Awareness and Perception of Physical Therapy Education, Role in Patient Management and Health Promotion Held by Senior Medical Practitioners

Physical therapists are integral part of health care system. In collaboration with other health providers, physical therapist can play an effective role in patient handling and well-being of individuals. The awareness and perception of senior medical practitioners is less known regarding physical therapy education, role in patient management and health promotion. Objective: To determine the awareness and perception of physical therapy education, role in patient management and health promotion held by senior medical practitioners. Methods: Data of 265 senior medical practitioners based in different care facilities of Lahore was collected by using pre-tested questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 21.0 and descriptive statistics were taken out depending on the type of variable under study. Results: Study included 265 senior medical practitioners to evaluate their awareness and perception level regarding physical therapy. Results showed that 95.5%, 59.2%, 55.8% and 40% participants were aware about DPT, MS, MPhil and PhD programs respectively. 85-98% participants showed high perception regarding role of physical therapist in patient management and health promotion. Smoking cessation (67.2%) and rest (76.7%) were less accounted as physical therapist's role in health promotion. Conclusions: Senior medical practitioners perceived very high regarding the roles of physical therapist in patient management and health promotion. Senior medical practitioners were well aware about DPTprogram. Keywords: Senior medical practitioners, physical therapy education, health promotion, patient management