Phenomenology and physiotherapy: meaning in research and practice

AbstractBackground: Phenomenological research has emerged as an important qualitative research methodology in health care, contributing to a comprehensive approach to evidence-informed practice among health-care professionals. Evidence-informed practice in physiotherapy will benefit from integrating phenomenological research in order to attend to the lived-experiences of both clients and therapists involved in physiotherapist–client encounters, building a more sensitive and holistic approach to physiotherapy practice.Objective: This paper explores five major strands of philosophy within the phenomenological tradition and outlines their implications for the study of lived-experiences related to physiotherapy care.Major findings: The phenomenological positions of Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Alfred Schutz, and Max van Manen are discussed. Following a description of each phenomenological view, a brief scenario of how their approach to phenomenological study might be applied to pro...