Molina-Achury N.1, Forero-Nieto S.2, Ramos -Caballero D.2, Benavides-Piracón J.3, Quintana-Cortes M.1
1Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Departamento de Movimiento Corporal Humano, Bogotá, Colombia, 2Universidad del Rosario, Programa de Fisioterapia, Bogotá, Colombia, 3Universidad EAN, Facultad de Postgrados, Bogotá, Colombia
Background: Any profession must have updated information on their professionals, including health conditions and work issues, to generate policies and standards related with professional practice and work relationships.
Purpose: To analyze physiotherapists' health and working conditions and professional practice, identifying social work organization elements which promote well-being and development as well as aspects that limit it, in order to facilitate actions that promote professional practice in the country.
Methods: An observational cross-sectional analytical study was conducted through a survey which was previously validated. A descriptive analysis of the variables was performed, followed by bivariate analysis. Continuous indexes were evaluated by tertiles.
Results: 1.751 physiotherapist answered the survey. The participation of Colombian physiotherapists in areas such as public health, Work Health and Safety, and Physical activity is remarkable. 15.5% work in hospitals in primary care, 17.20% in industries and 10.1% in physical activity centers.
From the total sample, 32.10% has legal support for adverse events related with professional practice, and 2.2% reports them.
43.31% have an indirect contract with a company. 44.9% receive between US 6120-9180 year, only 19.6% received more than US 12000. However (78.8%) believe that their incomes allow them to meet basic family needs.
For social security, 90.1% contributes to medical insurance, 82.7% to retirement and only 41.5% receive paid holidays peryear.
Physiotherapist perceived as risky exposures: bipedal or prolonged sitting position (86.8%), to bad posture and repetitive movements (72.2%) and lifting loads (49.4%).
17.9% have suffered job related accidents; 30.9% reported disabling injuries, and 2.7% partial or temporal disability.
61.5% of physiotherapists believes that government policies do not recognize their profession. 32.2% rely on their own diagnosis to start their intervention. 26.4% do not have autonomy to decide the duration and treatment plan.
Professionals who have direct contract with a company, who have postgraduate education, with more experience and who have more incomes, have a better perception about professional identity, task organization and employment satisfaction (p 0,05).
As tertiles, only two aspects were considered high or red exposure: task organization (41.3%) and the dangerous conditions on work environment (37.3%).
Conclusion(s): Professional practice has new fields including public health, workers´ health and physical activity.
Working conditions, contract modalities, low salaries and poor social recognition by the government, has decreased professional autonomy and professional identity, affecting physiotherapists diagnosis and participation in interdisciplinary team. These problems are also explained by health insurance systems.
Low professional organizations enrollment and weak strategic planning limit the disciplinary development. Other working conditions which affect the professional practice are: no chance for advancement within the profession, low quality of life and significant impact on the health and welfare professionals.
There are favorable elements: recognition of the professional field and retention of good levels of personal satisfaction with the work being done is highlighted.
Implications: It is necessary to work on professional identity and autonomy, associativity and contract modalities. On the same way, it is important to encourage participation in decision-making on different professional practice areas. Stablish strategic alliances with other industry organizations could be a good approach to transform working condition.
Funding acknowledgements: Acknowledgements to Colombian Physical Therapy Association(ASCOFI) and Physical Therapy Faculties Association(ASCOFAFI). Additionally, to the academic programs who participated.
Topic: Professional issues
Ethics approval: Colombian law 008430 from 1993 disposed that this project has no risk for the participants.
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
