Structural Analysis of Activities by Japan International Cooperation Agency Volunteer Physiotherapists:...

This study structurally analyzed physiotherapists' activity outcomes dispatched via the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) volunteer program, aiming to develop future strategies for physiotherapy education, practice, and global health engagement.

We analyzed Reports 1-5 from 123 JICA-dispatched physiotherapists (2014-2024), focusing primarily on the "activity outcomes" section of Report 5 using KH Coder for text mining. Additional variables, such as year of dispatch, gender, host country, geographic region, and number of physiotherapists at the placement site, were extracted. Regions were divided into 5 categories: Asia, Africa, Oceania, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Central Asia and the Middle East. Frequency and hierarchical cluster analyses were also performed. Utilizing clustering patterns, activity outcomes were classified into 8 categories. External variables-region and staffing levels-were used for cross-tabulations.

The study grouped outcomes into 2 main types: 4 categories reflecting direct support through clinical practice and technology transfer, and 3 categories representing institutional and organizational contributions rooted in logical problem solving. The small effect sizes indicated that external factors had limited influence on activity outcomes, such as a greater use of the community-based rehabilitation (CBR) approach in Latin America and areas with limited physiotherapy personnel.

These findings indicate that JICA volunteer physiotherapists consistently fulfilled core professional roles across diverse contexts, emphasizing clinical support, capacity development, and system improvement. Despite regional and contextual differences, the weak effect sizes suggest that individual adaptability and shared professional values contribute to sustaining context-appropriate rehabilitation practices in global health settings.