The physiotherapy workforce in Nepal: A national survey

Abstract

Background: Physiotherapy is a relatively young profession in Nepal. Education standards, and workforce organization and representation have improved in recent years, but there is no detailed workforce data to support decision-making and long-term planning. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the demographic characteristics, physiotherapy practice areas, settings and employment characteristics of physiotherapists in Nepal; and to document job satisfaction and the factors that influence it.Methods: In a cross-sectional survey, we asked Nepali physiotherapists about their sociodemographic characteristics, employment or physiotherapy practice area and settings, and job satisfaction. We assessed the associations between sociodemographic factors and job satisfaction among physiotherapists using univariable and multivariable logistic regressions. We invited all Nepali physiotherapists to participate via email, social media and visits to hospitals.Results: Of the 1120 physiotherapists who were contacted, 52% (female: 287; male: 293) completed the survey. The majority of the participants (75%) were less than 30 years old. The majority (73%) held a Bachelor of Physiotherapy degree. Eighty percent were employed at the time of data collection; 58% had 1-4 years of experience. The majority (77%) practiced in or near the capital Kathmandu. Most physiotherapist worked either in private hospitals (46%) or in private physiotherapy practices (26%), rehabilitation centres (19%) and 11% practiced in public hospitals.The most common areas of practice were musculoskeletal physiotherapy (90%) and adult neurology (67%). More than half of the physiotherapist (53%) felt that they were underpaid and 41% were not satisfied with their current job status. The majority of the physiotherapists (67%) reported that they participated in continuing professional development activities. Multivariable logistic regression showed that physiotherapists who had a higher remuneration were more likely to be satisfied with their job. Conclusions:The majority of the physiotherapy workforce in Nepal is well-educated, young and at an early career stage. Most physiotherapists work in musculoskeletal and adult neurological physiotherapy, in private practices or private hospitals near

Physiotherapy and its service in Nepal: implementation and status reported from facility surveys and official registers

“…Our study supports the notion that physiotherapy services are primarily concentrated in urban health settings, as reported in previous study by Nepal et al (2022) and for other countries [10,22,28]. This finding corroborates a previous report in which 71% of physiotherapists in Nepal were found to be concentrated in Province III [31].…”

“…A master of physiotherapy was registered under five different specialisations (Table 1). Year-wise estimated records of the number of physiotherapists in Nepal from 2018 to 2023 were obtained from a workforce survey [28], the World Health Organisation (WHO) [39], World Physiotherapy [26], DOHS [40], and NEPTA [27]. According to NEPTA, the estimated number of physiotherapists in Nepal has…”

“…Regrettably, attrition of physiotherapy has become a major issue that impacts the overall profession and its future. Unsatisfactory working conditions and lack of carrier development opportunities leads to migration to high-income countries for employment and education [28].…”

Status and availability of physiotherapy in Nepal as reported from facilities and official registers

“…According to the World Physiotherapy Global report 2022, there is an average of 3.6 physiotherapists per 10,000 people worldwide and for the Asia Western Paci c region, this number is 1.5. In Nepal, the estimated number is only 0.8 (26) and the attrition of physiotherapists as highlighted in a recent study (27), is a major issue that impacts the overall profession and its future.…”