Community-based primary healthcare training for physiotherapy: Students’ perceptions of a learning platform

Abstract

Background South Africa is faced with an overburdened public healthcare system and physiotherapists need to be equipped to address these challenges. Community-based primary healthcare clinical training (CBPHCT) offers physiotherapy students with learning opportunities to develop core competencies in order to address the needs of a disparate healthcare system. Objectives To explore the experiences of physiotherapy students participating in a CBPHCT platform. Method An explorative qualitative approach was adopted, using focus group discussions with final year physiotherapy students exposed to a year of CBPHCT. Data from the focus groups were transcribed and analysed using content analysis. Results Four overarching themes were identified: prerequisite community-based primary healthcare competencies, positive factors associated with CBPHCT, negative factors associated with CBPHCT and recommendations. Conclusion The CBPHCT experience was seen to present challenges to, and have benefits for, physiotherapy students. The students felt that communication between stakeholders, such as academic staff and hospital personnel, could be developed, while the lack of resources, such as Internet access, posed a barrier to learning. Students felt core competencies, such as professionalism of caring, were influenced by their exposure to the clinical personnel. Furthermore, they saw themselves as health advocates and felt there was mutual benefit from engagement with communities during their clinical placements. Recommendations included a review of physiotherapy curricula to prepare students for CBPHCT. Clinical implications Community-based primary healthcare clinical training provides learning opportunities for undergraduate physiotherapy students to develop core competencies, such as health advocacy, necessary to address the unique needs of a disparate South African healthcare system.

Online teaching in physiotherapy education during COVID-19 pandemic in Italy: a retrospective case-control study on students’ satisfaction and performance

“…Even if technological and set up investments for online teaching are required, studies have shown that switching to online teaching can reduce costs for students [ 26 ] which in turn can increase students numbers, especially in those countries where loans for tuitions are a major barrier to university attendance [ 27 , 28 ]. However, building up a digital educational system may increase disparities towards people living in remote and rural regions, poorer social classes, and families experiencing financial difficulties due to COVID-19 induced economic crisis [ 26 , 29 , 30 ].…”

Role and Preparedness of Physiotherapists in Prevention of Chronic Diseases, Using Stress Urinary Incontinence in Women as an Example 

“…However, preventive measures cannot be taken if there is no awareness, especially in certain social groups responsible for health, about the harmfulness of certain factors (risk factors), as well as no ability to distinguish them in society. This knowledge which is transferred to patients should result in their efforts to eliminate danger or at least limit its negative impact on their health [14,20,24].…”

“…Adequate substantive preparation of medical professionals (physicians, physiotherapists, nurses and midwives) to their profession, which commenced during their studies and continued throughout their postgraduate education, will signi cantly affect the health of those people who come to clinics and hospitals. Education and knowledge about health promoting behaviour should be expanded with regard to the existing dangers of losing health, aspects affecting our health, and factors which contribute to diseases [2,3,6,20,24].…”

“…Furthermore, they cooperate with patient's family, and teach them how to adapt conditions at home to new healthrelated needs of the patient. They can demonstrate emotional resistance and empathy in their daily work with people who suffer from pain, so they have to know how to motivate such patients to undertake movement rehabilitation, frequently overcoming patient's unwillingness to the therapy itself and to their daily life [20][21][22][23][24].…”

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“…The lack of adequate digital resources (e.g. bandwidth connectivity, availability of hardware, and internet) constitutes a barrier to learning for those students living in rural regions and in developing countries [50]. There is a chance that some students who have not enough digital resources at home will not be able to cope with the contingent technology demand, affecting their learning outcomes [2,49].…”