Veronika Schoeb - 30 DoS - Day 1

Since my early days as a clinician, I have always been interested in the interactional/relational aspects of healthcare. What are the components that contribute to a successful therapeutic relationship between a patient and a physiotherapist? How do we need to think about interactions and communication in physiotherapy? After a few years of clinical practice in both Switzerland and the USA, I enrolled in a PhD programme in Sociology to explore exactly interactional aspects in musculoskeletal physiotherapy. I have been working in higher education for nearly 20 years and have continued to investigate interactional practice situations in healthcare, both in Switzerland and in Asia. I was forced to question my own assumptions and taken-for-granted knowledge, and was constantly challenged in my way of understanding physiotherapy education and practice. Having worked in several countries where practices, professional cultures and the role of physiotherapy are different shaped the way I look at the profession today.

This is the reason why I feel close to the Critical Physiotherapy Network that shares the same philosophy: to question the underlying assumptions of what we do and how we look at healthcare practices. I found here a like-minded group that inspired me to take a step back and reflect, explore and develop a new understanding. A very generous group of people, indeed! Thank you all very much for your inspiration!

For future development, I wish that the CPN community continues to question generalised “fashionable” concepts (e.g., patient-centred care, shared decision-making, or motivational interviewing) as they overshadow the intrinsically complex and fine-tuned interactions on a turn-by-turn basis that makes healthcare interactions so colourful. I also believe that it is necessary to acquire new skills, in particular related to technology, artificial intelligence and so on, so that we can ask the right questions related to our profession and find solutions that fit our daily practices or find ways of development that matches the needs of the population we serve. There is a fine balance to be found between professional development helping to reinforce physiotherapy and interprofessional development that is required for a sustainable healthcare system.