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Exploring the use of musculoskeletal ultrasound imaging by podiatrists: an international survey

Exploring the use of musculoskeletal ultrasound imaging by podiatrists: an international survey
Exploring the use of musculoskeletal ultrasound imaging by podiatrists: an international survey

Background: Podiatrists, in musculoskeletal services, are demonstrating an expansion of their practice skills through the use of ultrasound imaging. There is an assumption that this practice is beneficial within the context of patient care and health systems. The aim of this research was to further investigate the use of musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) by podiatrists within their clinical setting and gain additional insights into the impact that they perceive use of MSUS has on their approaches to management of musculoskeletal foot and ankle problems. Method: An international study utilising a cross-sectional design and an internet-based platform was undertaken. The survey was developed and implemented through three phases: 1. survey development, 2. face validity agreement via questionnaire review, and 3. survey distribution and data collection. Twenty-two survey questions were developed and set as a two-step approach collecting quantitative data (part 1) and qualitative free text data (part 2). Data was exported from SurveyMonkey and analysed using Microsoft Excel software. Counts and frequencies were calculated for responses to all twenty closed questions. Responses to the two final open-ended questions were analysed using thematic analysis to search for patterns related to podiatrists’ perceptions of impact. Results: Two hundred and thirty-two eligible participants consented to complete the survey. The majority (n = 159) of respondents were from the UK and Spain. Commonly MSUS has been used in practice for (i) diagnosing pathology, (ii) supporting rehabilitation, (iii) supporting interventions or (iv) research purposes. Most frequently, MSUS was used to assist in the diagnosis of injury/pathology (84%). A range of free text comments were received from the participants in response to the question relating to their thoughts on the impact of using MSUS imaging in their practice (n = 109) and on their perceptions of how the use of MSUS has influenced their approaches to management of their patients’ musculoskeletal foot and ankle problems (n = 108). Thematic analysis of the free text comments generated four themes: (i) diagnosis, (ii) delivery and access of care, (iii) patient education and engagement, and (iv) patient empowerment. Conclusion: The perceived benefit podiatrists indicated in using MSUS as part of their practice is the perceived improvement in patient journeys through tighter, focused management plans and reduced waiting times. An additional novel finding was that MSUS provided the capacity for podiatrists to better inform patients of their diagnosis, which they believed led to improved engagement and consequent empowerment of patients in their treatment plans. We propose further investigation of patient experiences as well as testing of the model that embeds podiatrists’ use of MSUS as a key skill in musculoskeletal foot and ankle services.

Impact, Musculoskeletal, Podiatry, Ultrasound imaging
1757-1146
39
Dando, Charlotte
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Ellis, Richard
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Carroll, Matthew
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Molyneux, Prue
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Gijon-Nogueron, Gabriel
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Siddle, Heidi J.
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Cherry, Lindsey
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Gatt, Alfred
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Bowen, Catherine
fd85c3c5-96d9-49b8-86c6-caa94e1a222b
Dando, Charlotte
d25a5d95-2f34-4fe6-af90-4a1569ca60fc
Ellis, Richard
bf3e2ce1-2010-4487-81ed-e0c25be4fe17
Carroll, Matthew
3f70a4eb-4540-4e77-81e2-94ebfdece2a5
Molyneux, Prue
aca46efc-cd44-4367-adec-7e457e0ad665
Gijon-Nogueron, Gabriel
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Siddle, Heidi J.
29d61acf-b701-4240-be48-be867a8334e4
Cherry, Lindsey
95256156-ce8c-4e7c-b04d-b6e459232441
Gatt, Alfred
81802766-94be-4893-b212-fdd7a6b6533a
Bowen, Catherine
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Dando, Charlotte, Ellis, Richard, Carroll, Matthew, Molyneux, Prue, Gijon-Nogueron, Gabriel, Siddle, Heidi J., Cherry, Lindsey, Gatt, Alfred and Bowen, Catherine (2021) Exploring the use of musculoskeletal ultrasound imaging by podiatrists: an international survey. Journal of Foot and Ankle Research, 14 (1), 39, [39]. (doi:10.1186/s13047-021-00478-4).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background: Podiatrists, in musculoskeletal services, are demonstrating an expansion of their practice skills through the use of ultrasound imaging. There is an assumption that this practice is beneficial within the context of patient care and health systems. The aim of this research was to further investigate the use of musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) by podiatrists within their clinical setting and gain additional insights into the impact that they perceive use of MSUS has on their approaches to management of musculoskeletal foot and ankle problems. Method: An international study utilising a cross-sectional design and an internet-based platform was undertaken. The survey was developed and implemented through three phases: 1. survey development, 2. face validity agreement via questionnaire review, and 3. survey distribution and data collection. Twenty-two survey questions were developed and set as a two-step approach collecting quantitative data (part 1) and qualitative free text data (part 2). Data was exported from SurveyMonkey and analysed using Microsoft Excel software. Counts and frequencies were calculated for responses to all twenty closed questions. Responses to the two final open-ended questions were analysed using thematic analysis to search for patterns related to podiatrists’ perceptions of impact. Results: Two hundred and thirty-two eligible participants consented to complete the survey. The majority (n = 159) of respondents were from the UK and Spain. Commonly MSUS has been used in practice for (i) diagnosing pathology, (ii) supporting rehabilitation, (iii) supporting interventions or (iv) research purposes. Most frequently, MSUS was used to assist in the diagnosis of injury/pathology (84%). A range of free text comments were received from the participants in response to the question relating to their thoughts on the impact of using MSUS imaging in their practice (n = 109) and on their perceptions of how the use of MSUS has influenced their approaches to management of their patients’ musculoskeletal foot and ankle problems (n = 108). Thematic analysis of the free text comments generated four themes: (i) diagnosis, (ii) delivery and access of care, (iii) patient education and engagement, and (iv) patient empowerment. Conclusion: The perceived benefit podiatrists indicated in using MSUS as part of their practice is the perceived improvement in patient journeys through tighter, focused management plans and reduced waiting times. An additional novel finding was that MSUS provided the capacity for podiatrists to better inform patients of their diagnosis, which they believed led to improved engagement and consequent empowerment of patients in their treatment plans. We propose further investigation of patient experiences as well as testing of the model that embeds podiatrists’ use of MSUS as a key skill in musculoskeletal foot and ankle services.

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Accepted/In Press date: 29 April 2021
Published date: 12 May 2021
Additional Information: Funding Information: This study was supported by a University of Southampton Research Development grant. We awarded a voucher as an incentive to support study completion. The value of the vouchers was £250.00. Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s).
Keywords: Impact, Musculoskeletal, Podiatry, Ultrasound imaging

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 449292
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/449292
ISSN: 1757-1146
PURE UUID: d6d5fcd8-fc5d-4748-a884-7c084b167cef
ORCID for Charlotte Dando: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-6954-4212
ORCID for Lindsey Cherry: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-3165-1004
ORCID for Catherine Bowen: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-7252-9515

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Date deposited: 21 May 2021 16:33
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:07

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Contributors

Author: Charlotte Dando ORCID iD
Author: Richard Ellis
Author: Matthew Carroll
Author: Prue Molyneux
Author: Gabriel Gijon-Nogueron
Author: Heidi J. Siddle
Author: Lindsey Cherry ORCID iD
Author: Alfred Gatt
Author: Catherine Bowen ORCID iD

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