224
Views
4
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Physiotherapists’ perceptions of their work with shoulder patients: A focus group study in Finland

&
Pages 132-137 | Received 19 Jan 2015, Accepted 14 May 2015, Published online: 08 Jun 2015
 

Abstract

This paper presents physiotherapists’ work with patients and assesses how physiotherapists in different contexts face shoulder problems. What determines the physiotherapists’ choice of approach to their patients? It is necessary to distinguish physiotherapists’ perceptions and experiences to understand their pattern of working. The study is qualitative and phenomenological. Phenomenology strives to elucidate both that which appears and the manner in which it appears. Data were collected through focus group interviews and thematic analysis. It is reasonable to assume that a professional physiotherapist with a relevant education bases their action patterns on a practice theory that can be described as their own construction, which reflects their own experiences and values. The reflected practice theory is shaped by available resources and the encounter between patients and physiotherapists. The physiotherapists face patients with similar diagnoses in different ways. The interpretations, related to their reflections, created four logical categories: a client-centered approach, a method-centered approach, focus on function and work, and a holistic approach. These four approaches can be directly referred to different working contexts. Our conclusion is that the differences are more dependent on both the expressed and unexpressed norms of the workplace than on the physiotherapists’ own assessments.

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the physiotherapists who participated in the focus groups. Funding was obtained from the Medical Research Fund of the City of Jakobstad Department of Social Services and Health Care.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 65.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 175.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.