Required competencies for French physiotherapists for direct access to primary care for patients with musculoskeletal disorders: consensus statement based on a Delphi survey.

Abstract

Background: Physiotherapists who will practice in direct access model of care must acquire the required competencies to ensure adequate and safe patient care. There is no set of required competencies for French physiotherapists.

Objective: To develop a consensus on a minimum set of competencies that French physiotherapists should acquire to practice in direct access to primary care with patients with musculoskeletal disorders.

Methods: The survey was conducted by 1) definition of an initial set of competencies based on a scoping review up to September 2021, 2) implementation of a two-round Delphi survey from October 2021 to January 2022 to obtain consensus on the domains and competencies required in the French context, and 3) consultation at group meeting on February 2022 to finalize and validate the final set of competencies.

Results: Five domains and 52 competencies were identified from the scoping review. Twenty health-care professionals' experts (i.e. family physicians, emergency physicians, and physiotherapists) and two health-care users took part in the Delphi survey. A consensus was reached on 27 required competencies grouped within five domains.

Conclusion: A consensus-based, contemporary set of competencies required for direct access practice with patients with musculoskeletal disorders has been identified that may contribute to the update of entry-level and lifelong learning curricula for French physiotherapists.