Roles and Tasks of Physiotherapists in Nursing Homes: A Survey.
Shanty Sterke, Ana Paula Nascimento da Cunha, Lennard Voogt and 1 others
PMID 40391811WHAT IT FOUND
Nursing home physiotherapists agreed they should handle falls, mobility, and transfers, but lacked time for pain and sarcopenia.
They disagreed on their role in incontinence and malnutrition. This reflects professional opinion, not patient outcomes, so it cannot confirm if this work improves resident health.
Key findings
01Physiotherapists reached consensus that they should be involved in falls prevention, transfer problems, and mobility problems.
02Respondents did not agree that they have enough time during the workday to address pain, sarcopenia, inactivity, or decubitus.
03There was no consensus that physiotherapists should be involved in managing behavioral problems, overweight, malnutrition, or incontinence.
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 a convenience sample, so the views may not represent all nursing home physiotherapists. Reliability of the survey instrument was not determined. The study reports opinions on roles and time, not actual patient outcomes or effectiveness of care. Consensus was defined pragmatically at 75%, which is lower than the 80% often used in similar studies. The study did not ask for the underlying reasons behind disagreements.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest were declared and there was no source of funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the consensus on roles as evidence that these physiotherapy tasks improve patient outcomes. This study reports what therapists believe they should do and where they feel time-constrained, not the results of an intervention.
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 →