Data collection and utilisation in sports physiotherapy practice: A qualitative study of UK sport physiotherapists

OBJECTIVE: To describe what athlete-focused data physiotherapists in sport collect, how these data are used, and the role data plays in athlete management. DESIGN: Qualitative study. SETTING: In-person or online semi-structured interviews. PARTICIPANTS: Ten UK-based physiotherapists, each with at least one full season of sport experience, participated in the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Transcripts were analysed using codebook thematic analysis with inductive and deductive coding to generate themes. RESULTS: Four themes were identified: (1) what athlete-focused data are collected, when they are collected, and factors influencing data use; (2) how data are used; (3) physiotherapists' understanding of data; and (4) data sharing practices. Athlete-focused data were routinely used to support clinical decision making, particularly during rehabilitation and return-to-play. Data collection was shaped by time constraints, staffing, and technology access, often interrelated. While understanding of data was viewed as essential, limited attention was given to accuracy, reliability, and validity, and data were widely shared among stakeholders, sometimes beyond their intended purpose. CONCLUSION: Physiotherapists in sport routinely use a wide range of athlete-focused data to guide clinical decisions in athlete management, rehabilitation, and return-to-play. Limited attention to data quality highlights the need for targeted training to support safe, effective data use in sport.