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Summarising

Summarising helps reinforce key messages and ensures patients leave with clear takeaways.

We can use summarising in a few effective ways:

  • Summarise as you go.
Example: “So far, we’ve talked about how your back pain isn’t due to serious damage but rather sensitivity in your nervous system.”
  • Summarise at the end of the session.
Example: “Before we finish, let’s go over the main points again: your pain is not due to something being ‘out of place,’ movement is safe, and our focus will be on gradually improving your activity levels.”
  • Summarise in writing the key points for the patient to take home to review or reflect on.

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Patient Education Essentials for Physiotherapy Copyright © 2025 by The University of Queensland is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.