TY - JOUR
T1 - Measuring up to expectation
T2 - Cognitive bias in wrist range-of-motion measurement
AU - Rotem-Lehrer, Nirit
AU - Singer, Natali
AU - Reshit, Ofri
AU - Springer, Shmuel
N1 - Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2016 Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy®. All rights reserved.
PY - 2016/12
Y1 - 2016/12
N2 - STUDY DESIGN: Controlled laboratory study, cross-sectional design. BACKGROUND: The role of cognitive biases and their effect on a wide range of aspects relevant to clinical medicine has become the focus of a growing body of research, yet their effect in physical therapy is not well established. OBJECTIVES: To test whether anchoring information provided to physical therapists prior to assessment of wrist range of motion (ROM) may induce bias in the measurement. METHODS: A total of 120 physical therapists participated in the study. Participants were asked to measure passive wrist extension ROM of a 65-year-old woman with no history of injury to the upper limb using a universal goniometer. Before initiating the measurement, some participants received a clinical description, which included sham information about the patient's health history. Three groups were differentiated according to the provided clinical content: no bias (n = 38), moderate bias (n = 41), and substantial bias (n = 41). An analysis of covariance was applied to test for differences between the 3 groups while controlling for any potential sex and experience effects. RESULTS: The analysis of covariance yielded a significant group effect (P = .009), with no significant effect for sex and experience. The adjusted mean wrist ROM was 80.2° for the no-bias group, 74.5° for the moderate-bias group, and 72.4° for the substantial-bias group. Post hoc tests demonstrated significant difference only between the group with no bias and the substantial-bias group (mean difference, 7.7°; P = .009). CONCLUSION: Anchoring information was associated with differential results of an objective test. Physical therapists should increase their awareness of biases and consider employing debiasing strategies.
AB - STUDY DESIGN: Controlled laboratory study, cross-sectional design. BACKGROUND: The role of cognitive biases and their effect on a wide range of aspects relevant to clinical medicine has become the focus of a growing body of research, yet their effect in physical therapy is not well established. OBJECTIVES: To test whether anchoring information provided to physical therapists prior to assessment of wrist range of motion (ROM) may induce bias in the measurement. METHODS: A total of 120 physical therapists participated in the study. Participants were asked to measure passive wrist extension ROM of a 65-year-old woman with no history of injury to the upper limb using a universal goniometer. Before initiating the measurement, some participants received a clinical description, which included sham information about the patient's health history. Three groups were differentiated according to the provided clinical content: no bias (n = 38), moderate bias (n = 41), and substantial bias (n = 41). An analysis of covariance was applied to test for differences between the 3 groups while controlling for any potential sex and experience effects. RESULTS: The analysis of covariance yielded a significant group effect (P = .009), with no significant effect for sex and experience. The adjusted mean wrist ROM was 80.2° for the no-bias group, 74.5° for the moderate-bias group, and 72.4° for the substantial-bias group. Post hoc tests demonstrated significant difference only between the group with no bias and the substantial-bias group (mean difference, 7.7°; P = .009). CONCLUSION: Anchoring information was associated with differential results of an objective test. Physical therapists should increase their awareness of biases and consider employing debiasing strategies.
KW - Anchoring information
KW - Assessment
KW - Diagnosis
KW - Physical therapy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85002125735&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.2519/jospt.2016.6845
DO - https://doi.org/10.2519/jospt.2016.6845
M3 - مقالة
C2 - 27796192
SN - 0190-6011
VL - 46
SP - 1037
EP - 1041
JO - Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy
JF - Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy
IS - 12
ER -