부산대학교 도서관

Introduction: Therapeutic alliance (TA) is a necessity for optimal physiotherapy treatment for patients with musculoskeletal (MSK) pain1,2. Mutual understanding and open communication are important in building strong TA1,2. Building TA with patients from socio-cultural vulnerable groups seems to be difficult and might be related with higher risk on poor treatment outcomes3. Therefore, the aims of this study are to: (1) determine facilitators and barriers for building optimal TA with patients with MSK pain from socio-cultural vulnerable groups (2) develop and implement interventions to optimize TA. Methods: This participatory action research consists of multiple cycles of five phases in which researchers, clinicians and patients work closely together to investigate and optimize TA. Both observational research and semi-structured interviews will be conducted to gather data for reflection and deep understanding. Preliminary results will be used to collectively develop and implement interventions to optimize TA. This cycle of data collection and reflection will be repeated until optimal outcomes in TA are achieved from both therapist and patient perspective. Results: Diverse facilitators and barriers in TA are expected such as communication styles, language barriers, and expectations of treatment. Working together with patients and physiotherapists as co-researchers creates the ability to jointly investigate and optimize TA. Discussion: Since MSK pain is a frequent and debilitating health problem in patients from socio-cultural vulnerable groups, research into improving TA is important. By using participatory action research, knowledge about barriers and facilitators for TA can be obtained and changes in current physiotherapy practice may be facilitated. Process evaluation: Currently, the research design and practical preparations are being finalized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]