Inclusion of physiotherapists in clinical practice guidelines: The Chilean experience

Abstract

Introduction: Including physiotherapists is crucial for developing comprehensive clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) to manage health conditions related to impaired movement and functional capacity. The methodology used to develop these guidelines may influence the extent of their inclusion. Objective: To assess the association between the development methodology and the inclusion of physiotherapists in CPGs for the Explicit Health Guarantees (GES) program of the Chilean Ministry of Health (ChMH). Additionally, for CPGs developed using the Evidence to Decision (EtD) framework, we aimed to examine the association between the inclusion of physiotherapists on the expert panel and the generation of recommendations relevant to their clinical practice. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to analyze 148 CPGs developed by the ChMH up to December 2022. The CPGs were retrieved from the official ChMH website, which hosts CPGs developed with the original ChMH and those produced using the EtD framework. Results: The use of the EtD framework-based methodology for CPG development was significantly associated with a higher likelihood of including physiotherapists in the expert panel (OR 3.62; CI 95% 1.76 to 7.43). Moreover, the inclusion of physiotherapists in CPGs developed with the EtD framework-based methodology was significantly associated with a higher likelihood of generating recommendations related to their clinical practice (OR 18.41; CI 95% 3.80 to 89.09). Conclusion: The EtD framework-based methodology for developing CPGs of the GES program designed by the ChMH likely contributed to the inclusion of physiotherapists on expert panels and facilitated the development of recommendations relevant to their interventions.