Factors influencing patients? choice of a physiotherapist: a study within the Swiss insurance premium-funded system

Purpose: Healthcare systems have long struggled to attract and retain patients within the competitive marketplace. Physiotherapy clinics, not immune to market pressures, also struggle to be competitive within a consumer-driven model of healthcare. To provide insight into how physiotherapists may better promote themselves, this study sought to explore the factors that influence patients? choice of a physiotherapist, the sources from which patients seek information about physiotherapy clinics, and the factors that prompt patients to leave a physiotherapy clinic within the open marketplace of Switzerland. Methods: Ninety-four patients at a physiotherapy clinic in Ticino, the Italian province of Switzerland, completed an Institutional Review Board [IRB]-approved survey in Italian or English regarding their selection of a physiotherapist. Results: Results indicated that patients sought information about a new physiotherapist primarily from friends, acquaintances, and colleagues. A recommendation or referral was the factor that most influenced patient choices of a physiotherapist, while logistics was the most cited reason why patients quit physiotherapy. Conclusions: Patients reported a strong preference for first-hand information about physiotherapy clinics. By catering to these information-seeking preferences, clinics are able to better attract and retain patients and position themselves to compete in this competitive healthcare environment.