What are newly qualified physiotherapists’ experiences of implementing supported self-management with patients in practice? An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Supported self-management (SSM) refers to healthcare professionals collaborating with those with long-term health conditions to acquire the knowledge, skills and confidence to enable them to actively manage their condition. Benefits of SSM for service users and healthcare efficiencies have been shown. Based on evidence, the physiotherapy curriculum at one university was restructured to teach and assess SSM principles and practical approaches. The impact of this intervention as learners transitioned into practice was unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the lived experiences of newly qualified physiotherapists (NQPs) as they implemented their SSM training in practice. Six NQPs from one university, recruited through purposive sampling, participated in semi-structured interviews. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Three themes were interpreted: (i) I have SSM skills but where do they come from?, (ii) SSM in tension with the service priorities and (iii) being ‘OK’ that implementing SSM has different outcomes. Findings indicate that whilst NQPs routinely us SSM techniques this was a reactive response to the demands of practice rather than planned intent. The findings suggest SSM was an approach driven by pragmatism rather than its broader conceptual aims. Accordingly, participants struggled to integrate SSM meaningfully in practice and was seen as adjunctive rather than an underpinning principle. The findings suggest that despite efforts to include SSM in pre-qualification training, this inadequately prepared learners to translate into practice. Training needs to be enhanced with increased integration of psychological and social skills, potentially through simulation-based learning.