Therapeutic Practice and Its Relationship with Professional Competence among Physiotherapists in the City of Sabratha

Abstract

The topic of therapeutic practice and professional competence, as well as methods of assessment and measurement in the field of physiotherapy, is receiving increasing attention. This may be partly due to the increased reality of direct access (e.g., examining and treating patients without referral), greater professional autonomy, and the shifting of patient care to physiotherapists.

Those who follow the early stages of practical physiotherapy work are fully aware of the enormous change that has occurred in the nature of this important specialisation. The progress occurring in the level of therapeutic practice within physiotherapy has resulted from the accumulation of experience and the continuous study and evaluation of therapeutic methods used in treatment and rehabilitation. This study aimed to identify the level of therapeutic practice and the level of professional competence among physiotherapists. It also aimed to uncover the nature of the relationship between therapeutic practice and professional competence among physiotherapists.

The researchers used two scales: the Therapeutic Practice Scale and the Professional Competence Scale, both developed by the researcher Hussein Abdulsalam Obeid, to achieve the objectives of the current study. The descriptive survey method was employed. The study sample consisted of 31 physiotherapists working in physiotherapy centres and departments in the city of Sabratha, selected randomly.

The results of the study indicated that:

• Practising physiotherapists demonstrate a high level of orientation towards therapeutic practice.
• Workers in the field of physiotherapy possess a high level of professional competence.
• The results revealed no statistically significant differences in the total scores for either therapeutic practice or professional competence attributable to the following variables: gender, specialisation, years of experience, or workplace.
• The independent variable (therapeutic practice scale) showed a positive significant correlation with the dependent variable (professional competence scale for physiotherapists) and its four dimensions, all showing direct positive relationships, i.e., at a rate of 100%.