TITLE:
A Qualitative Study of Individual and Organizational Learning through Physiotherapists’ Participation in a Research Project
AUTHORS:
Petra Dannapfel, Anneli Peolsson, Per Per Nilsen
KEYWORDS:
Evidence-Based Practice, Physiotherapy, Organizational Learning, Implementation
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Clinical Medicine,
Vol.5 No.9,
April
25,
2014
ABSTRACT: The need for
evidence-based practice has been recognized by physiotherapy organizations over
the past decades. Earlier studies have documented facilitators and barriers
that affect the use and implementation of evidence-based practice. Less is
known about what kind of interventions might be useful to implement
evidence-based practice. This study explores what physiotherapists learn
through participation in a research project relevant to their professional development
towards achieving a more evidence-based physiotherapy practice. To what extent
this learning was transferred to colleagues for organizational learning is also
examined. This study was set in Sweden, where health
care is publicly funded. Patients do not need a referral from a physician to
consult a physiotherapist. Eleven interviews were conducted with
physiotherapists who had participated in a randomized, controlled, multicenter,
physiotherapy intervention investigating neck-specific exercise for patients
with whiplash disorder. Gadamer’s hermeneutics was used to analyze the data.
The physiotherapists described a range of learning experiences from their
project participation, including instrumental learning (the concrete
application of knowledge to achieve changes in practice) and conceptual
learning (changes in knowledge, understanding or attitudes). The research
project enabled the physiotherapists to develop new treatment techniques for
broader application and extend their competence in techniques already known
(instrumental learning). The physiotherapists believed that project
participation enhanced their overall competence as physiotherapists, increased
their job motivation and strengthened their self-confidence and self-efficacy
(conceptual learning). Physiotherapists’ participation in the research project
yielded many individual learning experiences, fostered positive attitudes to
research and was conducive to achieving a more research-informed physiotherapy
practice. Participation was associated with a deeper understanding of the
challenges involved in conducting research. The transfer from individual
learning to the wider organization in terms of organizational learning was
limited.