The concept of maintenance physiotherapy.

Area of Science:

• Physiotherapy
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Musculoskeletal Disorders

Background:

• Maintenance physiotherapy is an evolving treatment concept.
• Defining its scope and application is crucial for effective patient care.
• Understanding current practices among treating physiotherapists is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a consensus definition of maintenance physiotherapy.
• To compare this consensus definition with the practices of physiotherapists treating long-term motor vehicle accident patients.
• To identify areas for improvement in the practice of maintenance physiotherapy.

Main Methods:

• A consensus definition was developed through consultation with 11 senior physiotherapists.
• The consensus definition was retrospectively compared against definitions from 91 treating physiotherapists.
• A nine-point checklist was used to score the treating physiotherapists' definitions against the expert consensus.

Main Results:

• A median concurrence score of four (out of nine) was found between the expert consensus and treating physiotherapists' definitions.
• This indicates variability in understanding and application of maintenance physiotherapy.
• The study supports maintenance physiotherapy as a recognized treatment modality.

Conclusions:

• Physiotherapists should consider non-physiotherapy referrals to exhaust all options before rehabilitation completion.
• Regular use of objective outcome measures is recommended for justifying and tracking continued treatment.
• Enhanced patient education, consistent diagnosis, and patient group categorization are vital for advancing maintenance physiotherapy practice.