The perceptions of nurses and physicians in primary care of rehabilitation for frail older adults.

Objectives: To investigate the perceptions of primary care nurses and physicians of the potential contributions of physiotherapists (PTs) and occupational therapists (OTs) in the treatment of frail older persons, as well as the obstacles to, and opportunities for, collaboration.

Design: A qualitative study.

Participants and setting: Nurses (n = 9) and physicians (n = 8) in primary care in the county council [14 women (82%)] with experience working with older people.

Method: Interview study conducted with a semi-structured interview guide. Analyses were carried out with content analysis with an inductive approach.

Results: The analysis resulted in six categories: knowledge of physiotherapy and occupational therapy interventions; what triggers the need for physiotherapy and occupational therapy?; the availability of rehabilitation interventions; teamwork opportunities and difficulties; motivating the patient; the site of the rehabilitation.

Conclusions: Close and clear collaboration between nurses and physicians and PTs and OTs is an important factor in ensuring that rehabilitation interventions provide the greatest possible benefit to the patient. Improving communication between different healthcare providers and clarifying the contact routes is a prerequisite for patients to be able to get the rehabilitation they need. More research is needed to determine the best approach to achieving this goal.