A master thesis from Aalborg University
Patients Experiences and Preferences for Rehabilitation following an Ankle Fracture
Author(s)
Term
4. Semester
Publication year
2021
Submitted on
2021-06-01
Abstract
Abstract Objective: Explore and understand patients’ experiences of a physiotherapeutic rehabilitation fol- lowing an ankle fracture; and explore and understand how a physiotherapeutic rehabilitation follow- ing an ankle fracture can be organized based on patients’ preferences of form and content. Design: Qualitative research study. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were carried out 9-26 weeks after the participants had started their rehabilitation. Participants came from the North Denmark Region and were identified in the Region’s medical records system. Interviews followed an interview guide and were conducted and recorded online and then transcribed verbatim. Two researchers used reflexive thematic analysis to generate themes. Results: Thirteen participants were interviewed, nine of whom were female. The age ranges from 46- 69 years with a median of 60 years. Four major themes and four subthemes were generated: Transfer from the hospital to the physiotherapeutic rehabilitation, Structure and content (subthemes: Shared decision making, Goals and monitoring of progress, Termination of the rehabilitation), Information, instruction and communication (subtheme: Change in physiotherapist) and Subgroups. Factors of im- portance to participants in an optimal rehabilitation included early rehabilitation after removing of plaster/boot, sufficient information and communication, individualized treatment and having the same physiotherapist. Conclusion: This study shows that participants experienced very different rehabilitation courses. Tasked to design the optimal rehabilitation, participants describe several common themes, but the range within the themes is wide, which emphasizes the need for patient-centred physiotherapy. These results will enable a deeper understanding of factors of importance for the participants in their reha- bilitation, helping the clinicians to optimize the rehabilitation following an ankle fracture.
Documents
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