Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis and Home Physical Therapy Program Compliance

Parental compliance to home physical therapy programs for children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is a large concern. In this exploratory study, a questionnaire was admistered to a convenience sample of 16 parents of children attending the Duke University Pediatric Rheumatology. Clinic in order to determine variables significantly related to compliance. Compliant parents had a child who had been hospitalized for the disease, and who had received thermotherapy as a part of the home physical therapy program, and believed in the efficacy of the prescribed treatment. Noncompliant parents reported difficulty getting through each day (perceived high degree of daily difficulty). These parents tended to be older, and had children with other health problem. Demographic factors, disease knowledge, home physical therapy program knowledge, general health concerns, and teaching methods were not found to be significantly related to compliance.