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Identification of Physical Therapist Shortage Areas: A Study of Thirteen States

Dr. Wilson was Technical Manager, Applied Management Sciences, at the time this article was written. He is now Treasurer, Citicorp Homeowners, 670 Mason Ridge Center Dr, St. Louis, MO 63141.
Ms. Langwell is Director, Health Policy Analysis Division, Applied Management Sciences, 962 Wayne Ave, Suite 701, Silver Spring, MD 20910 (USA).
Dr. Deane is Vice President, Applied Management Sciences.
Dr. Chui is Research Associate, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544.
Mr. Black is Lecturer, Department of Economics, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA 16801.

Establishing the adequacy or inadequacy of the supply of physical therapists, nationally and across geographic areas, has important policy implications for federal support of education and training of physical therapists. This article summarizes research that was undertaken to determine 1) whether physical therapists are in short supply nationally, or are geographically maldistributed in the United States, and 2) if there is an uneven distribution, whether it is possible to identify areas lacking physical therapists. The supply of physical therapists at the county level is examined in relation to factors presumed to indicate need for physical therapy services. Next, the distribution of physical therapists is examined in selected groups of counties to determine why some areas are relatively better supplied than others and whether any obvious set of criteria accurately and consistently identifies those areas appearing underserved. The major conclusion is there may be a maldistribution of physical therapists. Criteria for identifying shortages are recommended.

Key Words: Health manpower • Physical therapists • Health services accessibility

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