Knowledge and utilization of standardized stroke outcome measures among physiotherapists in tertiary health institutions in Anambra State, Nigeria

Background Knowledge and utilization of standardized stroke outcome measures (SOMs) are important as it helps in the evaluation of patient response to therapy and decision of further step in patient care. This study evaluated the current knowledge and utilization of standardized stroke outcome measures and the factors that influence them. Methods A cross-sectional survey research design was used for the study. The consecutive sampling technique was used to recruit 40 (16 females and 24 males) respondents from two tertiary hospitals located in Anambra State. Data were analyzed using the IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. The frequency counts and percentages, mean and standard deviation, chi-square test, and Spearman rank-order correlation were used in the analysis of different variables. The alpha level was set at 0.05. Results A total of 37.5% had poor knowledge, 30% had fair knowledge, and 32.5% had good knowledge of SOMs. The highest familiarity (i.e., very familiar) was observed as follows: 6-min walk test (72.5%), Modified Ashworth Scale (70%), Barthel Index (65.75%), Mini-mental Stroke Examination (52.5%), Functional Independence Measure (65%), Berg Balance Scale (50%), and National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (50%). Poor utilization was observed in % of the respondents, fair utilization was observed in 25%, and good was observed in 20% of them. There was a positive correlation between knowledge and utilization of standardized stroke outcome measures ( p < 0.01). Knowledge and utilization were each significantly associated with gender and educational qualification. Utilization alone was significantly associated with years of experience and the center of practice. Conclusion There is still a deficit in the awareness and utilization of standardized stroke outcome measures in the study population. There has not been an appreciable improvement in the knowledge of SOMs among the population of physiotherapists that participated in the current study. However, the utilization of SOMs is still at a low level. This requires action from critical stakeholders in Nigeria’s health system to encourage its regular use in clinical practice as it will serve to improve service delivery to patients.