Perspectives of healthcare professionals in Nigeria about physiotherapists’ scope of practice and skills in ICU patients’ management: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Abstract Background There is growing evidence for physiotherapy in the intensive care unit (ICU), but physiotherapy in the ICU and patients’ referral rate remains low in Nigeria. This study assessed the healthcare professionals’ perception of the physiotherapists’ scope of practice and skills in managing patients in the ICU of selected teaching hospitals in Southern Nigeria. The study was a cross-sectional survey that involved seventy healthcare professionals working in the ICU who completed an adapted and validated questionnaire. The data obtained from the cross-sectional study were presented using descriptive statistics of mean, standard deviation, frequency distribution, and percentage. Results The mean age of the participants was 39.74 ± 7.08 years. The majority of the participants had a bachelor’s degree and had worked for a minimum of 5 years in the ICU, with all the participants working in a mixed ICU and 46.7% work in ICUs with four to six beds. Physiotherapists (PTs) are not posted exclusively to the ICUs, and PTs were reported to be on call in most of the ICUs during the weekdays and weekends. Patients were referred for physiotherapy by the physicians. Healthcare professionals had negative perceptions about PTs’ scope in airway suctioning, nebulization, weaning, and adjustment of mechanical ventilators, intubation, extubation, and changing tracheostomy tubes for ICU patients. Participants had a positive perception about PTs’ assessment skills in the ICU except for hypoxemia calculation, readiness for weaning, and the need for humidification. Conclusion Healthcare professionals working in the ICU in the selected hospitals had both negative and positive perceptions regarding certain areas about the scope of practice and skills of PTs in managing patients in the ICU.