Article

The purpose of this study is to evaluate service users' perceptions of
their utilization of the physiotherapy service at a specialist Neuromuscular
Centre and to identify their reasons for and barriers to attending. METHOD: A
prospective survey design, consisting of a 13-item questionnaire was completed by
104 registered users of a physiotherapy service at a Neuromuscular Centre in
northwest England. Descriptive statistics was employed to analyse data from
Likert style questions and thematic analysis conducted on responses to open-ended
questions. RESULTS: Over 79% of respondents were satisfied with the frequency and
duration of their treatment. Respondents attended physiotherapy to obtain
physical therapy, for general wellbeing and to access specialized resources.
Barriers to attendance included work commitments, travel cost and time, and lack
of Centre resources. Clients attending physiotherapy valued the specialist
service including advice from therapists, perceived benefit from social
interaction with other clients and physical therapy. CONCLUSION: Adults with
neuromuscular disorders identified psychosocial as well as physical benefits from
attending physiotherapy at the Neuromuscular Centre. The findings highlight the
importance of service users' views in service provision and suggest that a
collaborative commitment to patient management could by advantageous when
developing physiotherapy services.

Langue : ANGLAIS