Advancing the deliberate implementation of the concept of sustainability and its alternatives in physical therapy research, practice, and education

Abstract

Background: Sustainability has become a ubiquitous imperative across all sectors of society, including healthcare. Building on the broader discourse on sustainable development, sustainability is used in relation to social, ecological, and economic concerns with varying degrees of emphasis and often related to a sense of durability. Objective: To provide a detailed analysis of the concept of sustainability in current physical therapy literature and advance its deliberate future implementation. Methods: Setting out from a critical exposition of prevalent models of sustainability, we conducted a critical discourse analysis to (1) examine the implementation of the concept of sustainability in physical therapy academic literature and (2) critically evaluate its hitherto use in light of the broader discourse surrounding sustainability. Results: Our analysis identified a focus on the cost-effectiveness of healthcare interventions, and the use of so-called “weak” and “strong sustainability” models in the physical therapy literature. Other models and the broader critical discourse surrounding sustainability are only gradually finding their way into physical therapy literature. Conclusion: Physical therapy lacks comprehensive exploration of both general and profession-specific understandings of sustainability. Nuanced engagement with sustainability and its alternatives is necessary to ensure its meaningful implementation in physical therapy research, education, and practice.