Return to search

The perceptions of final year physiotherapy students and their clients regarding their experiences of home visits : an exploratory case study

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Home-based rehabilitation (HBR) in under-resourced areas in a primary health care context exposes students to the real life situations of clients. The educational experience of HBR, underpinned by the theory of situated learning, promotes experiential and transformative learning. HBR leads not only to academic learning and personal development, but also to an understanding of social accountability and responsibility.
Physiotherapy students and their clients frequently have diverse lingual, socio-economic and cultural backgrounds which may hinder the provision of appropriate treatment to clients in their residences. Increased knowledge of HBR in the physiotherapy context could result in an enhanced experience for both student and client. This study sought to explore the perceptions of physiotherapy students and their clients regarding HBR as part of clinical training in resource-constrained settings. Whether the students felt adequately prepared to perform HBR was also explored.
A qualitative research design in the interpretivist paradigm was used. An exploratory case study was performed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with clients (N=7) living in an under-resourced setting who had received HBR from physiotherapy students. Paired interviews were conducted with final year physiotherapy students (N=6) after their HBR placement. The data were subjected to inductive thematic analysis and themes developed.
The findings showed that while clients appreciated the students’ services, there were communication barriers and unmet expectations. Students reported difficulty in adapting to the unfamiliar context, resulting in interventions not being sufficiently client-centred. They voiced a need for language competency to assist in communication. Earlier facilitated exposure to under-resourced contexts in the early clinical phase was suggested to reduce culture shock. An awareness of home environments in under-resourced areas influenced the students’ interventions in other contexts. To gain maximum benefit from the learning opportunities available through HBR, students require support for client management and client-centred problem solving in an under-resourced setting. Guided reflection should form part of the HBR placement to facilitate the construction of new knowledge, to promote deep transformative learning and to increase the students’ awareness of their role as change agents.
Exposure to real life situations in under-resourced settings in the form of HBR provides valuable situated and authentic learning opportunities for physiotherapy students. The experience can be useful in preparing graduates to address the needs of the populations they will serve during community service. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Tuisgebaseerde rehabilitasie (TBR) in ondervoorsiende gebiede in die primêre gesondheidsorg-konteks stel studente bloot aan die werklike lewensomstandighede van kliënte. Die opvoedkundige ondervinding van TBR, gerugsteun deur die teorie van gesitueerde leer, bevorder ervarings- en transformasionele leer. TBR lei nie net tot akademiese leer en persoonlike ontwikkeling nie, maar bevorder ook insig in maatskaplike verantwoordbaarheid en verantwoordelikheid.
Fisioterapie-studente en hul kliënte het dikwels verskillende taal-, sosio-ekonomiese en kulturele agtergronde wat kan verhinder dat die toepaslike behandeling vir kliënte tuis verskaf word. ’n Toename in kennis van TBR in die fisioterapie-konteks kan lei tot ’n beter ondervinding vir beide die student en die kliënt. Die doel van die studie is om die persepsies van die fisioterapie-studente en hul kliënte met betrekking tot TBR, as deel van die kliniese opleiding in omgewings waar daar beperkte hulpbronne is, na te vors. Daar is ook nagegaan of die studente gevoel het dat hulle genoegsaam voorberei is om die TBR toe te pas.
’n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsontwerp in die interpreterende paradigma is gebruik. ’n Verkennende gevalle-studie is gedoen. Semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude is met die kliënte (N=7) wat in ondervoorsiende omstandighede leef en wat TBR van fisioterapie-studente ontvang het, gevoer. Onderhoude is in pare met fisioterapiestudente in hul finale jaar (N=6) gevoer nadat hulle hul TBR-plasing voltooi het. ’n Induktiewe tematiese analise van die data is gedoen en temas is ontwikkel. Die resultate het getoon dat, alhoewel die kliënte waardering gehad het vir die dienste wat deur die studente gelewer is, daar kommunikasiegapings en onvervulde verwagtinge was. Die studente het gerapporteer dat hulle gesukkel het om aan te pas by die onbekende omgewing met die gevolg dat die intervensies nie genoegsaam kliëntgerig was nie. Hulle het ook aangedui dat daar ’n behoefte is om die nodige taalvaardigheid te ontwikkel om kommunikasie te verbeter. Die kultuurskok wat beleef is, kan moontlik in die vroeë kliniese fase reeds gefasiliteer word deur die studente aan ondervoorsiende kontekste bloot te stel. Die kennis van die tuisomgewings in ondervoorsiende areas het ’n invloed gehad op die studente se intervensies in ander kontekste.
Studente benodig ondersteuning in kliëntebestuur en kliëntgesentreerde probleemoplossing in ondervoorsiende omgewings ten einde maksimum voordeel te verkry uit leergeleenthede wat beskikbaar is deur TBR. Begeleide refleksie behoort deel te vorm van die TBR-plasing om die opbou van nuwe kennis te fasilliteer, diepgaande transformatiewe leer te bevorder en die student se bewustheid van hul rol om verandering teweeg te bring, op te skerp. TBR voorsien nie net waardevolle, outentieke leergeleenthede ter plaatse nie, maar gee ook die fisioterapie-studente blootstelling aan die werklike situasies waarin mense hulle in ondervoorsiende omgewings bevind. Hierdie ondervinding kan waardevol wees om graduandi voor te berei om die behoeftes aan te spreek van die bevolkingsgroepe wat hulle tydens hul gemeenskapsdiensjaar sal bedien.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/95837
Date12 1900
CreatorsParris, Dianne
ContributorsVan Schalkwyk, S., Ernstzen, D., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Centre for Health Professions Education.
PublisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Languageen_ZA
Detected LanguageUnknown
TypeThesis
Format76 p.
RightsStellenbosch University

Page generated in 0.0021 seconds