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This article summarises the recently published mental health physiotherapy strategy, Recovering Mind and Body: A framework for physiotherapy in mental health and wellbeing (Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, 2008a) and its companion document Commissioning Mental Health Services: The contribution of physiotherapy to integrated services for health and wellbeing (Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, 2008b), and discusses how the documents can be used to ensure that more mental health service users and carers can benefit from the skills of physiotherapists.

This study aimed to explain the impact of the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on physiotherapy services in Nigeria.

This is a commentary piece.

The pandemic has potential of reducing efficacy of physiotherapy services. It also showed that the mental health of local physiotherapists was badly affected. On the other hand, the pandemic allowed physiotherapists to support infectious disease prevention and control and as well as providing awareness of the role of physiotherapy in the management of respiratory diseases.

It shows the effect of COVID-19 on physiotherapy care.

This study aims to investigate the role of consumers’ (patients) motives in knowledge sharing and value co-creation with the service provider in the context of physiotherapy services.

The authors used partial least squares structural equation modeling for the analysis of the physiotherapy services users’ data from Germany and Pakistan.

The results show that in both consumer groups, individualizing, empowering and development motives are common influences on the willingness to share knowledge leading to value co-creation. However, the relating, ethical and concerted motives show varying influences in the data set.

A key research implication relates to specifying the link between consumer knowledge sharing and value creation and the role of cultural factors in this context. It is one of the first studies to undertake a comparative analysis in this specific context by highlighting the changing role of consumers from collective and individualistic societies, in influencing service provision through participation in the service exchange.

For the managerial audience, this paper highlights the importance of being sensitive to cultural elements as they tend to influence personal knowledge sharing by the consumer, especially in the well-being sector, which ultimately influences the value co-creation.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the current paper is one of the first studies focusing on the knowledge sharing motives of consumers in the specific context of physiotherapy services leading to value co-creation. Moreover, specific focus on individual consumer’s motives and their role in comparative, cross-cultural settings, adds further value to the contribution of this study.

Hand impairment post-stroke is a very common and important rehabilitation goal for functional independence. Advanced therapy options such as an app. therapy provides repetitive training, which may be beneficial for improving fine motor function. This study aims to evaluate the effect of app-based therapy compared to conventional hand therapy in improving dexterity in individuals with stroke.

In total, 39 individuals within the first year of stroke with Brunnstrom stage of hand recovery IV to VI were randomly divided into three groups. All three groups received 60 min of therapy for 21 sessions over a period of 30 days. Group A received conventional hand therapy; Group B received app. therapy, while Group C received conventional therapy along with the app. therapy. All participants were assessed on the Nine-Hole Peg Test and Jebsen–Taylor Hand Function Test at the beginning and after completion of 21 sessions of intervention. Kruskal–Wallis (H) test and Wilcoxon test were used for statistical analysis.

All three groups improved on hand function post-treatment. However, Group C demonstrated significant improvement with 16%–58% increase in hand function performance on outcome measures (p < 0.05).

Findings of the present study demonstrate improvement in dexterity with the app. therapy and combination therapy, in comparison to conventional therapy alone in individuals with stroke.

This experimental study focuses the first time on a structured protocol using an enabling technology adjunct to conventional physical therapy to improve hand function in individuals with stroke, which opens up the further scope in Neurorehabilitation.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-04-2020-0144/

The purpose of this paper is to report findings from qualitative interviews with physiotherapists to demonstrate why even minor changes to clinical work resulting from the introduction of new interventions, are often difficult to implement. The paper seeks to illustrate how some of the obstacles to implementing change were managed by physiotherapists.

A total of 32 qualitative interviews with participating physiotherapists were conducted, 12 interviews prior to the introduction of the new system, and 20 afterwards. The interviews were coded and analysed thematically.

The findings reveal a number of perceived limitations of current management of low back pain and identify key themes around convergence with the new approach, such as willingness by physiotherapists to adopt the new approach, the perception of benefits to adopting the new approach, as well as some difficulty in adjusting to it. The authors refer to the positive and negative elements as “soft” and “hard” disruption. The adoption of the new approach is explored with reference to the “situated” dimensions of physiotherapy practice and normalisation process theory.

The study raises the need to conduct future observational research to support the interview findings.

The study describes the “situated” components of physiotherapy work, which have received limited research attention. The value of the study lies less in its ability to explain specifically why physiotherapists adopted or rejected the new system, but in describing the conditions and consequences of change that might be translated to other professions, contexts and interventions.

This report presents outcome data from 3,176 consecutive prospective patients referred to physiotherapy for the treatment of soft tissue injuries. The results detailed here are part of a larger study collecting data from different NHS trusts in a benchmarking study. The Therapy Outcome Measure was used to collect data on each patient in four domains: Impairment, Disability/activity, Handicap/participation, and Distress/wellbeing on the entry and the exit from physiotherapy. The study concludes that patients do not have equal opportunity of accessing therapy for their specific condition according to their abilities and needs. Therapy provided in the Trusts did not produce similar changes in the patients’ abilities and some dimensions appeared to improve more significantly in some locations. Furthermore this study would suggest that there are no common criteria for discharge of patients with similar conditions from physiotherapy across the Trusts as measured by the Therapy Outcome Measure.

There is renewed interest in the professions as a range of occupations pursue professionalisation projects. The purpose of this paper is turn analysis to an important omission in current research – the skills deployed in the work of these professions. Such research is necessary because skills determine the formal classification of occupations as a profession.

Drawing on qualitative research, this paper explores the deployment of skills in work of one newly professionalised occupation in the UK’s National Health Service – physiotherapists.

The findings point to a disconnect between how this occupation has become a profession (the skills to get the job, and related political manoeuvring by representative bodies) and the mixed outcomes for their skills deployment (the skills to do the job) in work as a profession.

The paper provides missing empirical understanding of change for this new profession, and new conceptualisation of that change as both symbolic and substantive, with a “double hybridity” around occupational control and skill deployment for physiotherapists as a profession.

Presents and discusses the findings of a study of the impact of the use of library services and information by physiotherapists on their decision making for patient care. A postal questionnaire was distributed to the staff of each physiotherapy department in 37 National Health Service Trust hospitals in the Northern and Yorkshire region. The methodology for the study was that used in previous studies undertaken in the USA. The “critical incident” technique was used in order to pinpoint a particular situation when a need for information, connected with patient care, had caused the respondent to seek help. The respondent was asked to pose the enquiry at their hospital library and information service point and complete a questionnaire to record the success and speed of their enquiry, and to evaluate the impact of the information on their decisions relating to patient care.

The purpose of this paper is to assess patient satisfaction with their healthcare experience, total hip replacement outcome, compliance with post operative rehabilitation and consenting process effectiveness.

A consecutive sample of patients between January 2007 and September 2008 was identified. A novel questionnaire was designed to assess outcomes and applied via phone interview by an independent assessor.

All patients recalled the consenting/education process with a high proportion recalling surgical risks/benefits. Overall satisfaction was good or better in 76 per cent of the cohort. Post‐operative compliance with the rehabilitation programme in 70 per cent of the cohort was achieved. Walking, as the surrogate functional marker, was deemed good or better in 76 per cent.

The education process and a purposefully designed booklet helped educate patients. Those dissatisfied with physiotherapy generally underwent surgery late in the week and were assessed/treated by the emergency physiotherapy service. Consequently, full‐time weekend physiotherapy for arthroplasty patients was implemented.

Results revealed a high‐volume treatment centre with outcomes comparable to international standards. A potential problem with physiotherapy cover was identified and the loop closed.

This article reports the evaluation of two workshops to develop evidence‐based practice (EBP) in occupational therapy and physiotherapy. An innovative approach was taken in the design of workshops on critical appraisal which specifically addressed needs of therapists to appraise clinical effectiveness (ACE). The background to the workshops is given and the evaluative process and a summary of the findings presented. The statistical analysis indicates that there is a significant difference (P= 0.0001) in self‐reported knowledge before and after the workshops. The evaluation highlights the differing needs of health care professional groups in establishing a culture of EBP in then‐workplaces.