School of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
Research Centre from the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
Physiother Res Int. 2021 Apr;26(2):e1890. doi: 10.1002/pri.1890. Epub 2020 Dec 11.
The physiotherapy profession in Haiti has seen many changes since the earthquake in 2010, due to the increased number of Haitians living with permanent impairments. The earthquake sparked a significant humanitarian response. Research shows that the response focused mainly on providing short-term rehabilitation services without sustained efforts to develop sustainable rehabilitation services. A decade later, little is known about the state of the Haitian physiotherapy profession. The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of Haitian physiotherapy professionals regarding the current state of the profession in terms of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
We used a qualitative exploratory descriptive design. This study consisted of two phases: (1) a survey to identify potential interview participants, and identify preliminary themes to be explored in the follow-up interviews, and (2) a series of semi-structured qualitative interviews. We performed a thematic analysis of the interview transcripts.
Four physiotherapists and one rehabilitation technician participated in the interviews. Six interrelated themes emerged, each having a systemic impact on the development of physiotherapy and rehabilitation services in Haiti: (1) physiotherapy as an emerging field, (2) government funding and planning of physiotherapy services, (3) accessibility to physiotherapy services, (4) relationship with doctors, (5) international collaboration, and (6) Haitian physiotherapy associations.
This study highlights the ongoing efforts of local physiotherapy associations in advocating for the profession in Haiti, which has become one of the profession's main strengths. The lack of government funding and service planning was considered a significant barrier to overcome, as was the aftermath of the earthquake's emergency response. Future international efforts could focus on supporting local physiotherapy associations and organisations in their endeavours to develop sustainable rehabilitation services.
自 2010 年地震以来，海地的物理治疗行业发生了许多变化，因为越来越多的海地人患有永久性残疾。地震引发了重大的人道主义响应。研究表明，应对措施主要集中在提供短期康复服务上，而没有持续努力发展可持续的康复服务。十年后，海地物理治疗行业的状况鲜为人知。本研究旨在探讨海地物理治疗专业人员对该专业目前状况的看法，包括优势、劣势、机会和威胁。
我们采用定性探索性描述设计。这项研究包括两个阶段：（1）一项调查，旨在确定潜在的访谈参与者，并确定后续访谈中要探讨的初步主题；（2）一系列半结构化的定性访谈。我们对访谈记录进行了主题分析。
四名物理治疗师和一名康复技师参加了访谈。出现了六个相互关联的主题，每个主题都对海地物理治疗和康复服务的发展产生系统影响：（1）物理治疗作为一个新兴领域；（2）政府对物理治疗服务的资金和规划；（3）获得物理治疗服务的机会；（4）与医生的关系；（5）国际合作；（6）海地物理治疗协会。
本研究强调了当地物理治疗协会在海地倡导该专业的持续努力，这已成为该专业的主要优势之一。政府资金和服务规划的缺乏被认为是一个需要克服的重大障碍，地震紧急响应的余波也是如此。未来的国际努力可以集中支持当地物理治疗协会和组织，努力发展可持续的康复服务。
