The primary aim of this project was to develop a training resource designed to raise awareness of racial discrimination and promote inclusivity within physiotherapy education. By involving both students and practice educators from racially minoritised backgrounds, the project aimed to create a tool that is directly informed by lived experiences, ensuring its relevance and effectiveness. Additionally, the project aimed to evaluate the co-creation process itself, exploring how the involvement of these groups shaped the final resource.
A Design Thinking methodology was used, and it was delivered through five online workshops conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants included five physiotherapy students from racially minoritised backgrounds, five practice educators also from racially minoritised backgrounds, and four project team members from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
- Workshop 1 focused on establishing the ground rules and engaging participants in a brainstorming session to identify key issues related to racial discrimination.
- Workshops 2 and 3 involved empathy mapping and problem definition, turning identified challenges into concrete goals. Participants collaborated in translating these issues into actionable insights for the resource.
- Workshops 4 and 5 concentrated on prototyping and testing low-fidelity versions of the training resource, allowing participants to provide feedback and refine the resource in iterative cycles before finalisation.
The co-creation process adhered to principles of inclusivity, collaboration, and creating a safe space for open dialogue. The resulting training resource reflected the real challenges and experiences of racially minoritised students and educators, ensuring its relevance and practicality. While challenges such as time constraints and balancing the roles of project team members and co-creators emerged, the final resource effectively addressed the key issues identified. The participants' input ensured that the resource was not only theoretically sound but also applicable in practice and educational settings.
This project successfully applied a co-creation methodology to develop a racial inclusivity training resource for physiotherapy education. The collaborative process proved essential in shaping a relevant and meaningful tool that addresses the need for awareness and inclusivity in educational environments. The findings suggest that co-creation is a valuable approach to addressing complex issues like racial discrimination, with the potential to influence lasting changes in education.
The study’s outcomes have implications for physiotherapy education and beyond. The co-creation model offers a framework for embedding inclusivity into curricula, providing a pathway for reducing racial discrimination. Future work should assess the long-term impact of the resource on fostering inclusive learning environments in physiotherapy and other healthcare-related educational programmes.
Co-creation
Physiotherapy education
