Roles of physiotherapists in primary care teams: a scoping review 

We aimed to provide an overview of the existing knowledge regarding the roles of physiotherapists in primary care teams.

Scoping review based on the methodological framework provided by Arksey and O'Malley (2005) and updated by Levac et al (2010).  DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SELECTION: A search strategy was carried out across the Medline, CINAHL, Academic Search Complete and AMED databases in June 2023. Selected articles, based on qualitative or mixed design studies, had to report on the roles of physiotherapists working in team-based primary care organisations and be published in the last 10 years.

Data were extracted by one team member and further validated by a second team member. A mixed thematic analysis based on the Competency Profile for Physiotherapists in Canada was used to identify all the roles undertaken by physiotherapists.  RESULTS: The database search yielded 2324 articles. From the 13 included articles, 6 main themes emerged: conduct client assessment for musculoskeletal conditions, participate in health promotion and prevention, promote self-management support, communicate with patients, collaborate with other primary care providers and partners, and provide holistic care.

The review identified a wide variety of roles, primarily related to the treatment of musculoskeletal patients. In primary care settings, interprofessional collaboration can be hindered by a lack of knowledge regarding the roles of physiotherapists. Future studies should aim to develop effective strategies to ensure that all primary care team members have a comprehensive understanding of the roles of physiotherapists and to explore roles associated with non-traditional forms of physiotherapy practice.