Thanks to the efforts of several members of the Electrotherapy Working Group within the Physio Deutschland association, electrotherapeutic procedures are being monitored closely. Some state associations maintain membership lists indicating whether registered physiotherapists perform electrotherapy billing. As electrotherapy equipment is not considered a minimum requirement for setting up a new physiotherapy practice, these directories are incomplete in some federal states. However, we can of course refer to the GESET membership list. It should be noted that electrotherapy is underrepresented throughout Germany, despite being a recognised remedy that can be prescribed individually. As a combination therapy or complementary remedy, it is attractive in terms of acquisition costs and reimbursement rates.

In these challenging times for healthcare policy and the resources available to payers for physical therapy and associated techniques, we should advocate for a network of electrotherapists in Germany. This would raise awareness of the proven effects of electrotherapy and electrostimulation, as demonstrated by numerous studies, postdoctoral theses, dissertations, master’s theses and bachelor’s theses.

In addition to reluctance to invest in electrotherapy equipment, techniques and measures that are not performed regularly are often “forgotten”. Uncertainty about the aforementioned reasons for using electrotherapy efficiently on patients causes this measure to fade into the background.