Health promotion experiences of Filipino physical therapists

Introduction: Health promotion is a potential solution to control and prevent non-communicable diseases, and physical therapists (PT) may be knowledgeable and skilled to be health promoters. However, there is a lack of health promotion policy in the country that can be used as a guideline for promoting health. This study aimed to describe the Filipino PTs health promotion experiences and strategies. Methods: A descriptive phenomenological design was utilized with a self-developed interview guide used for the focus group discussion. Qualitative data was analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Results: Physical therapists perceive the role of health promoters as significant and should be integrated into physical therapy practice. Participants described different health-promoting strategies that they incorporate in their practice that are: client education; client-centered approach; holistic service; and interprofessional collaboration. Several facilitators and barriers to health promotion also emerged: guidelines and frameworks or lack thereof; institutional support; interprofessional collaboration; networking; PTs interpersonal skills; client behavior; and health determinants. Participants described the determinants of health as the core factors that affect and influence the delivery of health promotion and behavior change of patients. The role of PTs as advocates of health promotion was also emphasized. Discussion: Filipino PTs practice health promotion in client care with several health-promoting strategies, however no specific and unifying health promotion guideline was identified among them. This suggests that our study may serve as a precursor to developing standard health promotion physical therapy practice guidelines aligned with physical therapy professional practice framework and national health promotion policies.