Global response to physiotherapy services disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic and the level of preparedness for the next health emergency.
Heidi Kosakowski, Peter Skelton, Wouter De Groote and 2 others
PMID 40900988WHAT IT FOUND
Most responding member organisations reported physiotherapy was not included in any health emergency preparedness component.
During the pandemic, telerehabilitation was the most frequently reported mitigation strategy, but 24% reported no strategy at all.
Key findings
0124% of responding member organisations reported no mitigation strategy for physiotherapy service disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic, while 76% reported at least one.
02Telerehabilitation was the most frequently reported mitigation strategy at 57%, followed by home-based care at 42% and promotion of self-care at 41%.
0364% of responding member organisations reported that physiotherapy services were not included in any health emergency preparedness component, while 36% reported integration into one or more components.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The survey relied on member organisation representatives rather than ministries of health, and responses were not validated against official plans. The new census questions were not piloted or cognitively tested, and respondents were not given definitions of mitigation or preparedness. Respondents could select multiple options, but the survey did not capture how well strategies worked, how they were delivered, or the patient outcomes. As a membership survey, answers may reflect advocacy bias. The authors did not verify data sources, and how respondents understood the questions is unknown.
Declared interests
The authors declared no financial support was received for the research or publication.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 57% telerehabilitation figure as proof that physiotherapy services were successfully maintained. The survey recorded strategies reported by member organisations, not patient outcomes, and telerehabilitation was noted as unable to replace inpatient acute and post-acute rehabilitation.