Evelina Ašmontaitė, Margarita Radžiūnienė

Abstract

The aim – research different health care professionals approach to physical therapy. Question. What is the opinion of different health care professionals about physiotherapy and physical therapist job? Methodology. In this study qualitative researches method was used. The research data collection was selected by individual interview method. During the interview the study participants were given questionnaire consisting of 16 questions. Participants. 20 subjects participated in the research – 5 physical medicine and rehabilitation doctors, 5 family doctors, 5 dentists and 5 orthopedists – traumatologists. Participated health care professionals agreed to answer the questions voluntarily. Conclusion. The opinion of health care professionals was unanimous, that physical therapy is the treatment of movement, it is necessary and useful to the public. On the competence and physical therapist working professionals opinion was different: some argued that the physical therapist job involves little functions (can‘t perform massage and physiotherapy procedures at all) others said – many of physical therapists can work in both health care facilities, rehabilitation centers, in the gym or a health field. The description of physical therapists activities different health care professionals had differed: performing exercises, prescribing physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians or physical therapist, examining and evaluating the patient and suitable invidual program adjusting the treatment process, providing physiotherapy diagnosis or watching patients performing exercises, giving advice on healthy living. Nevertheless, not all interviewed health care professionals could indentify who is the physical therapist, occupational therapist, trainer or masseur.

Keyword(s): odontology; family medicine; physical medicine; orthopedics – traumatology; physiotherapists.
DOI: 10.5200/sm-hs.2017.028
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