Practicings of Person-Centred Care in Physiotherapy

Abstract

This article explores the practices of person-centred care in physiotherapy by adopting a complexity-seeking approach. We acknowledge that person-centred care is contextual and produced through relationships, sociomaterial practices and institutional and organisational settings, thus recognising the agency of more-than-human actors. We draw on the concept of practicings, which refers to a constellation of what is said, materialised, routinised and practised. This framework enables us to explore the complex interplay and interrelatedness of factors that constitute person-centred care across various contexts, transcending micro and macro levels. By conducting a secondary analysis of texts from three qualitative studies from Denmark and Aotearoa New Zealand on person-centred care in physiotherapy, we argue that seemingly disciplinary and governing practices can also be understood as practices of person-centred care. Through the application of the practicings concept, we aim to advance sociological constructs of person-centred care. Focusing on the complex network of co-constituting forces allows for a more nuanced analysis of practices of person-centredness in physiotherapy, with applicability to other similar healthcare settings.