Head, heart and hands. Creating mindful dialogues in community-based physiotherapy

Abstract

The relationship that develops between a physiotherapist and the client’s family/care team in community-based healthcare is complex and needs to be managed with subtlety and care, not only for the client’s wellbeing, but also for the professional and personal involvement of the physiotherapist. Hermeneutic phenomenology was used to explore the lived experience of relationships that developed between five participating physiotherapists and their ‘family care teams’ (involving five clients, eight family members and five carers). Analysis of qualitative data arising from semi-structured interviews and a focus group revealed that these physiotherapeutic relationships evolved as the clients, families and carers allowed their therapists to learn about them. Complex ways of making meaning were interpreted by the participants, involving advanced usages of language, such as poetic expression and metaphor. The place of mindful and responsive interpersonal connection within evolving physiotherapy relationships is underappreciated. The physiotherapists used complex and innovative forms of interaction to enhance communication with their clients. Deeper understanding of these issues within physiotherapeutic interactions could contribute towards the development of  composite relationship-treatment approaches to physiotherapy practice and the development of enhanced therapeutic relationship skills in undergraduate and continuing physiotherapy education.