Chiwaridzo Matthew, Shumba Tonderai Washington, Kamba Farirai, Geurtze Etheline Olivia, von der Heiden Christiane, Mudzi Witness
University of Namibia, Faculty of Health Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, School of Allied Health Sciences, Department of Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy, Windhoek, Namibia.
University of Free State, Centre for Graduate Support, Bloemfontein, South Africa.
Malawi Med J. 2024 Mar 20;36(1):23-29. doi: 10.4314/mmj.v36i1.4. eCollection 2024 Mar.
The utilisation of standardised outcome measures (SOMs) is crucial for evaluating patients' health status. Physiotherapists are highly recommended to use SOMs routinely. Despite the well-documented benefits of using SOMs, the utilisation of SOMs in clinical practice is still problematic particularly in Africa. In Namibia, there is dearth of information about SOMs utilisation by physiotherapists and the associated factors. This study was aimed at determining the extent of routine utilisation of SOMs and the associated demographic and work-related factors among physiotherapists.
A cross-sectional, nationwide, online survey was conducted and all registered qualified physiotherapists and intern physiotherapists working in public or private hospitals/clinics were invited to participate. Data was analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 29.0. The Chi-square (χ) and Fishers exact test investigated the relationship between the associated factors and routine SOMs utilisation. The alpha level was set at 0.05.
Of 230 participants who received the invitational link, 99 (43.0%) responded timeously to the call to participate. Although 97.9% (n=94) of the participants indicated having used at least one type of SOMs in the last six months, the frequency of utilisation varied. Routine utilisation, defined as 70%-100% of the time, was reported in only 49.0% of the participants. The Chi-square test only showed significant findings for gender (p=0.01) and clinical specialty (p=0.004). The odds of utilising SOMs were 4.13 greater among physiotherapists with a clinical specialty and 3.88 times greater for females than males.
The rates for routine utilisation of SOMs by Namibian physiotherapists are unfavourable. Female gender and clinical specialty influenced the utilisation of SOMs in daily clinical practice. Cognisant of the study limitations, these results call for the need to improve the routine utilisation of the SOMs in Namibia.
使用标准化结局指标（SOMs）对于评估患者的健康状况至关重要。强烈建议物理治疗师常规使用SOMs。尽管使用SOMs的益处已有充分记录，但在临床实践中SOMs的使用仍然存在问题，尤其是在非洲。在纳米比亚，关于物理治疗师使用SOMs的情况及其相关因素的信息匮乏。本研究旨在确定物理治疗师常规使用SOMs的程度以及相关的人口统计学和工作相关因素。
开展了一项全国性的横断面在线调查，邀请所有在公立或私立医院/诊所工作的注册合格物理治疗师和实习物理治疗师参与。使用社会科学统计软件包（SPSS）29.0版进行数据分析。卡方（χ）检验和费舍尔精确检验研究了相关因素与常规SOMs使用之间的关系。显著性水平设定为0.05。
在收到邀请链接的230名参与者中，99人（43.0%）及时响应了参与邀请。尽管97.9%（n = 94）的参与者表示在过去六个月中至少使用过一种类型的SOMs，但使用频率各不相同。只有49.0%的参与者报告常规使用率（定义为70%-100%的时间）。卡方检验仅在性别（p = 0.01）和临床专业（p = 0.004）方面显示出显著结果。具有临床专业的物理治疗师使用SOMs的几率比其他物理治疗师高4.13倍，女性使用SOMs的几率是男性的3.88倍。
纳米比亚物理治疗师常规使用SOMs的比例不理想。女性性别和临床专业影响了日常临床实践中SOMs的使用。考虑到研究的局限性，这些结果表明需要提高纳米比亚SOMs的常规使用率。
