for standardized care and reduced clinician variability. Delphi Method Clinical Decision Making Physical Therapy Standardized Care Clinical Algorithms Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SurveyDesignContentValidation.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6473270","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":458111357,"identity":"66779b50-2b9c-475a-b0f4-16f4089db97b","order_by":0,"name":"Aditi P. 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To assist with streamlined care, clinicians have consistently used support from tools such as clinical practice guidelines and algorithms. In this study, we have developed six clinical pathways to provide clinicians with patient care guidelines to manage MSK conditions with consistent care. This study evaluated the contents of the six novel PT Solutions Physical Therapy Clinical Pathways\u0026copy; used to manage MSK conditions. Content validation is necessary to confirm that they accurately represent clinical knowledge and are evidence-based to ensure their efficacy.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThirty-five subject matter experts (SMEs) were invited to complete an anonymous 34-question online survey on clarity, applicability, relevance, effectiveness, comprehensiveness, completeness, and feasibility described as the CARE-CCF tool for usability of the pathways in different clinical settings. The study design included the Delphi Method to validate the contents across three rounds, which involved initial responses (round 1), refinement and consensus (round 2), and final consensus (round 3).\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eMutual consensus was achieved in a total of two rounds. The Content Validation Index (CVI) was used as a statistical analysis to quantify the responses to the survey. The CVI acceptance threshold was \u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.78. The Item-CVI evaluated the individual item content validity with a response. Five questions had an I-CVI of \u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.78. This included 2 Likert-type and 3 Yes/No questions. The overall CVI or SCVI/Average was \u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;0.80. The results of round 1 and revisions were shared with the SMEs. Twenty-nine responses were received in round 2, and \u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;79% agreed on the revisions. The survey was closed and completed with round 2 as a mutual consensus agreement with the set threshold on all items was achieved.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusion\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe results of this survey provide excellent validation for the pathways' contents and their use to standardize clinical decision-making for MSK care. 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