Sigera Ponsuge Chathurani, Tunpattu Tunpattu Mudiyanselage Upul Sanjeewa, Jayashantha Thambawitage Pasan, De Silva Ambepitiyawaduge Pubudu, Athapattu Priyantha Lakmini, Dondorp Arjen, Haniffa Rashan
P.C. Sigera, BSc, National Intensive Care Surveillance, Ministry of Health, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
T.M.U.S. Tunpattu, BSc, Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit, National Hospital of Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Phys Ther. 2016 Jul;96(7):933-9. doi: 10.2522/ptj.20150363. Epub 2016 Feb 18.
The availability and role of physical therapists in critical care is variable in resource-poor settings, including lower middle-income countries.
The aim of this study was to determine: (1) the availability of critical care physical therapist services, (2) the equipment and techniques used and needed, and (3) the training and continuous professional development of physical therapists.
All physical therapists working in critical care units (CCUs) of state hospitals in Sri Lanka were contacted. The study tool used was an interviewer-administered telephone questionnaire.
The response rate was 100% (N=213). Sixty-one percent of the physical therapists were men. Ninety-four percent of the respondents were at least diploma holders in physical therapy, and 6% had non-physical therapy degrees. Most (n=145, 68%) had engaged in some continuous professional development in the past year. The majority (n=119, 56%) attended to patients after referral from medical staff. Seventy-seven percent, 98%, and 96% worked at nights, on weekends, and on public holidays, respectively. Physical therapists commonly perform manual hyperinflation, breathing exercises, manual airway clearance techniques, limb exercises, mobilization, positioning, and postural drainage in the CCUs. Lack of specialist training, lack of adequate physical therapy staff numbers, a heavy workload, and perceived lack of infection control in CCUs were the main difficulties they identified.
Details on the proportions of time spent by the physical therapists in the CCUs, wards, or medical departments were not collected.
The availability of physical therapist services in CCUs in Sri Lanka, a lower middle-income country, was comparable to that in high-income countries, as per available literature, in terms of service availability and staffing, although the density of physical therapists remained very low, critical care training was limited, and resource limitations to physical therapy practices were evident.
在包括中低收入国家在内的资源匮乏地区，重症监护病房物理治疗师的可获得性及作用各不相同。
本研究旨在确定：（1）重症监护物理治疗师服务的可获得性；（2）所使用和所需的设备及技术；（3）物理治疗师的培训及持续专业发展情况。
联系了在斯里兰卡国立医院重症监护病房工作的所有物理治疗师。所使用的研究工具是一份由访谈员实施的电话调查问卷。
回复率为100%（N = 213）。61%的物理治疗师为男性。94%的受访者至少拥有物理治疗文凭，6%拥有非物理治疗学位。大多数（n = 145，68%）在过去一年中参与了一些持续专业发展活动。大多数（n = 119，56%）在接到医务人员转诊后为患者提供治疗。分别有77%、98%和96%的人在夜间、周末和公共假日工作。物理治疗师在重症监护病房通常进行手法肺膨胀、呼吸练习、手法气道清理技术、肢体练习、活动、体位摆放和体位引流。他们指出的主要困难包括缺乏专科培训、物理治疗人员数量不足、工作量大以及认为重症监护病房缺乏感染控制。
未收集物理治疗师在重症监护病房、病房或医疗科室所花费时间比例的详细信息。
根据现有文献，在服务可获得性和人员配备方面，中低收入国家斯里兰卡重症监护病房物理治疗师服务的可获得性与高收入国家相当，尽管物理治疗师的密度仍然很低，重症监护培训有限，且物理治疗实践存在资源限制。
