[Identification of quality indicators for physiotherapy: a systematic review.]
Jahir Soto-Mora1, María-Camila Rangel-Piñeros1, Martha-Rocío Torres-Narvaez1
1Grupo de Investigación en Ciencias de la Rehabilitación. Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad del Rosario. Bogotá. Colombia.
Revista Espanola De Salud Publica
|January 25, 2022
Summary
This review identified 199 quality indicators (QI) for physiotherapy services, primarily focusing on musculoskeletal conditions. These QI assess care processes and were developed within specific national healthcare contexts.
Area of Science:
- Physiotherapy
- Health Services Research
- Quality Improvement
Background:
- Quality indicators (QI) are crucial for evaluating healthcare, but many existing ones are not tailored for physiotherapy.
- A need exists for physiotherapy-specific QI to accurately assess service quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically identify and review quality indicators (QI) developed or described in the literature for assessing physiotherapy service provision.
Main Methods:
- A systematic review of studies published in Spanish, English, and Portuguese was conducted across multiple databases until March 2021.
- Quality indicators were evaluated using the AIRE instrument and classified according to the Donabedian model.
Main Results:
- Eight studies yielded eight sets of QI, totaling 199 indicators, with most originating from the Netherlands.
- 62.5% of indicators focused on process measures, particularly for musculoskeletal conditions.
- 37.5% of the studies demonstrated high methodological quality in key AIRE instrument domains.
Conclusions:
- Identified QI are context-specific, designed for national health systems, and possess methodological quality.
- The QI primarily evaluate care processes within physiotherapy, with a notable emphasis on musculoskeletal patient care.
