Physiotherapists’ perceptions of their work with shoulder patients: A focus group study in Finland

Abstract

This paper presents physiotherapists’ work with patients and assesses how physiotherapists in different contexts face shoulder problems. What determines the physiotherapists’ choice of approach to their patients? It is necessary to distinguish physiotherapists’ perceptions and experiences to understand their pattern of working. The study is qualitative and phenomenological. Phenomenology strives to elucidate both that which appears and the manner in which it appears. Data were collected through focus group interviews and thematic analysis. It is reasonable to assume that a professional physiotherapist with a relevant education bases their action patterns on a practice theory that can be described as their own construction, which reflects their own experiences and values. The reflected practice theory is shaped by available resources and the encounter between patients and physiotherapists. The physiotherapists face patients with similar diagnoses in different ways. The interpretations, related to their reflections, created four logical categories: a client-centered approach, a method-centered approach, focus on function and work, and a holistic approach. These four approaches can be directly referred to different working contexts. Our conclusion is that the differences are more dependent on both the expressed and unexpressed norms of the workplace than on the physiotherapists’ own assessments.