Physiotherapy decision making in acute cardiorespiratory care is influenced by factors related to the physiotherapist and the nature and context of the decision: a qualitative study

Questions: What factors influence the decision making of cardiorespiratory physiotherapy practitioners in acute care hospital settings? How do cardiorespiratory physiotherapy practitioners manage multiple factors in their decision making? Design: Qualitative study using observation and semi-structured interviews. Participants: Fourteen physiotherapists working in acute cardiorespiratory care. Results: Cardiorespiratory physiotherapy decision making was affected by factors related to the nature of the decision itself (such as the complexity and difficulty of the task); factors related to the context (such as the physical, organisational and socio-professional factors); and factors related to the physiotherapists themselves (such as decision making capabilities, physiotherapy frames of reference and level of clinical experience. Conclusion: Optimising the quality of decision making in the context of health care today requires an awareness and consideration of a range of factors influencing decision making.