A relational exploration of Speech and Language Therapists’ perceptions and practice of person-centredness using an appreciative inquiry methodology and socio-ecological analysis

Came, Nia 2024. A relational exploration of Speech and Language Therapists’ perceptions and practice of person-centredness using an appreciative inquiry methodology and socio-ecological analysis. DHS Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

While person-centred care (PCC) is embedded in health discourse and practice, and Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) practitioners plan their professional work with the intention of providing PCC, very little research exists into how SLTs understand and practice PCC in their clinical roles. 80 SLTs across UK SLT adult services participated in a qualitative survey and a further 25 SLTs working in clinical practice in one health board were included in an in-depth qualitative study. The qualitative study used data generation methods of visual inquiry and workshops conducted through the lens of appreciative inquiry. Data collection took place during the Covid-19 pandemic. Socio-ecological analysis of the conceptualisation, values, practices and professional identity of SLT in relation to PCC in health care surfaced 3 themes: biographical reconstruction, materiality of care and SLT as a social bridge, within an overall theme of relational recovery for patients. The findings suggest that SLTs enact person-centredness at the intrapersonal and interpersonal levels of the patient’s microsystems through work on communicative identity and swallowing. Also emerging from the analysis is the construction of person-centredness by participants which emphasised the role of relationality, or a focus on patients as individuals situated within a web or network of connections. The analysis also highlights how socio-cultural discourses and practices within healthcare constrain SLTs’ person-centred practice. The findings suggest that while research can identify the underlying mechanisms of PCC, the context of the pandemic suggests a need to do more to embed PCC as a normal and valued part of SLT practice, and as part of a wider healthcare team. The findings show that more may need to be done, to sensitise health services and SLTs to the potential risks and impacts on the PCC that professionals are able to provide in the context of health service threats.

Item Type:	Thesis (DHS)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	5 February 2025
Last Modified:	05 Feb 2025 11:49
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/175938

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