Mapeamento de inquéritos sobre intervenções fisioterapêuticas ofertadas para pacientes com osteoartrite: Uma revisão de escopo
Osteoarthritis; Surveys and questionnaires; Physical Therapy Modalities.
Introduction: Physiotherapists provide non-pharmacological conservative treatment for osteoarthritis (OA) using a wide spectrum of interventions. Previous surveys have identified global physiotherapy OA management practices. However, no review to date summarises the scope and findings of these studies. Aims: To map surveys investigating physiotherapeutic interventions provided to patients with OA, identify the main interventions used by these professionals in managing OA, and determine the personal and clinical practice factors associated with therapeutic choices. Metodologia: This study is a scoping review that used the Medline, Embase, and Web of Science databases, along with a search for grey literature in Google Scholar. Included studies were cross-sectional surveys or mixed-method studies with a survey component investigating physiotherapeutic interventions provided to OA patients. The study selection process involved title/abstract screening and full-text review, and data extraction was performed using a form that included information on the characteristics and findings of each study. The results were described using descriptive statistics according to the research questions. Preliminary results: A total of 26 studies were included in the review. Of these, 22 (85%) were conducted in high-income countries, 17 (65.5%) focused on knee OA, and only 1 study (3.8%) addressed a specific level of healthcare. Exercise was the most frequently used intervention, applied by >90% of participants, appearing in 11 (68.8%) studies on knee OA and in 6 (100%) studies on hip OA. Nineteen personal and clinical practice factors were identified as potentially associated with therapeutic choices. The practice setting was the most frequently investigated factor (n = 8; 72.7%). Practice setting and postgraduate education or continuing education courses were the factors most commonly associated with a broader range of interventions. Initial conclusions: The preliminary results reveals a predominance of studies on lower limb OA conducted in high-income countries, highlighting gaps related to upper limb OA and studies from less developed countries. Exercise is a widely used intervention, but the heterogeneity in the description of practices limits comparisons. Factors such as continuing education and practice settings influence therapeutic choices, although the variation in these associations hinders the understanding of the determinants of clinical practice in OA.