RENEWAL OF CLINICAL PRACTICE IN FINNISH PHYSIOTHERAPY EDUCATION DURING THE TIME OF COVID-19

A. Kärki¹, V. Höijer-Brear¹, M. Törne¹, M. Sallinen¹, M. Kiviluoma-Ylitalo¹

Background: The degree programs in physiotherapy at Satakunta University of Applied Sciences is educating physiotherapists for working life internationally. Finnish physiotherapy education has developed towards prevention and working in rehabilitation teams. Advances in health care means that patients spend shorter times in hospitals, and that respiratory care and rehabilitation takes place in homes and rehabilitation units. This has meant less physiotherapy work in hospital setting especially in acute wards and in intensive care units. In Finland specialized respiratory hospitals disappeared in 1990’s relatively few physiotherapists have worked in acute respiratory settings.  This means that also in education the emphasis on respiratory physiotherapy has decreased.

Purpose: This paper concentrates on analyzing changes in physiotherapists’ work in Covid-19 situation concerning respiratory care and what it means to physiotherapy education in Finland.

Methods: The material was acquired by discussions and emails with Finnish physiotherapy professionals and educators in early stage of Covid-19. The material concerning the clinical practice content and the material produced for WCPT accreditation in 2019 was also used.

Results: The need for respiratory physiotherapy practice guidelines especially in acute care was discovered early in March 2020 when the Covid-19 patients started to need physiotherapy in hospital settings. Respiratory physiotherapy practice guidelines in acute hospital care existed in that time only in English. The material production started by an international physiotherapy network and already in April the guidelines in Finnish were published based on Thomas et al. 2020 recommendations. Simultaneously physiotherapy education included this education material and an online course by Physiopedia to the education and this material was agreed to be part of clinical practice.

Conclusion(s): The pandemic revealed the need for physiotherapeutic competence in the respiratory area and the need to alter the education in this context. Clinical practice in respiratory physiotherapy and acute hospital care should be emphasized in physiotherapy studies.

Implications: In physiotherapy education Covid-19 education material was included in theory studies and into clinical education. Post-covid rehabilitation will also be part of education in the future.

Funding, acknowledgements: The work was funded by Satakunta University of Applied Sciences.

Keywords: covid-19, respiratory physiotherapy, education

Topic: Education

Did this work require ethics approval? No

Institution: Satakunta University of Applied Sciences

Committee: Satakunta Ethical Committee of Human Sciences

Reason: According to Finnish National Board on Research Integrity, this work does not concern any factors that require ethical review.