Community Engagement Integral to Reimagining Rural and Remote Physiotherapy in Saskatchewan: Findings from a World Caf Multi-Stakeholder Event

Purpose: To provide recommendations to improve access to physiotherapy services in underserved rural, remote, and Indigenous communities across Saskatchewan.Methods: Through a World Cafe facilitated discussion, 55 multi-stakeholder participants (including facilitators) discussed ways to improve access to physiotherapy services in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities in Saskatchewan. Qualitative description happened through qualitive content analysis from data captured during the World Cafe facilitated discussion.Results: Community Engagement was found to be a central code, along with the interrelated categories: Training Program and Student Experience; Recruitment of Physiotherapists; Retention and Physiotherapy Practice; Community and Team-Based Models of Care; Virtual Care and Technology.Conclusions: Recommendations to improve access to physiotherapy services in Saskatchewan spanned from targeted recruitment and training of physiotherapy students to supporting physiotherapists who practice in geographically isolated environments. Community engagement was highlighted as necessary to ensure effective, sustainable, and appropriate measures to better train, recruit, retain, and support physiotherapists and access to physiotherapy services in rural and remote areas across Saskatchewan. Objectif : proposer des recommandations pour ameliorer l'acces aux services de physiotherapie dans les regions rurales, eloignees et autochtones mal desservies de la Saskatchewan.Methodologie : par des echanges de type cafe conversationnel (World Cafe), 55 participants multipartites (y compris les facilitateurs) ont parle des moyens d'ameliorer l'acces aux services de physiotherapie dans les communautes rurales, eloign,es et autochtones de la Saskatchewan. La description qualitative est provenue de l'analyse de contenu qualitative des donnees saisies pendant le cafe conversationnel.Resultats : l'engagement communautaire s'est revele un code central, de meme que les categories interreliees : programme de formation et experience des etudiants; recrutement des physiotherapeutes; retention et pratique de la physiotherapie; modeles de soins communautaires et en equipe; soins virtuels et technologie.Conclusions : les recommandations pour ameliorer l'acces aux services de physiotherapie en Saskatchewan allaient du recrutement et de la formation cibles des etudiants en physiotherapie au soutien des physiotherapeutes qui exercent dans des environnements isoles sur le plan geographique. Les chercheurs ont souligne l'importance de l'engagement communautaire pour garantir l'adoption de mesures efficaces, soutenues et appropriees en vue de mieux former, recruter, retenir et soutenir les physiotherapeutes et d'assurer un meilleur acces aux services de physiotherapie dans les regions rurales et eloignees de la Saskatchewan.