Experiences and Future Needs of Primary Care Physiotherapists Encountering Asylum-seeking Patients in Västerbotten County : A pilot study

Introduction: Currently, there are one billion migrants worldwide, with Sweden being a common host country. In Swedish primary care, physiotherapists are usually the first instance for patients with musculo-skeletal complaints, ASPs included. Currently, there are no physiotherapeutic guidelines addressing the management and treatment for ASPs. Furthermore, there are some qualitative studies discussing the interaction between health care providers and ASPs or migrant patients, however, none of them are exclusively exploring the phenomenon from the physiotherapists’ perspective. The aim of this study was to explore Swedish primary care physiotherapists’ experiences and professional needs when encountering ASPs. Methods: Using a qualitative methodology with an inductive approach, a case-study consisting of four semi-structured interviews with primary care physiotherapists located in Västerbotten county were conducted between the 13th of March and the 6th of April 2018. Thematic analysis (TA) was used to analyze data. Results: Two main themes were identified; Our most challenging patient group and Demand for knowledge and frameworks. These were discussing the reasons behind the challenges when encountering ASPs, and the desire for an increased organization on a higher level to prepare physiotherapists for their encounters with ASPs. Conclusion: Findings suggest there are challenges and a request for an increased knowledge among primary care physiotherapists when encountering ASPs. These findings serve as a foundation for further research in the matter and for future adjustments in how the physiotherapeutic bachelor program is designed, how employers and the Physiotherapy union (Fysioterapeuterna) provide their employees and members with adequate knowledge, preparing them for encountering ASPs in the best possible way