Abstract
Study design
Qualitative study.
Objectives
To formulate recommendations for standards of physiotherapy care for people with complete traumatic paraplegia in India using a Delphi methodology.
Setting
India.
Methods
Twenty-three physiotherapy experts were invited to participate in an online consensus process. Fourteen (n = 14) of 23 physiotherapy experts from India accepted an invitation to participate in an online consensus development exercise (Response rate—60.86%). Four rounds of consensus meetings were conducted which involved posting the quotations from a previous study on expectations of people with paraplegia to obtain perceptions of physiotherapy experts in round 1, retrieving codes/code groups from round 1, posting these code groups in rounds 2 and 3 for experts’ agreement/disagreement, the preparation of the draft of recommendations, and posting it in round 4 for experts’ opinion. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and ATLASti software for qualitative data analysis.
Result
Recommendations for physiotherapy care for persons with complete traumatic paraplegia in India are presented.
Conclusions
Education to patients and/or caregivers regarding care post injury is one of the important recommendations by physiotherapy experts. It is emphasized that the subjective assessment of the patients, including their needs and preferences, is equally important as that of their objective assessment. Physiotherapy students and practicing physiotherapists must also enhance their knowledge to provide optimal physiotherapy care to people with paraplegia.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to acknowledge Dr Kavitha Raja, Principal, JSS College of Physiotherapy, Mysore for guiding me in this study and Dr Priyanshu Rathod, Director, School of Physiotherapy, R K University for his constant support and encouragement.
Contributors (panel of physiotherapy experts)
Dr (Prof.) Lata Parmar, PT, Ph.D., Principal, College of Physiotherapy, Sumandeep Vidyapeeth, Vadodara, Gujarat, India. Dr Raju K. Parasher, PT, EdD, Director/Principal, Amar Jyoti Institute of Physiotherapy, Karkardooma, Delhi, India. Mrs Vimal Telang, Lecturer (Physiotherapy), All India Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AIIPMR), Mumbai, Maharashtra. Dr Yagna Shukla, PT, Ph.D., Government Physiotherapy College and Government Spine Institute, Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad. Andrew Babu, Senior Reader & Head of Physiotherapy Unit, PMR Department, CMC Hospital, Vellore, Tamilnadu, India. Dr Chitra Kataria, Head of Rehabilitation Services, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, Delhi, India. Prof. R. Harihara Prakash, Principal & Head, K.M. Patel Institute of Physiotherapy, Karamsad, Anand, Gujarat, India. John Solomon, PT, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Allied Health Sciences, Manipal University, Manipal. Karthik Babu, PT, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Allied Health Sciences, Manipal University, Manipal. Harpreet Singh Sachdeva, Senior Physiotherapist, AlIMS, Delhi, India. Dr Sayli Thuse, Professor and HOD, Neurophysiotherapy, MAEER’s Physiotherapy College, Talegaon Dabhade, Pune, Maharashtra, India. Dr Ashok Trivedi, Physiotherapist, Jaya Rehabilitation Centre, Bidada, Kutch, Gujarat, India. Dr Snehal K. Patel, Physiotherapist, Paraplegic Foundation, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Dr Uthra Mohan, Physiotherapist, Paraplegic Foundation, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
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Gupta, N. Recommendations for standards of physiotherapy care following complete traumatic paraplegia in India. Spinal Cord Ser Cases 6, 14 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41394-020-0263-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41394-020-0263-z
