Inappropriate sexual behaviours of patients towards practising physiotherapists: a study using qualitative methods

Recent research recognizes the occurrence of inappropriate sexual behaviour (ISB) by patients towards health professionals. The objective of this study was to explore in-depth the clinical context and effect of incidents of ISB towards practising physiotherapists.

In-depth interviews were conducted with a sub-sample of nine physiotherapists who were part of a larger survey on ISB. Quantitative analyses of the survey responses are reported elsewhere. Interview participants were asked to describe an incident of ISB by a patient that was either perceived to be the worst or was the most recent. They were asked questions on a variety of themes, such as their relationship with the patient prior to incident, the effects of the incident, the strategies used to deal with the incident, and changes in practice as a result of the incident.

All interview participants reported encountering some level of ISB from patients. Although the overall frequency of these behaviours was relatively low, the range of behaviours was diverse. Regardless of the perceived severity of the incident, only four participants labelled their experience as 'sexual harassment'. Many reported negative effects on work performance. Participants mainly used physical measures to prevent further incidents, rather than confronting the perpetrator or reporting the incident.

The findings are discussed in the context of theory pertaining to boundaries and issues of transference and counter-transference. This emphasized the need for effective communication skills training of both undergraduate and graduate physiotherapists in the prevention and management of ISB from patients.