‘You must have lived it’: learning from the views of physiotherapists who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic

Figures & data

Table 1. Search terms.

Search term 1	Physiotherap* or “physical therap*” or “healthcare professional*” or “healthcare worker*”	TI Title
Search term 2	”COVID −19” or coronavirus* or “2019-ncov” or “sars-cov-2” or “cov-19” or pandemic or lockdown*
Search term 3	qualitative or view* or experience* or interview* or perspective* or opinion* or attitude*	TI Title

*Characters used in truncation.

Table 2. Inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Inclusion	Exclusion
Physiotherapists who worked clinically with COVID-19 patients during the COVID-19 pandemic Primary research with a qualitative or mixed-methods (where the qualitative data can be extracted) study design English language studies published in a peer-reviewed journal	Healthcare professionals not including Physiotherapists Quantitative methods If it is not possible to distinguish the views of the physiotherapists from the views of other healthcare professionals Grey literature and systematic reviews

Figure 1. Flow chart of study selection.

631 records were identified through database and hand searching; 418 were excluded at the title and abstract screening stage; 96 articles were assessed at the full text stage - 90 of these were excluded as they were quantitative study methods, or explored the views of healthcare professionals not including physiotherapists. This left 6 articles which met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review.

Table 3. Characteristics of included studies.

Study	Aims	Design	Participants	Themes identified by the study authors
Bennet et al. 2020	Gain insight into the experiences and concerns of front-line National Health Service (NHS) workers while caring for patients during COVID-19	A qualitative study using an anonymous website where front-line NHS workers recorded their experiences of care of patients with COVID-19.	Participants: 54 front-line healthcare workers; 27 were doctors, 13 were nurses, 2 physiotherapists, 1 radiographer, 1 healthcare assistant and 10 ‘other’ including managers running services for COVID-19 patients Age: Average age was 43.3 years Gender: 16 were male, 34 female and 4 reported themselves as ‘other’ or non-binary. Setting: Community of NHS workers who accessed Twitter	Trauma experience Hierarchy of power & inequality The shock of the virus Staff sacrifice & dedication Collateral damage
Hassem et al. 2021	The aim of this study was to determine levels of mental and physical health, burnout, depression, anxiety and resilience and coping strategies used by a sample of South African physiotherapists with and without exposure to patients with COVID-19. Lived work experience, perceived health and sources of support were also explored	A mixed method design was used, comprising of an online survey and six open-ended questions	Participants: 74 participants Age: Average age was 37.25 years Gender: 2 males and 71 females Setting: All participants worked in South Africa	Experiences and challenges at work Self-reported health and sources of support
Igwesi-Chidobe et al. 2022	Aim to explore the experiences of front-line physiotherapists managing patients with COVID-19 in Nigeria	Qualitative in-depth semi-structured telephone interviews of physiotherapists managing patients with COVID-19 in the front line in Nigeria.	Participants: 8 participants Age: Average age was 37.5 Gender: 7 males and 1 female Setting: ICU and hospital COVID-19 wards, COVID-isolation, and treatment centres in Nigeria, between August 2020 and January 2021.	Becoming and remaining part of the COVID-19 team or finally exiting the team Problems with multidisciplinary teamwork Broad ranging impact on physiotherapists personal and professional lives Lack of support for perceived physiotherapy roles from prevention through to rehabilitation
Palacios-Ceña et al. 2021	Explored the perspectives of Spanish physical therapists regarding: The organization of their work during the first wave of the pandemic; Their role within the intensive care units (ICUs); management of COVID-19 survivors; Potential future challenges identified for the physical therapy profession.	Qualitative design using in-depth semi-structured interviews. Researcher field notes were kept during the interview.	Participants: 30 Physiotherapists. Age: Average age was 41 ± 6 years. Gender: 11 males and 19 females Setting: National Public Hospital in Madrid during the first wave of the COVID-9 pandemic All Participants worked on the frontline. Direct contact with COVID-19 patients).	Work organisation during the COVID-19 pandemic The role of the Physiotherapist on Intensive Care Units Patient Management Challenges and Future expectations of Physical Therapy
Palacios-Ceña et al. 2021	Describe and explore the experiences and perspectives of physiotherapists working in public hospitals in Madrid, Spain during the COVID-19 pandemic	A qualitative exploratory study using in-depth interviews and researcher field notes.	Participants: 30 Physiotherapists. Age: Average age was 41 ± 6 years. Gender: 11 males and 19 females Setting: Rehabilitation services at public hospitals in Madrid during the COVID-19 pandemic	Call of duty Working in war time When I arrive at home
Palacios-Ceña et al. 2021	Describes the emotional experiences and feelings of physiotherapists working at eleven public health hospitals in Madrid (Spain) during the first COVID-19 outbreak.	A qualitative exploratory study using semi-structured in-depth interviews and researcher field notes.	Participants: 30 Physiotherapists. Age: Average age was 41 ± 6 years. Gender: 11 males and 19 females Setting: Rehabilitation services at public hospitals in Madrid during the COVID-19 pandemic	Critical events Emotional Roller Coaster Last words

Table 4. Quality of included studies based on CASP checklist [9].

	Palacios-Ceña et al. 2021	Palacios-Ceña et al. 2021	Palacios-Ceña et al. 2021	Bennet et al. 2020	Hassem et al. 2021	Igwesi-Chidobe et al. 2022
Was there a clear statement of the aims of the research?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Is a qualitative methodology appropriate?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Was the research design appropriate to address the aims of the research?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Was the recruitment strategy appropriate to the aims of the study?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Was the data collected in a way that addressed the research issue?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Has the relationship between researcher and participants been adequately considered?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unsure	Unsure	Unsure
Have ethical issues been taken into consideration?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Was the data analysis sufficiently rigorous?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Is there a clear statement of findings?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
How valuable is the research?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

CASP Checklists. [Internet].CASP; 2018 [2022 Oct 12]. Available from: https://casp-uk.net/casp-tools-checklists/.

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