Journal of Novel Physiotherapies
Open Access

Abstract

Method: A survey questionnaire was sent to 200 physiotherapists working in hospitals, non-governmental organizations (NGO) and in private practice. Out of which, 126 completed the questionnaire. Results: 68% of the respondents were male, and were from 10 different provinces of Afghanistan. The highest number (91%) of respondents had a 2 year diploma and 8% had a Bachelor’s degree in Physiotherapy. Physiotherapists were asked about the usefulness of evidence based practice (EBP), 82.5% of the respondents said that EBP is useful for their daily clinical practice while 11.1% of the respondents mentioned that it is not useful. 88% of the respondents agreed that EBP is necessary for their daily practice, 90% said they need to increase EBP in their daily practice and 84% agreed that EBP improves the quality of patient care. 73% disagreed that strong evidence is lacking to support the most of the interventions they use. 3 quarters of the respondents agreed that patient preference influences the treatment choice. 83% agreed that EBP helps in clinical decision making. Conclusion: Results suggest that Afghan physiotherapists had a positive attitude towards EBP. The respondents also felt the need to improve their knowledge and physiotherapy skills for practicing EBP. Respondents listed barriers to EBP such as lack of access to evidence research resources and lack of access to computers and internet. The recommendation to the stakeholders of physiotherapy profession in Afghanistan is that they must consider these barriers and provide the resources for easy access of knowledge about EBP. Implication: Through the result of this study the institution and association will plan their capacity development program for Afghan physiotherapists.

Biography

Email: aapt.afg@gmail.com