Purpose: This study assessed the perception of physiotherapists and patients on factors influencing treatment non-adherence in physiotherapy.

Relevance: Poor adherence to treatment is common and may adversely affect outcomes, efficiency and healthcare cost. However, it is not clear which factors act as barriers to treatment adherence in physiotherapy.

Participants: Thirty four patients who had missed at least two scheduled appointments at the out-patient physiotherapy clinic of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria were recruited. Likewise, 62 physiotherapists from five purposively selected physiotherapy clinics within South-west, Nigeria responded in this study.

Methods: This cross-sectional study employed two types of questionnaires adapted from similar studies and tested for content validity for the physiotherapist and patient samples respectively.

Analysis: Data obtained were summarized using frequency and percentages. Spearman rank correlation analysis was used to correlate physiotherapists’ and patients’ perception at 0.05 alpha level.

Results: Cost of physiotherapy (55.9%), reliance on career (55.9%) and interference of treatment with family routines (55.9%) were the most agreed perceived factors for treatment non-adherence from patients’ perspective; while psychosocial problems 49(79.0%), loss of patients’ interest in treatment 48(77.5%) and outcome of previous treatments 46(74.1%) were the most agreed perceived factors for treatment non-adherence from physiotherapists’ perspective. Reliance on career (n=11) and low socioeconomic status (n=13) were the most ranked factors influencing treatment non-adherence by the patients and physiotherapists respectively. There was no significant relationship between the patients’ and physiotherapists’ perception (p>0.05).

Conclusions: This study showed that causative factors for treatment non-adherence in physiotherapy are strongly dependent on the patient’s individual factors and are multifarious ranging from extrinsic to intrinsic variables. Perceptions of physiotherapists and patients on factors influencing treatment non-adherence in physiotherapy are dissimilar.

Implications: Understanding factors influencing treatment non-adherence are useful in interventional strategies aimed at enhancing the efficiency of treatment delivery and improved physiotherapy service delivery.