Introduction to Physical Therapy, 4e by Michael Pagliarulo provides a comprehensive description of the profession and practice of physical therapy.
NEW! Evolve website with a test bank, PowerPoint presentations, and image collection. The only introductory textbook that includes an overview of the profession and clinical information Chapter on reimbursement introduces the fiscal aspect of health care and reimbursement for physical therapy services. Chapter on communication and cultural competence helps the PT and PTA understand behavior due to cultural differences.
EXPANDED! Numerous learning aides, including chapter outlines, key terms, learning objectives, questions to ask, boxes, tables, summaries and up to date references, suggested readings, and reviewe questions. The lastest information on current trends in health care and the profession of physical therapy keeps the students current on latest issues.
A very tough read. As far as introductory books go, this book is quite dry to read. Forget about staying interested in the first 5 chapters or so. Some of the information seems oddly out of place, and the chapters aren't in a logical order. Some things seem to be overly explained, while others were not.
Definitely my favorite textbook. This stuff is so interesting to me, and the text itself was informative and easy to read. I will definitely be investing in my own copy as I make my way to PT school :)
Overall this is a solid introduction to physical therapy. Its content is well organized and presented in a logical order. The auxiliary materials (charts, graphs, tables, etc...) clarify content well. The book's most irksome quality is its redundancy, which occurs because each chapter was written by a different author. Additionally, some chapters are stronger than others. Both the pediatric and geriatric chapters are well written; whereas, the integumentary chapter with its unexplained technical jargon is more difficult to follow, particularly as this book is geared toward the novice. For example, a more inclusive diagram of the skin and its components would have been greatly helpful.
I was very disappointed with this book. There are chapters that go way to in depth (i.e., on regulation and political history of the field) while other chapters seem way to short and not enough information to grasp an understanding.