Increasing emphasis on the value of care over the volume of care provides opportunity to incorporate different therapy delivery modes. Therapy delivered in a group format offers benefits over traditional one-on-one therapy that include increased socialization, independence with exercise, and improved transference of learning.
Group Therapy Definition:
Group Therapy Benefits:1
• Interactions, socialization, and shared experiences may be motivating to many patients
• Patients are required to be more independent and self-reliant
• Peer support could lead to greater adherence to exercise-based interventions
• Supports efficient delivery of skilled therapy services, including the potential for more visits
• Offers a superior way to deliver education and support for chronic conditions
Additional Research Supporting Group Therapy:
• One-on-one therapy does not always provide superior outcomes2
• Compared to those who received individual treatment sessions, patients with OA of the knee had equal outcomes from group therapy3
• Patients with Parkinson’s Disease participating in clinic-based group therapy Tai Chi training had significant improvement in cognitive impairment and had a higher compliance rate with their home exercise program than individual-based Tai Chi participants4
Documentation Example:
References:
1. Allen KD, Bongiorni D, Bosworth HB, Coffman CJ, Datta SK, Edelman D, Hall KS Lindquist JH, Oddone EZ, Helen Hoenig H: Group Versus Individual Physical Therapy
for Veterans With Knee Osteoarthritis: Randomized Clinical Trial. Physical Therapy, 2016; 96(5):597–608.
2. Ko V, Naylor J, Harris I, Crosbie J, Jack, Yeo, Mittal R: One-to-One Therapy Is Not Superior to Group or Home-Based Therapy After Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Randomized, Superiority Trial. JBJS; November 6, 2013;95(21):1942-1949.
3. Fransen M, Crosbie J, Edmonds J. Physical therapy is effective for patients with osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomized controlled clinical trial. J Rheumatology, 2001;28(1):156-164.
4. Yang JH, Wang YQ, Ye SQ, Cheng YG, Chen Y, and Feng XZ, “The Effects of Group-Based versus Individual-Based Tai Chi Training on Nonmotor Symptoms in Patients with Mild to Moderate Parkinson’s Disease: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial,” Parkinson’s Disease, vol. 2017, Article ID 8562867.