Direct Access to Physical Therapy in the Netherlands: Results From the First Year in Community-Based Physical Therapy

Background In 2006, direct access to physical therapy was introduced in the Netherlands. Before this policy measure, evaluation and treatment by a physical therapist were only possible following referral by a physician. Objective The objectives of this study were to investigate how many patients use direct access and to establish whether these patients have a different profile than referred patients. Methods Electronic health care data from the National Information Service for Allied Health Care (LiPZ), a nationally representative registration network of 93 Dutch physical therapists working in... Mehr ...