BU Research Blog

Caroline Belchamber, a part-time physiotherapy lecturer, Doctor of Professional Practice (DProf) student and private practitioner has successfully been awarded Fusion Investment Funding for six months study leave enabling her to finalise her doctorate.

Caroline currently has a contract with a local hospice developing a breathlessness clinic for people with chronic lung conditions. She also holds an honorary contract with another local hospice, where her research is being carried out. Caroline identified the need for further research following her MSc research in 2002 on rehabilitation in the context of palliative cancer care. She observed the need to determine service users and health care professionals’ understanding of the benefits of physiotherapy and whether the profession is meeting National Standards and best practice recommendations in the area of supportive and palliative cancer care. Caroline’s case study research uses a mixed qualitative methods approach to identify the extent to which physiotherapy palliative cancer care service provision meets best practice recommendations. Caroline’s research has been funded by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) Charitable Trust and the Association of Physiotherapists in Oncology and Palliative Care (ACPOPC).  It was also given the support of the Dorset Cancer Network Service Improvement Facilitator in 2009. It is anticipated that Caroline’s work will place BU at the forefront of this evolving area of practice.

Caroline is supervised by Professor Elizabeth Rosser and Dr. Caroline Ellis-Hill