OPA Staff Present at AFHTO 2025

Physiotherapists are essential in Primary Care Teams  

OPA continues to advocate for increasing the integration of physiotherapists into primary care teams. Emily Stevenson, OPA’s Director of Practice & Policy and Amy Hondronicols, former OPA Director, presented at the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario conference, Power of Primary Care 2025, on October 23. Emily and Amy shared the evidence for physiotherapists in team-based primary care – resulting in the right care, at the right time, by the right provider. 

The Evidence Shows: 

• Faster access to the right care 

• Less diagnostic imaging ordered 

• Fewer referrals to specialists (orthopedics and rheumatology) 

• Less sick leave 

• Fewer prescriptions for pharmaceuticals 

• Higher patient satisfaction  

• Low rate of follow up with Family Physician or Nurse Practitioner (<1% in the UK) 

Emily and Amy were joined by OPA’s President, Courtney Bean, and Sarah Hutchison, OPA’s CEO.  

 Helping Ontario reach 100% Attachment 

There are currently about 90 physiotherapist positions in primary care teams in Ontario, including Family Health Teams, Community Health Centres, Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics, and Indigenous Primary Care Teams. With Ontario’s Primary Care Action Plan to create or expand 305 teams, there is great opportunity to increase the presence of physiotherapists to support Ontario’s goal of 100% attachment to primary care. 

First Contact Physiotherapy in Primary Care Teams 

The evidence is there – first contact physiotherapy improves patient outcomes, family physician/nurse practitioner satisfaction and reduces red tape within the health system.  

Physiotherapists are the experts in the assessment, diagnosis for all MSK concerns. With 20-30% of all visits to primary care in Ontario being musculoskeletal (MSK) concerns, physiotherapists can be the first contact, and offload visits from the family physician or nurse practitioner. It is estimated that an additional 425 patients could be attached per physiotherapist.  

The Family Physician/Nurse Practitioner Perspective 

88% of family physicians and nurse practitioners reported that working with a physiotherapist increased their own satisfaction in providing care. 94% reported that having a physiotherapist in the team resulted in more comprehensive care for the patients. (Toronto Community Health Centre Evaluation, 2016).

Resource for Physiotherapists in Primary Care Teams 

In their presentation, Emily and Amy also shared about the development of the PT in Primary Care Competencies and Educational Modules – an initiative in partnership with Team Primary Care (Projects — Team Primary Care | Équipe de Soins Primaires). This project was led by Dr. Jordan Miller and supported by the Canadian Physiotherapy Association. It included contributions from various physiotherapy professionals across Canada. 

The education modules are designed to support physiotherapists to successfully integrate into interprofessional teams in primary care. The modules are also helpful to educate interprofessional team members and team leadership/ executives – so feel free to share broadly with anyone in your local community/network! 

Physiotherapy in Primary Care Teams – Improving Health Outcomes 

The evidence shows that adding physiotherapists to primary care teams improves patient, provider, and system outcome in Ontario. The more we can demonstrate our value across all practice settings, the more we are able to advocate for increasing access so that everyone in Ontario has a physiotherapist across their lifespan.