Editorial

Human Behaviour and How it Affects Practice

As clinicians we have experienced how our own behaviour, as well as that of our clients, influences our practice and clinical outcomes. This edition of the Interdivisional Review includes articles from a number of Divisions of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association on the topic of human behaviour and how it affects practice. Each division has taken a slightly different slant on this topic, and we believe you will find the articles that follow informative and thought provoking. While many articles focus on a specific area of physiotherapy practice, there is much that can be applied by physiotherapists working in other areas of clinical practice.
The majority of the articles in this review look at the behaviour of either the therapist or the patient/client, and many provide examples of how to implement various behavioural techniques into practice. Here is an overview of what you’ll find:

• The Sport Division discusses the role of the therapist as teacher.
• The Neurosciences Division examines behaviour change through self-management and provides examples of self-management tools and techniques that can be incorporated into physiotherapy practice.
• The Paediatric Division reviews the role of family-centered care in paediatric palliative care.
• The Oncology Division focuses on the benefits, barriers and motivations for physical activity for adolescents who have survived cancer.
• The Orthopaedic Division reviews the components of the clinical interaction, discusses evidence for the impact of the placebo response and concludes with implications for practice.
• The Private Practice Division discusses the importance of the patient-therapist alliance and how this can affect practice and outcomes.
• The Cardiorespiratory Division applies health behaviour change theories to physiotherapy practice.
• The Animal Rehabilitation Division shares an article about the perceptions of animal physiotherapy amongst Irish veterinary surgeons.
• The Acupuncture Division provides an overview of placebos, the neurobiology of placebo and issues related to studies of acupuncture.
• The Seniors’ Health Division provides a timely submission focused on the tough conversations we need to have with our clients about their mobility.
• The Leadership Division discusses the development of leaders through times of trial and stress.
• The International Health Division describes the need for clinicians to be culturally competent — a very relevant topic for many of us who work in a country as multicultural as Canada.
• The Pain Science Division provides an introduction to ‘motivational interviewing,’ a technique that can be used to facilitate behavior change in physiotherapy.

We look forward to hearing your feedback on this year’s Interdivisional Review.

Kathryn Schneider PT, DScPT and Meena M. Sran PT, PhD
Co-Chairs, Divisions Research Representatives Committee