Obstacles to the Development of Physiotherapy in Iran

Despite the breadth and diversity of physiotherapy healthcare services, the entry of physiotherapists into the field of prevention and also direct access of physiotherapists to patients in the world for 10 years ago, Iranian physiotherapists have not had direct access to clients, yet. One way to overcome the current situation and move towards the growth and development of the profession is to identify the opportunities and threats of the field. The purpose of this study is to explain the obstacles to the professional development of physiotherapy from the point of view of graduates of this field. 

In a qualitative study of the content analysis type, the experiences of 12 physiotherapy scholars in three levels of study, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate were obtained through a structured and semi-in-depth face-to-face interview. Simultaneously, as the data was collected, the data was analyzed based on Granheim and Ludman’s content analysis method.

A total of 28 codes were extracted to explain the obstacles to the development of physiotherapy in Iran, which include “low attention to professional ethics”, “inefficient policies of the Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education” and “traditional teaching methods”.

If the adherence to the principles of professional ethics is not strengthened, the policies of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MHTME) cannot facilitate the growth and development of the profession, and fundamental changes in the education and training of students will not take place, not only will the quality of physiotherapy services be lower than international standards, but many high medical expenses will also be imposed on people and insurances.