Observational Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Jun 6, 2024; 12(16): 2765-2772
Published online Jun 6, 2024. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i16.2765
Perceptions and factors influencing exercise interventions in elderly patients with debilitating spinal surgery and healthcare professionals: A qualitative study
Rong-Rong Cheng, Rui Li
Rong-Rong Cheng, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu Province, China
Rui Li, Department of Nursing, Tong Ren Hospital Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai 200335, China
Co-corresponding authors: Rong-Rong Cheng and Rui Li.
Author contributions: Cheng RR and Li R performed the study design, data collection, data analysis, and manuscript writing. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.
Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Shanghai Tongren Hospital, No. 2022-074-01.
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement- checklist of items.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Rui Li, MSc, Chief Nurse, Professor, Department of Nursing, Tong Ren Hospital Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, No. 1111, Xianxia Road, Changning District, Shanghai 200335, China. 18616365160@163.com
Received: February 26, 2024
Revised: April 5, 2024
Accepted: April 15, 2024
Published online: June 6, 2024
Processing time: 93 Days and 11.3 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Older spine surgery patients have a high incidence of debilitation, which can be managed with certain exercises.

AIM

To investigate the current status and influencing factors related to the knowledge of exercise intervention among patients and professionals.

METHODS

Descriptive research methods were used to classify and summarize patients and professionals’ perceptions and factors affecting exercise interventions. Data were analysed using the Colaizzi seven-step analysis method to distill and refine themes.

RESULTS

A total of 7 themes were identified: (1) The current status of patients' exercise is unsatisfactory; (2) patients' health literacy is low, coupled with a lack of social and family support; (3) there are numerous challenges with systematic exercise interventions; (4) healthcare professionals acknowledge the importance and need for exercise interventions; (5) there's a pronounced willingness among patients to participate in exercise intervention programs; (6) healthcare professionals believe that exercise interventions are beneficial; and (7) participants offered invaluable insights and suggestions on perioperative exercise during spinal surgery.

CONCLUSION

To investigate the current status and influencing factors related to the knowledge of exercise intervention among patients and the related healthcare professionals to provide a reference for the construction of exercise management programs for these patients.

Keywords: Elderly; Frailty; Spine; Exercise; Qualitative research

Core Tip: Older patients undergoing spinal surgery tend to exhibit a higher incidence of frailty, and older patients can combat and manage frailty with appropriate exercise training. Descriptive research methods were used to classify and summarize patients and professionals’ perceptions and factors affecting exercise interventions. To investigate the current status and influencing factors related to the knowledge of exercise intervention among patients and the related healthcare professionals to provide a reference for the construction of exercise management programs for these patients. Healthcare professionals should attend to the physical and psychological needs of patients, and offer tailored support.