SATURDAY NICHOLAS OGHUMU

Background / Purpose of the Study: Physiotherapy has proven effective in managing musculoskeletal conditions; however, awareness and utilisation of such services among Basic Medical Students at the University of Benin remains underexplored. Methods / Procedure: A descriptive cross-sectional design was employed involving 336 Basic Medical Students selected through stratified random sampling. Data was collected using an adapted questionnaire on awareness and utilization of physiotherapy services from a previous study and analysed using descriptive statistics like mean, standard deviation, frequencies and percentages and Chi-square tests to examine associations between awareness, utilisation, and sociodemographic factors. Results: This study found out that all participants were familiar with the term physiotherapy. The primary sources of information were academic settings (40.8%) and physiotherapists (25.9%). A majority (57.1%) recognized physiotherapists as healthcare providers who treat patients, although misconceptions about their roles were evident. Utilisation was low, with 32.7% having used physiotherapy services, primarily for knee and low back pain. Ignorance about physiotherapy was identified as the major barrier to utilisation. Significant associations were found between awareness and factors such as gender (P= 0.020, X2= 9.28) and level of study (P= 0.043, X2= 37.79), indicating variation in knowledge sources and depth. Despite low utilization, attitudes towards physiotherapy were predominantly positive, with 97.6% willing to recommend the services. Conclusion: The study highlights the need for enhanced health education and policy strategies to improve awareness and encourage utilisation of physiotherapy services among Basic Medical Students, which may contribute to better management of musculoskeletal pain and improved academic outcomes.