Abstract
BackgroundAs the physiotherapy profession gradually evolves into a more autonomous profession, physicians continue to play a major role in the clinical practice of physical therapists globally, particularly as a source of patient referral. Therefore, an evaluation of Nigerian physiotherapists’ (NPTs) perception of physician’s referral (PR) of patients for physiotherapy may be a critical indicator of the relationship between the two professionals in the Nigerian health sector. The objective of the study was to determine the perception of Nigerian NPTs on the PR of patients for physiotherapy and the influence of demographic characteristics on the perception. The study was an online survey involving one hundred and fifty-four respondents. The instrument for the study was an 11-item self-developed questionnaire with two domains: demographics and perception. The participants were blind respondents reached through different physiotherapists’ WhatsApp platforms in Nigeria. The responses were collated electronically after 2 months and analyzed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.ResultsThe respondents have a negative perception of the 9 out of the 11-questionnaire items that were used to test the physiotherapists’ perception of the physicians’ referral of patients for physiotherapy in Nigeria health facilities. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) across the respondents’ gender, place of employment, areas of specialization, and educational qualifications and the respondents’ perception of doctors’ referrals of patients for physiotherapy. However, there was a significant difference (p<0.05) in each of the participants’ perceptions across the respondents’ years of practice, with the participants who had less than 5 years of practice having the least score.ConclusionsNigerian physiotherapists have a negative perception of physicians’ referral of patients for physiotherapy, and the perception was only influenced by the years of practice of the respondents.
Highlights
As the physiotherapy profession gradually evolves into a more autonomous profession, physicians continue to play a major role in the clinical practice of physical therapists globally, as a source of patient referral
The evaluation of the physiotherapists’ perception of the physicians’ referral (PR) of patients for physiotherapy services may be a practical and effective way to study the relationship between physicians and physiotherapists in the Nigerian health sector
This has left a large number of patients who still rely on medical practitioners for a recommendation for physiotherapy services, and referrals for physiotherapy depend on the medical professionals’ knowledge and awareness about physiotherapy [5]
Summary
As the physiotherapy profession gradually evolves into a more autonomous profession, physicians continue to play a major role in the clinical practice of physical therapists globally, as a source of patient referral. The evaluation of the physiotherapists’ perception of the physicians’ referral (PR) of patients for physiotherapy services may be a practical and effective way to study the relationship between physicians and physiotherapists in the Nigerian health sector. In Nigeria, the extant law regulating the physiotherapy profession shows reservations about physiotherapists treating patients directly without being referred by medical practitioners, even when the condition presented by the patient is an obvious physiotherapy case. The previous study revealed that physiotherapy referrals have been attributed to the wrong attitude and poor knowledge among medical practitioners about the role of physiotherapy in primary and general health care delivery [6]. Effective referrals could only come from medical practitioners who would rise above professional interest, have a good understanding of physiotherapy, and interact with physiotherapists, and comfortable with the concept of physiotherapy treatments and interventions
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