Awareness and Knowledge of Physical Therapy Among Medical Interns A Pilot Study
Awareness and Knowledge of Physical Therapy Among Medical Interns A Pilot Study
Awareness and Knowledge of Physical Therapy Among Medical Interns A Pilot Study
IJPHY
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
AWARENESS AND KNOWLEDGE OF PHYSICAL THERAPY AMONG MEDICAL INTERNS A PILOT STUDY
Arakkal Maniyat Shemjaz
ThakralAnuj
Meman Husain Saddam
*1
ABSTRACT
Background: The changes happening in the physical therapy education and the profession should be reached and demand to be seen by the other medical professionals to benefit the health care process. At the same time, if attempts are
to be prepared to elevate the degree of awareness of physical therapy, it is necessary to evaluate the current attitude and
knowledge of the medical interns. So the aim of this study was to find out the current level of awareness and knowledge
about physical therapy among the M.B.B.S. medical interns.
Methods: An institution based cross sectional study, carried out purely based on the questionnaire method which
consist of sets of questions. Prior to the data collection the researcher explained about the study to the subject and an
informed consent was obtained from them. The researcher gave the questionnaire form to the subject and was required
to fill the frame. The data collected was analysed by using frequency and percentage in IBM SPSS statistics V 19.
Results: Only 45% of medical interns had awareness and 42% had knowledge about physical therapy.
Conclusion: The results of the study provide information regarding the lack of awareness and knowledge among medical interns about physical therapy. Hence there is a need of educating the future medical professionals about the physical therapy, thereby reaching a better patient care.
Keywords: Physical therapy, Interns, Awareness, Medical, Knowledge, MBBS
Received 13th February 2016, revised 26th March 2016, accepted 28th March 2016
10.15621/ijphy/2016/v3i2/94879
www.ijphy.org
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Arakkal Maniyat Shemjaz
*1
Assistant Professor,
Department of Physical Therapy,
Yenepoya University, Mangalore, India
Page | 170
INTRODUCTION
METHODS
14%
64%
22%
Responds in %
Awareness
45
Knowledge
42
Table 3: Percentage of awareness about the difference between occupational therapy and physical therapy among
the medical interns with the practice of 8-11 months, 4-7
months and freshly joined.
Months of Practice
Question
Options
Physical
therapy and
Occupational
Therapy the
same
Yes
0%
9%
0%
6%
No
57%
50%
55%
52%
Dont know
43%
41%
45%
42%
Freshly
joined
4-7
8-11
Total
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Freshly
joined
4-7
8-11
Total
1 year
0%
0%
0%
0%
2 years
0%
0%
0%
0%
3 years
14%
3%
9%
6%
4 years
57%
69%
73%
68%
5 years
29%
22%
18%
22%
Dont know
0%
3%
0%
2%
Freshly
joined
4-7
8-11
Total
1 month
29%
0%
0%
4%
3 months
0%
3%
0%
0%
6 months
71%
50%
45%
52%
1 year
0%
50%
55%
44%
Freshly
joined
4-7
8-11
Total
Anatomy
100%
69%
73%
74%
Physiology
100%
66%
73%
72%
Orthopedics
86%
59%
45%
60%
Exercise therapy
86%
50%
55%
56%
Pharmacology
86%
50%
27%
50%
Pathology
43%
44%
55%
46%
Microbiology
43%
50%
36%
46%
Electrotherapy
86%
44%
27%
46%
Biomechanics
43%
41%
55%
44%
Biochemistry
57%
31%
55%
40%
Psychology
43%
22%
45%
30%
71%
28%
9%
30%
General medicine
57%
22%
27%
28%
General surgery
57%
22%
18%
26%
Community medicine
43%
22%
27%
26%
0%
28%
27%
24%
Sociology
14%
22%
18%
20%
57%
13%
0%
16%
None of them
0%
0%
0%
0%
Table 6: Percentage of knowledge regarding the expensiveness, role in community, early intervention, exercise
prescription, interdepartmental relation by the physical
therapy among the medical interns with the practice of
8-11 months, 4-7 months and freshly joined.
Months of Practice
Question
Option
Freshly
joined
4-7
8-11
Total
Yes
14%
9%
9%
10%
No
71%
56%
27%
52%
Dont know
14%
34%
64%
38%
Yes
86%
81%
91%
84%
No
0%
3%
9%
4%
Dont know
14%
16%
0%
12%
Yes
86%
78%
82%
80%
No
14%
3%
0%
4%
Dont know
0%
19%
18%
16%
Yes
14%
16%
27%
18%
No
29%
44%
27%
38%
Dont know
57%
41%
45%
44%
Yes
0%
13%
18%
12%
No
100%
75%
82%
80%
Dont know
0%
13%
0%
8%
Which modalities in
physical therapy are you
most aware of?
Freshly
joined
4-7
8-11
Total
Ultrasound
86%
75%
73%
76%
Transcutaneous Electrical
Nerve Stimulation
57%
53%
82%
60%
Moist heat
29%
66%
45%
56%
Wax bath
29%
44%
64%
46%
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Intermittent traction
71%
38%
18%
38%
14%
31%
64%
36%
Muscle stimulator
29%
38%
36%
36%
Cryotherapy
29%
19%
45%
26%
Nerve conduction
velocity
57%
22%
18%
26%
57%
25%
9%
26%
Laser
14%
13%
27%
16%
0%
13%
27%
14%
Infrared&Ultraviolet
Radiation
29%
6%
27%
14%
0%
13%
9%
10%
Electromyography biofeedback
43%
6%
0%
10%
Continuous Passive
Motion
0%
6%
18%
8%
Suspension therapy
0%
9%
9%
8%
Whirlpool
0%
6%
0%
4%
DISCUSSION
The aim of the present study was to find out the awareness
and knowledge of physical therapy among medical interns
of a private medical college. The present work indicates that
there is a demand to educate about physical therapy among
medical interns. The result shows only 45% had awareness
and 42% had knowledge about physical therapy among the
medical interns (Table 2). In one study done in Nigeria it
was reported that the medical students had a good knowledge and fair perception of physical therapy. This may be
due to the formal education received about physiotherapy
during their classroom lectures. The same education strategy can be adopted in Indian medical colleges to improve
their awareness and knowledge. The author also suggested
that inter-professional courses and communication should
be given greater attention during medical training [9].
Total of 50 participants participated in this survey, out of
which the result shows that 14% participants were freshly
joined, 64% of interns were having four-seven months practice as interns and 22% of interns were having Eight-Eleven months of experience (Table 2). According to the data
The interns had a positive opinion regarding the effectiveness of physical therapy in reducing the pain(92%), role of
physical therapy in community based rehabilitation(82%),
effectiveness of early intervention of physical therapy(80%), and 56% of them believe that physical therapy
follows a definite assessment protocol(Table 6). Majority of
interns knows that physical therapy is not only related to
orthopaedics but also to other specialties as well.
The physical therapy modality that the interns as a whole
were most aware of was ultrasound(76%) followed by
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation[TENS](57%)
and moist heat (56%). But when group wise observation
was done its showed that the fresh interns were more aware
of Ultrasound(86%), Continuous Passive Motion (71%),
TENS (57%), Whirlpool(57%), Cryotherapy(57%), and
Nerve Conduction Velocity (43%). Whereas the group of
interns who had four-seven months of practice had awareness about the Ultrasound(75%), Moist heat(66%), TENS
(53%), and Inter Ferential Therapy[IFT](44%). The group
of interns who had eight-eleven months of practice had
awareness in TENS(82%), Ultrasound(73%), IFT(64%),
Short Wave Diathermy [SWD] (64%), Moist heat(45%),
and Intermittent Traction(45%) (Table 7). The possible
Page | 173
study. The Authors also acknowledge Yenepoya University and Yenepoya Physiotherapy College faculty members,
Professor S. Padma Kumar, Principal & chairman of the
questionnaire validation committee, and other members of
the committee (Dr. Mohamed Sherif Associative Professor,
Mrs. Veena Pais, Assistant professor, Mrs. NigatFathima
PA , Assistant professor, Mr. Sajjadh AR Ebrahim, Assistant professor, Mr. C Thangadurai Assistant professor.)
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Citation
Shemjaz, A. M., Anuj, H., & Saddam, M. H. (2016). AWARENESS AND KNOWLEDGE OF PHYSICAL THERAPY
AMONG MEDICAL INTERNS A PILOT STUDY. International Journal of Physiotherapy, 3(2), 170-176.
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Annexure-1
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