UK physiotherapists delivering physical activity advice: what are the challenges and possible solutions? A qualitative study
Objectives Despite the known health benefits of physical activity (PA), PA levels are in decline. Healthcare professionals, including physiotherapists, have been identified as ideal conduits to promote PA, yet their knowledge and awareness of PA guidelines are poor. The aims of this study were to ex...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2023-04-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/4/e069372.full |
| _version_ | 1797790469833359360 |
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| author | Katherine Rose Marino Dane Vishnubala Andy Pringle Camilla Nykjaer Adil Iqbal Alexandra Stead |
| author_facet | Katherine Rose Marino Dane Vishnubala Andy Pringle Camilla Nykjaer Adil Iqbal Alexandra Stead |
| author_sort | Katherine Rose Marino |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives Despite the known health benefits of physical activity (PA), PA levels are in decline. Healthcare professionals, including physiotherapists, have been identified as ideal conduits to promote PA, yet their knowledge and awareness of PA guidelines are poor. The aims of this study were to explore current knowledge of PA guidelines among UK physiotherapists and identify barriers and possible solutions to delivering PA advice.Design A qualitative approach using semistructured interviews that took place between March and May 2021. Data were analysed with a thematic approach using Braun and Clarke’s six steps.Setting Various inpatient and outpatient clinical settings across six UK regions.Participants Eighteen UK-based physiotherapists managing National Health Service patients were recruited through volunteer sampling in March 2021.Results Five themes and 16 subthemes (shown in parenthesis) were identified as barriers and solutions to delivering PA advice: physiotherapist intrinsic barriers (knowledge, fear/confidence); a lack of emphasis and priority given to PA (time constraints, minimal educational and staff training); patient barriers (compliance, expectations and fear of doing PA); increasing awareness of the PA guidelines (staff training, signposting awareness, use of social media and television campaigns); and optimising delivery (use of visual resources, good communication and approaches involving being individualised and gradual for patients with chronic conditions).Conclusions In this study, physiotherapist participants seemed to have limited awareness of the PA guidelines despite recent updates and were faced with similar barriers to those previously reported in the literature. The solutions suggested could guide strategies to support physiotherapists being able to deliver PA advice. Further research is needed to evaluate the efficiency of any implemented solutions supporting the delivery of PA advice. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T02:05:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3c9ec855393a4dd79f03200de23b3def |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T02:05:04Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-3c9ec855393a4dd79f03200de23b3def2023-07-01T08:00:07ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552023-04-0113410.1136/bmjopen-2022-069372UK physiotherapists delivering physical activity advice: what are the challenges and possible solutions? A qualitative studyKatherine Rose Marino0Dane Vishnubala1Andy Pringle2Camilla Nykjaer3Adil Iqbal4Alexandra Stead5Royal Stoke University Hospital, Stoke on Trent, UKSchool of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UKClinical Exercise and Rehabilitation Research Centre, School of Human Sciences, University of Derby, Derby, UKSchool of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UKCalderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, Huddersfield, UKSchool of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UKObjectives Despite the known health benefits of physical activity (PA), PA levels are in decline. Healthcare professionals, including physiotherapists, have been identified as ideal conduits to promote PA, yet their knowledge and awareness of PA guidelines are poor. The aims of this study were to explore current knowledge of PA guidelines among UK physiotherapists and identify barriers and possible solutions to delivering PA advice.Design A qualitative approach using semistructured interviews that took place between March and May 2021. Data were analysed with a thematic approach using Braun and Clarke’s six steps.Setting Various inpatient and outpatient clinical settings across six UK regions.Participants Eighteen UK-based physiotherapists managing National Health Service patients were recruited through volunteer sampling in March 2021.Results Five themes and 16 subthemes (shown in parenthesis) were identified as barriers and solutions to delivering PA advice: physiotherapist intrinsic barriers (knowledge, fear/confidence); a lack of emphasis and priority given to PA (time constraints, minimal educational and staff training); patient barriers (compliance, expectations and fear of doing PA); increasing awareness of the PA guidelines (staff training, signposting awareness, use of social media and television campaigns); and optimising delivery (use of visual resources, good communication and approaches involving being individualised and gradual for patients with chronic conditions).Conclusions In this study, physiotherapist participants seemed to have limited awareness of the PA guidelines despite recent updates and were faced with similar barriers to those previously reported in the literature. The solutions suggested could guide strategies to support physiotherapists being able to deliver PA advice. Further research is needed to evaluate the efficiency of any implemented solutions supporting the delivery of PA advice.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/4/e069372.full |
| spellingShingle | Katherine Rose Marino Dane Vishnubala Andy Pringle Camilla Nykjaer Adil Iqbal Alexandra Stead UK physiotherapists delivering physical activity advice: what are the challenges and possible solutions? A qualitative study BMJ Open |
| title | UK physiotherapists delivering physical activity advice: what are the challenges and possible solutions? A qualitative study |
| title_full | UK physiotherapists delivering physical activity advice: what are the challenges and possible solutions? A qualitative study |
| title_fullStr | UK physiotherapists delivering physical activity advice: what are the challenges and possible solutions? A qualitative study |
| title_full_unstemmed | UK physiotherapists delivering physical activity advice: what are the challenges and possible solutions? A qualitative study |
| title_short | UK physiotherapists delivering physical activity advice: what are the challenges and possible solutions? A qualitative study |
| title_sort | uk physiotherapists delivering physical activity advice what are the challenges and possible solutions a qualitative study |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/4/e069372.full |
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