A group of researchers in Melbourne did a survey of over 500 participants, who were representative of the wider Australian population. Therefore, some had seen a physiotherapist before and others had not. All were interviewed about their expectations regarding the treatment that would be provided to them if they were to see a physiotherapist.
Most respondents reported that it is likely and important that a physiotherapist would provide advice to help them increase their physical activity levels.
This finding contrasts with some past research where Australian physiotherapists reported that they perceive patients as expecting passive therapies, like hands-on or manual therapy, before advice to participate in more active therapies such as increasing their physical activity levels. International research supports this finding, suggesting that patients expect hands-on therapies from physiotherapists.
It is important for physiotherapists to pay attention to patient expectations because they influence several important outcomes: patient satisfaction, repeat patronage, and the therapeutic alliance, which influence treatment efficacy.
The authors concluded that physiotherapists should not assume that patients expect passive before active therapies, and should not hesitate to provide PA advice to their patients, as this advice is likely to be welcomed.
> From: Kunstler et al., J Physiother 65 (2019) 230-236 . All rights reserved to Australian Physiotherapy Association. Click here for the online summary.
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