Survey of non-physiotherapy department medical staff in China and their understanding of physiotherapy in comprehensive management of haemophilia.

Abstract

Physiotherapy plays a very important role in comprehensive care of patients with haemophilia. Due to limited resources and a lack of understanding among medical personnel, physiotherapy has not become a standard component of comprehensive management of haemophilia in China. To investigate the understanding and practice of physiotherapy in the comprehensive management of haemophilia by non-physiotherapy department medical staff engaged in haemophilia work in China. A specifically designed questionnaire was used to investigate the medical staff who participated in the 10th World Federation of Hemophilia-Hemophilia Conference China held in Xi'an, China, from 14 October to 16 October 2016. Among all respondents, 97.2% believed that haemophilia patients needed physiotherapy. However, only 17.5% of the respondents were found to have a very accurate understanding of the timing of physiotherapeutic interventions for haemophilia patients; 83.9% of the respondents worried that physiotherapy would increase the incidence of new haemorrhagic episodes in haemophilia patients, and 11.1% of the respondents never recommended physiotherapy for haemophilia patients. Factors that independently affected the respondents' knowledge of the timing of physiotherapy in haemophilia patients were their professional rank and participation in continuing education that included haemophilia physiotherapy. One factor that independently affected respondents' recommendation of physiotherapy to patients was participation in continuing education that included haemophilia physiotherapy. Haemophilia continuing education covering physiotherapy should be strengthened for new non-physiotherapy medical staff in the haemophilia field.