Healthcare professionals' views of physiotherapy after cardiac surgery in children with congenital heart disease: a UK and Ireland survey.

OBJECTIVES

To understand healthcare professionals' views on current physiotherapy service provision in children with congenital heart disease (CHD), how physiotherapy could be better used post-cardiac surgery and perceived barriers to service expansion.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional survey using a one-off self-completed online questionnaire, with open and closed questions, in June-August 2024.

SETTING

Each of the 12 level 1 paediatric cardiac surgical centres in the UK National Health Service and Children's Health Ireland.

PARTICIPANTS

Healthcare professionals providing clinical care to children undergoing cardiac surgery.

RESULTS

80 responses were obtained, with at least one response from each centre. Healthcare professionals conduct motor, developmental and functional evaluations across all age groups, with referrals to physiotherapy primarily based on physical examination (39, 87%). They expressed dissatisfaction with community physiotherapy services (64, 81%) compared with inpatient services (29, 36%), although they indicated that expanding services would positively impact patients and families. There is a lack of consensus regarding intervention frequency, duration and which patient groups should be prioritised. Respondents identified a lack of funding as the primary barrier to service expansion (76, 95%). Reported barriers for families included volume of medical appointments (69, 86%), transportation (66, 83%) and finances (62, 78%).

CONCLUSIONS

Healthcare professionals appreciate the positive impact physiotherapy can have on post-surgical management of children with CHD. The importance of expanding services was emphasised. However, to effectively support clinical practice, it is crucial to understand which patient groups should be prioritised and at what stage, as well as determining the optimal amount of physiotherapy that positively impacts patient outcomes.