Related Experiment Videos
Physiotherapists in Balint group training
M A Dahlgren1, A Almquist, J Krook
1Linköpings Universitet, Sweden. madab@ipp.liu.se
Background And Purpose:
Balint group training (BGT) is a method widely used for enhancing understanding of the relationship and communication between health professionals and their patients. Participants meet in small groups, on a regular basis, with a tutor to discuss their experiences of problem cases. The method was originally developed in the 1950s for enhancing understanding of the doctor-patient relationship. Few studies have focused on BGT and physiotherapists. The aim of the present study was to describe and analyse physiotherapists' experiences of participation in BGT as a means of learning and understanding the physiotherapist-patient relationship.
Method:
Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with three physiotherapists working in private practice, all participating in BGT. The interviews were transcribed and subjected to a qualitative analysis.
Results:
The results are presented in a sequential model, featuring eight themes in which the physiotherapists' experiences of the training process are portrayed.
Conclusions:
The results suggest that BGT and sharing the experiences of others may be considered a way of enhancing understanding of the patient encounter in clinical practice, possibly to the benefit of physiotherapists and their patients.