Weight-bearing in Trauma Surgery (WiTS) Study: A national survey of UK Trauma & Orthopaedic multidisciplinary health professionals.

INTRODUCTION: Weight-bearing (WB) status following a fracture or surgical fixation is an important determinant of the mechanical environment for healing. In order for healthcare professionals to communicate and understand the extent of bearing weight through a limb, clear terminology must be used. There is widespread variation in the usage and definitions of WB terminology in the literature and clinical practice. This study sought to define the understanding and extent of variation across the United Kingdom. METHODS: A nationwide online survey of UK-based Trauma & Orthopaedic (T&O) multidisciplinary healthcare professionals was conducted. Participants answered seven questions assessing their usage and understanding of various WB terminology. RESULTS: A total of 707 responses were received: 48% by doctors, 32% by physiotherapists, 13% by occupational therapists and 7% from other healthcare professionals. In terms of understanding of WB terminology with respect to percentage body weight (BW), 89% of respondents interpret 'full WB' as 100% BW, 97% interpret 'non WB' as 0% BW, 80% interpret 'partial WB' as 50% BW, and 89% interpret 'touch/toe-touch WB' as 10% or 20% BW. There were statistically significant differences between the responses of doctors and therapists for these four terms, with doctors tending to give higher %BW values. 'Protected WB' and 'WB as tolerated' had less consensus and more variability in responses. The majority (68%) of respondents do not usually quantify terminology such as 'partial WB' with a value, and 94% agreed that standardisation of WB terminology would improve communication amongst professionals. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence of the substantial variation in the understanding of WB terminology amongst healthcare professionals, which likely results in ambiguous rehabilitation advice. Existing literature has shown that patients struggle to comply with terms such as 'partial weight-bearing'. We recommend consensus within the T&O multidisciplinary community to standardise and define common weight-bearing terminology.

Participation motivation of Australian children involved in organized sport.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the participation motives of Australian youth involved in a number of sports, determine any sport differences, and compare the results with North American findings. Four hundred and four male and female youths from 8 to 18 years of age and from five sports participated in the study. Subjects responded to a 27-item sport participation motive questionnaire. Responses indicated that the most important reasons for participation in sport were 'to improve skills,' 'be physically fit,' 'compete,' 'learn new skills; and 'to be challenged.' These reasons were similar to North American findings except for the absence of 'fun' in Australian data. Male and female responses were similar, thus supporting previous research. However, significant differences emerged as a function of age and sport. Younger participants endorsed extrinsic and social motives to a greater degree than older participants. Swimmers considered 'having fun,' 'being with friends,' 'action' and 'excitement' as all of significantly less importance than participants from other sports. Factor analyses suggested four dimensions of participation motivation. These were labelled 'team/achievement,' 'situational,' 'status' and 'fitness.' Factor structures varied in several important instances compared with North American data. This study generally supports previous North American findings, but does suggest cultural differences in participation motivation as well as sport and age differences.