FILIPINO PHYSICAL THERAPISTS’ SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ENTAILS ADOPTING A SOCIETAL PRACTICE FRAMEWORK: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Y. Palad¹, P. Armsby², A. Qualter²

¹College of Allied Medical Professions, University of the Philippines Manila, Department of Physical Therapy, Manila, Philippines, ²School of Histories, Languages & Culture, University of Liverpool, Centre for Higher Education Studies, Liverpool, United Kingdom

Background: Amidst calls for universal health care and sustainable health, social responsibility is becoming an increasingly important professional behavior for physical therapy as it allows professionals to be more engaged with social issues in physical therapy access. Because of unique local physical therapy needs and barriers, a more contextualized conceptualization of social responsibility is needed to guide its application in practice and the education of future physical therapists.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to define social responsibility of Filipino physical therapists from a synthesis of Filipino physical therapy leaders’ and practitioners’ views.

Methods: Constructivism-based qualitative design was used to inquire into perspectives on the social responsibility of Filipino physical therapists. Sixteen physical therapy leaders and practitioners in the Philippines agreed to share their insights. Leaders were invited for their macro perspectives and influence on the profession. Practitioners from various areas of practice were invited to provide more practical viewpoints. Participants were interviewed one-to-one via an online conferencing platform. Interviews were transcribed, translated to English, and subjected to thematic analysis.

Results: Six themes were generated. These suggest that Filipino physical therapists’ social responsibility is viewed as an endeavor that is both 1) altruistically motivated and 2) professionally obligated. It should also be 3) manifested through relevant responses to pressing societal health issues affecting Filipinos’ access to physical therapy. It was also described as 4) requiring competencies as movement experts and key life skills and attributes to be expressed while overcoming personal, socio-political, and health system barriers. It is also viewed as a behavior that 5) needs to be cultivated through transformative education, and 6) requires lifelong nurturing through continued experiences and discourses on social responsibility.

Conclusions: Filipino physical therapists’ social responsibility entails engaging in roles that address wider social barriers to equal access to physical therapy and better experiences of health. This calls for the expansion of their ethical and practice frameworks to ensure that all needing physical therapy are served. This change will require not only the explicit inclusion of social responsibility in physical therapy education and continuing professional development activities, but also support at the policy level.

Implications: Results imply the need to clarify the wider issues requiring physical therapists’ attention and action to ensure that the profession is fulfilling its social contract. Ensuring aligned physical therapy policies, education, and practice is also needed to support effective and universal provision of physical therapy services.

Funding acknowledgements: A doctoral fellowship grant from the University of the Philippines Faculty, REPS, and Administrative Staff Development Program supported this work.

Keywords:
health equity
professional ethics
professionalism

Topics:
Professionalism & ethics
Professional issues

Did this work require ethics approval? Yes

Institution: University of the Philippines Manila

Committee: University of the Philippines Manila Research Ethics Board

Ethics number: UPMREB 2020-411-01