Views of chartered physiotherapists on the psychological content of their practice: A follow-up survey in the UK

Objective: To assess, on a national level, the views of chartered physiotherapists with regard to the psychological content of physiotherapy practice. Design: A postal survey to a national list of sport injury and physiotherapy clinics was employed. Participants: A total of 361 responses were included in the descriptive statistical and qualitative analyses. Measurements: The Physiotherapist and Sport Psychology Questionnaire (PSPQ). Results: On average, physiotherapists felt that athletes were psychologically affected 83% of the time when injured. Key psychological characteristics were also identified in athletes who cope/do not cope successfully with their injuries. Physiotherapists reported using psychological techniques in their work and expressed the need for further training in the field. Only 24.1% of the physiotherapists stated having accesses to accredited sport psychologists. Conclusions: Results suggest that UK physiotherapists possess practical experiences and good awareness for psychological aspects of injuries and acknowledge the importance of treating a range of psychological conditions.