Knowledge, attitude and practice of physiotherapists towards health promotion in Ghana.
Hosea Boakye, Jonathan Quartey, Nana A B Baidoo and 1 others
PMID 30214948WHAT IT FOUND
Most Ghanaian physiotherapists surveyed reported positive attitudes and health promotion practices, but knowledge gaps remained: 91 of 91 said they would educate clients on diet and exercise, while only 27% had after-degree workshop training.
Key findings
01Ninety-one physiotherapists in nine Ghanaian hospitals reported an overall knowledge, attitude and practice score of 81%, with knowledge 72%, attitude 84% and practice 87%.
02Most respondents said they practise health promotion at work (88 of 91), and all 91 said they would educate clients on healthy diet and exercise.
03Nearly all were familiar with health promotion (89 of 91) and had covered it during undergraduate training (85 of 91), but only 25 had received workshop training after their degree.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study used purposive selection of nine hospitals, not random sampling, so it may not represent all physiotherapists in Ghana. The data are self-reported from a questionnaire, not observed practice, and the authors reached 91 of 131 possible registered physiotherapists in the selected hospitals. Most respondents were young (75 of 91 aged 21-30) and had 0-5 years working experience (76 of 91), so the results may reflect early-career perspectives. The questionnaire had a test-retest reliability of 0.72. The study reports associations between knowledge, attitude and practice but cannot show that more knowledge causes better practice.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 81% overall score as proof that physiotherapists deliver effective health promotion. The score was self-reported from a questionnaire, not observed care, and only 25 of 91 respondents had workshop training after their undergraduate degree.