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Research topics in support of professional policy

The professional association physioswiss commissioned researchers at the ZHAW and HES-SO to develop a more comprehensive data set on physiotherapists in Switzerland.

Background

Current developments in society, such as the change in demographics, digitalisation and the increase in chronic multimorbid and complex medical conditions, are changing demands on the health care system. To enable an early response to these changes, it is crucial to learn more about the physiotherapists active in Switzerland and their participation in the health care structures.

Objectives

The project pursued two main objectives: 

  1. To learn more about physiotherapists in Switzerland with regards to their working situation, occupational orientation, education and training qualifications and areas of activity; as well as
  2. To collect information on the current health care structures that treat patients with chronic diseases in which physiotherapists participate.

Furthermore, an instrument to enable the repeat collection of this data in the future had to be developed.

Methods and Procedure

Based on the knowledge obtained from a literature search and explorative surveys, an online questionnaire was developed in which physiotherapists active in Switzerland were surveyed.

Results

Of the 2‘852 participants surveyed, 98 % currently work as a physiotherapist. They work in the following fields of activity (whereby, some people are active in multiple fields): 55 % in their own outpatient practice, 25 % in an inpatient or partial-inpatient facility, 23 % employed in an outpatient practice, and approx. 11 % respectively, exclusively in outpatient home care and in the field of health promotion and prevention. Respectively, less than 10 % work in the fields of education, research, professional organisations and associations, whereby, some people are active in several of the mentioned fields of activity. The 2 % of participants not currently working as a physiotherapist are mostly employed in another profession, engaged in family work or undergoing training or further education. The majority of participants (58 %) are also involved in caring for children and/or relatives.
The participants also answered questions on the compatibility of their profession and family, on work satisfaction, quality and quantity of care, on their medical-therapeutic specialist area and fields of activity, as well as on intra-professional cooperation. The survey instrument – the online-questionnaire – can be used again for repeat future data collection.

Project Organisation

Publications and Reports

The final report was prepared for the commissioning client physioswiss.
The short report is available at:https://www.physioswiss.ch/de/profession/Forschung.