Mental health content in the physiotherapy undergraduate curriculum in South Africa.
Marilyn Hooblaul, Oladapo M Olagbegi, Thayananthee Nadasan
PMID 39114423WHAT IT FOUND
South African physiotherapy curricula lack consistent mental health training.
Most universities omit pathophysiology and specific communication strategies. While all agree this content is vital, students receive uneven exposure, leaving many unprepared to treat patients with psychiatric comorbidities.
Key findings
01Most universities do not provide explicit learning experiences on the pathophysiology of mental illness or specific communication strategies for psychiatric patients.
02Four of the seven participating universities reported having neither theory nor practical exposure dedicated to mental health in their undergraduate programmes.
03All participating universities agreed on the importance of including mental health content in the physiotherapy curriculum.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study did not examine the detailed content of mental health training at universities that offered it. Only seven of eight eligible universities participated, which may limit generalisability to the entire South African context. The reliance on self-reported data from academic leaders may introduce bias regarding the depth of curriculum coverage.
Declared interests
The principal author received tuition remission for PhD studies and a clinical research grant from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that all South African physiotherapy graduates have received equivalent training in mental health. The study found significant disparities, with four universities offering neither theory nor practical exposure to mental health conditions.