Physiotherapy supervision of home trainers in interprofessional reablement teams

ABSTRACT

Physiotherapists (PTs) in reablement are responsible for the supervision of support personnel, referred to as home trainers (HTs), who carry out training and initiatives. There is a lack of knowledge about the significance of physiotherapy supervision in reablement. The aim of this study was to explore the content of PTs’ supervision of HTs in reablement teams. We conducted fieldwork in seven reablement teams in Norwegian municipalities. The methods included observations of practice and individual in-depth interviews with PTs and HTs. We analysed data thematically through an iterative inductive-deductive process. The results were generated in a social constructionist perspective and situated learning theory guided the analyses. Analyses revealed that supervision included elements of instruction, demonstration and reflection. However, practices varied widely across different teams, especially regarding the reflection aspect, which was highlighted as essential for learning. Frequent meetings, both formal and informal, were essential to enable learning through reflection. This paper identifies and discusses fundamental elements of PTs’ supervision practice in reablement teams, which is also relevant for similar interprofessional settings. Managers of reablement programs should be aware of the powerful impact that organizational conditions have on the practice of supervision.

KEYWORDS:

• Interprofessional teamwork
• interprofessional learning
• situated learning theory
• organizational frames
• interview
• observation

Acknowledgments

We extend our gratitude to the study participants: physiotherapists, home trainers, users and other team members involved in the research. We would also like to thank The Norwegian Fund for post-graduate training in physiotherapy for funding the study (Grant-id 62716).

Disclosure Statement

The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the The Norwegian Fund for post-graduate training in physiotherapy [62716].