Scale SDM: Shared decision-making in pediatric PT

Limmen et al. (PLOS ONE, June 30, 2026) show that shared decision-making (SDM) in pediatric physical therapy should begin at intake and goal-setting, recur across therapy, and be adapted to child age and family context. Convert the study's qualitative insights into reproducible implementation steps by instrumenting intake/evaluation touchpoints, mapping themes to CFIR, and measuring change with PROMs and thematic monitoring.

points: ["Limmen et al. used exploratory focus groups (adolescents n=11; parents n=9; pediatric physical therapists n=6; total n=26) and a qualitative survey (n=46) to adapt a goal-based SDM model (PLOS ONE, Jun 30, 2026).", "Start SDM at intake/goal-setting and repeat SDM conversations during informal session checks and formal evaluations, adapting involvement to child age and family context.", "Top barriers are time constraints, balancing multiple perspectives, and variable therapist skills; implementation strategies include training, SDM tools, protected learning time, and local champions."]

Fast take: Limmen et al. (PLOS ONE, June 30, 2026) explored shared decision-making in pediatric physical therapy using six focus groups (adolescents n=11, parents n=9, pediatric physical therapists n=6) and a qualitative survey of 46 pediatric physical therapists, then adapted a goal-based SDM model and recommended multifaceted implementation strategies. Full paper: PLOS ONE

The study gathered evidence in two qualitative phases: exploratory focus groups and a validating qualitative survey. The authors ran focus groups with adolescents, parents, and pediatric physical therapists, then used a qualitative survey (n=46) to validate themes, applying inductive coding for 'how/when' SDM applies and deductive CFIR mapping to identify implementation barriers and facilitators.

• SDM best-practice window: begins at intake and goal setting, recurs during informal session-level checks and formal evaluations.
• Decisions suited for SDM: treatment frequency, duration, homework, home feasibility and referral options.
• Context matters: adapt SDM conversations to child age, developmental stage, health literacy and family resources.

This checklist gives a minimal reproducible workflow you can run in 2 to 4 weeks to reproduce Limmen et al.'s approach and map themes to CFIR.

• 1) Gather inputs: focus group audio/transcripts, survey responses, clinician notes, and PROMs.
• 2) Ingest to Evidano and apply PII redaction and language normalization.
• 3) Run automated open-coding and review suggested code clusters, iteratively refining the codebook.
• 4) Map final themes to CFIR domains using Evidano’s framework-mapping feature.
• 5) Produce cross-segment frequency tables (adolescent vs parent vs pediatric physical therapist) and co-occurrence networks.
• 6) Export visualizations and an evidence-backed implementation checklist (training topics; timing for SDM touchpoints).
• 7) Share an interactive report with clinicians and collect feedback for the next iteration.

This is research-focused guidance, not clinical advice. Limmen et al. withheld full transcripts for privacy, and any reuse of sensitive qualitative data requires IRB and consent alignment plus careful PII handling.

The study gives a practical, goal-based SDM model and a shortlist of implementation strategies anchored in CFIR that teams can operationalize. Turn Limmen et al.'s qualitative insights into operational programs by instrumenting intake and evaluation touchpoints, measuring change with PROMs and thematic monitoring, and automating repetitive synthesis tasks with Evidano.

• Start small: pilot the 7-step workflow above on one clinic's transcripts.
• If you want a demo that maps transcripts to CFIR and produces an implementation-ready report from your own files, Try Evidano for free.