Physiotherapists’ and physiotherapy students’ attitudes and beliefs about working with people with dementia: a mixed methods systematic review protocol

Objective: 

The objective of this review is to explore the attitudes and beliefs of physiotherapists and physiotherapy students working with people with dementia. A second objective is to explore their knowledge and confidence in this area.

Introduction: 

Dementia is a leading cause of disability. It poses a challenge to individuals and health systems due to the complex nature of its presentation. With a growing body of evidence supporting physiotherapists’ role in the care of people with dementia, it is important to understand their knowledge, confidence, attitudes, and beliefs in managing this role.

Inclusion criteria: 

The review will consider quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies that include physiotherapists and physiotherapy students who have worked or had a clinical placement in any setting where people with dementia might access physiotherapy care. Studies investigating one or more of the following topics will be included: knowledge, confidence, attitudes, and beliefs about working with people with any type of dementia.

Methods: 

Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, Ovid Embase, Emcare, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, Informit, ERIC, ProQuest Dissertations, and Google Scholar will be searched without a date limit for studies published in English. All study types will be screened for inclusion and critically appraised for methodological quality by two independent reviewers. Methodological quality will be assessed using the appropriate JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for each study type. Data will be extracted using standardized JBI tools for mixed methods systematic reviews. A convergent integrated approach to synthesis and integration will be used.

Systematic review registration number: 

PROSPERO CRD42020181845