Objective: Knowledge of the experiences of health care professionals who have actively worked on the first line of the COVID-19 pandemic could help to identify specific professional duties focused on health assistance objectives. No qualitative study has yet been published, to our knowledge, describing the experience of physical therapists during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to describe and explore the experiences and perspectives of physical therapists working in public hospitals in Madrid, Spain, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: A qualitative exploratory study was conducted based on an interpretive framework. Thirty physical therapists working at 11 national public hospitals during the COVID-19 outbreak were recruited by purposeful sampling and snowball techniques. In-depth interviews and researchers' field notes were used to collect data. Interviews were transcribed verbatim. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify emerging themes.
Results: After identifying 3912 codes and 13 categories, 3 themes emerged. The first theme was "call of duty"; as COVID-19 infection dramatically spread, the hospitals were contaminated and overwhelmed, and all floors were converted into COVID-19 wards. The second theme was "working in war time." Every day, therapists were given "the war report," receiving their orders, meeting protective personal equipment requirements, and confronting fear. The third theme was "when I arrive at home." Working during the pandemic had an impact on the therapists' families and the information shared with them.
Conclusions: Physical therapists described the COVID-19 outbreak as an apocalyptic and unexpected war. Comprehensive support is needed for all frontline health care professionals. The COVID-19 outbreak revealed that health care systems were not prepared for a pandemic.
Impact: To our knowledge, this is the first qualitative study to be published describing the experience of physical therapists during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7928649 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ptj/pzab025 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
EAES rapid guideline: surgical management of complicated diverticulitis - with ESCP participation.
Surg Endosc
December 2024
Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Background: The surgical management of complicated diverticulitis varies across Europe. EAES members prioritized this topic to be addressed by a clinical practice guideline through an online questionnaire.
Objective: To develop evidence-informed clinical practice recommendations for key stakeholders involved in the treatment of complicated diverticulitis; to improve operative and perioperative outcomes, patient experience and quality of life through a systematic evidence-to-decision approach by a diverse, multidisciplinary panel.
Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a single home-based fall prevention program: a prospective observational study based on questionnaires and claims data.
BMC Geriatr
December 2024
ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Winterthur Institute of Health Economics, Winterthur, Switzerland.
Background: Fall prevention programmes are essential interventions in societies with aging populations. This study assessed the fall rate and other health outcomes, as well as the cost-effectiveness of a home-based fall prevention programme for community-dwelling older people. In a single home visit, trained physical or occupational therapists performed fall risk assessments, eliminated environmental risk factors, and provided tailored exercises.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Historical and Clinical Foundations of the Modern Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit.
World Neurosurg
December 2024
Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Unit, Department of Neurology and Feil Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA. Electronic address:
The subspecialty of neurocritical care has grown significantly over the past 40 years along with advancements in the medical and surgical management of neurological emergencies. The modern neuroscience intensive care unit (neuro-ICU) is grounded in close collaboration between neurointensivists and neurosurgeons in the management of patients with such conditions as ischemic stroke, aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage, subdural hematomas, and traumatic brain injury. Neuro-ICUs are also capable of specialized monitoring such as serial neurological examinations by trained neuro-ICU nurses; invasive monitoring of intracranial pressure, cerebral oxygenation, and cerebral hemodynamics; cerebral microdialysis; and noninvasive monitoring, including the use of pupillometry, ultrasound monitoring of optic nerve sheath diameters, transcranial Doppler ultrasonography, near-infrared spectroscopy, and continuous electroencephalography.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInvestigating the effects of home-based rehabilitation after intensive inpatient rehabilitation on motor function, activities of daily living, and caregiver burden.
PLoS One
December 2024
Assistive Robot Center, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology Research Institute, Obu, Aichi, Japan.
Background: Home-based rehabilitation involves professional rehabilitation care and guidance offered by physical, occupational, and speech therapists to patients in their homes to help them recuperate in a familiar living environment. The effects on the patient's motor function and activities of daily living (ADLs), and caregiver burden for community-dwelling patients are well-documented; however, little is known about the immediate benefits in patients discharged from the hospital. Therefore, we examined the effects of continuous home-based rehabilitation immediately after discharge to patients who received intensive rehabilitation during hospitalization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnderstanding Stakeholder Priorities in Dupuytren Disease: A Qualitative Study.
Hand (N Y)
December 2024
Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Background: Currently, there is no recommended standard set of outcomes to report in Dupuytren disease treatment studies, nor are there guidelines on how the outcomes themselves should be reported. This study aimed to elicit the most salient issues for patients living with and undergoing treatment for Dupuytren disease, as well as for the hand surgeons, occupational therapists, and physical therapists caring for these patients.
Methods: A qualitative, interpretive description study employing one-on-one semi-structured interviews was conducted.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!