Athletes' expectations about physiotherapy in sports injury rehabilitation in greater Accra region.
Jonathan Quartey, Selorm Afidemenyo, Samuel Koranteng Kwakye
PMID 31889761WHAT IT FOUND
Athletes in Greater Accra expected physiotherapists to be directive, genuine and nurturing, with directiveness rated 6.11 on a 7-point agreement scale.
The paper suggests physiotherapists explain injury causes and rehab outcomes.
Key findings
01Directiveness, nurturance and genuineness were reported as the most influencing expectation factors, with means of 6.11, 6.02 and 6.02 on a 7-point agreement scale.
02Gender did not significantly affect most expectation scores, except confrontation (p = 0.032).
03Competition level was associated with total expectation scores (p = 0.0290), and responsibility subscale scores differed by competition level (p = 0.024).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This was a cross-sectional survey, so it measured expectations at one time and cannot show how expectations changed during rehabilitation or affected outcomes. The sample was recruited from selected training grounds in Greater Accra, and athletes who could not read and write were excluded, so it may not represent all athletes. Sixty-nine of 120 participants had no previous physiotherapy experience, so expectations may reflect limited direct contact with physiotherapy services. The study used self-report on one questionnaire, and no clinical outcomes or treatment effects were measured. The paper does not describe random sampling, and participants were recruited at training grounds.
Declared interests
There were no competing interests from all authors, and no financial or material support was received.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the high expectation scores as proof that physiotherapy improves sports injury outcomes. This study surveyed athletes' expectations and did not test a treatment.