Objective: To assess the physicians and surgeons knowledge and mode of referral of the patients for physiotherapy at Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Methodology: A previously used questionnaire on the same subject was modified and used to collect information in this study. The questionnaire had three sections; A, B and C regarding the various aspects of the medical training during the medical colleges and their acquaintance with physiotherapy. Questions were related to age, gender, information on qualification, attainment of a degree from college of studies, year of graduation, working relationship with physiotherapist and mode of referral for physiotherapy.
Results: Out of 108 physicians and surgeons, majority did not have enough knowledge about the physiotherapy profession and level of qualification. However, 50% had known the profession at the house job. More than 50% knew about the existence of the physiotherapy department at the teaching hospital in which, 37% did not know of existence of the physiotherapy department.
Conclusion: This study revealed poor knowledge and information about the physiotherapy discipline by physicians and surgeons. Most of them considered it as part of the complementary medicine. Steps need to be taken to improve the knowledge about physiotherapy at the undergraduate level.
Key words: Physiotherapy referrals, surgeons belief, impairments.
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