A SURVEY OF RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS IN THE S A JOURNAL OF PHYSIOTHERAPY -1984 — 1988 JEANETTE MITCHELL* SUMMARY Following a two-year survey of current research at the eight University Physiotherapy Departments in South Africa, the major articles published in the South African Journal of Physiotherapy over the last five years were reviewed to establish authorship, re­ search methodology and subject matter covered. It was found that of the total of 81 papers published during this time, 25 (30,9%) were produced by University Physiotherapy Departments. The first auth­ ors of the remaining 56 papers were physiothera­ pists employed elsewhere (41,1%); doctors/dentists (25,0%); other members of the allied medical disci­ plines (10,7%), other professionals (12,5%), and auth­ ors with unspecified qualifications (10,7%). Of the 25 articles written by University Physiotherapy Depart­ ment authors, there were more descriptive papers (72,0%) than experimental (16,0%) or clinical reports (12,0%) or surveys (0,0%), and there were more ar­ ticles on education/administration (36,0%) than on any other topic. Of the 56 papers published by non- University authors, there were again more descrip­ tive articles (76,8%) than experimental (12,5%) or clinical reports (1,8%) or surveys (8,9%). These find­ ings suggest a need for more scientifically orientated research, such as clinical and experimental trials, and for the publication, in the South African Journal o f Physiotherapy, of more of the research projects of the University Physiotherapy Departments. INTRODUCTION The findings of a two-year survey of current research at the eight University Physiotherapy Departments in South Africa showed that an average of 75 research reports are produced annually by students under the supervision of aca­ demic staff. To establish whether such research is published in the South African Journal o f Physiotherapy, I analysed how many articles are published by staff and students of the eight University Physiotherapy Departments and how many ar­ ticles are published by non-university Physiotherapy Depart­ ment physiotherapists and other professionals, as first authors. The period of analysis was from 1984 to 1988. In addition, the subject matter and research methodology were analysed. These analyses are similar to those of P J Holliday2 and E Dean3. The findings indicate the extent to which OPSOMMING Na 'n twee-jaar-lange ondersoek van huidige navors- ing by die Fisioterapie Departemente van Suid-Afri- kaanse Universiteite, is die belangrikste artikels, wat gedurende die afgelope vyf jaar in Die Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrlf Fisioterapie verskyn het, nagegaan om outeur- skap, die aard en onderwerpe van die artikels vas te stel. 25 van die 81 gepubliseerde artikels (30,9%) is deur die Fisioterapie Departmente van Universiteite ge- produseer. Die meerderheid van die oorblywende 56 artikels is gelewer deur fisioterapeute elders in diens (41,1%), dokters/tandartse (25,0%), lede van ander ver- wante mediese beroepe (10,7%), ander beroepe (12,5%) en ander skrywers van ongespesifiseerde kwalifikasies (10,7%). Van die 25 artikels deur outeurs van Fisioterapie Departemente van Universiteite gesk- ryf, was die meerderheid beskrywend (72%), en slegs 16,0% eksperimenteel, 12,8% klinies of ’n opname (0,0%). Meer artikels (36,0%) het oor opvoedkunde/ad- ministrasie gehandel as oor enige ander onderwerp. Uit 56 artikels, deur nie-universitdre skrywers gelewer, was 76,8% beskrywend van aard, 12,5% eksperimen- tele studies, 1,8% klinies en 8,9% opsommend van aard. Hierdie bevindings dui op 'n behoefte aan meer wetenskaplikgeorienteerde navorsing, bv. kliniese- en eksperimentele navorsing, asook die publikasie van meer navorsingsprojekte deur Fisioterapie Depar­ temente van Universiteite in Die Suid-Afrikaanse Tydsk- rif Fisioterapie. University Physiotherapy Departments communicate their research findings through the Journal. METHOD The major articles published in the SouthAfrican Journal o f Physiotherapy over the last five years (1984-1988) were reviewed to establish the following:- • authorship University Physiotherapy Department staff member as first author only. University Physiotherapy Department stu­ dent member as first author only. Non-university Physiotherapy Department member. This category includes physiothera­ pists, medical doctors/dentists, other mem­ bers of the allied medical disciplines such as * J Mitchell MSc, BSc (Physiotherapy), Lecturer, Anatomy for Therapists. Department of Anatomy and Human Biology University of the Witwatersrand Medical School, 7 York Road, Parktown 2193 Physiotherapy, August 1990, vol 46 no 3 Page 7 R ep ro du ce d by S ab in et G at ew ay u nd er li ce nc e gr an te d by th e P ub lis he r (d at ed 2 01 3. ) TABLE I : PAPERS FROM UNIVERSITY PHYSIOTHERAPY DEPARTMENTS 1984-1988 CENTRE 1984 S s 1985 S s 1986 S s 1987 S s 1988 S s TOTAL DURBAN-WESTVILLE 2 1 1 1 5 MEDUNSA 1 1 ORANGE FREE STATE 3 3 PRETORIA - STELLENBOSCH 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 10 CAPE TOWN 2 1 1 4 WESTERN-CAPE — WITWATERSRAND 1 1 2 TOTAL 4 6 1 5 2 1 4 2 25 KEYS: SUBJECT OF PAPER: ---------------------------- Apl = applied basic science C-P=cardio-pulmonary system/therapy (4) AUTHORSHIP: Ed = education/administration (9) S = Staff Member E-Q = electrotherapy/equipment (4) s = Student G = geriatric therapy/factors (1) M-S = musculo-skeletal system/therapy (3) TYPE OF PAPER: N = neurology (3) C = clinical (3) P = paediatric therapy/factors (1) D = descriptive (18) P-S = psycho-social factors E = experimental (4) O = other TABLE I I : CLASSIFICATION OF PAPERS FROM UNIVERSITY PHYSIOTHERAPY DEPARTMENTS CENTRE SUBJECT C-P S s Ed S s E-Q S s G S s M-S S s N S s P S s TOTAL DURBAN WESTVILLE D D E D 5 MEDUNSA D 1 ORANGE FREE STATE D D D 3 PRETORIA — STELLENBOSCH D D C C E D E D D D 10 CAPETOWN DD E D 4 WESTERN CAPE — WITWATERSRAND D C 2 TOTAL 4 9 1 3 1 2 1 3 1 25 Bladsy 8 Fisioterapie, Augustus 1990, deel 46 no 3 R ep ro du ce d by S ab in et G at ew ay u nd er li ce nc e gr an te d by th e P ub lis he r (d at ed 2 01 3. ) , occupational or speech therapists, social wor­ kers and psychologists, and authors with other qualifications, such as engineers or scientists, all as first authors. Authors whose qualifica­ tions were unspecified were excluded. • subject Articles are classified into one of 10 broad subject areas, asfollows:- applied/basic science (Apl) e.g. anatomy cardio-pulmonary system/therapy (C-P) education/administration (Ed) electrotherapy/equipment (E-Q) geriatric therapy/factors (G) musculoskeletal system/therapy (M-S) neurology (N) paediatric therapy/factors (P) psycho-social factors (P-S) other e.g. community/industrial or occupa­ tional therapy (OT) (O). • type This classification refers to research methodology. The four types used were:- descriptive i.e. involving a description of a technique, case history or basic principles (D) experimental i.e. involving an experimental design or a controlled laboratory setting (E) clinical i.e. involving a clinical study or a com­ parison between two or more therapeutic methods/techniques (C) survey i.e. involving a retrospective study with/without the use of a questionnaire (S). RESULTS Classification of all authors Over the five year period (1984 to 1988), there were 81 first authors (classifiable in this study) of major articles in the South African Journal o f Physiotherapy. Of these authors, 24 (29,6%) were members of the University Physiotherapy Departments : 20 staff members and 4 students, all as first authors. Of the remaining 57 authors, 23 (40,4%) were physiotherapists employed in pri­ vate practice or hospitals; 15 (26,3%) were doctors/dentists; 6 (10,5%) were other members of the allied medical disci­ plines; 7 (12,3%) were other professionals such as engineers or scientists, and 6 (10,5%) were authors with unspecified qualifications and were excluded. f Classification of all papers Eighty-one major papers were published in the South African Journal o f Physiotherapy during this five-year period. (1984 to 1988), of which 25 (30,9%) articles were produced by the University Physiotherapy Departments : 24 of these having either a staff or student member as first author (21 and 3 respectively) and the one other paper having a doctor as first author and a staff member as third .author. This paper has been included in the analysis of the University Physiotherapy Department papers. Fifty-six (69,1%) papers were written by non-university Physiotherapy Department authors. Forty-three (76,8%) of these articles were descriptive; seven (12,5%) were reports of experimental trials and one (1,8%) of a clinical trial, while five (8,9%) were surveys. Sixty-one of the total 81 papers (75,3%) were of the descriptive type, while 11 (13,6%), five (6,2%) and four (4,9%) were of the experimental, survey and clinical types respectively. In eight (9,9%) of these papers (1 survey and 7 experimental studies) statistical analyses of data were used. The most common research topic was education/administra­ tion (15 or 18,5% of the papers), followed by the musculo­ skeletal system/therapy (13 or 16,0% of the papers), then the cardio-pulmonary system/therapy (11 or 13,5% of the papers). The least popular topics were the applied basic sciences, geriatric therapy/factors and psycho-social subjects (each 3 or 3,7% of the papers). Papers from University Physiotherapy Departments. Twenty-one (84,0%) of the 25 papers were published by staff members of the University Physiotherapy Departments and four (16,0%) by students (Table I). Three of the four student papers were from the University of Stellenbosch. Most articles were published in 1985 (7 out of 25). Over the five year period, the Physiotherapy Department of the University of Stellenbosch published the most articles (10), followed by Durban-Westville (5), Cape Town (4), Orange Free State (3), Wits (2) and Medunsa (1). Neither Pretoria nor the Western Cape (the newest Department) published in the Journal during these five years. Table II shows a breakdown of these 25 papers, accord­ ing to Physiotherapy Department, staff or student authorship, subject and type of article. The majority of papers were again of the descriptive type (18), followed by experimental (4) and clinical (3). No surveys were reported during this time and none of the authors used statistical analyses. The most popu­ lar topic was education/administration (9 papers), followed by the cardio-pulmonary system/factors and electrother­ apy/equipment (4 each), the musculo-skeletal system/factors and neurology (3 each). The remaining two papers were concerned with paediatric and geriatric therapy/factors. DISCUSSION This analysis is based on research published over a five year period (1984 - 1988) in the South African Journal o f Physiotherapy only. Therefore, the results may not reflect current research interest, or all research published. The results of this survey confirm that publishable re­ search is being conducted by most of the University Physiotherapy Departments. Moreover, this analysis suggests that the majority of this research (84,0% of the 25 papers published between 1984 and 1988) is carried out by the aca­ demic staff and not by the students. Only four (4,9%) of the total of 81 articles published in the South African Journal o f Physiotherapy during this time involved student research pro­ jects. More research is being published by authors not con­ nected with these University Departments, (56:25 papers or a2:l ratio), although almost half (41,1%) of these papers were written by physiotherapists. Most of the papers (75,3%) are descriptive rather than involving experimental or clinical trials and, therefore, cannot generally be classified as reports of “new knowledge” gained by scientifically organised trials. It is of interest to note that Physiotherapy, August 1990, vol 46 no 3 Page 9 R ep ro du ce d by S ab in et G at ew ay u nd er li ce nc e gr an te d by th e P ub lis he r (d at ed 2 01 3. ) two recent papers published by Stellenbosch, in 1988, report on a clinical and an experimental trial. This suggests an awareness of the need for more scientific research and its publication. Many of the papers published over the last five years, particularly by the University Departments, are related to education/administration (36,0%). This bias may reflect con­ cern for the standards of education of our students, the appropriateness of subjects taught and the upgrading or cur­ ricula. CONCLUSIONS This survey suggests that more research from the University Physiotherapy Departments could be submitted to the South African Journal o f Physiotherapy for publication. In addition, more scientific trials related to physiotherapy are needed. It is understood that such research may be published elsewhere, a factor which was not covered in this survey. However, the use of the Journal as the main medium for communication of research findings would enhance its scien­ tific standing and that of the profession of physiotherapy in South Africa. REFERENCES 1. Mitchell J. Our physiotherapy schools and research. SouthAfriam Journal o f Physiotherapy 1989; 45(4):108-111. 2. Holliday P J. A survey of research contributions of physiotherapists. Physiotherapy, Canada 1981; 33(6):372-276. 3. Dean E. Physiotherapy Canada survey (1973-1982): A trend to research. Physiotherapy, Canada 1985; 37(3):158-161. V SOUTH AFRICAN SOCIETY OF PHYSIOTHERAPY P O Box 47238, Parklands 2121 3 Junction Avenue, Parktown, Johannesburg 2193 Telephone: (011) 643-5934, Fax: (011) 643-5934 President Mrs Molly Levy Honorary Life President Prof J J Craig Honorary Vice-Presidents Prof A Falkson Prof R B Goldschmidt Prof T Noakes Prof S A Strauss Prof D Weich Honorary Life Vice-Presidents Miss Lois Dyer Miss Elizabeth Batting Chairman Prof Jo Beenhakker Vice-Chairmen Miss Sheena Irwin-Carruthers Mrs Joyce Morton General Secretary Miss Lo-an Roux P 0 Box 47238, Parklands 2121 General Treasurer Mrs Rena Bernstein Journal Editor Miss Lyn Davids Physiotherapy Department, Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Rondebosch 7700 National Executive Committee Mrs Marion Butler, Mrs Narina Gilder, Mrs Frances Glauber, Mrs Maureen Klemp, Mrs Anne Miot, Mrs Yvonne Seaman, Mrs Anita Stewart Public Relations Officer Mrs Elena Stock BRANCH SECRETARIES Border: Wilma Stevens: 63 Bonza Bay Road, Beacon Bay 5241 (0431) 27350 (w) 47-4735 (h) Eastern Province Marion Butler: 6 Jutland Crescent, Park Drive, Port Elizabeth 6001 (041) 55-6161 Goldflelds: Elmarie Snyman: P O Box 6312, Riebeeckstad, 9469 Natal Coastal; Ashia Jamal: P O Box 4543, Durban 4000 (031) 21-1127 306-4793, Minutes: Niri Naidoo Natal Midlands: Pierette Melville: 3 Penny Lane, Hilton 3245 (0331) 34707 (w) 34647 (h) Northern Cape: Celna Wentzel: Posbus 215, Kimberley 8301 (0531) 33372 (w), 22344 (h) Northern Transvaal: Rita Henn: P O Box 27804, Sunnyside 0132, (021) 58-2725 Physio Dept (w) Southern OFS: Roline van den Berg, 24 Jacobs Street, Universitas, Bloemfontein 9301 (051) 405-3367 (w), 22-4389 (h), Southern Transvaal: Minutes: Yolanda Cresswell: P O Box 1762, Randburg 2125 (011) 793-4833 (w), 793-7171 (h), Correspondence: Anna Bizos, Membership: Lo-an Roux: P O Box 72064, Parkview 2122, (011)646-1838 Western Province: Tandi Coetzee: 9 Avoca Road, Rondebosch 7700 (021) 637-9080 (w), 686-4385 (h )V Physiotherapist (1 Post) PAARL HOSPITAL, PAARL • Registration with the S.A. Medical and Dental Council as a Physiotherapist is essential. • A salary to a maximum of R29 205 per annum may be granted according to qualifications and experience. Applications must be made on the prescribed form (Z.83, obtainable from any government department office), and for­ warded to the Medical Superintendent, Paarl Hospital, Private Bag, Paarl 7620. Closing date: 20 August, 1990. PHYSIOTHERAPISTS WORK IN THE UNITED STATES We handle all Licensure and Visa paperwork. Minimum commitment of one year required. Write or phone collect: THERAPY RESOURCE NETWORK P O Box 5430 355 N Main Street Plymouth, Ml 48170, USA 091 (313) 455-6660 Bladsy 10 Fisioterapie, Augustus 1990, dee146 no 3 R ep ro du ce d by S ab in et G at ew ay u nd er li ce nc e gr an te d by th e P ub lis he r (d at ed 2 01 3. )