Physiotherapy Training Program Defects in Geriatrics: A Qualitative Study.

Abstract

Background: To review the educational program of physical therapy students at the basic level, it is necessary to understand the challenges and problems faced by physical therapy graduates when working with the elderly. This study aimed to explain the deficiencies of the basic level educational program of physical therapy students with a qualitative study of the content analysis type.

Methods: In-depth and semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted in qualitative research with a content analysis approach, with 13 physical therapists with at least 1 year of experience in the specialized field of geriatrics. The obtained data were analyzed using Granheim and Loudman's content analysis method.

Results: A total of 29 codes of the physical therapy program defects in the field of geriatrics were obtained and placed in the 3 main categories as follows: The physical therapist's knowledge, the physical therapist's attitude, and the physical therapist's skill.

Conclusion: The findings indicated that revisions are necessary to the undergraduate physical therapy training curriculum. It is possible to provide a lesson unit with a holistic approach to the elderly in the form of a physical therapy unit for the elderly, as well as valid instructions and guidelines in the field of aging for physical therapists. This can be done through basic or master's level internships in elderly care centers.