Experiences of occupational health doctors and nurses about the role of physiotherapists in occupational health rehabilitation: A qualitative study.
Laran Chetty
PMID 32489235WHAT IT FOUND
Occupational health doctors and nurses valued physiotherapists for quick access, advanced reasoning, and evidence-based practice, but some saw the expanding role as a threat.
They expected physiotherapists to clarify boundaries and work closely with the team.
Key findings
01Participants identified four benefits of occupational health physiotherapy: rapid access, advanced knowledge and clinical reasoning, evidence-based practice, and providing an additional perspective.
02Participants expected physiotherapists to collaborate with occupational health doctors and nurses rather than work in isolation, and to have good time management and conflict resolution skills.
03Some participants viewed the advancing physiotherapy role as a potential threat and worried it could make their own positions harder to justify.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included only two occupational health doctors and 12 nurses from two NHS hospitals, so it reflects a narrow group of colleagues' views. It reports perceptions of the physiotherapist role, not patient outcomes or tested effects. The paper says findings may not apply beyond these two hospitals.
Declared interests
The author declared no conflicts of interest. The work was supported by Arthritis Research UK.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that occupational health physiotherapy improves patient outcomes. It reports doctors' and nurses' perceptions of the physiotherapist role, not patient results.