Physiotherapy Student Experiences of Developing Therapeutic Relationships whilst volunteering with the action after Stroke Charity

Abstract

Citation: Byrne A, Soundy A, Roskell C (2014) 067 AbstractObjectives: To explore physiotherapy students' experiences of patient-student relationship development, gained through volunteering with the Action after Stroke charity, with reference to usual placement experience, and to identify any changes in students' thoughts and feelings towards patients, and subsequent effect on relationship development.Design: An exploratory qualitative study, utilising field diaries and a focus group interview.Participants: Nine students who had volunteered with the charity for 11 weeks participated in the focus group.Intervention: Students began recording their experiences in a field diary after 3 consecutive treatment sessions with a stroke patient and then participated in a focus group interview once volunteering had ended. Field diaries informed development of the focus group topic guides. Focus groups were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis of transcripts was undertaken. Findings:The following themes emerged from the data analysis: Time and continuity; Clinical education; Environmental factors; Trust, and Empathy. Students reported experiencing a qualitatively different and more satisfying therapeutic relationship with patients whilst working in the charity. They believed that patients benefitted from this enhanced therapeutic relationship. The time and space enabled trust and empathy to develop which helped them develop insight into their patients as people. Conclusions:Participation in the Action after Stroke charity gave students a greater opportunity to develop positive therapeutic relationships compared to traditional placements, by increasing their confidence, independence, empathy, patient-centeredness and knowledge of patients' situations. Levels of trust also increased within the student-patient relationships. These findings suggest that involvement in non-standard practice placements, such as the charity, within a physiotherapy degree programme, may prove useful to students' professional development.why, in studies of nursing and medical students, levels of measured empathy actually decreased the more clinical exposure students experienced [7], a finding that has also been reported in physiotherapy students [8]. Student vulnerability to hostile practice cultures can foster task-orientation rather than humanistic approaches to care [9]. This suggests that alternative models of practice education should be explored, enabling a focus on the development of a student-patient therapeutic relationship.Volunteering has been advocated as an activity which can nurture interpersonal trust, tolerance and empathy for others [10], with international reports of its use in physical therapy education programmes [11]. In the UK, physiotherapy students, who volunteered in local community-based placements, where students functioned in a non-clinical 'coats off' capacity, were found to develop professional values and behaviors associated with patient-centred care [12].The use of non-traditional placement set...