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Dal Bello-Haas V.1, Miller P.1, Boyczuk A.1, Deloyer J.1, Ferrigan K.1, Muncaster K.1
1McMaster University, School of Rehabilitation Science, Hamilton, Canada
Background: An integral component of professionalism and professional socialization is the profession's core values. While complaints to physiotherapy regulatory bodies are typically related to professionalism issues, versus knowledge and skills, the critical role of physiotherapy core values is rarely acknowledged.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the current state of the literature related to global physiotherapy core values.
Methods: A comprehensive scoping review of primary and grey literature related to professional values was undertaken. Value was defined as ´an operational belief one accepts as ones own and that determines behaviour´ (Davis 2011). Two independent researchers searched Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, CINAHL (1980 to February 29, 2016 inclusive). The search strategy was developed in collaboration with a research librarian, with a variation of search terms used in each database. Articles published in English and addressing professional values specific to physiotherapy were included. Each article was reviewed for relevance by two researchers. All included articles underwent full text review and explicit values were extracted. In collaboration with a third researcher, relevant values were identified from the list. Two additional researchers performed a grey literature search to identify values published by Physiotherapy regulatory bodies/associations. Websites of organizations in industrialized countries with similar entry-level physiotherapy degree requirements as Canada (i.e. USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand) were searched systematically using the literature search terms. A similar process for data extraction was used for the grey literature.
Primary and grey literature data were synthesized into two single lists and were analyzed separately by two teams of three researchers. Values that were synonymous were summarized into a single value, represented by the most commonly identified term. In all stages,disagreements were resolved through discussion, decisions were made by consensus agreement. If consensus was not achieved, value were brought forward to the entire team for discussion, until majority consensus was reached. This process yielded a single final list of values.
Results: A total of 234 articles were identified after removal of duplicates. After removal of excluded articles, based on title/abstract screening, 43 underwent a full text review, and of these, 10 articles were identified that included explicit values. From these, 66 value-related terms were extracted and compiled. Following discussion, a total of 12 values remained. Of 152 websites searched, 23 (15%) explicitly included a list or set of values or value statements. From the information found on the websites, 15 values were identified.
Conclusion(s): From this current review of the literature, it is evident that there is a dearth of evidence and published work specific and relevant to the professional values of physiotherapists, with only 10 papers identified. Furthermore, the number of value statements published by Physiotherapy associations/regulatory boards across select countries was also limited.
Implications: Identification and adoption of the professions core values are critical to the existence and advancement of the physiotherapy profession globally. The limited attention given to professional values within the physiotherapy literature underscores the need for increased awareness regarding the importance of values in physiotherapy practice and the necessity for future research in this area.
Funding acknowledgements: This research was funded in part by Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR), Health Professional Student Research Award
Topic: Professional issues
Ethics approval: This research did not involve human subjects (e.g., literature and grey literature review), ethics submission/approval was not required.
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
