The Use of Electronic Health Records in Physiotherapy Practice: Protocol for a Scoping Review

Physiotherapy has been proven to be highly cost-effective in managing some health conditions, reducing the demand for surgery, pharmacological treatment, hospitalisations, and long-term care. Several organisations and policymakers have already acknowledged that physiotherapy is essential in any health care system, but services need improvement. However, improving physiotherapy services requires efficient collection of real-world data and more in-depth data management. Electronic Health Records (EHRs) have proven to be reliable in managing data in various health care service settings, yet there continues to be little investment in these platforms, especially in physiotherapy. This scoping review aims to map the evidence on the multiple uses of EHRs in physiotherapy, to better understand their applicability in this field.

This protocol will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute methodological guidelines for scoping reviews. Original studies and grey literature from 2010 onwards, written in English, Portuguese, or Spanish, concerning the characteristics, development, implementation process, and outcomes of Physiotherapy registry platforms will be included. Search will be conducted on four electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Web of Science). Two independent reviewers will assess and select the articles. Data extracted will include information regarding EHRs main characteristics (e.g., types of users, type of data collected, functions, context), development and implementation processes, and outcomes of registry platforms, in all fields of physiotherapy. The information will be registered, aggregated by categories, and displayed in tables and charts mapping the distribution of studies alongside a narrative summary.

The proposed scoping review will synthesise key knowledge to provide significant literature-based insights into the steps, strategies, and procedures necessary for developing and implementing physiotherapy EHRs.