Knowledge, awareness and use of current practice of palliative care amongst physiotherapists

• Published in: The South African journal of physiotherapy Vol. 79; no. 1; p. 1786
• Main Authors: Yakasai, Abdulsalam M, Maharaj, Sonill S, Gidado, Umar M, Nuhu, Jibril M, Haruna, Sani A, Danazumi, Musa S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: African Online Scientific Information Systems (Pty) Ltd t/a AOSIS 2023; AOSIS; AOSIS Publishing
• Subjects: Anatomy & Morphology; awareness; Care and treatment; current practice; Health Care Sciences & Services; knowledge; Medical care; Original Research; Pain; palliative care physiotherapy; Palliative treatment; Physical therapists; Physical therapy; Physiology; physiotherapists; Quality management; Rehabilitation; Therapeutics, Physiological; Nigeria; awareness; current practice; palliative care physiotherapy; knowledge; physiotherapists
• ISSN: 0379-6175; 2410-8219; 2410-8219
• DOI: 10.4102/sajp.v79i1.1786

Background Recently, there has been a marked increase in the incidence of cancer, HIV, and other noncommunicable diseases globally. Thus, the demand for palliative care (PC), including end-of-life care, continues to grow worldwide. Physiotherapy has an important role in PC as it aims to alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life by optimising independent levels of function. Objective To assess the level of knowledge, awareness and current practice of PC amongst Nigerian physiotherapists in clinical practice. Method Our study used a cross-sectional descriptive census-based method and recruited practising physiotherapists in Nigeria. An electronic questionnaire was used to collect data over 12 weeks, comprising 36 semistructured questions in four domains: personal information, knowledge, awareness and current practices regarding PC. Data were analysed using a pragmatist paradigm. Results Of the 426 physiotherapists who participated, 50% (n = 213) had a postgraduate degree, 49.5% (n = 211) had a bachelor's degree and 0.5% (n = 2) had a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. The results also indicate that 73.9% (n = 315) of the participants had sufficient knowledge about PC, 80.5% (n = 343) had a sufficient level of awareness about PC and 66.7% (n = 284) were using current clinical practices in the rehabilitation of critically ill patients or those with chronic conditions. Conclusion It was concluded that most Nigerian physiotherapists had sufficient knowledge and awareness about PC and were involved in the management of patients requiring PC physiotherapy. Clinical implication It can be understood that a large proportion of Nigerian physiotherapists have clinical experience managing patients requiring PC, despite inadequate formal training in this field.