Abstract
Background and Purpose: Stroke is a major cause of disability and the third leading cause of death worldwide. Clinical practice guidelines for stroke rehabilitation identify stroke physiotherapists as an essential interdisciplinary team member to minimize residual impairments and disability, thereby improving the patient's ability to execute daily tasks. This article uses an existing American survey to compare Saudi physiotherapists' current practice and preferred interventions in stroke rehabilitation with their counterparts in other countries. Method: An electronic survey was sent between September and October 2020 to physiotherapists (n = 287) treating persons with stroke in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire consisted of items related to stroke rehabilitation, including treatment approach, the goal of interventions, management of tone, facilitation of movement, function, and improved motor control. Chi-square tests (chi(2)) were used to test any associations between physiotherapists' responses with respect to their demographic characteristics. Quantitative data analysis was conducted using SPSS. Results: A total of 197 participants returned completed questionnaires (68.6%). Participants were asked which methods of stroke treatment they had practiced in their profession and which methods had been taught in school training. The Bobath/neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT) approach was the most commonly known approach in practice (77.66%), followed by the proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation/Brunnstrom and motor relearning program (63.45%, 25.38%, respectively). The results showed a significant relationship between Saudi physiotherapists' current practice and the aim of treatment and function (P < .05). In general, respondents have agreed on preferred treatment approaches, with the majority referring to the Bobath/NDT method, although variation is observed between participants in some sections of the survey. The preferred treatment was based on the frequency of responses of the participants. Discussion and Conclusion: Variation has been observed between therapists regarding treatment applications in stroke rehabilitation. The current findings emphasize the need to investigate how and why practitioners use or do not use evidence in this area (such as national stroke guidelines). Future studies might need to engage Saudi stroke physiotherapists to find suitable ways to close the gap between the evidence for best practice and the use of evidence within day-to-day practices.