Experiences and perceptions of individuals with shoulder pain after a telerehabilitation treatment: a qualitative study

• Grant number: 22/16493-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2023
• End date: April 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Paula Rezende Camargo
• Grantee: Gustavo Rossi Luiz
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The high incidence of shoulder pain in the general population together with the challenges encountered in the public health system reinforces the need for effective alternatives to meet the large existing demand of individuals with shoulder pain. The use of telerehabilitation for the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders has the potential to reduce costs and improve population access when compared to face-to-face treatment. The purpose of this study will be to identify the experiences and perceptions of individuals with shoulder pain following a telerehabilitation treatment. This is a qualitative grounded theory study with a constructivist approach. Individuals aged 18 to 60 years who have completed a 12-week treatment consisting of therapeutic exercises conducted by telerehabilitation will be invited to participate in a semi-structured interview as a data collection instrument. The interviews will be face-to-face and conducted by a physical therapy undergraduate student. The construction of the questions aims to address different aspects of the experience of the individuals who have undergone treatment and were developed from a meeting with members of the research group. The interviews will be recorded using a voice recorder and carried out until data saturation. The transcription of the data, the extraction of relevant reports and the formulation of the themes will be done by two researchers independently, and there will be a discussion with a third researcher in case of conflicting opinions. The themes will be developed using the constant comparison method. It is expected to understand more comprehensively the strengths and weaknesses of telerehabilitation, to support clinicians when choosing these forms of treatment for patients with shoulder pain and to suggest relevant factors for treatment success that cannot be evaluated by objective measures.