Physiotherapists' perceptions and experiences of home-based rehabilitation in Libya: a qualitative study

Introduction: home-based rehabilitation (HBR) is a rehabilitation model that aims to help people with disabilities to integrate into the community and be independent as much as possible. HBR is a promising alternative to institution-based rehabilitation, in which rehabilitation services are provided at patients' homes. However, challenges and barriers to HBR practice in Libya have never been researched before. This study explores physiotherapists' perceptions of home-based rehabilitation (HBR) in Libya and examines their views and the concerns they face.

Methods: eight physiotherapists (2 females, 6 males) with at least two years of work experience in the Libyan physiotherapy community participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, and the data were analyzed using framework method.

Results: three themes emerged from the data, namely: i) access problems, including lack of infrastructure; ii) lack of governmental policies, such as the absence of governmental support (e.g., lack of programs and resources); iii) poor awareness and misconception issues, including that of patients and families.

Conclusion: although all the interviewed physiotherapists described HBR as an essential practice in Libya, they expressed concerns about several factors that hinder its development and may influence the quality of interventions provided in the community. Given the fact that this is the first qualitative study in this field in Libya, there is a need for future research to explore HBR from other perspectives, such as those of policymakers, healthcare planners, or patients and their families and/or caregivers.