Performance enhancement in athletes: a survey to investigate the current clinical practice of Italian sport physiotherapists

Background and rationale

Professional sport physiotherapist profile is characterised by eleven specific competences, defined by standards which are described by the Sports Physiotherapy for All (SPA) project [1].

Among these, performance evaluation and enhancement are fundamental in order to let athletes achieve their specific sport gestures best execution with a relevant impact on functional outcome. They alsoinfluencepositively on the decrease of injury risk [2-4].

Based on this cultural background, it is necessary that professionals evaluate their own clinicalpractice in order to match international standards, increase their work quality satisfying the functional requests of the sport environment, matching the perspective changes driven by the scientific community [2].

Study aim

This survey aims to:

•assess how Italian sport physiotherapists perform education and enhancement of the athlete performance in their clinical practice.

•evaluate confidence of Italian professionals in performing such competence while managing the athlete performance.

The average competencies of the analysed sample will be quantified and compared with what is set by the current scientific evidences regarding performance enhancement in athletes.

Study design

This observational cross-sectional study will be conducted in Italy through a digital questionnaire administration to a sample of 1093 sport physiotherapists [5].

Considering around 65000 Italian physiotherapists as a reference population, a confidence interval of 95% and a relative standard error of 3%, the necessary sample in order to have relevant results for the whole selected population is 1093 professionals [6-7].

This sample composed of Italian professionals will be recruited through social channels and/or newsletters sent by e-mail.

The questionnaire will be filled in only after privacy law requirements acceptance and meeting inclusion criteria by the recruited sample.

Results from this survey will be reported according to criteria set by STROBE guidelines and will be quantified and interpreted following the above-mentioned study aim.

This study will be performed in accordance with the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-survey criteria (CHERRIES) and with ethical principles contained in the Helsinki Declaration [8-10].

Committee on Bioethics of University of Pisa approved the present study.