Skip to main content

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health Education and Promotion
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1509677
This article is part of the Research Topic Connecting the Dots in Physiotherapy: Reframing the Role of the Profession in the Anthropocene View all 5 articles

Applying a sustainability perspective in the literature on physical therapy in relation to pharmaceuticals: A scoping review

Provisionally accepted
Patric Svensson Patric Svensson 1Magdalena Jacobsson Magdalena Jacobsson 1Annie Palstam Annie Palstam 1,2,3Elvira Lange Elvira Lange 4,5*
  • 1 Institution of Health and Welfare, Dalarna University, Falun, Dalarna, Sweden
  • 2 Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Västergötland, Sweden
  • 3 Department of Neurology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
  • 4 Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
  • 5 Research, Education, Development and Innovation, Primary Health Care, Region Västra Götaland, Vänersborg, Sweden

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Physical therapy encompasses a broad range of treatment options, often utilized in clinical settings where pharmaceutical interventions are standard. The potential for physical therapy to contribute to sustainable healthcare by reducing environmental impact, while maintaining the quality of care, remains underexplored. This study aimed to map existing research comparing physical therapy to pharmaceuticals, with a specific focus on whether these studies address aspects of sustainable development. A scoping review was conducted, systematically searching the PubMed, Cinahl, and Pedro databases using keywords related to physical therapy, pharmaceuticals, and comparative studies. Two assessors independently reviewed and selected relevant studies, followed by data extraction and summarization of results. A total of 27 studies were included, varying in design, population, and healthcare context. The most commonly addressed conditions were osteoarthritis and musculoskeletal pain, with analgesics being the most frequently studied pharmaceutical interventions. While several studies touched upon economic and social dimensions of sustainable development, none examined environmental sustainability. This highlights a critical gap in current research. Future studies are needed to assess how physical therapy, when compared to pharmaceutical treatments, can contribute to sustainable healthcare by offering a low-carbon, resource-efficient alternative without compromising social sustainability through adverse effects. This knowledge could be instrumental in guiding healthcare systems toward more sustainable practices.

    Keywords: Physical Therapy, Physiotherapy, sustainable development, Tripple bottom line, Scoping approach

    Received: 11 Oct 2024; Accepted: 23 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Svensson, Jacobsson, Palstam and Lange. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Elvira Lange, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.