Fysioterapeuten (Nov 2024)
Emotions and professionalism – an interview study on physiotherapists’ experiences in pediatric palliative care within community health services
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to deepen our understanding of the experiences of community-based pediatric physiotherapists working in the field of pediatric palliative care, with a particular focus on unravelling the emotional dimension of their work. Design, material and method: Inspired by phenomenological theory, the material from five individual qualitative interviews with pediatric physiotherapists, from five different counties, were analyzed thematically. All participants were recruited through the Facebook- group “Forum for barne- og ungdomsfysioterapeuter”. Findings: The following three themes were analyzed and presented in the article: 1) Making a small difference. 2) Nuances of grief. 3) The necessary conversations. The findings reveal the varying emotional challenges experienced by physiotherapists working with pediatric palliative care . The findings raise questions about whether there is a connection or contradiction between emotions and professionalism. We examine and elaborate this in the discussion through the phenomenological concepts; intersubjectivity, body and lifeworld. Conclusion: Community-based physiotherapists who work in pediatric palliative care experience emotional challenges. In these emotional challenges, they feel that they have to balance between a professional closeness and a distanced professionalism. It is also about a balancing act between the focus on life and on death. Professionalism as a multidimensional balancing act can be seen as a consistent finding from the study.
