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.