• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.304-311
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• 2022

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the knowledge, awareness and performance of COVID-19 infection control among physical therapists and to identify the impact factors on performance Methods: Data were collected from March 16th to March 24th in 2022 from the physical therapist's in Busan. Data analysis was conducted on 170 surveys, after excluding 27 surveys that were found to be unsuitable for data analysis. Results: When correlating the study variables, knowledge and awareness were found to have a positive, meaningful correlation with performance. Performance of COVID-19 personal infection control regression analysis showed that the working department (clinic and long-term care hospital), clinical experience, the more knowledgeable, the awareness (personal), and the more clinical experience had significant positive impacts on the performance of COVID-19 infection control. Performance of COVID-19 treatment room infection control regression analysis showed that the working department (long-term care hospital), educational experience, the awareness (treatment room) had significant positive impacts on the performance of COVID-19 infection control Conclusion: The results of this study may be used as basic data for educating physical therapist's working at the COVID-19 response department. This study suggests that physical therapist's need educational programs to improve their knowledge and awareness and performance of infection control against infectious diseases such as COVID-19. Differentiated physical therapists practice education curricula must be developed and provided after understanding the varying characteristic of physical therapist's with different levels of work experience.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.67-75
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• 2021

PURPOSE: This study examined the level of awareness of the guidelines of the physical therapist specialization system. METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional survey of 364 clinical physical therapists working in hospitals. A structured questionnaire consisting of 17 questions was used. The questionnaire consisted of standards and management for the institutionalization of physical therapist specialization, intentions to acquire specialized physical therapist qualifications, specialized fields, and general information of the research subjects. RESULTS: At least five years of clinical experience and a bachelor's degree or higher were required to obtain a specialized physical therapist qualification. Many physical therapists said they would accept the qualification of a specialized physical therapist. Training and examination were appropriate for acquiring specialized physical therapist qualifications, and it was desirable to manage qualifications at the national level or the association of physical therapists. As for the specialized fields of physical therapy, musculoskeletal physical therapy, pediatric physical therapy, and nervous system physical therapy were prioritized, and electrotherapy was not recognized as a specialized field. CONCLUSION: A detailed discussion is needed on the system and cost for acquiring a specialized physical therapist qualification and economic benefits after acquiring the qualification.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2018

Objective: Setting therapeutic goals assist to identify patient priorities and predict problem that may arise in performing daily and functional activities. Goal setting is associated with improved rehabilitation outcomes in individuals with hemiparetic stroke. This study was conducted to assess the effects of having awareness and satisfaction of goals on the functional status of individuals with hemiparetic stroke. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Eighty-one people who had been diagnosed with stroke participated in this study. The study was conducted through a face-to-face surveys to identify participants' awareness and satisfaction of goals and standard assessment tools were used to evaluate patients' functional status. This study measured functional status through three clinical measures including the manual function test (MFT), Berg Balance scale (BBS), and modified Barthel index (MBI). Results: In participants with hemiparetic stroke, the MBI, BBS, and MFT scores were significantly higher in the participants who were aware of the therapeutic goal than in those who were unaware (p<0.05). The MBI, BBS, and MFT scores were not significant between the participants who were satisfied with the goal and those who were unsatisfied. Conclusions: This study suggests that having awareness in therapeutic goal-setting could lead to improvement of functional status in those with hemiparetic stroke. This study highlights how goal-setting can have a positive effect on persons with hemiparetic stroke.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.113-123
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• 2024

Objective: The study analyzed the awareness of physical therapists regarding correct breathing methods and the effect of breathing training on patients. Design: A cross-sectional survey study. Methods: Physical therapists who agreed to participate in the study, held a license as a physical therapist, and had training or experience in breathing were included as subjects. A total of 136 questionnaires were collected, out of which 129 were analyzed. The questionnaire consisted of 26 items, divided into several sections covering awareness of breathing methods, breathing and muscles, breathing and mind, breathing and movement, perception of mouth breathing and nose breathing, experience applying respiration as a treatment, perception of breathing and treatment, awareness of breathing and pain, awareness of breathing and chronic diseases and prevention, perceptions related to breathing and sleep, and educational background. Results: The study found that most therapists were aware of diaphragmatic breathing, but not Lamaze breathing. 76.7% claimed to that there is a correct breathing method, and the majority were aware of the reasons for correct breathing. The majority believed in the therapeutic effect of breathing, with core exercise breathing training being the most commonly used in therapy. 81.7% of therapists had taught a specific breathing method to a patient, and diaphragmatic breathing was the most provided treatment. There was no significant difference in perception according to clinical experience, but there was a significant difference in perception according to educational background. Conclusions: The study provided clinical background on Physical Therapists' belief on correct breathing method, and uses of breathing training during treatment. The results suggest there is a need for a coherent education on breathing method and techniques among Physical Therapists.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.123-133
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• 2018

This study aimed to suggest basic data required to improve the awareness of physical therapy and examine physical therapists' awareness of the independent establishment of physical therapy clinics. To do so, 175 physical therapists in Gyeongnam areas were surveyed. Their general characteristics were statistically analyzed using SPSS 10.0, and their current workplace, working conditions and job satisfaction were analyzed using chi square distributions. The awareness of independent establishment was analyzed using the Excel program. The statistical significance (a) in this study was set at 0.05. Their interest in physical therapy was surveyed by gender, and 52.2% of males showed interest, higher than that of females. The satisfaction level of those who work in general hospitals with self-development was 32.8%, higher than that of those who work in clinics. To the question about independent establishment, 83.4% agreed to independent establishment, and 57.5% answered that the first thing to do before independent establishment is acquiring professional theoretical knowledge and clinical treatment skills. In terms of the areas of establishment, 45.2% answered physical therapy for the musculoskeletal system, and 39.7% answered that the awareness of doctors is the biggest obstacle to independent establishment. It will be necessary to ensure physical therapists acquire professional theoretical knowledge and clinical treatment skills and to improve awareness between physical therapists and doctors. In addition, it is considered that departments related to physical therapy need to be unified as a four-year course, and the independent establishment of physical therapy clinics is required to be legalized.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.276-284
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to provide basic data on hand washing of physical therapists by examining their awareness and practice of hand washing according to proper clinical practice. A total of 536 questionnaires were collected from physical therapy students in Gwangju metropolitan city. The general characteristics of the subjects were calculated by frequency analysis, and the awareness and practice of hand washing with and without clinical practice were analyzed by independent t-tests. As a result of analyzing hand washing awareness according to the clinical practice, there was a significant difference in hand washing up to the wrist (p<0.05), and a significant difference in 6 stages of proper hand washing (p<0.01). As a result of analyzing hand washing practice according to clinical practice, there was a significant difference in hand washing before eating and starting clinical practice (p<0.05), a significant difference in washing hands after contacting clinical practice equipment and washing your fingers from your thumb down (p<0.01). As a result of analyzing the correlation between awareness and practice, most showed positive correlation. This means it is important to raise the awareness of proper washing hands. Therefore, it is believed that the training school should repeatedly conduct its own hand washing training within the school and in clinical practice to increase awareness and improve handwashing in clinical practice.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.43-52
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• 2018

Purpose: This study aims to draw students' attention to dementia and give students the right perception of dementia patients by comparing and analyzing students' awareness of dementia and educational needs of students in Honam area. In addition, the study will provide basic data that will help people develop education programs to prevent dementia. Methods: The study was conducted from May 10, 2018 to June 14, 2018, for 957 college students of physical therapy at 11 universities in Gwangju and Jeonnam. All participants understood the purpose of the study and agreed to participate in the study. Out of a total of 957 respondents, 950 people participated in the study, except for the seven who were unsuccessful in the survey. Results: Interest in dementia was found to be moderate, and many respondents answered that they had "information about dementia". Among them, broadcasting accounted for 41 percent of the total. Dementia awareness was categorized in four areas, symptom, disease, treatment, and nursing. In general, there is a low perception in all areas and improvement is needed. The need for dementia education was also different from what we thought. 649 students(68%) answered that they did not have dementia education. This is 349(36%) more than the 300 students(32%) who answered "Yes". Conclusion: The results show that college students lack awareness of dementia. In order to improve awareness of dementia, the government and community should be more interested in managing dementia, and active efforts to develop positive thinking and attitudes towards dementia.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.62-73
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• 2013

Pediatric home-based physical therapy (PHBPT) provides professional rehabilitation programs at the patient's home, where the activities of daily life are actually performed. PHBPT also allows to avoid the difficulties of transporting children with disabilities to the clinic. Despite these advantages, PHBPT is not yet widely practiced in Korea. There is little objective information regarding the opinions of the main stakeholders on PHBPT. To investigate the awareness and demand of PHBPT among the main stakeholders, 41 pediatric physical therapists (PT) (of 60 contacted) were recruited from different regions of Korea on the basis of the regional population distribution. The recruited PTs completed their questionnaires and also participated in collecting questionnaires from 35 medical doctors (MD) with whom they worked and from randomly selected 201 parents of children with disabilities recruited. The overall response rate was 85.5%. The awareness of PHBPT differed between PTs (95.1%) and parents (67.2%) (p<.001). The survey showed that 82.9% of MDs had at least heard about PHBPT. Significantly more parents (83.5%) than MDs (57.1%), and 70.0% of PTs, wanted to start PHBPT service immediately (p<.001). Significantly more parents (90.0%) than PTs (73.2%) were willing to participate in PHBPT (p<.001). Opinions on the details of policies and procedures (i.e., necessity for prescription, treatment cost, and treatment frequency) differed among the respondent groups, but all favored a minimal qualification of 6~10 years of pediatric experience and a treatment session duration of 1 hour. These findings provide objective information to support health service administrators to understand the current demand and develop feasible policies and procedures of PHBPT in Korea.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.79-90
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• 2000

Participants of this 1998 survey included 100 physical therapists working in hospitals located in Andong City. 77.7% of the participants were in their twenties and 20.2% in their forties. 46.4% of the participants were 3rd year students at a junior college, and 1.0% were college graduates. 67.6% of the participants had less than 5 years experience and 1.0% 16 years experience in their field. 59.6% of the participants were married. Regarding questions about occupational satisfaction, many of the participants replied "normal" for the first and third questions, and few answered "very much". Most of the participants answered "normal" for all the questions concerning their work environment with few replying "very much". With regards to awareness of the physical signs of fatigue, "occasionally, yes" were the most frequent answers. Regarding awareness of the psychological signs of fatigue, the similar proportions of participants answered "occasionally, yes" as that for "feeling nothing". Similarly, with regard to awareness of the neuro-sensitive signs of fatigue, there was a similar ratio of participants answering "occasionally, yes" and "feel nothing". It can be concluded that there are many causes of fatigue amongst physical therapists. Improvements in daily nutrition, mental health and general well-being are important in tackling these problems. It appears that fatigue amongst physical therapists may be cumulative and due to prolonged working hours To promote better daily functioning and early recovery from fatigue, appropriate assignments of working and resting hours are necessary. They would also benefit the prevention of symptomatic problems in the waist and shoulder.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.15-24
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• 2022

Background: This study investigated the perception of community care-based tele exercise rehabilitation according to demographic characteristics of physical therapists and presented basic data for the spread of tele exercise rehabilitation within community care. Methods: The study collected and analyzed data from 195 physical therapists. The analysis was performed using frequency analysis with 10 general characteristics, 13 tele exercise rehabilitation recognition questions, and a total of 23 questions. Analysis of general characteristics of study subjects and recognition of tele exercise rehabilitation were expressed in terms of frequency and percentage using frequency analysis. Chi-squared test was used to compare general characteristics and tele exercise rehabilitation recognition. Correlation analysis of major sociodemographic variables affecting the perception of remote exercise rehabilitation was conducted. Results: The awareness level of physical therapists for remote exercise rehabilitation was confirmed. The difference in the recognition of remote motor rehabilitation in the number of therapists, career, hospital form according to the sociodemographic characteristics showed statistically significant differences. Conclusion: It is necessary to first raise awareness of therapists through the promotion of tele exercise rehabilitation, and furthermore, in the future, it will be necessary to find a policy direction and plan on how tele exercise rehabilitation can be applied to rehabilitation services in local communities care.