COVID-19: Contrasting experiences of South African physiotherapists based on patient exposure.
Tasneem Hassem, Nicky Israel, Nabeelah Bemath and 1 others
PMID 35169652WHAT IT FOUND
Physiotherapists in South Africa who treated or regularly contacted COVID-19 patients reported significantly worse mental health, higher anxiety, depression and burnout, and more maladaptive coping like self-blame than those without exposure.
Physical health and resilience scores did not differ between the two groups.
Key findings
01Therapists with COVID-19 exposure reported significantly lower mental health, higher anxiety, depression and burnout, and more maladaptive coping than those without exposure.
02Self-reported physical health and resilience did not differ significantly between the exposed and non-exposed groups.
03Across both groups, a substantial proportion of therapists reported receiving no or very minimal support in their work environment.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study is non-experimental and cross-sectional, so it cannot prove that COVID-19 exposure caused the mental health differences. Participants were recruited via convenience sampling through professional associations and social media, which may not represent all physiotherapists in South Africa. The sample size was relatively small (171) and did not capture important contextual factors like whether participants worked in hospitals or private practice, which likely influenced their experiences. Data was collected during a single specific lockdown level, so the findings may not reflect therapists' experiences at other stages of the pandemic.
Declared interests
No specific conflicts of interest or funding sources are declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that therapists without direct patient contact are unaffected. The study found that 41.8% of the non-exposure group reported receiving no or very minimal work support, and both groups experienced significant financial strain and reduced patient load. The mental health gap between groups is real, but the lack of support is widespread across the profession.