Physiotherapy and ecosystem services: improving the health of our patients, the population, and the environment

ABSTRACT

Introduction

The relevance of ecosystems to physiotherapy has traditionally been overlooked, despite its potential for health impacts relevant to conditions often managed by physiotherapists.

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to introduce the concept of ecosystem services to physiotherapists, and to discuss how understanding ecosystem services may improve patient care, and population and planetary health.

Discussion and Conclusion

Physiotherapists with an understanding of ecosystem services may improve patient care by value-adding to management through patient education, empathy, advocacy, and broader population health approaches. Physiotherapists are also well placed to promote the conservation and restoration of ecosystem through participation, advocacy, and the development of public health measures, to the benefit of global sustainability and population health. Further research is required into how physiotherapists currently use nature-based interventions, and the barriers and enablers to their use. To be adequately prepared to meet the challenges that climate change and environmental degradation pose to patient care, population health and health systems, both current and future physiotherapists need to take a broader view of their practice. By including consideration of the potential role of the environment and green space exposure in particular on their patient’s health, physiotherapists can ultimately contribute more to population and planetary health.

KEYWORDS:

• Physiotherapy
• physical therapy
• environment
• ecohealth
• planetary health
• ecosystem services

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. “the protection, care, management and maintenance of ecosystems, habitats, wildlife species and populations, within or outside of their natural environments, in order to safeguard the natural conditions for their long-term permanence”.

2. “the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged or destroyed” (Society for Ecological Restoration Australasia, 2018).

3. Active transport refers to physical activities, such as walking or cycling, that replace motorized transport.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.