Hello! My name is Amy Hiller, I am an Australian musculoskeletal physiotherapist and qualitative researcher. Currently, I am on ‘maternity leave’, having recently completed my PhD titled ‘Toward relationship-centred care: patient-physiotherapist interaction in private practice’ at the University of Melbourne.
The CPN became a valued support network during my PhD studies as I particularly enjoy meeting other physiotherapists who are interested in sociological and qualitative aspects of practice, particularly those relating to patient-physiotherapist interaction. A highlight of my involvement thus far was being part of an inaugural critical physiotherapy forum at the Australian Physiotherapy Association conference in 2015 where we had over 50 questioning physiotherapy minds in one room together. Feeling like I ‘belong’ to a group like this has been extremely beneficial as motivation for me to continue my research journey.
My initial interest in interactive or communicative aspects of physiotherapy practice began years ago as I contemplated how I was interacting with my patients every day. My interest in communication grew as I became aware of the dearth of knowledge about this area of physiotherapy practice. In particular, there are some specific communicative aspects of our profession, particularly the use of touch, that demand exploration and understanding to ensure that they are utilised effectively and appropriately. With this in mind, my knowledge and research has focussed on the relationship developed between patient and therapist. My thesis centres on the ideals of relationship-centred care and discusses how aspects of communication are incorporated into patient-physiotherapist interactions to achieve a relationship-centred and trusting interaction.
Relevant critical publications:
Schoeb, V. & Hiller, A. (2018). The impact of documentation on communication during patient-physiotherapist interactions: A qualitative observational study. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 31, 1-11.
Hiller, A. & Delany, C. (2018). Communication in physiotherapy: challenging established theoretical approaches. In B.E. Gibson, D.A. Nicholls, J. Setchell, & Synne Groven, K (eds.), Manipulating practices: A critical physiotherapy reader (308-333). Norway: Cappelen Damm Akademisk. Available: https://press.nordicopenaccess.no/index.php/noasp/catalog/book/29
Hiller, A. (2017). Toward relationship-centred care: patient-physiotherapist interaction in private practice. (Doctoral dissertation, The University of Melbourne). Available: https://minerva-access. unimelb.edu.au/handle/11343/ 129510
Hiller, A. J., & Vears, D.F. (2016). Reflexivity and the clinician-researcher: managing participant misconceptions. Qualitative Research Journal, 16(1), 13-25.
Hiller, A., Guillemin, M., & Delany, C. (2015). Exploring healthcare communication models in private physiotherapy practice. Patient Education & Counseling, 98, 1222-1228.
Josephson, I., Woodward-Kron, R., Delany, C., & Hiller, A. (2015). Evaluative Language in physiotherapy practice: How does it contribute to the therapeutic relationship? Social Science & Medicine, 143, 128-136.
Contact email address: amyjmhiller@gmail.com
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Current position(s):
PhD Candidate – Department of Physiotherapy and Centre for Health Equity, The University of Melbourne
Sessional lecturer, Department of Physiotherapy, The University of Melbourne
Twitter: @AmyJHiller
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.