Patients' Expectations of Physiotherapeutic Treatment for Long-Term Side Effects After Cancer: A Qualitative Study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore the expectations of physiotherapeutic treatment of long-term side effects (LTSEs) after cancer among patients treated in physiotherapy clinics. METHODS: This a qualitative interview study based on a phenomenological approach. Adult patients with LTSEs after cancer were recruited through The Danish Cancer Society and a private physiotherapy clinic in Denmark. Individual semi-structured interviews were carried out using Microsoft Teams based on an interview guide piloted before the interviews. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Sampling was conducted with a focus on variation in LTSE. The data were analyzed using Malterud's principles of systematic text condensation and coded in NVivo 12. RESULTS: 2 males and 8 females with an average age of 55.8 years were interviewed for between 40 and 60 minutes from October to November 2020. Four main themes emerged from the interviews1: The importance of the physiotherapist's approach,2 the benefits of meeting patients with similar symptoms,3 the importance of receiving knowledge, and4 patients seeking to maintain their current state more often than aiming to improve their condition. CONCLUSIONS: Patients consulting a physiotherapy clinic with LTSE after cancer prefer the physiotherapist to have knowledge about cancer and to be emphatic. Furthermore, patients prefer to meet like-minded people and expect support to maintain their current condition rather than improve their condition.

Perspectives on the treatment of sequelae after cancer: protocol of an interview study of primary care physiotherapists.

INTRODUCTION: An increasing number of patients are living with fatigue, pain and other sequelae after cancer. About 30% of these patients express a need for physical rehabilitation and patients prefer to be involved in medical decision-making. This includes being offered individualised treatment with patient-defined goals and education during all aspects of treatment by physiotherapists with empathic skills. However, physiotherapists are often unaware of the relationship between cancer and its presenting symptoms. This can lead to inappropriate care and unrealistic goalsetting for rehabilitation. This calls for greater attention towards physiotherapist's treatment and their current perspectives on how treatment can be improved in physiotherapy clinics. The aim of this study is to explore physiotherapists perspectives on barriers, facilitators and potential solutions to improve the care of sequelae after cancer in physiotherapy clinics. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a qualitative interview study using individual semistructured interviews with physiotherapists using a phenomenological approach to explore their lifeworld at work. We will recruit physiotherapists working in private clinics based on a variation in gender and years of working experience in private clinics. We will conduct between 10 and 16 interviews online via Microsoft Teams and thematically analyse data supported by NVivo software. Interviewing is scheduled to take place from April 2022. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This is a non-intervention and qualitative study, and the local Ethics Committee in the North Denmark Region has stated that their approval is not needed. Informants will provide a written informed consent. Study information will be sent to the informant at least 3 days prior to the interview session and information will be summarised by the interviewer before the interview.Aside from publication, results will be disseminated by two teaching institutions, a regional health care provider and DEFACTUM (a public Danish research institution focusing on increasing social equality in health).