Experiences of providing self-management support: a qualitative study of pre-registration physiotherapy students at one university

BACKGROUND: The importance of health care professionals in supporting self-management of individuals with long-term conditions has increased significantly over the last decade. While research has explored health care professionals’ experiences of supporting self-management, there is a paucity of literature exploring student experiences.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore pre-registration physiotherapy students’ experiences, of using self-management support principles in practice.

METHODS: A qualitative methodology was adopted, in which final year pre-registration physiotherapy students, were invited to participate in focus groups to explore their experiences of using self-management principles with patients in practice. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS: Four main themes were identified: i) self-management support as something to apply or do, ii) environmental and patient factors influencing application in practice, iii) limited development of self-management support self-efficacy and iv) learning experiences of self-management support disjointed. Despite self-management support teaching, students had varied theoretical comprehension of the concepts and overall lacked confidence in the practical application

CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest more consistent and practical approaches would support learning and facilitate the development of students’ self-efficacy for using self-management support principles. For instance, curricula should encompass opportunities to explore simulated scenarios to develop effective collaborative communication with individuals and avoid didactic and directive approaches to providing self-management support. Further research is planned to investigate students’ experiences of a newly validated curriculum where self-management support teaching is integrated and embedded. Research to compare communication curriculum and effectiveness between universities is also warranted.