Abstract
A survey was conducted to investigate attitudes towards professional knowledge and practice of 1,017 Japanese physiotherapists. The questionnaire consisted of 22 statements and demographic variables. The final response rate was 57.7 per cent and the respondents' age ranged from 23 to 72 (mean ± SD: 32.9 ± 8.4) years. The statements were organised into six dependent variables. The findings indicated that the majority of the respondents supported a humanistic approach, showing less concern for the personal and socio-psychological problems of the client. Gender differences on professional practice were small, but women tended to endorse a more holistic view of treatment placing emphasis on the client's responsibility and promotion of their coping skills. Comparative analyses of Japanese and Australian physiotherapists revealed that Australian men placed emphasis on treatment methods and techniques and holistic and work domain attitudes. Australian women endorsed all the attributions and attitudes except interaction attributions. Swedish physiotherapists highly endorsed technique attributions as well as a holistic view of professional practice. Findings are discussed within the framework of the attribution theory and in the context of viewing physiotherapy as a biomedical science or as a caring profession, as well as from historical and cultural perspectives.
