Evidence- based physiotherapy practice in Jordan: Evaluation and identification of implementation factors.

BACKGROUND: Evidence-based physiotherapy practice (EBPTP) is becoming increasingly important to improve patient outcomes and clinical decision-making in the physiotherapy profession. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the EBPTP in Jordan and identify the barriers to its implementation in clinical practice. METHOD: The study used a cross-sectional survey of licensed physiotherapists working in Jordan using EBPTP self-reported questionnaire. Frequencies, percentages, and one sample Wilcoxon rank test were used to evaluate the EBPTP level. The EBPTP implementation was evaluated by demographic variations of participants, Spearman's correlation, and stepwise multiple linear regression analyses at 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: A total of 210 participants completed the survey. All EBPTP questionnaire elements showed significant positive levels (p = .00) except facility support reflecting non-significant negative level (p = .08). The EBPTP implementation was at a significantly lower level of uptake (p = .00). Clinical decision-making was based mainly on personal experience. The EBPTP implementation was significantly correlated with elements of the EBPTP questionnaire and differed by personal/organizational characteristics. There were four significant predictors of EBPTP implementation: understanding of EBPTP terminologies, facility support, formal training in EBPTP, and being a clinical instructor. CONCLUSION: The findings confirm a clear gap in EBPTP implementation among physiotherapists in Jordan. The EBPTP implementation factors were mainly based on education sectors and work facilities. Engagement of stakeholders and education sectors in EBPTP implementation is required to strengthen the standing of the physiotherapy profession in Jordan.

The prevalence of low back pain and risk factors in academic teaching staff at King Abdulaziz University Jeddah:\\ A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorder symptoms affecting adults' health in the workplace including academic settings. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of LBP among academic teaching staff at King Abdulaziz University, as well as to identify its socio-demographic and work-related risk factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used to estimate the prevalence of LBP and the risk factors in 123 academic teaching staff members at King Abdulaziz University. Data on LBP history and disability using Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), work-related and socio-demographic characteristics of study participants were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. The prevalence of low back pain data was analyzed using frequency and percentage descriptive statistics, and Chi-square was used to identify group differences. RESULTS: A total of 123 academic teaching staff with a mean age of 37.5 years old of whom 79 (64.2%) were females and 44 (35.8%) were males completed a self-administrative questionnaire. Using a self-rating scale, approximately a quarter of academic teaching staff had moderate disability 25.2%; 4.9% had a severe disability; only one subject 0.8% was crippled. There has been a significant relationship between the number of years of experience and the extent of low back disability (P < 0.05). The Chi-square test revealed 56.3% of takes part with 11-15 years of experience have moderate disability relative to those with 0-5 years of experience (11.1%). There was a trend towards significance among academic teaching staff for the effect of the faculty stream on low back disability (P = 0.077, Chi-square test revealed teaching staff in the medical stream had the highest percentage of participates with minimal disability (78.7%) whereas in the scientific stream had the lowest percentage of minimal disability (52%). CONCLUSION: The findings of this study have shown that there is a major problem of low back pain among academic staff at King Abdulaziz University and that the situation in other higher education institutions in Saudi Arabia is changing.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Lockdown on Physical Therapy Undergraduates and Their Families. A Qualitative Study from the United Arab Emirates.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic closed most establishments in the United Arab Emirates except health care and other essential services from 8 March 2020 until 24 June. By 22 March, most citizens were working online, including physical therapy students, and a no-movement policy restricted exercise to homes. The lockdown ended partially in August 2021 and almost complete by January 2022. Objective: We aimed (1) to explore the physical activities of advanced undergraduate physical therapy students and their families during the lockdown, (2) to discuss how participants helped promote and maintain their own and their family's physical health, and (3) to identify what knowledge and skills gained in their physical therapy study students utilized during the lockdown. Methods: We took a qualitative approach; a one-to-one semi-structured interviews were conducted by Year 4 physical students who at the time were registered for a module covering qualitative research methods. The students interviewed other physical therapy students from year 4 and 5 who were recruited using convenience sampling from a health sciences educational institution. Interviews were conducted and recorded on the Zoom platform and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was utilised to analyse the data. Findings: Forty-six students agreed to participate, and data saturation was achieved with interviews of 24 students. During the COVID-19 Stay Home-Stay Safe initiative, students of physical therapy were found to be physically active and to have designed home exercise programs for themselves and their families. Adherence to regular exercise was high among the students but low among family members. Three overarching themes, each with three subthemes, emerged through synthesis, coding, and categorizing. Conclusion: Undergraduate students can effectively promote their own and their family's health. Energy imbalance and increasing neck, shoulder, and back pain among youth and lack of exercise among adults, midlife, and older, raise health concerns.

The Perception of Physical Therapy Students towards Their Profession in Jordan.

Background: The physical therapy profession has grown rapidly in less than a century, increasing its importance, techniques, settings, and the responsibilities provided to its practitioners. Objectives: The aim of the study was to explore how undergraduate physiotherapy students view physiotherapy as their future career and their perception of the educational physiotherapy programs in Jordan. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted. A questionnaire designed to collect data on students' perceptions of their profession was delivered to 222 undergraduate physiotherapy students at Jordan University of Science and Technology in Irbid, Jordan. The response rate was 157 (70.72%). Descriptive statistics and the chi-square test were used to analyse the data. Results: Among 157 physiotherapy students, results were collected. Although students were satisfied with being physiotherapy students (p < 0.001), most of the study participants knew about physical therapy from their families, and they were not satisfied with the job opportunities in Jordan. Conclusions: Physiotherapy education in Jordan is rising rapidly. The public, patients, parents, and clinical preceptors in physiotherapy settings must recognize this educational and professional practice. It is noted that some levels of occupational awareness are intermediate. However, it would be beneficial to organize activities such as seminars and interviews in order to increase the level of professional awareness.