Strengths and Weaknesses of Physiotherapy in the Daily Work of an Intensive Care Unit

Strengths and Weaknesses of Physiotherapy in the Daily Work of an Intensive Care Unit: A Qualitative Study

Background. A stay in the Intensive Care Unit can cause long-term problems and physiological changes at the neuromuscular and respiratory levels in critically ill patients. Early physiotherapy in these patients is safe and feasible to avoid or reduce the adverse musculoskeletal and respiratory effects of the stay in this hospital unit.

Objective. To identify the strengths and barriers of Physiotherapy in an Intensive Care Unit, according to the vision of different Health Science professionals.

Method. Qualitative observational study using individual interviews and focus groups. 18 people (6 doctors, 6 nurses and 6 physiotherapists) will be included in the study. The 18 health professionals will participate in personal interviews and focus groups (3 focus groups with 6 participants each). Participants will be recruited from the Intensive Care Unit of the Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias. Data will be analysed using the thematic analysis approach according to Braun and Clarke's method. We will use face-to-face interviews and focus groups to collect data and analyse them through thematic analysis. Purposive sampling will be used to recruit our participants. We will continue to recruit participants, if necessary, until saturation of data from the thematic analysis is reached.

Expected outcomes. To assess the knowledge, perceptions and expectations of the healthcare staff in the Intensive Care Unit regarding Physiotherapy in the management of patients admitted to this Unit. To identify the strengths of Physiotherapy in the management of these patients.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Healthcare
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Interviews

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 21

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Spain
  • Asturias
    • Oviedo, Asturias, Spain, 33006
      • University of Oviedo

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

To protect the privacy of the healthcare professionals, we will invite the Heads of Service and Section of the Intensive Care Unit to approach potential participants who, based on their personal and clinical experience, may be able to participate in the study. Subsequently, we will schedule a time for personal interviews and focus groups if potential participants are interested in taking part in the study. With the support of the Intensive Care Unit managers, we will be able to recruit healthcare professionals who meet the selection criteria.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Professionals from the Intensive Care Unit of the Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias.
• With clinical experience of at least 2 years.
• Currently working or having worked in coordination with physiotherapists in the Intensive Care Unit.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Professionals who are unfamiliar with the usual physiotherapy therapy in an Intensive Care Unit.
• Resident interns in their first year of training.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Intervention / Treatment

Observacional group; 18 people (6 doctors, 6 nurses and 6 physiotherapists) will be included in the study. The 18 health professionals will participate in personal interviews and focus groups (3 focus groups with 6 participants each). Participants will be recruited from the Intensive Care Unit of the Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias.

Other: Interviews; Following the design of the questionnaire, using open-ended questions based on the availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality (AAAQ) framework, qualitative semi-structured personal interviews were used to collect the data. In this way it was possible to collect information in a more detailed way. The subjects included in the study had to answer the questions posed by the main researcher, responding with open or closed answers, through a questionnaire created for this purpose.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Assess the knowledge on Physiotherapy in the Intensive Care Unit	Through open questions focused on the knowledge of physiotherapy in the hospital setting of the Intensive Care Unit: "Are you familiar with the presence of physiotherapists in ICUs?", "Have you previously worked in an ICU that includes physiotherapists?", "Once a patient is admitted to the ICU, when should the physiotherapy intervention start? And when does it actually start?", "What do you think are and should be the functions of physiotherapists in the ICU?", "What do you think are and should be the functions of physiotherapists in the ICU?	Screening visit
Assess the benefits on Physiotherapy in the Intensive Care Unit	Through open questions focused on the benefits of physiotherapy in the hospital environment of the Intensive Care Unit: "What do you think are the benefits for patients of having physiotherapists in the ICU?", "From the point of view of the work of the physiotherapist, what benefits do you consider most important for the patients admitted to the ICU?", "From the point of view of the work of the physiotherapist, what benefits do you consider most important to facilitate multidisciplinary work in the ICU?"	Screening visit
Assess the collaboration between healthcare professionals in the Intensive Care Unit	Through open questions focused on the collaboration between healthcare professionals in the Intensive Care Unit: "Have you experienced any challenges in the collaboration between the professionals involved in ICU care in relation to physiotherapy?", "How do you think multidisciplinary collaboration between healthcare professionals in the ICU and the physiotherapists working in the ICU could be improved?	Screening visit
Assess the needs and recommendations of Physiotherapy in the Intensive Care Unit.	Through open questions focused on the needs and recommendations of Physiotherapy in the Intensive Care Unit: "What additional resources or support do you consider necessary to optimise the presence of physiotherapists in the ICU?", "Do you have any specific recommendations to improve the integration of physiotherapists in the care of patients admitted to the ICU?	Screening visit

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Oviedo

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 9, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 13, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): March 15, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 6, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 8, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): May 9, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 1, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 26, 2025
• Last Verified: May 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Asthenia
• Other Study ID Numbers: FisUCI

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No