Physiotherapists’ perception of physicians’ referral of patients for physiotherapy in the Nigerian health system

Background 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, particularly as a source of patient referral. Therefore, an evaluation of Nigerian physiotherapists’ (NPT...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bulletin of Faculty of Physical Therapy (Online) 2021-12, Vol.26 (1), p.1-9, Article 32
Main Authors: Okonkwo, Uchenna Prosper, Ihegihu, Ebere Yvonne, Maruf, Fatai Adesina, Umunnah, Joseph Onuwa, Maduagwu, Stanley Monday, Okoye, Emmanuel Chiebuka, Okeke, Chukwuebuka Olisaemeka
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age groups
Clinical medicine
Data analysis
Demographics
Employment
Females
Health care delivery
Hospitals
Knowledge
Likert scale
Males
Medical referrals
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Original Research Article
Orthopedics
Patients
Perception
Physical therapy
Physicians
Physiotherapists
Physiotherapy
Professional relationships
Questionnaires
Referral
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Summary:Background 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, 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. Results The 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
ISSN:1110-6611
2536-9660
DOI:10.1186/s43161-021-00051-x