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Short Communication

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

, &
Pages 204-209 | Received 10 Jun 2018, Accepted 20 Aug 2018, Published online: 09 Oct 2018
 

Abstract

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.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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