Abstract
This qualitative report is important and reflects the deeper thinking that is needed about the directions of physiotherapy as a leading established health profession [[1]]. As a profession we have shown less reflexivity and responsiveness to epidemiologic trends since the end of World War 2, over 70 years ago. Given the progressive increase in prevalence of chronic lifestyle-related non-communicable diseases since World War 2, namely, heart disease, cancer, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, obesity, renal disease, autoimmune diseases, and Alzheimer’s disease and that non-invasive interventions are typically superior to drugs and surgery in their prevention, management and often reversal, the profession of physiotherapy is particularly well positioned to take the lead in turning the tide of these diseases, given its contemporary scope of practice.
This study draws our attention ‘back’ before World War 2, to viewing our profession as dynamic and being responsive and reflexive to changing epidemiology, and aligning its professional values with its strategic positionality, hence being in an optimal position to address these health priorities. In recent decades, we have rather lost sight of dynamically aligning our professional values with practice, in favour of a largely persisting focus on a single-disease framework and specific interventions and techniques, rather than the current reality of non-communicable disease, their multi-morbidity and related poly-pharmacy.
As the profession became more structured and organized, e.g., practice and education accreditation standards and clinical practice guidelines, there was some cost, the relative loss of practice reflexivity. Hopefully, articles such as this one, will remind us of our quintessential professional and ethical commitment to changing societal as well as individual health through the exploitation of primarily non-drug and non-surgical interventions. These being the hallmark of the profession of physiotherapy, the third largest established health profession in the world excepting dentistry and pharmacy that have distinct practice patterns.
Conflicts of interest
None declared.