RAJIV GANDHI UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES
BANGALORE, KARNATAKA,
ANNEXURE II
1 / NAME OF THE CANDIDATE AND ADDRESS / BENJAMIN VARGHESEDEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOTHERAPY
FATHER MULLER MEDICAL COLLEGE
MANGALORE-575002
2 / NAME OF THE INSTITUTION / FATHER MULLER MEDICAL COLLEGE
MANGALORE
3 / COURSE OF STUDY / MASTER OF PHYSIOTHERAPY
(MUSCULOSKELETAL AND SPORTS PHYSIOTHERAPY)
4 / DATE OF ADMISSION TO THE COURSE / 01-06-2007
5 / TITLE OF THE TOPIC / KNOWLEDGE AND PERCEPTION ABOUT PHYSIOTHERAPY AMONG FINAL YEAR STUDENTS OF VARIOUS HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONS-
A SURVEY IN DAKSHINA KANNADA.
PROFOMA FOR REGISTRATION OF SUBJECTS FOR DISSERTATION
6. Brief resume of the intended work
6.1 Need for the studyPhysiotherapy is a dynamic profession with an established theoretical and scientific base and widespread clinical applications in the restoration, maintenance, and promotion of optimal physical function.
Physical therapists:
· Diagnose and manage movement dysfunction and enhance physical and functional abilities
· Restore, maintain, and promote not only optimal physical function but also optimal wellness, fitness and quality of life as it relates to movement and health.
· Prevent the onset, symptoms, and progression of impairments, functional limitations, and disabilities that may result from diseases, disorders, conditions, or injuries.1
Interaction of various disciplines of medicine within a health care team is becoming recognized more and more as an effective method of improving the delivery of health care services. Members of the health care team need to understand and respect each other’s professional abilities and the efficiency of their health care approach in client care, in order to achieve interdisciplinary teamwork.2
A physiotherapist forms an integral part of the team and contributes to the overall rehabilitation of a client. Clients rely on a doctor for recommendation to other health care professionals such as physiotherapists.3 Thus a doctor who is not well informed of the range of options and values that physiotherapy has to offer can delay or not make appropriate referrals to Physiotherapy.1
If the physiotherapy profession hopes to gain interdisciplinary co-operation with the medical profession, it is important that physicians and other medical professionals have a sound knowledge base and a favorable attitude towards physiotherapy.2 Interdisciplinary education plays a key role in this aspect.
Studies show that medical students are aware of physiotherapy as an allied science and its potential benefits in the management of various Musculoskeketal disorders. However, physiotherapy has proved to be effective in other medical conditions such as cardio-respiratory, neurological, pediatric and geriatric conditions. Therefore education about physiotherapy and reviews of recent advancements in the same should be included as a part of medical students curriculum.2
If interaction is focused at the undergraduate level, it will improve the level of awareness of physiotherapy and ensure referral of a client when appropriate. In doing so, the delivery of health care to future clients is likely to be improved.4
Most of the studies pertaining to ‘the knowledge and perception of physiotherapy among medical students’ have been carried out in western countries. However, in India the health set up is very different with various medical professions such as ayurveda and homeopathy finding favour among the local community. Therefore, a notable feature of this study is that it evaluates the knowledge and perception of physiotherapy among these specialties as well.
The results of this study are confined to the medical professions of allopathy, homeopathy, ayurveda and nursing in Dakshina Kannada.
Research Question:
Do the final year students of other health care professions have adequate knowledge and
perception about physiotherapy?
Hypothesis:
· The knowledge and perception of physiotherapy among other health care professional students (Final years) in Dakshina Kannada is satisfactory.Null Hypothesis:
· The knowledge and perception of physiotherapy among other health care professional students (Final years) in Dakshina Kannada is not satisfactory..
Operational Definitions:
Knowledge: - It is the outcome of the collection and assimilation of information gained through learning and experience.Perception: - It is the way in which individuals analyse, interpret and make sense of incoming information to form a personalized opinion.
6.2 Review of Literature:
Whyte and Blackburn4 have stated that interdisciplinary interaction within a health care team is becoming more recognised as an effective method of improving the delivery of health care services and this interdisciplinary teamwork can be achieved by recognizing and respecting the professional abilities of other team members and understanding how their skills may contribute to client care.A review of recent literature suggests that medical professionals may not have an adequate knowledge of all physiotherapy services available or how physiotherapy can help their patients (Harris and Summers) 5,6
In a study by Kenny and Adamson7, it is pointed that doctors do not have an adequate knowledge and understanding of the physiotherapy profession.
Sheppard3 stated in his study that clients rely on the doctor for recommendations to other health care professionals.
In another study by Ewan8, it is reported that final year medical students have identified lack of opportunities for medical students to work with allied health professionals in the clinical setting as a contributing factor to the lack of appreciation of the skills of allied health personnel.
Lee and Sheppard2 conducted a study among 174 final year medical students’ to determine knowledge and perception of physiotherapy services within South Australia and to identify any need for further education about physiotherapy within the undergraduate medical course. They concluded that though physiotherapy had a high reputation among the students, they still needed more information about physiotherapy services.
Stanton and colleagues9 conducted a study to identify areas of deficit in resident physicians’ knowledge of selected physical therapy modalities and evaluative procedures and to determine if resident physicians perceived themselves to have adequate background to refer patients to physical therapy effectively. They concluded that there was a deficit in resident physicians’ knowledge of physical therapy and also suggested a need for physical therapists to educate physicians about treatment modalities and evaluative procedures through continuing education programs.
Uili and co-researchers10, after an assessment of physicians’ knowledge and utilization of physical therapy procedures came to the conclusion that physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists and physicians in practice for 10 years or more had more knowledge of physical therapy procedures than their other counterparts.
In a study by Brogan 11, it is pointed out that physicians probably do not recognize the extent to which their patients need rehabilitation services and, in addition, may not adequately refer their patients for such services.
Silva and co-workers12 studied the attitudes of California physicians towards the professional image of physiotherapists and concluded that although the majority of physicians viewed physical therapists as possessing all of the criteria denoting professionalism, there was relatively less agreement with the two criteria representing the highest degrees of professionalism – evaluative skills and autonomy of judgment.
Dally and Sim13 studied the nurses’ perceptions of physiotherapists as rehabilitation team members. They concluded that nurses valued the role and contribution of physiotherapists, but
identified areas in which barriers existed to effective inter professional working, particularly in relation to organizational factors and inter professional relationships.
Greenwood and Bithell14 conducted a study on perceptions of physiotherapy compared with nursing and medicine amongst minority ethnic and white UK students. They reported that nearly one in six participants said that they knew nothing about physiotherapy, and males were significantly less familiar with it than females. Medicine and nursing were much better known.
In another study, Tsuda and colleagues15 evaluated the accuracy of knowledge about physical therapy in 403 California high school students. They found out that most students had some knowledge of physical therapy. Very few students (16%), however, were familiar with the role in wound care, and few others (24%) had a misconception that a physical therapist “prescribes medication”.
Ogiwara and Nozoe16 investigated the knowledge of physiotherapy of 673 senior high school students in Japan. They came to the conclusion that only half of the students were aware of physiotherapy. Thus, knowledge of physiotherapy conveyed by physiotherapists and the mass media to senior high school students should be improved.
Kallus, Kerri and co-researchers17, in their study of 575 high school students’ knowledge of physical therapy pointed out that a majority of students knew of, or had heard about physical therapy, but needed more accurate knowledge and information regarding the same. There were also some misconceptions about certain aspects of the profession such as wound care.
In most of the above-mentioned studies, a questionnaire pattern is followed. It is noticed that following a simple, understandable questionnaire method is the best approach to conduct a survey in a large population.
6.3 Objectives of the study:
· To evaluate the perception of the physiotherapy profession among various health careprofessional students (Final years) in Dakshina Kannada.
· To find out the extent of their knowledge of physiotherapy services.
· To identify the source of their knowledge.
· To compare the knowledge and perception of physiotherapy among them.
7. Material and methods
7.1 Source of data:
Final year students of various health care professions in Dakshina Kannada.
7.2 Method of collection of data
Study Design:
A descriptive study design.
Sample procedure:
In Dakshina Kannada there are 14 nursing, 4 ayruvedic, 2 homeopathic and 7 allopathic colleges with an average of 60, 75, 80 and 100 final year students respectively. 40 students from allopathy, 45 students from ayurveda, 30 students from nursing and 60 students from homeopathy will be randomly selected from each of the colleges to participate in the study.A questionnaire will be prepared to find out the knowledge and perception about physiotherapy among medical students, which will be validated by experienced physiotherapy faculty of various institutions. The questionnaire is designed to evaluate the participant’s knowledge and perception about various aspects of physiotherapy. After validation the printed questionnaire will be handed over in person to the colleges in Dakshina Kannada, which have been selected for the study. A request/introductory letter will accompany each questionnaire.
Inclusion Criteria:
· Final year allopathic, homeopathic, ayurvedic and nursing students in Dakshina Kannada
Exclusion Criteria:
· Students of all other years and interns of allopathy, homeopathy, ayurveda and nursing.Statistical Analysis:
Data will be analyzed by mean, Standard deviation, student ‘t’ test and ANOVA.7.3 Does the study require any investigation or intervention to be conducted on patients or animals?
No
7.4 Has ethical clearance been obtained from your institution in case of the above question?
Yes
8. List of References:
- American Physiotherapy Association.http://www.apta.org
- Lee K, Sheppard L: An investigation into medical students’ knowledge and perception of physiotherapy services. Australian Journal of Physiotherapy. 1998, 44: 239-245.
- Sheppard L: Public perception of physiotherapy: Implications for Marketing. Australian Journal of Physiotherapy .1994,40: 265-271.
- Whyte M and Blackburn J: Health Sciences Education Review. Canberra: Office of Tertiary Education.1991, pp. v-x.
- Summers M: General practitioners and information on local services. Health Issues .1993,35: 32-34.
- Kenny D and Adamson B: Medicine and the health professions: Issues of dominance, autonomy and authority. Australian Health Review.1992, pp. 319-333.
- Evan CE: Social issues in medicine: A follow up comparison of senior year medical student’s attitudes with contemporaries in non-medical faculties. Journal of Medical Education.1988, 22: 375-380.
- Stanton PE, Fox FK, Frangos KM, Hoover DH, and Spilecki GM: Assessment of resident physicians’ knowledge of physical therapy. Physical Therapy, 1985, 65 (1): 27-30.
11. Brogan DR. Rehabilitation service needs: Physicians' perceptions and referrals. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.1981, 62(5): 215-9.
12. Silva DM, Clark SD, Raymond G. California physician's professional image of therapists. Physical Therapy. 1981, 61(8): 1152-7.
13. Dalley J, Sim J: Nurses’ perceptions of physiotherapists as rehabilitation team members. Clinical Rehabilitation. 2001, Vol. 15, No. 4, 380-389.
- Greenwood N, Bithell C: Perceptions of physiotherapy compared with nursing and medicine amongst minority ethnic and White UK students: implications for recruitment. Physiotherapy Journal.2005, Vol. 91, Issue 2, pp. 69-78.
- Tsuda HC, Kiser BC, and Shepard KF: Factors influencing high school students’ knowledge of physical therapy. Physical Therapy.1982, 62: 1157-1164.
17. Kallus K,Dana N,Bezner J,And Keely G: An Assessment Of High-School Students' Knowledge Of Physical Therapy And The Factors That Influence Their Knowledge. Journal, Physical Therapy Education. 1999, 77:1163-1650.
9 / SIGNATURE OF CANDIDATE
10 / REMARKS OF THE GUIDE
11 / NAME AND DESIGNATION OF
(In Block Letters)
11.1. GUIDE: / MR.KANAGARAJ R.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOTHERAPY
FMMC.
11.2. SIGNATURE:
11.3.CO-GUIDE: / DR.EDWARD NAZARETH
PROFESSOR
DEPT OF ORTHOPAEDICS
FMMC.
11.4.SIGNATURE
11.5.HEAD OF THE DEPT. / MR.KANAGARAJ R.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOTHERAPY
FMMC.
11.6.SIGNATURE
12 / 12.1.REMARKS OF THE DEAN
12.2.SIGNATURE
Department Of Physiotherapy
Father Muller Medical CollegeMangalore
I, Benjamin Varghese, Postgraduate Physiotherapy student, Department of Physiotherapy,
Father Muller Medical College, Mangalore, am conducting a survey to evaluate the knowledge and perception about physiotherapy among various health care professional students (Final years) in Dakshina Kannada. I request you to kindly accept my invitation and participate in this study by filling the questionnaire. Thank you.
Sample Questionnaire For The Survey
[You are requested to answer all the questions]Demographic data
Age: Sex: M / F Course:
University: Institution:
{Kindly go through the alternatives given below the questions and tick ( )
Whichever is applicable to you. You can tick on more than one option if applicable.}