Table 2. Demographics, professional and clinical practice of participants.
| Participants | High-income countries, n (%) | Middle-income countries, n (%) | Total, n (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 83 | 85 | 168 | |
| Postgraduate medical qualifications | |||
| Yes | 76 (91.6) | 58 (68.2) | 134 (79.8) |
| No | 7 (8.4) | 27 (31.8) | 34 (20.2) |
| Specialist/training to be a specialist* | 78 (94.0) | 51 (60.0) | 129 (76.8) |
| General practice | 25 (30.1) | 7 (8.2) | 32 (19.0) |
| Rehabilitation | 14 (16.9) | 6 (7.1) | 20 (11.9) |
| Psychiatry | 7 (8.4) | 7 (8.2) | 14 (8.3) |
| General medicine | 5 (6.0) | 3 (3.5) | 8 (4.8) |
| Paediatrics | 4 (4.8) | 4 (4.7) | 8 (4.8) |
| Sport medicine | 4 (4.8) | 2 (2.3) | 6 (3.6) |
| Emergency medicine | 4 (4.8) | 0 | 4 (2.4) |
| Neurology | 0 | 2 (2.3) | 2 (1.2) |
| Other† | 15 (18.1) | 20 (23.5) | 35 (20.8) |
| Not a specialist/not in a specialist training pathway | 5 (0.6) | 34 (40.0) | 39 (23.2) |
| General practice/primary care | 0 | 5 (5.9) | 5 (3.0) |
| Emergency medicine | 1 (1.2) | 5 (5.9) | 6 (3.6) |
| General medicine | 3 (3.6) | 10 (11.8) | 13 (7.7) |
| Nephrology | 0 | 1 (1.2) | 1 (0.6) |
| Neurology | 0 | 2 (2.3) | 2 (1.2) |
| Orthopaedic | 0 | 3 (3.5) | 3 (1.8) |
| Rheumatology | 0 | 4 (4.7) | 4 (2.4) |
| Rotational RMO | 1 (1.2) | 0 | 1 (0.6) |
| Oncology | 0 | 1 (1.2) | 1 (0.6) |
| Paediatric | 0 | 3 (3.5) | 3 (1.8) |
| Years of practice | |||
| <8 years | 11 (13.2) | 30 (35.3) | 41 (24.4) |
| 8–16 years | 50 (60.2) | 45 (52.9) | 95 (56.5) |
| More than 16 years | 22 (26.5) | 10 (11.8) | 32 (19.1) |
| Type of workplace** | |||
| Government hospital | 58 (69.8) | 72 (84.7) | 130 (77.4) |
| Private hospital | 9 (10.8) | 6 (7.1) | 15 (8.9) |
| Private practice | 22 (26.5) | 8 (9.4) | 30 (17.9) |
| Community | 7 (8.4) | 2 (2.3) | 9 (5.4) |
| Not-for-profit | 1 (1.2) | 3 (3.5) | 4 (2.4) |
| Other‡ | 2 (2.4) | 6 (7.1) | 8 (4.8) |
| Workplace location** | |||
| Metropolitan/urban/town/city | 57 (68.7) | 59 (69.4) | 116 (69.0) |
| Rural/semi-urban/small city | 26 (31.3) | 24 (28.2) | 50 (29.8) |
| Remote/isolated region | 0 | 2 (2.4) | 2 (1.2) |
| The types of disabilities encountered in practice** | |||
| Physical disability (SCI, amputee, CP, etc) | 54 (65.1) | 54 (63.5) | 108 (64.7) |
| Psychosocial (dementia, mental illness, etc) | 54 (65.1) | 33 (38.8) | 86 (51.2) |
| Head injury/stroke/acquired brain injury | 40 (48.2) | 38 (44.7) | 78 (46.4) |
| Intellectual disability (Down’s syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, etc) | 39 (47.0) | 25 (29.4) | 64 (38.1) |
| Neurodiverse disability (ADHD, autism) | 40 (48.2) | 21 (24.7) | 61 (36.3) |
| Sensory or speech disability (blindness, deafness, speech difficulties, etc) | 31 (37.3) | 27 (31.8) | 58 (34.5) |
| Other§ | 1 (1.2) | 2 (2.3) | 3 (1.8) |
*
Participants were allowed to choose more than one answer.
†
Cardiology, Community medicine, Endocrinology, Family medicine, Genitourinary medicine, geriatrics physician, nutrition, ophthalmology, rheumatology.
‡
Forensic hospitals and prisons, Government Institutions, Ministry of Health, Semi Government, Sporting Institute/National team, University Hospital.
§
Joint hypermobility /Ehlers Danlos, Neurological spasticity.
ADHD, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; CP, cerebral palsy; RMO, Resident Medical Officer; SCI, spinal cord injury.