Knowledge of physiotherapy practice among medical interns in a tertiary care hospital: A descriptive cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: Medical doctors have profound influence on other health professions including physiotherapist as they are at the top of the pyramid of healthcare profession. There is a lack of knowledge of physiotherapy among medical doctors. They may not be knowing of all physiotherapy services and practice. The objective of this study was to find adequate knowledge of physiotherapy practice among medical interns in a tertiary care hospital. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on medical interns of a tertiary hospital of Kathmandu between 21st March-20th May 2021, after taking ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee. A convenient sampling method was used and sample size was calculated to be 94. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the demographic details and knowledge of Physiotherapy. Data was analyzed using statistical package for the social sciences version 20. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and percentage for binary data. Results: The knowledge of physiotherapy practice was seen adequate among 16 (17%) (95% Confidence Interval = 9.41-24.59) medical interns. Physiotherapy is effective in reducing pain was acknowledged by 89 (97.4%), 61 (64.9%) had knowledge about conditions treated by physiotherapy, 55 (58.5%) had knowledge that physiotherapy treatment follows definite treatment protocol and 26 (27.7%) had knowledge that exercise prescription is done in physiotherapy. Conclusions: The prevalence of adequate knowledge is less in our study which is similar to other studies done in similar settings. Therefore, there is a need of educating the future medical doctors about physiotherapy, thereby reaching a better patient care.