gms | German Medical Science

Background/research question: The complexity in provision of health services is increasing. This study investigated the expectations of adults living in Germany towards physiotherapy treatment.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey of a convenience sample of adults. The expectations towards physiotherapy treatment were assessed with 51 items divided into four categories: 1) Physical Activity Services (active, hands-off therapy), 2) Physical Intervention Services (passive, hands-on therapy), 3) Education/Advice and 4) Conditions for provision of therapy. All items were rated on a 5-point Likert scale. The data were descriptively analysed using frequencies in IBM-SPSS24.

Results: The 325 participants were predominantly female (68%), aged 18–34 years (76%) and with residence in northern Germany (77%). More than 50% of the participants expected 36/51 services across all four categories from a physiotherapy treatment. These include: 1) Physical Activity Services to increase joint stability, physical activity and fitness level, 2) Passive Therapy Services to improve mobility and reduce pain, numbness and inflammation, 3) Education/Advice regarding motivation and behaviour change, therapy content and progress, general health and disease prevention and 4) Conditions, such as provision of therapy reports for doctors and therapy information flyers for patients, adequate reachability, appointment booking system and comfortable waiting area.

Conclusion: Participants in our study expect a combination of active, passive and educational services as well as appropriate conditions from a physiotherapy treatment. The competencies required for provision of such complex services should be conveyed in the physiotherapy training in Germany to align the tasks of physiotherapists with the expectations of the society. In addition to physical therapy, physiotherapy could thus make a contribution to prevention, health promotion and the general health literacy in the German population. Future studies should investigate whether our results reflect the opinion of the general population in Germany. In addition, factors that influence the expectations towards the physiotherapy treatment need to be further studied.

Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. We thank Ms. Julia Gerlach for her assistance with data collection.