title: Patients' perspectives of patient-centredness as important in musculoskeletal physiotherapy interactions: a qualitative study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine patients' perspectives of components of patient-centred physiotherapy and its essential elements.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews to explore patients' judgements of patient-centred physiotherapy. Grounded theory was used to determine common themes among the interviews and develop theory iteratively from the data.
  
  
  METHODS
  Musculoskeletal outpatient physiotherapy at a provincial city hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eight individuals who had recently received physiotherapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five categories of characteristics relating to patient-centred physiotherapy were generated from the data: the ability to communicate; confidence; knowledge and professionalism; an understanding of people and an ability to relate; and transparency of progress and outcome. These categories did not tend to occur in isolation, but formed a composite picture of patient-centred physiotherapy from the patient's perspective.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This research elucidates and reinforces the importance of patient-centredness in physiotherapy, and suggests that patients may be the best judges of the affective, non-technical aspects of a given healthcare episode.
authors.affiliation: School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand. martin.kidd@otago.ac.nz
authors.forename: Martin O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Kidd
authors.forename: Carol H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Bond
authors.forename: Melanie L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bell
mesh_terms: D001290:Attitude; D003142:Communication; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D018802:Patient-Centered Care; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research