“Cooperation between physicians and physios fosters trust you know”: a qualitative study exploring patients’ experience with first-contact physiotherapy for low back pain in French primary care
Abstract Background Physiotherapists working in collaboration with family physicians in French multidisciplinary primary healthcare clinics are now able to manage acute low back pain patients as first-contact practitioners in advanced practice roles. This includes medical act delegation such as maki...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2024-02-01
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| Series: | BMC Primary Care |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-024-02302-x |
| _version_ | 1797273746041470976 |
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| author | Amélie Kechichian Dylan Pommier Léo Druart Véronique Lowry Nicolas Pinsault François Desmeules |
| author_facet | Amélie Kechichian Dylan Pommier Léo Druart Véronique Lowry Nicolas Pinsault François Desmeules |
| author_sort | Amélie Kechichian |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Physiotherapists working in collaboration with family physicians in French multidisciplinary primary healthcare clinics are now able to manage acute low back pain patients as first-contact practitioners in advanced practice roles. This includes medical act delegation such as making a medical diagnosis and prescribing medication. The aim of this study is to explore patients’ experience and perceptions when attending a first-contact physiotherapist (FCP) in an advanced practice collaborative primary care model for acute low back pain (LBP). Methods A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was conducted. Patients that consulted a FCP for acute LBP care in new collaborative model were included. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and inductive thematic analysis was performed to generate themes related to patients’ experience and perceptions. Results Ten patients were interviewed (3 women, 7 men; mean age 36.5 ± 9.63 years). All LBP participants experienced important level of pain and disability. Four overarching themes related to patients’ experience with the new FCP model were formalized: 1) “Going to see a physiotherapist who specializes in painful movements, well that makes sense to me”, 2) “Physiotherapist offered to give me exercises to do at home to relieve the back pain”, 3) “I went there feeling confident”, 4) “The physiotherapist can do more than just send you to see more appropriate people”. Participants highlighted the need to receive timely and high-quality care and were receptive with being autonomously managed by a FCP. Overall, patients’ experiences with FCP model of care were positive. Participants were highly confident in the FCP’s ability to perform delegated medical tasks including making a medical diagnosis and prescribing oral medication such as analgesic drugs. Patients felt that a greater expansion of FCPs’ scope of practice was needed to improve the model. Conclusion Findings from this study can inform the implementation of FCP in countries where patients are not typically granted FCP by underlining that patients are favourable towards the advance practice model as such models support timely and high-quality care. Further research is needed to better determine the future advance practice physiotherapists’ scope of practice in French primary and secondary care settings. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T14:48:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-67a411779eb54fa7a32a4a39bdc23eff |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2731-4553 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T14:48:36Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Primary Care |
| spelling | doaj.art-67a411779eb54fa7a32a4a39bdc23eff2024-03-05T19:50:46ZengBMCBMC Primary Care2731-45532024-02-0125111110.1186/s12875-024-02302-x“Cooperation between physicians and physios fosters trust you know”: a qualitative study exploring patients’ experience with first-contact physiotherapy for low back pain in French primary careAmélie Kechichian0Dylan Pommier1Léo Druart2Véronique Lowry3Nicolas Pinsault4François Desmeules5University Grenoble-Alpes, CNRS, UMR 5525, VetAgro Sup, Grenoble INP, TIMCDepartment of Physiotherapy, University Grenoble-AlpesUniversity Grenoble-Alpes, CNRS, UMR 5525, VetAgro Sup, Grenoble INP, TIMCMaisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center, University of Montreal Affiliated Research CenterUniversity Grenoble-Alpes, CNRS, UMR 5525, VetAgro Sup, Grenoble INP, TIMCMaisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center, University of Montreal Affiliated Research CenterAbstract Background Physiotherapists working in collaboration with family physicians in French multidisciplinary primary healthcare clinics are now able to manage acute low back pain patients as first-contact practitioners in advanced practice roles. This includes medical act delegation such as making a medical diagnosis and prescribing medication. The aim of this study is to explore patients’ experience and perceptions when attending a first-contact physiotherapist (FCP) in an advanced practice collaborative primary care model for acute low back pain (LBP). Methods A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was conducted. Patients that consulted a FCP for acute LBP care in new collaborative model were included. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and inductive thematic analysis was performed to generate themes related to patients’ experience and perceptions. Results Ten patients were interviewed (3 women, 7 men; mean age 36.5 ± 9.63 years). All LBP participants experienced important level of pain and disability. Four overarching themes related to patients’ experience with the new FCP model were formalized: 1) “Going to see a physiotherapist who specializes in painful movements, well that makes sense to me”, 2) “Physiotherapist offered to give me exercises to do at home to relieve the back pain”, 3) “I went there feeling confident”, 4) “The physiotherapist can do more than just send you to see more appropriate people”. Participants highlighted the need to receive timely and high-quality care and were receptive with being autonomously managed by a FCP. Overall, patients’ experiences with FCP model of care were positive. Participants were highly confident in the FCP’s ability to perform delegated medical tasks including making a medical diagnosis and prescribing oral medication such as analgesic drugs. Patients felt that a greater expansion of FCPs’ scope of practice was needed to improve the model. Conclusion Findings from this study can inform the implementation of FCP in countries where patients are not typically granted FCP by underlining that patients are favourable towards the advance practice model as such models support timely and high-quality care. Further research is needed to better determine the future advance practice physiotherapists’ scope of practice in French primary and secondary care settings.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-024-02302-xFirst-contact physiotherapistMedical act delegationPatients’ experience and perceptionsQualitative studySemi-structured interviewsThematic analysis |
| spellingShingle | Amélie Kechichian Dylan Pommier Léo Druart Véronique Lowry Nicolas Pinsault François Desmeules “Cooperation between physicians and physios fosters trust you know”: a qualitative study exploring patients’ experience with first-contact physiotherapy for low back pain in French primary care BMC Primary Care First-contact physiotherapist Medical act delegation Patients’ experience and perceptions Qualitative study Semi-structured interviews Thematic analysis |
| title | “Cooperation between physicians and physios fosters trust you know”: a qualitative study exploring patients’ experience with first-contact physiotherapy for low back pain in French primary care |
| title_full | “Cooperation between physicians and physios fosters trust you know”: a qualitative study exploring patients’ experience with first-contact physiotherapy for low back pain in French primary care |
| title_fullStr | “Cooperation between physicians and physios fosters trust you know”: a qualitative study exploring patients’ experience with first-contact physiotherapy for low back pain in French primary care |
| title_full_unstemmed | “Cooperation between physicians and physios fosters trust you know”: a qualitative study exploring patients’ experience with first-contact physiotherapy for low back pain in French primary care |
| title_short | “Cooperation between physicians and physios fosters trust you know”: a qualitative study exploring patients’ experience with first-contact physiotherapy for low back pain in French primary care |
| title_sort | cooperation between physicians and physios fosters trust you know a qualitative study exploring patients experience with first contact physiotherapy for low back pain in french primary care |
| topic | First-contact physiotherapist Medical act delegation Patients’ experience and perceptions Qualitative study Semi-structured interviews Thematic analysis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-024-02302-x |
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