It's more than just physical therapy: reported utilization of physiotherapy services for adults with neuromuscular disorders attending a specialist centre

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate service users' perceptions of their utilization of the physiotherapy service at a specialist Neuromuscular Centre and to identify their reasons for and barriers to attending. Method: A prospective survey design, consisting of a 13-item questionnaire was completed by 104 registered users of a physiotherapy service at a Neuromuscular Centre in northwest England. Descriptive statistics was employed to analyse data from Likert style questions and thematic analysis conducted on responses to open-ended questions. Results: Over 79% of respondents were satisfied with the frequency and duration of their treatment. Respondents attended physiotherapy to obtain physical therapy, for general wellbeing and to access specialized resources. Barriers to attendance included work commitments, travel cost and time, and lack of Centre resources. Clients attending physiotherapy valued the specialist service including advice from therapists, perceived benefit from social interaction with other clients and physical therapy. Conclusion: Adults with neuromuscular disorders identified psychosocial as well as physical benefits from attending physiotherapy at the Neuromuscular Centre. The findings highlight the importance of service users' views in service provision and suggest that a collaborative commitment to patient management could by advantageous when developing physiotherapy services. 2013 Informa UK, Ltd