Being more than “just a bog-standard knee”: the role of person-centred practice in physiotherapy: a narrative inquiry

Killingback, Clare; Clark, Carol; Green, Angela

Abstract

Purpose
The aim of this study was to understand how physiotherapeutic encounters were experienced over time by one service user and the extent to which the encounters were person-centred.

Methods
This narrative inquiry study had one participant purposively sampled due to their extensive experience of physiotherapy in healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. Data were collected through interviews and analysed using Clandinin and Connelly’s three-dimensional framework.

Results
Time-related aspects of physiotherapeutic encounters were noted in the evolutionary journey of physiotherapy practice. Personal and social aspects were evident in the words and attitude of the physiotherapists. The influence of place was noted in the role that external forces and the environment played in shaping how physiotherapy was experienced.

Conclusions
These narratives remind physiotherapists and healthcare providers to reflect on the role they play in shaping the experience of service users and whether those experiences are considered to be person, therapist, or institution centred. Those training pre-registration physiotherapy students need to consider giving students the opportunity to develop and reflect on their philosophy of practice early in the curriculum to enhance the experience of service users in the long-term.

Citation

Killingback, C., Clark, C., & Green, A. (2021). Being more than “just a bog-standard knee”: the role of person-centred practice in physiotherapy: a narrative inquiry. Disability and Rehabilitation, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2021.1948118

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 22, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Jul 8, 2021
• Publication Date: Jul 8, 2021
• Deposit Date: Jul 21, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 9, 2022
• Journal: Disability and Rehabilitation
• Print ISSN: 0963-8288
• Electronic ISSN: 1464-5165
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 1-8
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2021.1948118
• Keywords: Physiotherapy; Person-centred practice; Patient-centred practice; Physiotherapists; Narrative inquiry
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/3808564