title: Physiotherapy practice patterns in Intensive Care Units of Nepal: A multicenter survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  As physiotherapy (PT) is a young profession in Nepal, there is a dearth of insight into the common practices of physiotherapists in critical care.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To identify the availability of PT services in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and articulate the common practices by physiotherapists in ICUs of Nepal.
  
  
  METHODS
  All tertiary care hospitals across Nepal with ICU facility via an exploratory cross-sectional survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  An existing questionnaire was distributed to all the physiotherapists currently working in ICUs of Nepal with 2 years of experience. The survey was sent via E-mail or given in person to 86 physiotherapists.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive and inferential statistics according to nature of data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate was 60% (n = 52). In the majority of hospitals (68%), PT service was provided only after a physician consultation, and few hospitals (13%) had established hospital criteria for PT in ICUs. Private hospitals (57.1%) were providing PT service in weekends compared to government hospitals (32.1%) (P = 0.17). The likelihood of routine PT involvement varied significantly with the clinical scenarios (highest 71.2% status cerebrovascular accident, lowest 3.8% myocardial infarction, P < 0.001). The most preferred PT treatment was chest PT (53.8%) and positioning (21.2%) while least preferred was therapeutic exercise (3.8%) irrespective of clinical scenarios.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a lack of regular PT service during weekends in ICUs of Nepal. Most of the cases are treated by physiotherapists only after physician's referral. The preferred intervention seems to be limited only to chest PT and physiotherapists are not practicing therapeutic exercise and functional mobility training to a great extent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, Dhulikhel Hospital, Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences, Dhulikhel, Kavre, Nepal.
authors.forename: Sumana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baidya
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, Dhulikhel Hospital, Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences, Dhulikhel, Kavre, Nepal.
authors.forename: Ranjeeta S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Acharya
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, Dhulikhel Hospital, Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences, Dhulikhel, Kavre, Nepal; Department of Movement Sciences, MOVE Research Institute Amsterdam, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Physiotherapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Michel W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Coppieters
keywords: Intensive Care Units; Nepal; multicenter survey; physiotherapy