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Physiotherapists in Balint group training
Author(s) -
Dahlgren Madeleine Abrandt,
Almquist Andreas,
Krook Johan
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
physiotherapy research international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.509
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1471-2865
pISSN - 1358-2267
DOI - 10.1002/pri.188
Subject(s) - tutor , qualitative research , medical education , psychology , health professionals , medicine , process (computing) , nursing , physical therapy , health care , pedagogy , computer science , sociology , social science , economics , economic growth , operating system
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 intervews 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. Copyright © 2000 Whurr Publishers Ltd.