Feasibility test of a digital platform as a facilitating tool for evidence-based physiotherapy interventions

• Grant number: 22/09035-0
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: May 01, 2023
• End date: April 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Matheus Henrique Maiolini Ducatti
• Grantee: Matheus Henrique Maiolini Ducatti
• Company: Steps Tecnologia em Saúde Ltda
• CNAE: Pesquisas de mercado e de opinião pública ; Atividades profissionais, científicas e técnicas não especificadas anteriormente ; Atividades de atenção à saúde humana não especificadas anteriormente
• City: Presidente Prudente
• Pesquisadores principais: Fábio Mícolis de Azevedo
• Associated researchers: Liliam Barbuglio Del Priore ; Ronaldo Valdir Briani
• Associated scholarship(s): 23/05766-3 - ADVISOR PHYSIOTHERAPY ON THE FEASIBILITY TEST OF A DIGITAL PLATFORM: A PRAGMATIC SUPERIORITY RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL., BP.TT; 23/05768-6 - ADVISOR PHYSIOTHERAPY ON THE FEASIBILITY TEST OF A DIGITAL PLATFORM: A PRAGMATIC SUPERIORITY RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL., BP.TT; 23/05760-5 - PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE OF THE PHYSIOTHERAPIST IN THE CARE OF PATIENTS WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS USING A DIGITAL PLATFORM: A SUPERIORITY PRAGMATIC RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL., BP.TT; 23/05761-1 - PERFORMANCE OF THE PHYSIOTHERAPIST IN THE CARE OF PATIENTS WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS USING A DIGITAL PLATFORM: A SUPERIORITY PRAGMATIC RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL., BP.TT; 23/05620-9 - Feasibility test of a digital platform as a facilitating tool for evidence-based physiotherapy interventions, BP.PIPE

Abstract

One in every three individuals will need physiotherapy (PT) treatment at some point of their life. For PT treatment achieve its maximum potential, evidence-based practice (EBP) must be implemented. However, many barriers limit EBP implementation in the clinical practice of physiotherapists (e.g., lack of time, difficulties in reading and interpreting articles in English, as well as understanding statistical analyses). Another factor that limits the benefits of PT management is the lack of home-based interventions to supplement the treatment provided in the clinical setting. Physiotherapists usually report difficulties in implementing home-based interventions due to lack of time or resources to provide them, while patients report the poor quality of materials and orientations to justify the low adherence with home-based interventions. To overcome these barriers, EBP implementation and home-based interventions can be enabled and reinforced by the development of a digital platform that provides synthesized clinical recommendations based on evidence, and supply physiotherapists with high quality materials that can be used to educate patients and improve adherence to home-based interventions. Therefore, the current proposal aims at investigating the feasibility of implementing the digital platform STEPS (PhySioterapy TreatmEnt Planning System) in terms of technical-scientific aspects, user experience (UX), and value perception. For this purpose, a pragmatic randomized controlled superiority trial will be performed using a beta version of the platform (STEPSLab). To adequately comply with the duration allowed for PIPE phase 1, the systematization of the evidence and subsequent recommendations for interventions will be performed only for one disorder (knee osteoarthritis [KOA]). Six physiotherapists will be randomly divided into two groups (experimental [EG] and control [CG] groups). The EG will receive full access to the STEPS platform, including the recommendations of interventions, materials and contents to home-based interventions. It is important to outline that these recommendations will rely on a detailed, strict, and careful revision of the evidence related to the PT treatment of KOA to provide a guidance to the physiotherapists without interfering in their independence and autonomy at performing clinical decisions. Conversely, the CG will have no access to the platform and will not receive any type of guidance on the treatment (i.e., pragmatic). Thirty-six patients with KOA will be then randomly assigned to one of the aforementioned groups. Clinical outcomes (e.g., pain, function, and global rating of change) and patient expectations will be assessed before and after intervention. The UX will be assessed for physiotherapists and patients using the STEPS platform by applying semi-structured survey scale (i.e., using Likert rating scales). A market research will be lastly performed to evaluate the value perception of the product by the potential users (i.e., physiotherapists) of the STEPS platform across Brazil. Statistical analyses will be performed with mixed linear models with a level of significance of p < 0.05. Mean differences [95% confidence intervals (CI)] and effect sizes (Cohen's d [95%CI]) will also be calculated. (AU)