Physical therapists’ experiences and perceptions of antepartum and postpartum care

Abstract

Background Little is known about the physical therapists’ practice and perceptions toward management of pregnancy/postpartum-related disorders in Taiwan. The aim of this study was to document current practice of physical therapy in antepartum and postpartum care in Taiwan. Methods An exploratory, cross-sectional study was conducted in registered physical therapists living in Taiwan. An anonymized online survey was designed, piloted, and advertised widely from March 2020 to March 2021. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi square analysis and multivariate logistic regression. Results Of the 364 respondents, 37.6% had experience of treating pregnant or postpartum women in clinical practice. The most commonly treated pregnancy/postpartum-related disorder in practice was low back pain (61.3%). All respondents reported little to moderate level of confidence in their ability to manage pregnancy/postpartum-related disorder. Being female (p < 0.01); working at a regional hospital (p = 0.01), district hospital or district teaching hospital (p < 0.01), clinic (p = 0.01) or physiotherapy clinic (p = 0.01); and having prior experience of treating antepartum or postpartum women (p < 0.01) were significantly associated with willingness to provide customer-oriented service or health education to patients/clients with pregnancy/postpartum-related disorder after controlling for other confounding variables. The most commonly reported barrier was “lack of available training” (81.3%). Conclusion The majority of participating physical therapists indicated a positive attitude to antepartum and postpartum care but were not confident in management of various pregnancy/postpartum-related disorder in practices. The findings of this study highlight the educational needs related to antepartum and postpartum care in clinical practice for physical therapists in Taiwan.

Nutritional Knowledge about Maternal and Newborn Health among Physiotherapists during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Minas Gerais, Brazil

“…Only 13.7% of female physiotherapists had training in maternal and child nutrition during their graduation, and the number was even lower when compared to 5.3% of male participants. This may be why female physiotherapists demonstrated more nutritional knowledge in maternal and newborn health than their male counterparts, in addition to their willingness to accumulate expertise on pregnancy-related issues [ 15 ].…”

“…This may be why physiotherapists seek wider sources of knowledge in which they felt less prepared or trained. In a Taiwanese study, the competence of female physiotherapists was associated with their willingness to provide health education to women during pregnancy or in postpartum and with prior experience of treating antepartum or postpartum women [ 15 ].…”

“…Their incidence in pregnant women has been associated with newborn prematurity, neonatal infections, and cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurological disorders [ 7 , 9 , 11 , 12 , 13 ], with a high prevalence in low- and middle-income countries [ 14 ]. Promoting nutritional education in pre- and postnatal care routines can prevent neurological disorders in newborns [ 7 , 9 , 15 ], and future compromised functions in children’s static and dynamic balance, appendicular coordination, sensitivity, and motor coordination [ 16 , 17 ].…”

“…Indeed, evidence about the impact of nutritional knowledge of health professionals on maternal and newborn health, and underlying assumptions is still scarce. However, one of the few studies observed that only 38% physiotherapists had professional experience with pregnant women or women in postpartum ( p < 0.01), and that being a female physiotherapist ( p < 0.01) were substantially related with providing health education in maternal and newborn health [ 15 ]. These findings confirm our experience in maternal and child physiotherapy, which is dominated by female professionals, who improve their knowledge with additional graduated studies considering ongoing professional needs.…”

Abordagens Fisioterapêuticas Nas Disfunções Sexuais Em Puérperas

“…No tardio é relacionado ao treinamento do músculo do assoalho pélvico, tratando complicações musculoesqueléticas e explicando e aconselhado atividades e exercícios, a fim de proporcionar sua qualidade de vida e bem-estar sem angústias e sem sofrimentos. (NUNES et al, 2019;LIN et al, 2022;GOMES et al, 2020). Sendo assim, o presente estudo teve como objetivo apontar as principais condutas fisioterapêuticas na reabilitação das disfunções sexuais em puérperas.…”