Physiotherapists' discursive construction of their role in patient education

There has been little research into physiotherapists‘ role in patient education in the UK. The purpose of this case study was to understand to a greater extent the perceptions and concepts of physiotherapists in relation to their role in patient education with a view to generating new perspectives, informing debate and course development, and providing a springboard to further research. Physiotherapists (16) who were all associated with one Higher Education Institution (HEI) in the UK participated in the study and represented a spectrum of experience from novice to expert. The participants included 4 final year students on the brink of qualification, 9 qualified physiotherapists who were MSc students and 3 physiotherapy academics who taught on practice educator role development modules and were research active. A qualitative, interpretive approach was based on semi-structured interviews which were recorded and transcribed. A two-stage approach to analysis was adopted, with a thematic approach to the total data set followed by deeper analysis of key themes drawing on interpretative repertoire, focussing particularly on the use of metaphor.