Physiotherapy practice with mechanically ventilated spinal cord injury patients in the intensive care unit (ICU): A qualitative study of physiotherapists' experiences and perspectives.
Sabrina Massoni Camilo, Winnie La, Shaghayegh Mirbaha and 3 others
PMID 41529047WHAT IT FOUND
Ontario ICU physiotherapists said co-treating, nurse and occupational therapist collaboration, and mentorship helped care for ventilated spinal cord injury patients.
They named time, equipment, training, and autonomy as barriers.
Key findings
01Collaboration within the physiotherapy team and with occupational therapists, respiratory therapists, nurses and physicians was described as helping care delivery.
02Participants said time, staffing, equipment and training were often inadequate.
03Safety was linked to monitoring vitals and patient responses, and to working with nurses and occupational therapists on positioning and pressure relief.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 11 physiotherapists took part, and all were female. Most participants worked in teaching hospitals in Toronto or Ontario, so the findings may not apply to other settings or provinces. The study reports physiotherapists' experiences, not patient outcomes, so it cannot show whether the described practices improve recovery. No patients or family members were interviewed, so their views are missing.
Declared interests
This work was supported by a Sunnybrook Practice Based Research and Innovation Seed Grant. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that physiotherapy improves outcomes in ventilated spinal cord injury. The study interviewed physiotherapists about their experiences and did not measure patient recovery or compare treatments.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →