Ioannis Mavroudis
The study titled ”‘Their role has a lot of purpose beyond just being about exercises’: a qualitative study of patients’ experiences of physiotherapy following a mild traumatic brain injury” by Jason Chua et al., explores how patients perceive the role of physiotherapists after a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Through semistructured interviews with 12 participants in New Zealand, the research identified four main themes that shaped patients’ experiences with physiotherapy:
1. “How physiotherapy could help me” – This theme highlights how the interventions were delivered and their impact.
2. “Empower me to manage my mTBI” – Participants valued learning self-management skills.
3. “Set me up to get the most out of treatment” – Considerations before, during, and after treatment were key to maximizing engagement and outcomes.
4. “Get to know me and what’s important to me” – The study emphasized the importance of individualized care, considering patients’ preferences, communication, and cultural contexts.
Despite varied experiences, participants saw physiotherapists as playing a critical role in supporting self-management and addressing headaches, neck pain, and balance issues. The study underscores the need for physiotherapy to be more personalized and for physiotherapists to build strong therapeutic relationships to improve rehabilitation outcomes in mTBI care.
