USE OF PHYSIOTHERAPY-RELATED SMARTPHONE APPLICATIONS IN CLINICAL PRACTICE AMONG PHYSIOTHERAPISTS IN INDIA – A CROSS SECTIONAL SURVEY STUDY

Yıl 2025, Cilt: 36 Sayı: 1, 50 - 60, 25.04.2025

Priya Mehta , Varsha Rathore Ramhari Meena Shivam Dixit

https://doi.org/10.21653/tjpr.1566901

Öz

Purpose: The rapid evolution of smartphone applications has transformed healthcare delivery worldwide. However, despite this growing trend, there is limited information on how Indian physiotherapists specifically utilize these mobile applications and their perspectives on integrating them into clinical practice. This gap in knowledge underscores the need for a comprehensive examination of the attitudes of practitioners toward their incorporation into clinical practice.
Methods: This is a cross sectional descriptive survey study, the self-administered questionnaire was distributed to over 2,500 working physiotherapists across India through social media platforms. Questionnaire consists of 4 parts including demographics, knowledge, perceptions and barriers to adoption with current application functionalities. Data were obtained from 456 physiotherapists . Descriptive data analysis was conducted which included calculating the frequencies and percentages of participants.
Results: Findings indicated that while 65.6% of respondents were aware of physiotherapy-related smartphone applications, only 35.1% reported using them in clinical practice. The majority of participants (79.5%) perceived these applications as beneficial. Key barriers included a lack of knowledge about appropriate applications (49.78%) and lack of technical support (40.35%). A statistically significant association was found between designation and use of physiotherapy-related smartphone applications at (p <0.05) .
Conclusion: This study reveals significant gap between awareness and practical integration of physiotherapy-related smartphone applications among Indian physiotherapists. Addressing identified barriers, including awareness, educational initiatives and technological support enhancements, could facilitate wider adoption of these apps in clinical settings.

Anahtar Kelimeler

mHealth, Physiotherapy, smartphone applications.

HİNDİSTAN'DA FİZYOTERAPİSTLER ARASINDA KLİNİK UYGULAMADA FİZYOTERAPİ İLE İLGİLİ AKILLI TELEFON UYGULAMALARININ KULLANIMI – KESİTSEL BİR ANKET ÇALIŞMASI

Öz

Amaç: Akıllı telefon uygulamalarının hızlı evrimi, dünya çapında sağlık hizmetlerinin sunumunu dönüştürmüştür. Ancak, bu büyüyen trende rağmen, Hintli fizyoterapistlerin bu mobil uygulamaları nasıl kullandığı ve bunları klinik pratiğe entegre etme konusundaki bakış açıları hakkında sınırlı bilgi bulunmaktadır.
Yöntemler: Bu, kesitsel tanımlayıcı bir anket çalışmasıdır; kendiliğinden doldurulan anket, Hindistan genelindeki 2.500'den fazla çalışan fizyoterapiste sosyal medya platformları aracılığıyla dağıtılmıştır. Anket, demografik bilgiler, bilgi düzeyi, algılar ve mevcut uygulama işlevsellikleri ile ilgili benimseme engellerini içeren 4 bölümden oluşmaktadır. Veriler, 456 fizyoterapistten elde edilmiştir. Katılımcıların frekansları ve yüzdelerinin hesaplanmasını içeren tanımlayıcı veri analizi yapılmıştır.
Bulgular: Bulgular, katılımcıların %65.6'sının fizyoterapi ile ilgili akıllı telefon uygulamalarından haberdar olduğunu, ancak sadece %35.1'inin bunları klinik pratiğe uyguladığını göstermiştir. Katılımcıların büyük bir kısmı (%79.5), bu uygulamaları faydalı olarak algılamaktadır. Önemli engeller arasında uygun uygulamalar hakkında bilgi eksikliği (%49.78) ve teknik destek eksikliği (%40.35) yer almaktadır. Pozisyon ile fizyoterapiyle ilgili akıllı telefon uygulamalarının kullanımı arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir ilişki bulunmuştur (p < 0.05).
Sonuç: Bu çalışma, Hindistan'daki fizyoterapistler arasında fizyoterapi ile ilgili akıllı telefon uygulamalarına dair farkındalık ile bunların pratikte entegrasyonu arasında önemli bir boşluk olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. Farkındalık, eğitim girişimleri ve teknolojik destek gibi belirlenen engellerin ele alınması, bu uygulamaların klinik ortamlarda daha geniş bir şekilde benimsenmesini kolaylaştırabilir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

mSağlık, Fizyoterapi, akıllı telefon uygulamaları.

Kaynakça

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