Physiotherapists' Perspectives on Type 2 Diabetes Management and as a Primary Condition for Referral to Physiotherapy Services: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.
Sarah M Janssen, Denise M Connelly, Heather Gillis
{"title":"Physiotherapists' Perspectives on Type 2 Diabetes Management and as a Primary Condition for Referral to Physiotherapy Services: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.","authors":"Sarah M Janssen, Denise M Connelly, Heather Gillis","doi":"10.3138/ptc-2022-0022","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>We explored the current and potential role of physiotherapists in the management of people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and T2D as a primary condition for physiotherapy referral.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a qualitative descriptive study. Participants were physiotherapists practicing in community and outpatient settings across Canada. One-on-one telephone interviews were completed to explore provision of physiotherapy care for people with T2D, including current practices and readiness of physiotherapists to provide direct care. We employed thematic analysis for generation of themes from interviews.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We interviewed 21 participants from eight provinces and territories. Three themes were generated from the data: current approach to T2D management; challenges for physiotherapy integration; and merits of physiotherapy and needed evolution. Participants described that physiotherapists are not part of the healthcare team for T2D management. There is a gap in medical management of T2D that physiotherapy would fill, that is, education and prescription for exercise participation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our findings support a gap in the management of T2D in Canadian healthcare, particularly in reference to physiotherapy. Further, our findings support the need for greater inclusion of physiotherapists for lifestyle counseling with an emphasis on physical activity and exercise for patients at risk of and with T2D to maximize health and improve/maintain function. Studies focusing on accessibility and funding of physiotherapy services are needed to validate these findings.</p>","PeriodicalId":54606,"journal":{"name":"Physiotherapy Canada","volume":" ","pages":"282-294"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12392836/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Physiotherapy Canada","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3138/ptc-2022-0022","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2022/12/28 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"REHABILITATION","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose: We explored the current and potential role of physiotherapists in the management of people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and T2D as a primary condition for physiotherapy referral.
Methods: We conducted a qualitative descriptive study. Participants were physiotherapists practicing in community and outpatient settings across Canada. One-on-one telephone interviews were completed to explore provision of physiotherapy care for people with T2D, including current practices and readiness of physiotherapists to provide direct care. We employed thematic analysis for generation of themes from interviews.
Results: We interviewed 21 participants from eight provinces and territories. Three themes were generated from the data: current approach to T2D management; challenges for physiotherapy integration; and merits of physiotherapy and needed evolution. Participants described that physiotherapists are not part of the healthcare team for T2D management. There is a gap in medical management of T2D that physiotherapy would fill, that is, education and prescription for exercise participation.
Conclusions: Our findings support a gap in the management of T2D in Canadian healthcare, particularly in reference to physiotherapy. Further, our findings support the need for greater inclusion of physiotherapists for lifestyle counseling with an emphasis on physical activity and exercise for patients at risk of and with T2D to maximize health and improve/maintain function. Studies focusing on accessibility and funding of physiotherapy services are needed to validate these findings.
期刊介绍:
Physiotherapy Canada is the official, scholarly, refereed journal of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association (CPA), giving direction to excellence in clinical science and reasoning, knowledge translation, therapeutic skills and patient-centred care.
Founded in 1923, Physiotherapy Canada meets the diverse needs of national and international readers and serves as a key repository of inquiries, evidence and advances in the practice of physiotherapy.
Physiotherapy Canada publishes the results of qualitative and quantitative research including systematic reviews, meta analyses, meta syntheses, public/health policy research, clinical practice guidelines, and case reports. Key messages, clinical commentaries, brief reports and book reviews support knowledge translation to clinical practice.
In addition to delivering authoritative, original scientific articles and reports of significant clinical studies, Physiotherapy Canada’s editorials and abstracts are presented in both English and French, expanding the journal’s reach nationally and internationally. Key messages form an integral part of each research article, providing a succinct summary for readers of all levels. This approach also allows readers to quickly get a feel for ‘what is already known’ and ‘what this study adds to’ the subject.
Clinician’s commentaries for key articles assist in bridging research and practice by discussing the article’s impact at the clinical level. The journal also features special themed series which bring readers up to date research supporting evidence-informed practice.
The Canadian Physiotherapy Association (CPA) is the national professional association representing almost 15,000 members distributed throughout all provinces and territories. CPA’s mission is to provide leadership and direction to the physiotherapy profession, foster excellence in practice, education and research, and promote high standards of health in Canada.