1Final year student, Krishna College of Physiotherapy, Krishna Vishwa Vidyapeeth, Karad.
2*Assistant Professor, Department of Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy, Krishna Vishwa Vidyapeeth, Karad-415539
Background: Physiotherapy is vital for managing conditions like stroke, arthritis, and chronic pain in the community. However, in rural India its role is often unrecognized due to limited awareness and resources[1]. ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers serve as frontline community health educators, but they receive little formal training in rehabilitation. This study assessed physiotherapy awareness among ASHAs in Karad Taluka, Maharashtra, to identify gaps and opportunities for improving rural healthcare.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of ASHA workers across Karad Taluka. All active ASHAs aged 30–50 years were eligible; anganwadi and other non-ASHA staff were excluded. Participants were selected through randomized sampling of villages and invited to complete a structured questionnaire (in Marathi) on physiotherapy awareness. The questionnaire – validated by academic physiotherapists – included yes/no items on familiarity with the term "physiotherapy," knowledge of physiotherapy services, understanding of its community role, and willingness to collaborate with physiotherapists. Data were collected after informed consent and analyzed descriptively (frequencies, percentages).
Results: 216 ASHA workers (all female, mean age 40±5 years) participated. Most (≈80%) had at least secondary education. As shown in Table 1, 65.7% had heard of physiotherapy, but only 40.3% knew specific services offered by physiotherapists. Even fewer (30.1%) understood physiotherapy's role in community health (e.g. home rehabilitation, disability prevention). Notably, 82.4% of ASHAs expressed willingness to collaborate with physiotherapists in community programs. These findings indicate moderate general awareness but poor detailed knowledge, despite high openness to interdisciplinary work.
Conclusion: General awareness of physiotherapy among ASHA workers in Karad is moderate, but detailed knowledge of its services and public health role is limited. Importantly, most ASHAs are eager to work with physiotherapists. This suggests that targeted training programs (e.g. including basic physiotherapy in ASHA modules) could empower ASHAs to make appropriate referrals and promote rehabilitation, potentially improving rural health outcomes[2][3].
Keywords: Physiotherapy, ASHA workers, awareness, rural health, community rehabilitation.
How to cite this article: Maharugade A, Mohite S. Awareness of Physiotherapy Among ASHA Workers in Karad Taluka. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(15s): 529-534. DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.15s.63
Source of support: Nil.
Conflict of interest: None