Dataset Information

Views and perceptions of Australian physiotherapists and physiotherapy students about the potential implementation of physiotherapist prescribing in Australia: a survey protocol.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Non-medical prescribing (NMP) is acknowledged as an expanding area of clinical practice across the world. The physiotherapy profession is currently investigating the introduction of physiotherapist prescribing in Australia, with the case for reform centred around meeting the healthcare needs of the current and future Australian population. Conflict within a profession has been identified as a barrier to implementation of new clinical innovations. An online survey has been developed with the aim to collect and synthesise the views and perceptions of Australian physiotherapists and physiotherapy students about the potential use of NMP by physiotherapists in Australia.

Methods

A cross-sectional descriptive survey design, using a pre-tested online questionnaire, including quantitative and qualitative components, will be utilised to explore the views and perceptions of Australian physiotherapists and physiotherapy students regarding NMP by physiotherapists in Australia. Quantitative data will be analysed descriptively and regression analysis will be utilised to identify associations between the specific question outcomes and demographic data. A thematic analytical approach will be utilised to synthesise qualitative data from open-questions.

Discussion

The results from this survey will serve to inform decision-makers about the current views of the Australian physiotherapy profession with regards to the potential implementation of physiotherapist prescribing in Australia. Data will be used in conjunction with cost-benefit analyses, risk analysis as well as assessment of the health-requirements and consultation with key stakeholders including the Australian health consumer when contemplating change.

SUBMITTER: Noblet T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6006587 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Views and perceptions of Australian physiotherapists and physiotherapy students about the potential implementation of physiotherapist prescribing in Australia: a survey protocol.

Noblet T T Marriot J J Jones T T Dean C C Rushton A A

BMC health services research 20180619 1

<h4>Background</h4>Non-medical prescribing (NMP) is acknowledged as an expanding area of clinical practice across the world. The physiotherapy profession is currently investigating the introduction of physiotherapist prescribing in Australia, with the case for reform centred around meeting the healthcare needs of the current and future Australian population. Conflict within a profession has been identified as a barrier to implementation of new clinical innovations. An online survey has been deve ...[more]

PMID: 29921266

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Project description:OBJECTIVES:To explore: (1) the views of Australian physiotherapists regarding potential implementation of non-medical prescribing in Australia, (2) how the geographical location and health sector in which a clinician works may influence their perceptions and (3) the perceptions of Australian physiotherapists about how physiotherapist prescribing might impact the care that the profession can provide. DESIGN:A cross-sectional descriptive survey using open and closed questions. SETTING:Participants completed an online questionnaire. PARTICIPANTS:883 Australian Health Professionals Registration Authority (AHPRA)-registered physiotherapists, working across all states and territories. OUTCOME MEASURES:An online questionnaire was developed by a panel of subject experts and pretested (n=10) for internal consistency. A hyperlink to the questionnaire was emailed to all members of the Australian Physiotherapy Association. A reminder email was sent 4 weeks later. Quantitative data were analysed descriptively, with use of absolute risk reductions (ARRs) and 95% CIs to determine the likelihood that health sector or geographical location were associated with specific views. Thematic analysis enabled synthesis of the qualitative data. RESULTS:79.0% participants felt that physiotherapist prescribing should be introduced in Australia, with 71.2% wanting to train as prescribers. Clinical governance, risk management, regulation of clinicians and the development of an education framework were identified as priorities for implementation. Participants working in the private sector were significantly more likely to train as prescribers than those in the public sector (ARR 9.9%; 95% CI 3.5 to 16.4) or educational/research institutions (ARR 23.3%; 95% CI 12.8 to 33.8), with city dwellers significantly more likely to train compared with physiotherapists in remote regions (ARR 19.8%; 95% CI 0.8 to 39.2). Physiotherapist prescribing was predicted to improve efficiency of healthcare delivery, access to medicines and reductions in healthcare costs. CONCLUSIONS:AHPRA-registered physiotherapists perceive that the introduction of autonomous physiotherapist prescribing would be beneficial for the Australian population and should be introduced. Decision makers should consider the results of this survey in conjunction with cost-benefit and risk analysis when planning the introduction of physiotherapist prescribing.

Project description:OBJECTIVES:Choosing Wisely holds promise for increasing awareness of low-value care in physiotherapy. However, it is unclear how physiotherapists' view Choosing Wisely recommendations. The aim of this study was to evaluate physiotherapists' feedback on Choosing Wisely recommendations and investigate agreement with each recommendation. SETTING:The Australian Physiotherapy Association emailed a survey to all 20 029 physiotherapist members in 2015 seeking feedback on a list of Choosing Wisely recommendations. PARTICIPANTS:A total of 9764 physiotherapists opened the email invitation (49%) and 543 completed the survey (response rate 5.6%). Participants were asked about the acceptability of the wording of recommendations using a closed (Yes/No) and free-text response option (section 1). Then using a similar response format, participants were asked whether they agreed with each Choosing Wisely recommendation (sections 2-6). PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES:We performed a content analysis of free-text responses (primary outcome) and used descriptive statistics to report agreement and disagreement with each recommendation (secondary outcome). RESULTS:There were 872 free-text responses across the six sections. A total of 347 physiotherapists (63.9%) agreed with the 'don't' style of wording. Agreement with recommendations ranged from 52.3% (electrotherapy for back pain) to 76.6% (validated decision rules for imaging). The content analysis revealed that physiotherapists felt that blanket rules were inappropriate (range across recommendations: 13.9%-30.1% of responses), clinical experience is more valuable than evidence (11.7%-28.3%) and recommendations would benefit from further refining or better defining key terms (7.3%-22.4%). CONCLUSIONS:Although most physiotherapists agreed with both the style of wording for Choosing Wisely recommendations and with the recommendations, their feedback highlighted a number of areas of disagreement and suggestions for improvement. These findings will support the development of future recommendations and are the first step towards increasing the impact Choosing Wisely has on physiotherapy practice.

Project description:The phenomenon of professional migrations in the healthcare sector may exacerbate the problem of health workforce shortages. The scale of migration of medical personnel in Poland is estimated mainly on the certificates issued by the regional chambers confirming qualifications that grant the legal right to practice in other EU countries. Migrations concern also physiotherapists, who are the third largest group of health professionals. However, the problem of this phenomenon has not been assessed, and there is a lack of research in this area. The aim of the study was to compare the intention of migration among practicing physiotherapists and students in the last two years of master's studies in physiotherapy, as well as to identify the factors affecting their intentions to migrate. The study covered practicing physiotherapists and students in the last two years of master's studies in the field of physiotherapy in Poland. A total of 236 respondents took part in the study, including 119 physiotherapists and 117 students of physiotherapy. The tool used for the study was an online questionnaire. The scale of the intention to migrate was estimated at 45.3% among students and 47.1% in the group of practicing physiotherapists. The most frequently indicated destination countries for the migration of physiotherapy students and practicing physiotherapists were Germany, Norway, Switzerland, France and the United Kingdom. In both studied groups, the pull factors with the greatest impact on the intention to migrate were the possibility of obtaining higher earnings and working in better infrastructural conditions. In turn, the most important push factors turned out to be the low prestige of the profession in Poland, limited prospects for professional advancement and the stressful work environment. The respondents most often indicated separation from loved ones and poor command of foreign languages as significant barriers to professional migration. Both students of physiotherapy and practicing physiotherapists show great interest in the intention of professional migration, and the decisive determinant is economic factors.

Project description:BackgroundThe Swiss containment strategy for the COVID-19 pandemic during the first wave in spring 2020 resulted in a moratorium on non-urgent physiotherapy via regular direct patient contact. Consequently, such physiotherapy sessions declined by 84%. This study investigates the impact of this moratorium on the use of digital remote physiotherapy in Switzerland during this period and the perceptions of its use by Swiss physiotherapists (PTs).MethodsA cross-sectional online questionnaire was distributed between June and August of 2020 via the Swiss Physiotherapy Association (physioswiss) and various associations of physiotherapy specialists (e.g., sport, pediatric) working in both inpatient and outpatient settings. The questionnaire was designed to capture the demographics of participants and the perceptions of PTs using 33 questions in the following domains: Demography; Attitudes towards digital technology; Private and professional use of digital technology; Use of digital technology during therapy; and, Support requirements. Closed and open-ended questions were included and the frequency of answers was analyzed. Non-parametric inferential statistics were used to identify differences, where appropriate. The Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES) was adopted.ResultsParticipants in the survey were 742 PTs (23.5% male, mean age of 43 years, mean working experience of 18 years) from the German-speaking (75.5%), French-speaking (15.1%), and Italian-speaking (9.4%) regions of Switzerland. The percentage of PTs using digital remote therapy increased from 4.9% prior to the lockdown to 44.6% during the lockdown period. The majority of PTs did not consider that digital remote therapy could complement usual physiotherapy practice and did not plan to continue with digital remote therapy after the pandemic.ConclusionsDuring the lockdown, Swiss PTs adopted various low-cost and easily accessible digital technologies. However, several barriers hampered further implementation of this modality. Specific education and training programs need to be provided among PTs, appropriate digital technologies should be introduced, and a correct reimbursement scheme should be developed.Trial registrationCOVIDPhysio Registry of World Physiotherapy, registered 15th June 2020 ( https://world.physio/covid-19-information-hub/covid-19-covidphysio-registry ).

Project description:BackgroundWith an increasingly ageing population in Australia, more older adults who are frail are living in residential aged care facilities (RACFs). The aim of this study was to detail the type, scope, and funding of physiotherapy utilised in Australian RACFs.MethodsRegistered physiotherapists (n = 219, 72% female, mean age (SD) = 38.6 (12.9) years) working in Australian RACFs participated in a nationwide, cross-sectional online survey. The survey was developed iteratively through a review of the literature and clinical guidelines, consensus of final survey items by an expert panel of five senior physiotherapists and aged care managers. Survey questions related to the characteristics of the physiotherapists (e.g., age, gender, employment status), characteristics of the RACFs (e.g., state, remoteness, sector), the type and scope of physiotherapy provided by respondents, and the availability of equipment and certain spaces (e.g., gyms) in the RACFs that respondents worked in. Survey responses were analysed and presented descriptively. Correlation using Spearman's rho (ρ) and the associated 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to determine whether the availability of equipment or space at the RACF was associated with the time dedicated to performing non-Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI) tasks.ResultsCommon reasons for physiotherapy referral were chronic pain management as per the ACFI framework (89.7%), falls (69.2%), and reduced mobility (35.9%). Rehabilitation or short-term restorative care was provided in only 22.2% of the facilities. The ACFI funded 91.4% of all participants, which limited physiotherapists to low-value chronic pain management including massage and electrical stimulation. Respondents spent 64.5% of their time on ACFI tasks, which equated to 19 h per week. More time was spent on non-ACFI tasks particularly when resistance bands (ρ = 0.28, 95%CI 0.14-0.41) and a dedicated therapy space or gym (ρ = 0.19, 95%CI 0.04-0.33) were available.ConclusionsThe expertise of physiotherapists is currently being under-utilised in Australian RACFs, which may be related to the availability of public funding, equipment, and space for therapy. Therefore, public health policy should address the urgent need for high-value, evidence-based physiotherapy that supports the reablement and independence of older adults living in RACFs.

Project description:BackgroundThere are two primary ways of accessing physiotherapy for service users around the world. The direct access, as opposed to the indirect access which requires a referral from a general physician, has several merits including better quality, timeliness, cost effectiveness of treatment and better probability of preventing acute conditions from turning into chronic ailments. Despite these benefits, several countries including the UAE, do not allow direct access to physiotherapists. This study aims to understand the level of awareness among practicing physiotherapists in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) about direct access and to determine whether any of their demographic variables influence the way they perceive the concept. Further, the study sought to explore the perceived barriers and benefits of direct access according to the participating physiotherapists.Subjects and methodsAn observational cross-sectional study was employed. The questionnaire survey developed by Bury and Stokes in 2013 was adapted and employed in this study. The instrument had six sections with close-ended items using a Likert five-point scale to rate them. Two hundred and sixty-four physiotherapists answered the questionnaire shared with them through a web link. Finally, MANOVA was employed to explore any influence of demographic variables on the opinions of the respondents.ResultsThe findings showed that 70% of participants were aware about direct access while nearly 30% were completely unaware. Younger physiotherapists were more willing to endorse the practice whereas older ones were more apprehensive of the barriers. The main barriers reported were the limited support from the physicians and policy makers, professional autonomy, and the limited scope of practice for the physiotherapists, as well as evidence-based practice. The impact of demographic variables on direct access indicated that physiotherapists under the age of 23 endorsed direct access more strongly than other age groups.ConclusionMore efforts are needed to implement direct access in the UAE, considering the benefits of improved professional status, cost savings, patient satisfaction, and higher efficiency. This study recommends leadership support, professional autonomy, and mentorship as possible ways to achieve this goal.

Dataset Information

Views and perceptions of Australian physiotherapists and physiotherapy students about the potential implementation of physiotherapist prescribing in Australia: a survey protocol.

Background

Methods

Discussion

Publications

Views and perceptions of Australian physiotherapists and physiotherapy students about the potential implementation of physiotherapist prescribing in Australia: a survey protocol.

Similar Datasets

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