Photo Credit: Vittorio Gravino
The following is a summary of the study, “Referral pathway and competency profiles of primary care physiotherapists and kinesiologists for physical activity interventions for diabetes: a modified Delphi study,” published in the October 2024 issue of Primary Care by Proctor and Brown.
With the increasing prevalence of diabetes and its associated complications, high-quality diabetes care has become critical in primary care settings. While physical activity plays a key role in both preventing and managing diabetes, it remains underutilized in treatment plans.
For a study, researchers aimed to establish the specific competencies of entry-level physiotherapists and kinesiologists for delivering physical activity interventions in diabetes care and to create tools to enhance clarity in their roles within interprofessional care teams.
They employed a modified Delphi process involving 11 physiotherapists and 3 kinesiology subject matter experts who participated in two rounds of surveys. These rounds helped develop profession-specific competencies, which were used to draft competency profiles and a referral pathway tool. A focus group of participants later validated these tools. Descriptive statistics and content analysis were utilized to interpret the quantitative and qualitative data.
The process led to the identification of 38 competencies for physiotherapists and 27 for kinesiologists, each delineating their roles in delivering physical activity interventions to diabetes patients. Physiotherapists were found to play a unique role in helping individuals with diabetes engage in physical activity, particularly those with complex medical or physical conditions. Meanwhile, the competencies for kinesiologists indicated a need for further training, especially for those working with type 1 diabetes patients or pregnant women.
The study concluded that both physiotherapists and kinesiologists possess essential skills to support physical activity interventions for people with diabetes. However, the complexity of the patient’s clinical profile may necessitate the involvement of different exercise professionals. The clinical tools developed through this study are expected to enhance interprofessional collaboration by clearly defining the roles of physiotherapists and kinesiologists, ultimately contributing to improved diabetes care in primary care settings.
Source: bmcprimcare.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12875-024-02611-1
