Work related well-being in the UK physiotherapy workforce: Part 2. Documentary analyses of the qualitative data from the YOURvieWS cross-sectional e-survey

Objectives: To explore and understand the replies to the quantitative findings (Part 1) from the work related well-being e-survey, provide greater depth information about the topic and identify new issues/areas from respondents in Part 2 of this two part paper. Design: Cross-sectional, convenience, voluntary, open e-survey. Setting: Online. Participants: UK physiotherapy workforce, including physiotherapists, students, support workers across all workplace settings and across the UK. Methods: Following development, pre-testing and ethics approval, the e-survey was widely advertised and ran from 08/03/2023 to 30/04/2023 via Bristol Online Survey. The open comments question in the e-survey was: ‘We are keen to hear your views, please type up to three key factors that you think impact most upon work-related well-being within physiotherapy’. Analyses: Open comments analyses using content analysis to interpret meaning from the content of text data. Results: 612 respondents provided 1649 overall comments to. One overarching theme and three subthemes incorporating seventeen factors were developed from 138 initial codes. The overarching theme was moral distress and moral injury reducing work related well-being (WRWB) within the physiotherapy workforce. Subthemes were 1. Impact on me. 2. ‘You aren't able to do your job properly’. 3. Management and support. Subthemes and factors fitted within the overarching theme. Conclusions: Moral distress and injury explained the quantitative findings (Part 1) regarding poor work-related well-being, burnout and stress within the physiotherapy workforce. Moral injury is the consequence of organisational processes and broken health care systems, strategies to improve WRWB across all UK physiotherapy settings are urgently required. Contribution of the Paper: • Provides evidence of worrying levels of moral distress and moral injury experienced by responding members of the physiotherapy workforce. • Highlights the distress for members of the physiotherapy workforce and the impact upon patient care when organisations and health systems are not working well. • Evidences a clear call for action.