Research amongst Physical Therapists in the State of Kuwait: Participation, Perception, Attitude and Barriers

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this descriptive study were to investigate the attitudes and perceptions of physical therapists regarding research, the intention to engage in research and the barriers to participating in research amongst physical therapists in the State of Kuwait. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A previously validated questionnaire was distributed to 200 non-randomly selected physical therapists. The questionnaire gathered demographic data as well as information regarding research-related activities. Descriptive statistics, frequency and χ(2) analyses were used in this study. RESULTS: Of the 200 questionnaires distributed to physical therapists 122 (61%) were completed and returned. The physical therapists had a positive attitude towards reading these findings in order to update their knowledge. However, only 16 (17%) of the physical therapists participated in clinical research. The common reasons given were: minimal role and reduced ability, intention and level of engagement in initiating research, probably due to work overload, time constraints and limited access to resources. CONCLUSIONS: Physical therapists in Kuwait had a positive attitude towards the application of research findings to their practice. However, they were not confident in initiating research due to work overload and lack of time as well as limited access to library resources. Therefore, we recommend stimulation to engage in research activities to be a requirement and to develop a system to improve the skills and knowledge of doing research.