ABSTRACT
Physiotherapy primary care practice is very similar to a general medical practice model of care. This chapter describes the delivery of care in physiotherapy primary practice settings, focusing predominantly on musculoskeletal-based clinical work, drawing broadly from discussions in physiotherapy literature and more specifically, from an empirical study of physiotherapists communicating with their patients in primary practice treatment settings. It then analyses the relationship between visible elements of physiotherapists' communication with their patients with underpinning ethical theories and values concerning clinical communication. The chapter also proposes theories and conversational habits which might assist in strengthening the connection between the ethical basis of communication in physiotherapy primary practice and the words used and overall discourse of musculoskeletal physiotherapy practice. The key assumption of the iceberg model is that there is a relationship between the decisions and actions a practitioner takes when conversing with their patient and setting the clinical communication agenda, and his/her understanding of underlying bioethical principles and theories.
