Physiotherapists in Balint group training.
OBJECTIVE
Balint group training (BGT) is a method widely used for enhancing understanding of the relationship and communication between health professionals and their patients. Participants meet in small groups, on a regular basis, with a tutor to discuss their experiences of problem cases. The method was originally developed in the 1950s for enhancing understanding of the doctor-patient relationship. Few studies have focused on BGT and physiotherapists. The aim of the present study was to describe and analyse physiotherapists' experiences of participation in BGT as a means of learning and understanding the physiotherapist-patient relationship.


METHODS
Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with three physiotherapists working in private practice, all participating in BGT. The interviews were transcribed and subjected to a qualitative analysis.


RESULTS
The results are presented in a sequential model, featuring eight themes in which the physiotherapists' experiences of the training process are portrayed.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that BGT and sharing the experiences of others may be considered a way of enhancing understanding of the patient encounter in clinical practice, possibly to the benefit of physiotherapists and their patients.
Dahlgren
M A
MA
Linköpings Universitet, Sweden. madab@ipp.liu.se
Almquist
A
A
Krook
J
J
D000328:Adult; D003625:Data Collection; D004517:Education, Professional / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden