Core capabilities for physiotherapists to deliver quality care when working with people living with dementia and their families/caregivers

Morag Taylor, Karen Sverdrup, Julie Ries, Erik Rosendahl, Gro Gujord Tangen, Elisabeth Telenius, Julie Whitney, Michele Callisaya, Katherine Lawler, Keith Hill, Annika Toots, Hans Hobbelen, Vanina Dal Bello-Haas, Abi Hall, Susan Hunter, Victoria Goodwin
Purpose:

Determine the core capabilities physiotherapists need to deliver quality care when working with people with dementia and their families/caregivers.

Methods:

We conducted a three-round modified e-Delphi study. Panel members were physiotherapists experienced in working with people with dementia and/or educating and/or researching in the dementia field. A steering group (16 international physiotherapists and a consumer) developed a draft framework including 129 core capabilities across 5 domains for panel members to rate their appropriateness for inclusion as a core capability to provide high quality care to people with dementia and their caregivers/families. The RAND/UCLA method was used to assess consensus.

Results:

Thirty-five physiotherapists from 11 countries participated in Round 1, 31 (89%) in Round 2 and 28 (80% of Round 1) in Round 3. All core capabilities were rated appropriate for inclusion in each round without disagreement. Panel members recommended wording refinements across the rounds and suggested 51 core capabilities for consideration. Three rounds were needed to reach consensus, resulting in 137 core capabilities rated appropriate for inclusion across 5 domains: 1) Knowledge and understanding, n = 36; 2) Assessment, n = 39; 3) Management, interventions and prevention n = 40; 4) Communication, therapeutic relationship and person-centred care, n = 17; and 5) Physiotherapists self-management and improvement, n = 5.

Conclusion(s):

Through expert consensus, this e-Delphi outlines the first core capability framework for physiotherapists working with people with dementia and their families/caregivers. Through the 137 included items of the framework, this study provides a comprehensive overview of core capabilities for physiotherapists working in the field of dementia.

Implications:
  • This core capability framework can be used by physiotherapists to help identify knowledge/skill gaps, as well as by educators to improve their training of undergraduate and postgraduate students, and clinicians.
  • The applicability of this framework needs to be tested in clinical and educational settings internationally.
  • How each capability should be objectively assessed in real world clinical situations needs to be determined.
  • The number of capability items is large, and tiers may need to be created for more junior vs experienced physiotherapists.
Funding acknowledgements:
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Keywords:
cognitive dysfunction
education
aged
Primary topic:
Older people
Second topic:
Education
Third topic:
Professional issues
Did this work require ethics approval?:
Yes
Name the institution and ethics committee that approved your work:
University of New South Wales Human Research Ethics Advisory Panel
Provide the ethics approval number:
HC220104
Has any of this material been/due to be published or presented at another national or international conference prior to the World Physiotherapy Congress 2025?:
Yes

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