Abstract
Pediatric physical therapist practice presents unique challenges to the clinical reasoning processes of novice clinicians and physical therapist students. The purpose of this article is to present the Hypothesis-Oriented Pediatric Focused Algorithm (HOP-FA), a clinical framework designed to guide the clinical reasoning process in pediatric physical therapist practice. The HOP-FA provides a systematic, stepwise guide to the patient/client management process wherein the therapist is asked to consider various factors and issues that may affect the clinical reasoning process for a particular child and family. The framework provided by the HOP-FA is not built upon a specific therapeutic philosophy and may be useful as a tool in clinical education, in the classroom, and for clinicians who are new to or re-entering pediatric practice.
- Received February 29, 2012.
- Accepted October 9, 2012.
