Guidance for stakeholders
The integration of generative AI into clinical physiotherapy practice will have distinct implications for various roles within the profession. Tailored strategies are essential to ensure each stakeholder effectively navigates the opportunities and risks associated with AI adoption.
Note that there is some repetition in this guidance across domains of practice. We have collated the guidance from each section of the document into a table for easy reference.
Clinicians
Impact: AI can support clinical reasoning and decision-making, enhance diagnostic accuracy, and reduce administrative burdens, allowing more time for patient interaction.
Guidance: Clinicians should develop foundational AI literacy to critically evaluate AI outputs, maintain strong clinical reasoning skills, and prioritise the therapeutic relationship to prevent depersonalisation of care. Continuous professional development in the use of AI applications in practice will be essential.
Clinical and practice supervisors
Impact: Practice supervisors will need to guide the integration of AI tools in clinical settings while ensuring the preservation of core physiotherapy competencies.
Guidance: Focus on mentoring staff and students in balancing AI-supported decisions with traditional clinical reasoning. Encourage reflective practice that critically assesses AI recommendations, fostering a culture of curiosity and caution around new technologies.
Educators and academic faculty
Impact: AI can transform teaching methods through personalised learning platforms, automated assessments with timely feedback, and enhanced simulation environments.
Guidance: Incorporate AI literacy into curricula, emphasising ethical considerations, critical thinking, and the limitations of AI in clinical reasoning. Educators should model responsible AI use, demonstrating how technology can complement, not replace, human expertise.
Clinical and academic researchers
Impact: AI facilitates advanced data analysis, literature synthesis, and hypothesis generation, accelerating the research process.
Guidance: Researchers should leverage AI for efficiency while maintaining rigorous standards for data integrity and reproducibility. Awareness of AI biases and ethical considerations in data use is crucial, alongside promoting open science practices for transparency.
Regulators and professional organisations
Impact: The widespread adoption of AI raises new regulatory challenges, including issues around liability, data governance, and professional standards.
Guidance: Develop adaptive regulatory frameworks that address AI-related risks without stifling innovation. Set clear ethical guidelines, promote AI literacy across the profession, support sustainable use of AI, and create mechanisms for evaluating the safety, efficacy, and fairness of AI applications in clinical practice.
Students and early-career physiotherapists
Impact: Students will encounter AI as both a learning tool and a clinical resource, potentially shaping their clinical reasoning and professional identity.
Guidance: Foster critical engagement with AI technologies, emphasising the development of hands-on skills, ethical reasoning, and independent clinical judgement. Encourage curiosity about AI's potential while instilling a strong foundation in traditional physiotherapy principles.
By recognising the unique needs and responsibilities of each stakeholder group, the physiotherapy community can collectively shape the responsible integration of AI into clinical practice, ensuring that technological advancements enhance patient care without compromising professional values.
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