SPECIAL INTEREST REPORT PLATFORM PRESENTATION

HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE “METHODOLOGY”! Richardson D^1,2, Spalding N³, Richardson B³; ¹Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust, London, UK. ²Hammersmith and Fulham PCT, London, UK. ³University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK

PURPOSE: To emphasise the need for high quality qualitative research methodologies throughout physical therapy to further develop the evidence base for current practice within the health and social care arena of the future. RELEVANCE: Health and social care policies advocate service user involvement, patient feedback forums and other patient public involvement. The shaping of future health services requires an understanding of the individual patient need. Physical therapy focuses on individual patient centred care with successful tailored individual intervention contingent upon a blending of the individual therapists’ and patients’ attitudes, values and beliefs towards themselves and how they relate to their world, including health and social care aspects. Qualitative research methodologies can assist the physical therapy profession to better understand patients and provide evidence to underpin current practice and future changes or to evaluate intervention outcomes. They need to be employed with high standards to ensure validity of evidence. Learning from other disciplines such as the social sciences and occupational therapy may further enhance the rigour of research, which can offer an evidence base for health care. DESCRIPTION: A paradigmatic shift of philosophical proportions, epistemological ephinany and ontological openings occurred whilst planning, developing and implementing a qualitative research project for one clinician. Drawing on current literature and experiential learning, this paper explores some implications for the future of the profession to ensure high quality qualitative research is undertaken. EVALUATION: The ability to carry out robust qualitative research depends on a thorough understanding of methodological issues, background philosophy and, paradigms of knowledge including the researchers epistemological and ontological stance which impact on the design and process of implementing the method. Like quantitative research with its well recognised quality criteria and numerous methods, qualitative research has principles of procedure and quality criteria that are integral to large number of methods. The qualitative researcher needs a clear understanding of the context and purpose of the research in order to produce evidence that is acceptable to a wide audience of health and social care professionals so that it can contribute to clinical effectiveness. CONCLUSIONS: In order to explore individual needs of the patients and their responses to physical therapy interventions using qualitative methodology it is important for researchers to fully understand the shift in approach required throughout an interpretive, qualitative research cycle. IMPLICATIONS: Researchers and managers need to promote the legitimacy of the contribution that evidence from qualitative research has to offer and recognise the stringent characteristics of first rate qualitative research methodologies. Awareness of the potential use of the wide range of these methodologies, methods and analysis in physical therapy will help move the profession forwards. KEYWORDS: Qualitative, Philosophies, Paradigms. FUNDING ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Hammersmith Hospital Research Trustees.

ETHICS COMMITTEE: Riverside Ethics Committee London UK