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Exploring Person-centred Physiotherapy practice within the context of Huntington's Disease, UK (protocol) [PCC215]

Wednesday May 6, 2026 12:15 - 17:00 Poster Arena

Presenter: Lorraine Barry

Track: Poster session, Illness Communication

This project investigates how Physiotherapists in the United Kingdom understand and deliver person-centred practice (PCP) in the context of Huntington’s Disease (HD) and how people with HD and their carers perceive this care. HD is a rare, inherited, and progressive neurological condition that affects movement, cognition, and emotion, creating complex and fluctuating care needs. As people live longer with neurodegenerative disorders, demand for rehabilitation services that can adapt to these evolving challenges continues to grow. PCP forms the cornerstone of effective neurological rehabilitation by prioritising individual values, needs, and lived experiences. Although the importance of PCP is globally acknowledged in healthcare, less is known about how it is conceptualised and applied within progressive neurological diseases such as HD. Existing evidence suggests that PCP continues to evolve, shaped by both professional practice and patient experience, but gaps remain in the understanding and application of the concept and how peoples’ perspectives align within clinical practice. This mixed methods study aims to explore physiotherapists’ interpretations of PCP alongside the lived experiences of people with HD and their carers. It encorporates the validated tool of the Person-centred Practice Framework, McCance and Cormack, 2017 adding reliability and validty to the data. By examining this interaction, the project seeks to generate new insights into the delivery of person-centred physiotherapy, contributing knowledge that will strengthen evidenced based Physiotherapy rehabilitation person-centred practices and support the development of person-centred services for individuals and their carers living with and supporting those with a progressive neurological condition.
Language

English

Conference

GCPCC

GCPCC Code

PCC215

Lecturers

Lorraine Barry Presenter

Lorraine Barry