During my paediatric placement, I was treating a 1 year old child with diabetes who had spent her whole life in the hospital setting due to other circumstances. The treatment for this girl was carried out in the hydrotherapy pool. I knew that it would be difficult because obviously she could not swim and I had to carry her the whole session. Being a cute 1 year old and being raised in the hospital she had been used to getting her own way with the nurses who essentially had raised her. She did not approve of the exercises, instead wanting to be help close instead of kcking her legs and blowing bubbles. She started pulling at my bathers and crying loudly which was interrupting the other people in the pool.
Because of my lack of experience around young children, my first reaction was to give in and just let her do what she wanted. I did not know if I was allowed to let my patients cry or if she was disrupting other treatment sessions and to let her play quietly. When my supervising physiotherapist took control of the session, she became quiet and did what she was told! She was protesting when we were alone because she knew she could take advantage of the situation and by crying I would let her have her way. By the end of the placement, I was able to reach a compromise and was more assertive when treating the patient.
Trying to persuade patients to do their exercises or to work hard even though they may just want to lie in bed or play in the pool (depending on the patients age) is a problem that faces physiotherapists. Knowing how to motivate and deal with these patients will be a valuable skill. Next time I deal with this type of patient, I will try and be more assertive while still being optimistic and motivated during the treatment session.
