Nigerian physiotherapists’ knowledge, attitude, and practice of digital physical therapy: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background The increasing demand for physical therapy services worldwide calls for innovations to be made to meet the challenges of service delivery. However, little is known about the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of digital physical therapy among Nigerian physiotherapists. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the level of KAP of digital physical therapy among physiotherapists in Nigeria. Methods This cross-sectional study purposively recruited 150 Nigerian physiotherapists. Copies of modified and validated questionnaires on the KAP of digital physical therapy from a previous study were sent to registered and licensed physiotherapists via electronic survey to assess the KAP of digital physical therapy. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Alpha level was set at p < 0.05. Results The mean age of the respondents was 29.76 ± 6.95 years. Most participants (81.3%) have a knowledge level above average, while 18.7% have below average. Furthermore, most (76.0%) of the respondents had a positive attitude toward digital physical therapy. In addition, more than two-thirds, 69.3% uses digital physical therapy platforms for physical therapy practice. Knowledge, attitude, and practice were not significantly associated with sociodemographic characteristics (p > 0.05). Furthermore, there was no significant association between knowledge, attitude, and practice (p > 0.05). Conclusion Many Nigerian physiotherapists demonstrated adequate knowledge, positive attitude, and good practice of digital physical therapy. However, knowledge, attitude, and practice of digital physical therapy were not influenced by sociodemographic characteristics.

Do Physiotherapists in Nigeria Accept and Adopt Tele-rehabilitation: A Mixed-method Study

“…This is supported by [22] who documented that association was found between years of practice and adoption of tele-rehabilitation. Lack of signi cant association between gender and acceptance/adoption in this study was supported by an earlier study by Awotidebe et al, [15] who reported that knowledge, attitude, and practice of digital physical therapy were not in uenced by gender.…”

“…The ndings of this study indicated that adoption of tele-rehabilitation using digital tools by physiotherapist has helped to improve patient management including history taking, examination and evaluation and treatment adherence. This is supported by a study conducted by Awotidebe et al, [15] who reported that young professionals have demonstrated the practice and utilization of online therapy in their treatment interventions. Additionally, the majority of respondents reported that they preferred to work in individual settings that offer tele-rehabilitation to musculoskeletal conditions which align with previous research demonstrating physiotherapists' willingness to utilize digital physical therapy for their clients with orthopaedic cases [18].…”