Public-private partnership models for rehabilitation service delivery: A scoping review.
Senzelwe M Mazibuko, Thayananthee Nadasan, Pragashnie Govender
PMID 37293244WHAT IT FOUND
Nine studies mapped public-private partnerships for physiotherapy, mostly in high-income countries.
These models improved rural access and new graduate training, but evidence on clinical outcomes was scarce. No studies covered occupational therapy or speech therapy service delivery models.
Key findings
01All nine included studies focused exclusively on physiotherapy services, with no evidence found for occupational therapy or speech therapy partnership models.
02Most partnership models were developed in high-income countries, particularly Australia, leaving a gap in evidence for low- and middle-income settings.
03A Danish study of a multifaceted partnership intervention found no significant effect on the duration of sickness benefits or time to self-sufficiency.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The search was limited to five databases, which may have missed relevant grey literature or studies in other languages. All included studies focused on physiotherapy, so the findings cannot be applied to occupational therapy or speech-language pathology service models. Most included studies were qualitative or descriptive, meaning they report experiences and processes rather than measuring clinical effectiveness. The review found very few studies from low- and middle-income countries, limiting the applicability of these models in resource-poor settings.
Declared interests
No specific funding sources or conflicts of interest declarations were provided in the text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these partnership models are proven to improve patient health outcomes. The review found mostly descriptive studies about service delivery and workforce issues, and the only trial of a clinical intervention showed no effect on recovery time.