Background: The announcement of a national lockdown in South Africa had country-wide impact on the delivery of health services. Strategies included prioritisation of patients and protecting patients who were considered at risk, resulting in the need for cancellation and temporary termination of many outpatient therapy services. This necessitated the urgent need to come up with a way of delivering physiotherapy rehabilitation services to patients in a more non-traditional format. Telerehabilitation allows for the provision of services by using electronic communication, thus ensuring that patients are still able to access necessary rehabilitation services.Methods/design: This is a prospective, mixed method study with participants recruited from the outpatient physiotherapy department of Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH). Telerehabilitation services will be provided via the patients’ preferred method of communication. On discharge, participants and therapists will be asked about their experiences of telerehabilitation.Discussion: Because of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, patients are unable to receive traditional face-to-face physiotherapy services. Telerehabilitation offers a suitable alternative to treatment, but the feasibility, outcome and experiences of offering these services in the public health system have not been studied.Conclusion: This study will determine whether telerehabilitation is a feasible service that can be offered in the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as post-pandemic, to enable physiotherapists to access those patients who are often unable to attend physiotherapy because of transport costs and various other reasons for non-attendance.Clinical implications: The results of this study may indicate a way of managing patients in situations where face to face therapy cannot be undertaken.Protocol identification: Pan African Clinical Trial Registry, PACTR202103637993156.
Background: As the prevalence of mental health disorders (MHD) increases, physiotherapy students will be increasingly exposed to patients with MHD in their undergraduate studies. International research has shown that students who have mental health included in their curriculum have more knowledge and positive attitudes towards patients with MHD. In South Africa, little is known about physiotherapy students’ attitudes towards and knowledge of mental health.Objectives: To establish the knowledge of and attitudes towards the role of physiotherapy in determining the mental health attitudes.Method: In our cross-sectional, descriptive study, third- and fourth-year physiotherapy students at the University of the Witwatersrand were purposefully sampled. Online questionnaires, based on the Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS) and Mental Illness Clinicians’ Attitudes (MICA) scales were completed.Results: Thirty-four students participated in our study. Overall, all students indicated a moderate level of knowledge and a positive attitude towards mental health with mean MAKS score: 26.94 (standard deviation [s.d.]: 3.57) and MICA-4 score: 39.12 (s.d.: 16.12). Fourth-year students had more knowledge and a better attitude towards mental health when compared to the third-year students.Conclusion: Third- and fourth-year University of the Witwatersrand physiotherapy students have moderate knowledge and a positive attitude towards the role of physiotherapy in mental health.Clinical implications: The inclusion of mental health in the physiotherapy curriculum may improve students’ knowledge and attitudes towards mental health and prepare them for managing these complex patients in the future.
Background: Patients with mental health disorders (MHDs) often present with chronic illness and complain of pain and poor physical health. They present with a high burden of disease and poor quality of life. Significant associations between MHDs and chronic illness have been found. Lifestyle interventions are cost-effective strategies, which seem to be effective in managing comorbid mental and physical health disorders. Therefore, a summary of the evidence and clinical practice guidelines is needed in South Africa.Objectives: Our study will aim to determine the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions on health-related quality of life, in patients with comorbid mental and physical health disorders.Method: The systematic review will be conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for systematic reviews of effectiveness. MEDLINE (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCO), LiLACS, Scopus, Physiotherapy Evidence Data Base (PEDro) and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials will be searched. A three-step search strategy will identify published literature in all languages from 2011 to 2022. Critical appraisal of all included studies will be performed, and the relevant data will then be extracted. Where possible, data will be pooled in a statistical meta-analysis.Results: The results will provide the best available evidence regarding lifestyle interventions in the management of patients with comorbid mental and physical health disorders.Conclusion: Our review will provide evidence on the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions in the management of patients with comorbid mental and physical health disorders.Clinical implications: The results may assist in determining the best use of lifestyle interventions in the management of patients with MHDs and comorbidities.
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