Team approach to osteoarthritis management: Viewpoints of biokineticists and physiotherapists in South Africa.

BACKGROUND

The rehabilitative nature of biokinetics and physiotherapy in osteoarthritis management highlights a complex interaction between different professions to achieve effective outcomes for the patient. The success of a team approach is dependent on key competencies for optimal patient-focused care and appropriate cross-referral systems.

OBJECTIVES

To explore and describe the viewpoints of biokineticists and physiotherapists regarding a team approach to osteoarthritis management in the South African public and private healthcare setting.

METHODS

A descriptive methodology with a convenience sampling technique was used. The target population consisted of biokineticists (n=47) and physiotherapists (n=165) located within the South African healthcare sectors. A self-administered, online questionnaire surveyed rehabilitative professionals' views of a team approach to osteoarthritis management.

RESULTS

There is no evidence that the biokineticists and physiotherapists differ with respect to how they rate the communication between team members in osteoarthritis management (p=0.68). Communication was viewed as neither of a high nor low quality by biokineticists (43%) and physiotherapists (36%). Biokineticists (54%) and physiotherapists (69%) felt adequately equipped on their understanding of the role of various healthcare professions involved in osteoarthritis management (p=0.22). However, 43% of rehabilitative professionals indicated that they had not been exposed to interprofessional education initiatives (p=0.61).

CONCLUSION

Both professions were well-versed on the roles of various professions involved in osteoarthritis management, however, communication was not optimal. While this study creates an awareness of the benefits of team-based management for osteoarthritis, the findings could stimulate debate on the optimal implementation of key competencies required for effective teamwork, thereby facilitating patient-focused care and referral systems.