Clinical excellence in physical medicine and rehabilitation: Examples from the published literature

Advancements in medical knowledge and technology are enabling people to live longer with chronic medical conditions, and creating a need for physiatrists to help maintain and restore function. Clinical excellence in physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) is not well documented in the literature. The aim of this paper is to provide examples of clinical excellence in PM&R as they relate to the definition formulated by the Miller-Coulson Academy of Clinical Excellence (MCACE). A review of the literature revealed 1,686 published articles that were evaluated to determine their relevance to the definition of clinical excellence in PM&R. From these articles, exemplary case reports and research studies were identified for each of the domains of excellence. The application of the definition of clinical excellence to PM&R is more than just an intellectual exercise, as it can help to establish the model to which physicians and trainees may want to aspire.