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Background: Occupational health (OH) in physiotherapy is well known for addressing work-
related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs), which are high in number according to the
available statistics (Fingerhut, Concha, Punnet, Steenland, & Driscoll, 2014). The
introduction of the Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy degree in Kenya in 2010 created a
good platform for the development and review of occupational health content in the
curriculum. Aim: To develop standards of competency, teaching, learning and assessment
strategies that focuses on occupational health for an undergraduate physiotherapy curriculum
in Kenya. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of WRMDs in Africa, conduct a
situational analysis of the content of the occupational health course at the universities
offering physiotherapy in Kenya with regard to the occupational health competency
framework, explore the competencies needed by physiotherapists in relation to occupational
health, explore the relevant content as well as the teaching, learning and assessment strategies
that could be used to develop a draft occupational health module in the undergraduate
physiotherapy curriculum. Design: A mixed method, exploratory, sequential design was
implemented in four phases; systematic review, document analysis, Delphi study, and
curriculum draft development. Population and sampling: Occupational health content for all
universities offering physiotherapy degree course. A minimum of 15 experts within the field
of occupational health were recruited in each round of the Delphi study which included both
academic and clinical physiotherapists. Data analysis: Thematic content analysis was used
for the qualitative data and descriptive statistics. This included frequencies, modes, and
averages used for the analysis of the quantitative data. Ethical considerations for the study
were observed. Results: The systematic review revealed a heterogenous prevalence of
WRMDs throughout Africa with the highest prevalence in the administrative cadre. All
professional cadres had complaints of lower back pain. Document analysis revealed that there was no stand-alone occupational health module in the Kenyan universities, but rather that it
consisted of an aggregation of courses taught throughout the training, albeit with no clear
links between them. Experts in occupational health shared their opinions via the Delphi study
that determined the competencies needed by physiotherapists. These included the necessary
OH topics, return to work process, how to assess risks for injury and prioritising hazards, and
finally the medico-legal reporting and compensation, as well as how to communicate with
various OH stakeholders. All these aspects of the study enabled the researcher to develop the
draft OH course content for the undergraduate curriculum. Conclusion: The OH draft
curriculum content is a stand-alone course composed of the findings from the different phases
of this study. It will be used to equip the undergraduate Kenyan physiotherapist to develop
the necessary competencies that aim to prevent and avoid the WRMDs that are prevalent in
Africa. |
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