The development of an instructional video for the teaching of acupressure for pain management in acute musculoskeletal injuries: A knowledge translation study.

OBJECTIVES: To survey potential stakeholders to obtain information relevant to the production of a video on teaching acupressure for sports injury management, and gain feedback from potential users on the prototype video. DESIGN: Focus groups and online survey methods nested within a knowledge translation framework. PARTICIPANTS: Four focus groups (n = 24) were conducted, two with sports medics and two with sports physiotherapists as a part of the development of a prototype video. Nineteen stakeholders viewed the prototype video and participated in the subsequent online survey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Focus groups' transcripts were analysed to develop themes using a general inductive approach. Survey data analysis incorporated quantitative and qualitative analysis. RESULTS: Three key themes concerning the design of the video emerged from the focus groups: 1) the recommendation for both demonstration and verbal instructions on the acupressure technique; 2) keeping the content of the video to a minimum; and 3) the need for professionalism in the production of the video, and highlighting the presenter's expertise and qualifications. The survey participants found the video to be clear and professional. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively these studies described the development and assessment of a user-oriented instructional video on teaching of acupressure for the management of sports injuries.

Psychological and Lifestyle Factors That Influence the Serial Reporting of Postconcussion-like Symptoms in a Non-concussed Population.

BACKGROUND: Symptoms related to concussion are generally nonspecific in nature, as they are also reported by non-concussed individuals. What is currently not known is whether the symptoms vary over time, and whether they are also influenced by a multitude of factors. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the potential influence of psychological, lifestyle, and situational factors on the change in postconcussion-like symptoms reported over 7 consecutive days in a cohort of normal individuals. DESIGN: This was a longitudinal observational study. SETTING: The setting was a real-world context. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 180 non-concussed university students were enrolled. Of these, 110 participants provided data for the entire period of the study. METHODS: An experience-sampling methodology was used to document the symptoms reported over time. Stepwise multivariate linear mixed-effects modeling was performed to identify the predictors contributing to the serially reported symptoms. INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: Independent variables considered were gender, time of the day, location, primary activity, and type of interactant (person) of the participant, physical activity status, trouble sleeping, alcohol consumption, caffeine consumption, stress, anxiety, depression, mental and physical fatigue, and life stressors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The key outcome measures were the change in total symptom score (TSSchange) and symptom severity score (SSSchange) reported over 7 consecutive days. RESULTS: The predictors of location at the time of reporting, physical fatigue (estimate: -0.98, P < .001) and mental fatigue (estimate: -0.53, P < .001) contributed to the TSSchange. Post hoc analysis of the variable of location at the time of reporting revealed that participants reported increased TSSchange when they were at a café/restaurant compared to a flat/college or university. CONCLUSIONS: A number of factors within the context of daily life influenced the postconcussion-like symptoms reported over time. These findings indicate that clinicians need to be cautious when interpreting the serially assessed symptom scores to track the recovery profile of a concussed athlete to make decisions on return-to-play. Additional investigation is warranted to examine the change in symptom scores reported over time by concussed individuals, considering that this study was conducted in a nonconcussed cohort. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Not applicable.