Psychology in the Physiotherapy Curriculum: A Survey

Abstract

Psychology teaching in British physiotherapy schools was investigated by postal questionnaire. The person responsible for teaching psychology in each school was asked to indicate which psychology topics were taught, the time spent on each, and the teaching and assessment methods used. They also gave their opinions about the relevance of psychology to physiotherapy practice. Data from a survey of British medical schools are included for comparison. The findings are summarised, some of the comments made by individual respondents reported, and some possible interpretations are suggested. Psychology teaching in British physiotherapy schools was investigated by postal questionnaire. The person responsible for teaching psychology in each school was asked to indicate which psychology topics were taught, the time spent on each, and the teaching and assessment methods used. They also gave their opinions about the relevance of psychology to physiotherapy practice. Data from a survey of British medical schools are included for comparison. The findings are summarised, some of the comments made by individual respondents reported, and some possible interpretations are suggested. Biography: Hilary Baddeley previously taught at the Cambridge School of Physiotherapy. She is currently studying for a PhD degree in the Department of Psychology, North East London Polytechnic; the topic she is researching is physiotherapy student learning. Chris Bithell, who was formally physiotherapy educational consultant at the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, has recently taken up the post of principal lecturer in the Department of Medical Sciences and Health Studies, North East London Polytechnic.