Orthopaedic consultant surgeons perceptions of an advanced practice physiotherapy service in paediatrics: A qualitative study.

Abstract

The objective of this study is to determine orthopaedic consultants' perceptions of an advanced practice physiotherapy (APP) service in paediatrics. This is a qualitative study that use semi-structured interviews to explore consultant doctors' experiences of an APP paediatric orthopaedic service and its development. Data were transcribed verbatim and subsequently underwent thematic analysis. Five orthopaedic consultants in two hospital settings participated, and all of whom had experience of working with paediatric orthopaedic APPs. Seven themes were derived from the analysis, with all participants in the study identifying factors affecting the development of the service and demonstrating broad support for the APP role, with benefits noted as including improved efficiency of service, expansion of skill mix within the team, positive impressions of the standard of care and improved education and liaison with the families and community practitioners at large. This paper highlights many of the factors that should be considered when introducing an APP service in an outpatient setting. This study demonstrates consistent cross-site positive regard in the skill and competency of the APP in paediatric orthopaedics, to enhance orthopaedic services for children.