“Seems like something I would use a lot”: evaluation of an online resource MyPainHub for people with musculoskeletal conditions and their healthcare professionals.
Dragana Ceprnja1, Katherine Maka1, Jonathan Ko2, Kerrie Evans2,3, Trudy Rebbeck2,4 1Westmead Hospital WSLHD, Sydney, NSW, Australia2University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia3Healthia Limited, Brisbane, QLD, Australia4Kolling Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Abstract
Background: Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, including low back pain, neck pain, and knee osteoarthritis, present with high disease burden. However, guideline-based care is poorly implemented by healthcare professionals. To address this gap, the MyPainHub.com website was developed to function as an online hub to support clinicians and patients. This study evaluated whether MyPainHub is practical, feasible and acceptable for implementation in a tertiary-care setting.
Methods: Six MSK physiotherapists and eighteen patients referred for treatment of MSK conditions participated in the study from May to October 2022. Physiotherapists were encouraged to use the MyPainHub resources to assist in the assessment and management of MSK patients, whilst patients were provided with access to resources to support their care. After three months, the physiotherapists and patients were invited to attend focus groups to explore acceptability, credibility and feasibility of MyPainHub.
Results: Four broad themes were identified: 1. Adds to my understanding of the condition; 2. Credible and trustworthy; 3. Supports self-efficacy; and 4. More information is required. There was clear support for MyPainHub in supporting self-management. Patients reported it increased their understanding of conditions and “helps them to cope”. However, physiotherapists identified some challenges with implementation and opportunities for change, such as improving cultural diversity.
Conclusions: The findings suggest that patients and clinicians found MyPainHub to be credible, easy to navigate and contained useful information, however greater training was required to optimise utilisation in clinical practice. With additional support for implementation, MyPainHub has potential to improve the management of MSK conditions in tertiary care.
Biography
Dragana Ceprnja is a Health Professional Educator and senior musculoskeletal physiotherapist at Westmead Hospital. Dragana is currently enrolled in a PhD at Western Sydney University. Dragana has a strong commitment to improving health care experiences and outcomes in musculoskeletal conditions, and is involved in research addressing services in low back pain, knee osteoarthritis, cancer rehabilitation and health literacy.