Emergency on-call duty preparation and education for newly qualified physiotherapists: a national survey

Abstract

Objective To evaluate current emergency on-call service preparation and education provision for newly qualified physiotherapists within the UK, including an audit of adherence to Standard 9 of the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Respiratory Care (ACPRC). Design National postal questionnaire survey. Main instrument Questionnaire including audit of adherence to ACPRC Standard 9. Participants Random selection of 75 UK hospital trusts that had intensive care units detailed in the Directory of Critical Care. Telephone contact was made to identify the senior/superintendent respiratory physiotherapist responsible for the on-call physiotherapy service, to whom the questionnaire was addressed. Results Seventy-two trusts responded, representing a range of respiratory service leads and managers responsible for on-call services. All respondents indicated provision of on-call preparation and education, although content, delivery methods and duration varied considerably. A wide variety of methods are currently used to assess newly qualified physiotherapists prior to undertaking on-call duties. Despite variations in on-call service provision, there is national adherence to ACPRC Standard 9 at the present time (92–100% adherence to Criteria 1–5). Adherence to Criteria 6, 7 and 8 occurs in fewer trusts (79%, 49% and 73%, respectively). Conclusions This study indicated that there is a broad level of national adherence to ACPRC Standard 9, despite the fact that this is not a mandatory requirement. National inconsistencies in preparation duration, format and ongoing education were identified. Further guidance by the ACPRC and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy is required to provide national consistency of on-call preparation and education.