Perception of Filipino Physicians on The Roles and Scope of Practice of Physical Therapy in the Philippines

Abstract

Aim: To report the existing perceptions of Filipino physicians on the practice of physical therapy through the validated Perception on Physical Therapists Questionnaire (PoPTQ). Methods: This study utilized a multi-method quantitative research design. For Phase 1 (psychometric), 18 questionnaires were used to compute the Cronbach’s α of PoPTQ. A total of 134 questionnaires from Filipino physicians were analyzed for Phase 2 (cross-sectional), in which descriptive statistics and cross tab analysis were used to report the respondents’ perceptions. Both phases utilized online means of data gathering done via convenience sampling. Results: Phase 1 revealed an acceptable Cronbach's α value of 0.528 for all items of PoPTQ. Phase 2 showed that physicians who have attended lectures discussing the roles of physical therapists (PTs) or have experience with working with them have a higher referral rate than those with no prior exposure to PTs. Physicians believe that PTs can establish strong patient-therapist relationships and treat different patients. Furthermore, physicians positively acknowledge the roles of PTs in clinical and research settings. Conclusion and Implications: Adequate foundational knowledge, positive perceptions, and high awareness of PTs' roles and scope of practice are observed among physicians practicing locally. However, there is a need to increase collaboration opportunities between physical therapy students and physicians in their academic years and promote physical therapy roles specific to different medical specialties. Results of this study may assist in determining areas where the promotion of physical therapy roles is needed. This study can also aid in establishing a gold standard assessment tool for quantitative perception studies.