Big Physio Survey


This project will take place between 16 October and 5 November 2015.

Current status:  www.thebigphysiosurvey.com is open!!

If you would like to participate in this survey please 
submit your experiences here.

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Description[edit | edit source]

This project is a call to all physiotherapists, whether you are qualified or a student, to write up one case study of one physiotherapy event that you have carried out or participated in today.

Your contribution to this survey, wherever you practice, however long you have been qualified for, is very welcome and you will be making a big contribution to the future of our profession.

This project will take place in the UK only in 2015 with plans to widen the survey outside the UK in 2016.

Thanks![edit | edit source]

We are very grateful to the following organisations for supporting this project:

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Background[edit | edit source]

Our aim is to create a rich picture that describes the ‘everyday work’ of the current physiotherapy profession. All information gathered will be used to develop a categorisation of contemporary physiotherapy practice and, to define the many spheres of influence where physiotherapy has impact, authority and inspiration.

As we all know, physiotherapy is a diverse practice profession encompassing a wide range of approaches to health and social care. Over recent decades the profession has experienced rapid change and has evolved to meet the challenges of twenty-first century delivery of therapies. At its heart, physiotherapy retains a clear philosophy of care embedded in an ethical code of practice and is focused on the needs of patients, clients and service users.

There are many sources of evidence of excellent practice and innovation in physiotherapy from publications of research, evaluations of service, conference presentations and educational developments with endorsements from patients, service users, health care professionals and commissioners. However, a clear and complete picture of the whole range of the physiotherapy profession at work remains obscure; this survey aims to address this issue.

Ethics[edit | edit source]

The NHS Health Research Authority in the UK has provided their Ethics opinion that this survey does not require ethical approval.

Project Team[edit | edit source]

Project Co-ordinators

Project Assistants

Project Dates[edit | edit source]

16 October 2015: Project launches and opens for submissions at PhysioUK
5 November 2015: Closing date for case study submissions
30 November 2015: Feedback will be provided to all contributors

Introduction[edit | edit source]

The idea of this survey is to document ‘everyday physiotherapy’ rather than just exciting and interesting cases that usually get reported. We will collect case studies from people in many different working environments to provide as broad a picture of contemporary physiotherapy practice in the UK as is possible.

Instructions[edit | edit source]

To participate in this survey please follow these simple instructions:

  1. Think about a single physiotherapy event that happened to you today. It might be clinical, educational, mangerial etc.  It doesn’t have to be exciting or particularly interesting. Just one single event that you feel comfortable to record.
  2. Consider and write out your case study under these headings. We don’t expect it to be supported by evidence or an academic piece of writing, just an account of what happened in your own words:
    • Who or what is my case study based upon?
    • What was the physiotherapy event or episode of care?
    • What were the aims of the physiotherapy event or episode of care?
    • What did I do?
    • What was the outcome or effect?
    • Why did I do this?
    • Keywords (add up to 6 keywords that describe your case study)
  3. Submit your case study here

Example Case Studies[edit | edit source]

Patient Confidentiality and Professionalism[edit | edit source]

Remember client confidentiality! Please don’t submit any information that allows us to identify your client, other individuals or the organisation of the episode of care or physiotherapy event.

Remember to be professional! Although we are asking for a non-academic submission of your thoughts and experiences, please remember to maintain a professional outlook at all times.

What happens next?[edit | edit source]

All the submitted case studies will be published openly on Physiopedia. This will provide an open searchable and categorised bank of case reports for people to refer to at any time.

We will send you a CPD certificate for your contribution and will also update you with the outcomes of the survey.

We are passionate about this project and will refresh the database of case studies on an annual basis to continue to build a rich picture of our profession moving forwards.

Thank you for your contribution!

References[edit | edit source]

One Case at a Time. De Souza, L. Physiotherapy. March 1997, 83(3):107108