A Critical Practice Model For Physiotherapy

Clinical practice operates in increasingly more complex, diverse and uncertain environments. Patients are better informed, technology is advancing and health care practice is constantly changing. In the business of clinical reality clinicians normally do not question their professional practice because they take it for granted and have been socialised into accepting current professional practices. Franziska Trede argues that professional practice is enhanced through critical transformative dialogues (CTDs). CTD are based on critical social science philosophy with an emphasis on scepticism and critique of current knowledge and practices, critical self-reflection, and developing professional practice through critical dialogues. There are three key processes of CTD: Knowing self, engaging with others, and emancipating practice from unreflected, taken-for-granted assumptions. Findings from her research include five relevant dimensions of critical social science for health care practice, five different modes of engaging with CTD, and twelve propositions for a critical practice model. This book is of great interest to clinicians, clinical educators and lecturers in health care.

Franziska Trede, PhD, MHPEd is senior lecturer at The Education for Practice Institute, Charles Sturt University, Australia. She is interested in narratives, professional practice and participatory action learning. Her research is informed by interpretive and critical paradigms.