Key result
Clinicians cite funding deficits as the main barrier to expanding post-cardiac surgery physiotherapy services.
Why the study?
Healthcare professionals' views on physiotherapy service provision for children with congenital heart disease, potential post-cardiac surgery improvements, and barriers to expansion were not well understood.
Cross-Sectional (n=80)
Yes
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Healthcare professionals highly value physiotherapy for children recovering from congenital cardiac surgery but emphasize critical gaps in funding, standardized referral pathways, and community service provision as barriers to optimal care.
OBJECTIVES: To understand healthcare professionals' views on current physiotherapy service provision in children with congenital heart disease (CHD), how physiotherapy could be better used post-cardiac surgery and perceived barriers to service expansion. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey using a one-off self-completed online questionnaire, with open and closed questions, in June-August 2024. SETTING: Each of the 12 level 1 paediatric cardiac surgical centres in the UK National Health Service and Children's Health Ireland. PARTICIPANTS: Healthcare professionals providing clinical care to children undergoing cardiac surgery. RESULTS: 80 responses were obtained, with at least one response from each centre. Healthcare professionals conduct motor, developmental and functional evaluations across all age groups, with referrals to physiotherapy primarily based on physical examination (39, 87%). They expressed dissatisfaction with community physiotherapy services (64, 81%) compared with inpatient services (29, 36%), although they indicated that expanding services would positively impact patients and families. There is a lack of consensus regarding intervention frequency, duration and which patient groups should be prioritised. Respondents identified a lack of funding as the primary barrier to service expansion (76, 95%). Reported barriers for families included volume of medical appointments (69, 86%), transportation (66, 83%) and finances (62, 78%). CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare professionals appreciate the positive impact physiotherapy can have on post-surgical management of children with CHD. The importance of expanding services was emphasised. However, to effectively support clinical practice, it is crucial to understand which patient groups should be prioritised and at what stage, as well as determining the optimal amount of physiotherapy that positively impacts patient outcomes.
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Clarke et al. (2025) conducted a cross-sectional in Congenital heart disease (n=80). Current physiotherapy service provision was evaluated on Views on current physiotherapy services and barriers to service expansion. Among surveyed healthcare professionals, 95% identified a lack of funding as the primary barrier to physiotherapy service expansion, and 81% expressed dissatisfaction with community services.
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