Impact of COVID-19 on rehabilitation experiences of physiotherapists

Creative Commons License

Ciddi P., Aras Bayram G.

Work, cilt.71, sa.1, ss.31-39, 2022 (SSCI) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 71 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2022
  • Doi Numarası: 10.3233/wor-210658
  • Dergi Adı: Work
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, ABI/INFORM, Business Source Elite, Business Source Premier, CINAHL, Educational research abstracts (ERA), EMBASE, Environment Index, INSPEC, MEDLINE, Psycinfo
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.31-39
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Coronavirus, COVID-19, health professionals, preventive measures, telehealth
  • İstanbul Medipol Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

BACKGROUND: As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed, pressures on almost all health sectors in many countries increased, and physiotherapy interventions were canceled for various reasons. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the status of physiotherapists who interrupted their services due to the pandemic and investigate procedures adopted by physiotherapists during face-to-face practice. METHOD: The measuring tool was an online survey administered via Google Forms between January 27 and February 27, 2021. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, the sample consisted of 558 physiotherapists, questions about their clinical experience during the pandemic were answered, and descriptive statistics were examined. RESULTS: Of the physiotherapists, 351 (62.9%) suspended their services due to pandemic, while 207 (37%) of all participants worked without suspending their services since the beginning of the process. Among participants, 303 (54.3%) needed education to use telerehabilitation methods, and 315 (56.5%) monitored their patients with remote communication methods. Hand washing (86.6%), disinfectant (85.3%), gloves (76.5%) and masks (86.6%) were the most common protective measures. CONCLUSIONS: Most physiotherapists had their face-to-face practice interrupted for a short time due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but they continue to treat all disease conditions in spite of inherent physical intimacy and increased risk of infection.