Service dissatisfaction and non-attendance in physiotherapy student-led clinics: a qualitative study

Background and Purpose: Student-led physiotherapy clinics are a valuable means for providing education opportunities and cost-effective services to the public. Service dissatisfaction is an important construct in understanding how student-led services can maximize patient care and minimize non-attendance while maintaining effective learning environments. Design: A qualitative interview design was used with semi-structured interviews. Results: Eighteen patients from three different university student-led physiotherapy clinics were interviewed. Five themes emerged that were associated with negative perceptions of service provision: (1) inadequate communication, (2) insufficient supervision, (3) loss of autonomy, (4) time commitment, and (5) continuity of care. Conclusion: The results of this study highlight factors that service providers should consider to mitigate negative patient experiences and relevant implications of dissatisfaction including non-attendance. Ensuring transparency of patient expectations of services and enhancing patient continuity of care between physiotherapists and students are important in minimizing the potentially negative factors associated with student-led health services.