Intersectionality as a theoretical framework for researching health inequities in chronic pain.

Chronic pain is experienced unequally by different population groups; we outline examples from the pain literature of inequities related to gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic and migration status. Health inequities are systematic, avoidable and unfair differences in health outcomes between groups of people, with the fundamental 'causes of causes' recognised as unequal distribution of income, power and wealth. Intersectionality can add further theory to health inequities literature; collective social identities including class/socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, gender, migration status, age, sexuality and disabled status intersect in multiple interconnected systems of power leading to differing experiences of privilege and oppression which can be understood as axes of health inequities. The process of knowledge creation in pain research is shaped by these interconnected systems of power, and may perpetuate inequities in pain care as it is largely based on majority white, middle class, Eurocentric populations. Intersectionality can inform research epistemology (ways of knowing), priorities, methodology and methods. We give examples from the literature where intersectionality has informed a justice oriented approach across different research methods and we offer suggestions for further development. The use of a reductionist frame can force unachievable objectivity on to complex health concepts, and we note increasing realisation in the field of the need to understand the individuals within their social world, and recognise the fluid and contextual nature of this.

Home-Based Versus Outpatient-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation Post-Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of coronary heart disease continues to increase in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Despite advances in cardiac surgery, there are no established outpatient cardiac rehabilitation programs in the KSA. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of home-based cardiac rehabilitation compared with outpatient-based cardiac rehabilitation and usual care for patients who are post-coronary artery bypass graft surgery. METHOD: This 3-arm, single-blind, randomized controlled trial was carried out at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, KSA. A total of 82 patients post-coronary artery bypass graft surgery were randomized and 73 patients completed the study. Recruited patients were distributed to home-based cardiac rehabilitation (n = 24), outpatient-based cardiac rehabilitation (n = 25), or usual care (control group) (n = 24). Participants in the intervention groups completed an individualized exercise program for 2 hours, 3 times a week for 8 weeks. The control group followed usual care (no intervention). The incremental shuttle walk test (ISWT), metabolic equivalence task, Short Form-36, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were measured at baseline, postintervention, and after a 4-week follow-up period. RESULTS: Postintervention, there was an increase in mean ISWT score from baseline in both the home-based cardiac rehabilitation and outpatient-based cardiac rehabilitation groups (66 [0.58] m and 71 [9.19] m, respectively). No difference was observed in the control group. At the 4-week follow-up, both intervention groups showed statistically significant improvements in all outcome measures (ISWT, metabolic equivalence tasks, HADS-A, HADS-D, and Short Form-36) compared with baseline (all P < .001). The home-based cardiac rehabilitation group showed statistically continuous improvement compared with the outpatient-based cardiac rehabilitation group. The control group did not show any significant changes across time in outcome measures. CONCLUSION: Home-based cardiac rehabilitation is as effective as outpatient-based cardiac rehabilitation. Home-based cardiac rehabilitation appears to be more effective at maintaining improvements follow the end of the intervention.

Charting physiotherapy students' attitudes toward people with chronic pain as they progress through their undergraduate programme: An observational study.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare professionals' attitudes toward people with chronic pain influence their clinical practice. OBJECTIVES: To investigate physiotherapy students' attitudes and beliefs toward people with chronic pain over the course of their Scottish undergraduate program. METHODS: In this observational study, physiotherapy students from one university were recruited in the first year and followed up to their final year (year 1 n = 62/75, year 2 n = 68/72, year 3 n = 59/69, year 4 n = 74/74) for 4 years. The Health-Care Providers' Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale (HC-PAIRS with scores ranging from 15 to 105) was completed annually. RESULTS: A one-way ANOVA found that attitudes and beliefs improved significantly (p < .01) from the first to final year (9.2 ± 11.5 (mean±SD)). Participants showed a reduction in scores (signifying improved attitudes) annually with smaller reductions initially followed by a larger reduction in the final 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to chart changes in the same cohort of physiotherapy students' attitudes and beliefs toward people with chronic pain over time. Future work should explore which aspects of degree courses, if any, impact upon attitudes and beliefs toward people with chronic pain so that courses can be enhanced accordingly.

Efficacy and Feasibility of Pain management and Patient Education for Physical Activity in Intermittent claudication (PrEPAID): protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA) improves functional capacity and quality of life and provides secondary prevention benefits in individuals with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and intermittent claudication (IC). However, pain and patient lack of knowledge are key barriers to the uptake of, and adherence to, PA recommendations. This trial will test the efficacy and feasibility of a non-invasive pain management intervention with and without patient education to improve PA in individuals with PAD and IC. METHODS: This is a randomised, controlled assessor-blinded feasibility trial with four parallel groups. Eighty adults with PAD and IC will be randomly assigned 1:1:1:1 to Active TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation), Placebo TENS, Active TENS + Patient education or Placebo TENS + Patient education groups. All groups will continue to receive usual care over the intervention period. Participants randomised to Active TENS will receive a TENS device (preset at 120 Hz, 200 µs) and will be instructed to use the device daily at home or elsewhere for 6 weeks with a patient-determined intensity of "strong but comfortable". Placebo TENS group participants will receive the same model of TENS device and instructions for use as those in the active group, except that the stimulation dose will be safely altered to produce non-therapeutic, ineffective stimulation. Participants randomised to patient education will receive a one-off 3-h workshop of structured group education (four to five persons in each group) and three sets of twice-weekly phone calls. Efficacy outcomes will be assessed at baseline, after 6 weeks of intervention and at 3 months follow-up. Absolute claudication distance using the Gardner treadmill protocol will be assessed as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes will assess initial claudication distance, daily PA and patient-reported outcomes including quality of life, pain self-efficacy, depression, disease perception and walking impairment pain intensity and quality. Feasibility outcomes will assess rates of recruitment, retention and adherence. Focus groups with participants at the end of the trial will explore the acceptability of the interventions. DISCUSSION: This trial will determine the efficacy and feasibility of using a low-cost, CE-marked non-invasive pain management modality delivered with or without a patient-centred education intervention to improve PA in individuals with PAD and IC. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03204825 . Registered on 2 July 2017.

Patient education interventions to improve physical activity in patients with intermittent claudication: a protocol for a systematic mixed-studies review.

INTRODUCTION: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and intermittent claudication (IC) decrease an individual's capacity to engage in physical activity (PA) with potentially negative effects on PA behaviour. Strategies to improve PA among this population may provide a range of positive health benefits. We present a protocol to assess the components of patient education interventions that improve PA capacity and PA behaviour in patients with PAD and IC. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Published peer-reviewed studies will be searched in the following databases: CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, OVID, ProQuest, AMED, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science Core Collection and PEDro, to identify literature investigating the effect of patient education on PA of patients with PAD and IC, or studies that investigated patients' perceptions or experience with these interventions. Two authors will independently perform screening for study eligibility, result synthesis and then appraise study quality. For interventions without follow-up, primary outcome measures will include change in PA capacity, or change in free-living PA behaviour; where there was a follow-up postintervention, the primary outcome will be rate of adherence to PA behaviour improvement. A three-phase sequential explanatory synthesis of mixed studies will be employed to answer the research questions. Homogenous quantitative data will be analysed using a random-effects model of meta-analysis with results presented as relative risk for dichotomous outcomes and as weighted or standardised means for continuous outcomes. Qualitative data will be analysed using thematic synthesis. This review protocol is reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 guidelines. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42015027314.