Felicity Bright was one of two recipients of the inaugural NZRA Emerging Rehabilitation Research Leader award offered in 2017. This award is offered on a biennial basis with a focus on growing rehabilitation research capability in New Zealand. It recognises NZRA objectives to provide leadership, advocate for excellence, and promote interest in and support opportunities for research in rehabilitation in New Zealand. The award makes it possible for an early career researcher to appoint a summer student to undertake seeding work which helps them to advance their rehabilitation research programme.

Felicity used her award to appoint a summer student to undertake a literature review using qualitative meta-synthesis methodology.  The review explored how therapeutic relationships and interpersonal communication are perceived and experienced by people experiencing communication disability in stroke rehabilitation. 

When people enter rehabilitation with a communication disability after stroke, they often come from a place of vulnerability. Their life and the way they communicate and relate with others has changed significantly. Their sense of self can be altered, partly because rehabilitation providers may not communicate and relate with them in a way which recognises their sense of personhood – who they were and who they are. This can see the patient isolated, feeling invalidated. Our review indicated that the relationships between the person with stroke and their rehabilitation providers were foundational for rehabilitation and developed through the communication between the two parties. Communication did not always need to be successful: what seemed critical was that providers were seen to try to communicate and connect with the patient. People with stroke described a process of reading their provider, evaluating whether they are interested in them as an individual, whether they value the person’s perspective, recognising them as a person who has a contribution to make. When patients had a sense of being validated and respected, it impacted on many things including their confidence and sense of trust in the provider, their engagement in rehabilitation and their hope for the future.

This metasynthesis will inform Felicity's on-going research programme, which centres on relationships and communication in rehabilitation, in particular, projects working with rehabilitation providers, supporting them to embed relational practices in rehabilitation.