Schoeb Veronika, Rau Barbara, Nast Irina, Schmid Stefan, Barbero Marco, Tal Amir, Kool Jan
University of Applied Sciences, Western Switzerland, HESAV, Physiotherapy, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland.
Physiother Res Int. 2014 Jun;19(2):79-92. doi: 10.1002/pri.1560. Epub 2013 Jun 18.
Since 2002, the professional education for Swiss physiotherapists has been upgraded to a tertiary educational level. With this change, the need for research related to professional practice has become more salient. The elaboration of research priorities is seen as a possible way to determine the profession's needs, to help coordinate research collaborations and to address expectations regarding physiotherapy. There is still limited evidence about stakeholders' views with regard to physiotherapy research. The objective of this study was to investigate key stakeholders' opinions about research in physiotherapy in Switzerland.
Focus groups with patients, health professionals, researchers and representatives of public health organizations were conducted, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with politicians, health insurers and medical doctors from three linguistic regions in Switzerland. An interview guide was elaborated. Data were transcribed and analysed using inductive content analysis (Atlas-ti 6®).
Eighteen focus groups and 23 interviews/written commentaries included 134 participants with various research experiences and from different settings. Fourteen categories were defined reflecting three themes: identity, interdisciplinarity and visibility. Stakeholders had positive views about the profession and perceived physiotherapists' important role now and in the future. Yet, they also felt that physiotherapy was not sufficiently recognized in society and not visible enough. A stronger professional identity would be key to enhancing interdisciplinary work.
Results of this qualitative study provide insights into key aspects for moving the physiotherapy profession forward. Identity is at the heart of physiotherapy, not necessarily in terms of research priorities but in the definition of domains of competence and future positioning. Identity is also tightly connected to Interdisciplinarity as this might threaten the existence of the profession. Stakeholders outside the profession insist on the importance of visibility. The results of this study can help stakeholders reflect on the future of physiotherapy and elaborate research priorities.
自2002年以来，瑞士物理治疗师的专业教育已提升至高等教育水平。随着这一变化，与专业实践相关的研究需求变得更加突出。制定研究重点被视为确定该专业需求、帮助协调研究合作以及满足对物理治疗期望的一种可能方式。关于利益相关者对物理治疗研究的看法的证据仍然有限。本研究的目的是调查瑞士主要利益相关者对物理治疗研究的看法。
对患者、卫生专业人员、研究人员和公共卫生组织代表进行了焦点小组讨论，并对瑞士三个语言地区的政治家、健康保险公司和医生进行了半结构化访谈。制定了一份访谈指南。使用归纳式内容分析法（Atlas-ti 6®）对数据进行转录和分析。
18个焦点小组和23次访谈/书面评论包括134名参与者，他们具有不同的研究经验且来自不同背景。定义了14个类别，反映了三个主题：身份认同、跨学科性和可见性。利益相关者对该专业持积极看法，认可物理治疗师现在和未来的重要作用。然而，他们也认为物理治疗在社会中未得到充分认可，知名度不够。更强的专业身份认同将是加强跨学科工作的关键。
这项定性研究的结果为推动物理治疗专业发展的关键方面提供了见解。身份认同是物理治疗的核心，不一定体现在研究重点方面，而是体现在能力领域的定义和未来定位上。身份认同也与跨学科性紧密相连，因为这可能威胁到该专业的存在。专业外的利益相关者强调可见性的重要性。本研究结果可帮助利益相关者思考物理治疗的未来并制定研究重点。
