The Role of Physical Therapists in Natural Disasters: What Can We Learn from the Earthquake in Haiti?

Nixon, Stephanie; Cleaver, Shaun; Stevens, Marianne; Hard, Julie; Landry, Michel D.

doi:10.3138/physio.62.3.167

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 4 publications

(3 reference statements)

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“…It is the aim that these findings will help to describe the current roles and experiences of rehabilitation therapists in disaster relief, while gaining knowledge about how to better prepare future rehabilitation relief workers. Reports from the Indian Ocean Tsunami (2004), the Pakistan earthquake (2005), Hurricane Katrina (2005) and the Haiti earthquake (2010) described similar challenges addressing the health needs of persons with disabilities, namely a lack of planning and preparedness, and service provision [2,[7][8][9]. Traditionally, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) providing disaster relief have not recruited therapists as part of their healthcare teams [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The roles, barriers and experiences of rehabilitation therapists in disaster relief: post-earthquake Haiti 2010

Klappa

Audette

Do³

2013

Disability and Rehabilitation

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Current literature is sparse and largely commentary or editorial in nature [9,13,15]. In 2007, Harrison interviewed four physical therapists to explore and describe the roles they played in patient care and organization while providing disaster relief services [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The roles, barriers and experiences of rehabilitation therapists in disaster relief: post-earthquake Haiti 2010

Klappa

Audette

Do³

2013

Disability and Rehabilitation

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“…Moreover, because of poor conditions in Haiti, rehabilitation services were problematic and sporadic (18). Among the different aspects of therapy, physical therapy and prosthetics were the most available needs for disaster and emergency victims (23,24). Physical therapy is the most known in the fields of physical rehabilitation and prosthetics fabrication and is supported by international humanitar-ian organizations (7,20).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many studies have been carried out on prevention, and medical treatment as well as developed models of service delivery for these two components (29)(30)(31)(32). However, as also indicated, no such model is available in the literature regarding rehabilitation, especially in the early phases (23).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Literature on rehabilitation reliefs in disasters is scarce, anecdotal (22) and is dependent on the authors' field experiences. Some rehabilitation experts have recommended conducting various scientific researches to gain a better un-derstanding of the necessary rehabilitation reliefs provided in disasters (23). Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate the physical rehabilitation services provided in disasters and emergencies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Physical Rehabilitation Services in Disasters and Emergencies: A Systematic Review

Mousavi¹,

Ardalan²,

Khankeh³

et al. 2019

ijph

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Background: Physical rehabilitation, as one of the rehabilitation disciplines, can play a great role in humanitarian reliefs. The effectiveness of physical rehabilitation services is completely dependent on time of intervention, the importance of good timing in providing services during disasters is not well understood. The objective of this study was to systematically review the physical rehabilitation services provided in disasters and emergencies. Methods: An electronic search of PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and PEDro (Physiotherapy Evidence Database) was undertaken from Jan 2000 to Sep 2017. All English studies reporting physical rehabilitation services in natural and man-made disasters were selected regardless of study design. The included studies were analyzed by descriptive and analytical method. Results: Thirteen studies were included after reviewing by title, abstract and full text in this study. Most of the physical rehabilitation studies come back to recent years. Most of the disaster physical rehabilitation services were physiotherapy and occupational therapy. The physical rehabilitation experts have been attended in the affected area from the few first hours until several months after disasters in order to provide the required services to the affected population. Conclusion: There are few studies about physical rehabilitation services provided in the disaster-affected areas and this study showed that the services were limited and at different times. Physical rehabilitation services post disasters should have a comprehensive service model, like other health services. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct further studies to achieve this aim.

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Perceived strengths and weaknesses of paediatric physiotherapy services: Results from an international survey

Camden

Mulligan

Cinar

et al. 2022

Physiotherapy Res Intl

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Background and Purpose Ensuring access to high quality services in paediatric physiotherapy (PT) is important to respond to the diverse needs of children. The accessibility and quality of paediatric PT services has however never been explored internationally. The purpose of this study is to explore the perceived strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of paediatric PT services offered around the world. Method A cross‐sectional survey design method was used with a subsample of physiotherapists (PTs) who had previously participated in an online survey. The survey used for this study included close‐ and open‐ended questions about access to services and the SWOT of PT services within participants' country. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize quantitative data and a content analysis was performed on open‐ended questions. Results Overall, 47 PTs from 47 countries completed the survey; 36% of participants reported that free access was available to all children in their country while 34% stated that a referral was always required when accessing services. Lack of direct access, insufficient specialized PT, financial and geographical issues were the main perceived barriers to access services. Access also emerged as one of the nine themes following the SWOT analysis. Other themes included education, quality of PT approaches, PT practices, communication and cooperation, teamwork, government, resources, and attitudes of PTs. Discussion Despite variations in accessing services and how services are delivered across countries, some similar themes influencing PTs practices were found. Future opportunities for PTs working with children should aim at optimizing the initial training and professional development of PTs in paediatrics, increasing access to services for all children and advocating for sustainable and well‐coordinated models of care building on best practices.

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The Role of Physical Therapists in Natural Disasters: What Can We Learn from the Earthquake in Haiti?

Cited by 7 publications

References 4 publications

The roles, barriers and experiences of rehabilitation therapists in disaster relief: post-earthquake Haiti 2010

The roles, barriers and experiences of rehabilitation therapists in disaster relief: post-earthquake Haiti 2010

Physical Rehabilitation Services in Disasters and Emergencies: A Systematic Review

Perceived strengths and weaknesses of paediatric physiotherapy services: Results from an international survey

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