Bridging the Gap: Awareness and Perceptions of Physiotherapy Among Healthcare Professionals

Introduction: In India, physiotherapy plays a vital role in rehabilitation but remains under-recognized compared to other healthcare professions. Despite its increasing relevance, limited awareness among healthcare professionals continues to restrict its effective integration into the healthcare system. This often results in delayed referrals, underutilization of services and gaps in patient care. Therefore, this study aimed to assess healthcare professionals’ knowledge and attitudes toward physiotherapy to support more collaborative and timely patient management.Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from May to June 2025 involving 82 healthcare professionals from various medical and allied disciplines, each with at least one year of professional experience. Physiotherapists, physiotherapy students, undergraduate students and administrative personnel without clinical roles were excluded. Data were collected using a self-designed questionnaire via Google Forms to assess awareness and knowledge of physiotherapy. Data analysis was done using SPSS (version 18) and Microsoft Excel 2010.Result: The study revealed that while 100% of participants were aware of Physiotherapy, while 84.1% knew about the Master’s program in physiotherapy, awareness of the Ph.D. (54.9%) and Doctorate (37.8%) was lower. Specialties like Orthopaedics (79.3%), Neurology (67.1%), and Sports Physiotherapy (65.9%) were better known compared to Preventive Medicine (20.7%) and Veterinary Physiotherapy (17.1%). Familiarity with advanced techniques was limited; only 15.9% were aware of PNF, 42.7% of NDT and 30.5% of virtual rehabilitation. Most participants considered physiotherapy to be effective (93.9%) and supported the establishment of physiotherapy centers in hospitals (97.6%).Conclusion: This study revealed that while awareness of physiotherapy exists among healthcare professionals, detailed understanding especially of advanced techniques and specializations remains limited. A notable proportion were unfamiliar with modern physiotherapy approaches and postgraduate programs. Despite this, most acknowledged its effectiveness and supported its integration in healthcare. These findings highlight the need for structured educational programs to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and improve patient care.