Paediatric rehabilitation is currently becoming an independent sub-discipline of
physiotherapy (Helders et al, 2003). South Africa has a population pyramid
resembling other developing countries with one-third of the population being children
younger than 14 years (Saloojee & Pettifor, 2005). To date no national audit of
paediatric content of physiotherapy programmes in South Africa has been
conducted. The United States has spent almost 18 years on methods to ensure
adequate content of paediatric physiotherapy and standardisation of training in
programmes across the country.
The main aim of this study was to determine whether the paediatric physiotherapy
curricula of three South African universities equipped students with the basic
knowledge of the variety of paediatric diagnoses seen by physiotherapists at the
Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital.
The study was divided into two phases. Phase 1 analysed paediatric diagnoses
treated by physiotherapists at the Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital in 2010. Phase 2
evaluated the content of the paediatric physiotherapy curricula of the University of
the Witwatersrand, the University of Limpopo and the University of Pretoria.
A retrospective review of the physiotherapy statistics at the Chris Hani Baragwanath
hospital was used to record the types of diagnoses referred for paediatric
physiotherapy assessment and treatment. The 2010 statistics of paediatric
diagnoses referred for physiotherapy management at the Chris Hani Baragwanath
hospital were as follows:
-‐ Total number of patients seen by physiotherapists = 36490
-‐ Total number of paediatric patients seen by physiotherapists = 8093
-‐ Amount of time spent in treating all patients = 149331 hours
-‐ Amount of time spent in treating paediatric patients = 33101 hours
More than a fifth of patients referred for physiotherapy intervention at the Chris Hani
Baragwanath hospital in 2010 were paediatric patients (22,03%). The large number
of paediatric patients treated by physiotherapists at the Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital in 2010 highlights the need to include paediatrics as an independent module
within the physiotherapy curriculum.
University A was the only university that had an independent block and lecturer
dedicated to paediatrics. Due to limited time available in undergraduate
physiotherapy programmes, a minimum of the fifteen most common diagnoses seen
at the Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital could be included in the curricula of
universities in South Africa namely; burns, developmental delay, cerebral palsy, ICU,
lower limb fracture, acute lung disease, early intervention, neurosurgery, pneumonia,
congenital, routine pre/post operation, haemophilia, TB, head injury and meningitis.
Not one of the 15 most frequently seen diagnoses, seen by physiotherapists in 2010,
were simultaneously covered by all three universities as recorded by the explicit
documented curriculum.
Areas that were well covered by all three universities included certain standardised
assessments, such as the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) and the Gross
Motor Function Classification Scale (GMFCS) and certain diagnoses, such as
cerebral palsy (CP). All three universities incorporated a research based approach in
their respective curricula.
This study has highlighted the need for an independent paediatric module within
physiotherapy curricula and has provided a preliminary framework for paediatri
diagnoses within physiotherapy undergraduate degrees.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/12738 |
| Date | 29 May 2013 |
| Creators | Vachiat, Aamena |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf |
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