Evaluation of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of the Core-Skills of Physiotherapists in Sports Science and Medicine

Background: With the increasing interest of physiotherapists (PTs) in postgraduate training in sports science and medicine, there may be inter-professional conflict, misconceptions and under-utilization of sports scientists. There is an overlap in core skill practice between PTs and sports scientists, although concepts and approaches differ. This study aimed to understand the inter-professional knowledge, attitude and practice of PTs regarding sports science and medicine specialty. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 160 PTs was conducted. A modified KAP Questionnaire assessed knowledge of health/skill-related fitness, exercise prescription, FITT and One-RM principles on a 5-point Likert scale. Attitude was also rated. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square test were used. Results: Most PTs (83.1%, 76.7% and 78.5%) were familiar with content, technical guidelines and 1-RM use respectively. Between 20%-53.2% rated their knowledge as high/very high, while 38.5% rated curriculum knowledge as medium. Mean knowledge and attitude scores were 3.42 ± 3.16 (very good) and 3.72 ± 0.18 (positive). Work setting was significantly associated with attitude towards employing a sports scientist (X²=4.29, p=0.04). Conclusion: A high proportion of PTs had very good knowledge of sports science core skills with positive attitude, but exhibited poor knowledge of educational curriculum. Most PTs used FITT and One-RM guidelines.