Dissonance in views between healthcare professionals and adults with a spinal cord injury with their understanding and interpretation of exercise intensity for exercise prescription

BMJ Open Sp Ex Med, 2023 · DOI: 10.1136/bmjsem-2022-001487 · Published: January 1, 2023

Simple Explanation

This study explores the different understandings of exercise intensity between healthcare professionals (HCPs) and adults living with spinal cord injuries (SCI) in Asia. The research highlights a gap in how HCPs and SCI patients perceive the importance of different aspects of exercise, such as intensity and frequency. The study also investigates whether common terms like 'moderate' and 'vigorous' are sufficient for prescribing exercise intensity to adults with SCI.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

121 HCP and 107 adults with an SCI

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
HCPs ranked 'intensity' as the most important aspect of exercise, while adults with SCI ranked 'frequency' as most important.
2
Only 34% of respondents believed that the terms 'moderate' and 'vigorous' provided enough information for prescribing aerobic exercise intensity.
3
HCPs used heart rate (HR) methods more frequently than the SCI group for exercise prescription (90% vs 54%; p<0.01).

Research Summary

This study aimed to evaluate the difference between healthcare professionals (HCPs) and adults living with spinal cord injury (SCI) in Asia regarding knowledge and interpretation of ‘exercise intensity’ for exercise prescription. The main findings were that certified HCP ranked ‘intensity’ as the key element of the FITT principle with the SCI group highlighting ‘frequency’ as their most important concept. The study revealed differences in understanding and interpretation of monitoring exercise intensity between HCPs and adults with SCI, highlighting the need for tailored educational strategies.

Practical Implications

Clinical Practice Guidelines

The study offers a foundation for developing clinical practice guidelines for adults with SCI, tailored to the needs of specific end-user groups.

Health Referral Pathways

Initiatives such as health referral pathways need to be tailored to the needs and preferences of specific end-users to facilitate appropriate exercise intensity prescription.

Patient Education

HCPs need to ensure that patients with SCI understand how to monitor their exercise intensity independently after being discharged from the hospital.

Study Limitations

1
The survey was limited to multiple-choice questions with responses given on a 5-point Likert scale.
2
It is not known how transferable these findings are to other countries since in Asia the exercise professionals are not independent.
3
The cultural and contextual differences may limit the generalizability of the findings to European or North American countries.

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