At the Psychology Research Centre, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal, Gabriela Ferreira, PhD, is Research Collaborator, Health & Family Research Group; and Ana Cristina Bernardo, MSc, is PhD Student in Psychology. André Carvalho, MD, PhD, is a Consultant in Endocrinology and Diabetes, at Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Porto. M. Graça Pereira, PhD, is the Coordinator of the Health, Well-being and Performance Research Lab, and the coordinator of the Health & Family Research Group in the Psychology Research Centre. She is also an Associate Professor with Habilitation in the School of Psychology, University of Minho.
Adv Skin Wound Care. 2023 Jun 1;36(6):1-10. doi: 10.1097/01.ASW.0000922832.62539.a3. Epub 2023 Apr 4.
To explore patients' and healthcare professionals' (HPs') perspectives on the suitability/acceptability of a relaxation intervention, its effects on patients' well-being and diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) healing, and its incorporation into the multidisciplinary management of patients with diabetic foot.
This qualitative study was nested within a three-arm pilot randomized controlled trial. Patients with a chronic DFU received four relaxation sessions. Investigators then interviewed patients, physicians, and nurses involved with diabetic foot consultations. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic content analysis.
Five themes emerged from patient's interviews about the suitability/acceptability of the relaxation intervention: perceptions regarding the psychological intervention, distress, the relaxation technique, changes in the patient's life, and changes in DFU/contribution to healing. Three themes emerged from interviews with HPs: perceptions regarding relaxation, changes in the patient, and changes in DFU/healing. Regarding the feasibility of the relaxation intervention, three themes emerged for both patients and HPs: suggested modifications, stressors/difficulties, and impact of COVID-19 pandemic. The utility theme emerged only in HP interviews, with subthemes of patients' distress, psychological interventions, relaxation intervention, and integration of the psychologist in the team.
These findings provide evidence for the suitability/acceptability, feasibility, and utility of a relaxation intervention in diabetic foot consultations.
探讨患者和医疗保健专业人员(HPs)对放松干预措施的适宜性/可接受性、对患者幸福感和糖尿病足溃疡(DFU)愈合的影响,以及将其纳入糖尿病足多学科管理的看法。
这项定性研究嵌套在一项三臂先导随机对照试验中。患有慢性 DFU 的患者接受了四次放松疗程。然后,研究人员对参与糖尿病足咨询的患者、医生和护士进行了访谈。访谈进行了录音、转录,并使用主题内容分析进行了分析。
患者访谈中出现了五个主题,涉及放松干预措施的适宜性/可接受性:对心理干预的看法、痛苦、放松技术、患者生活的变化以及 DFU 的变化/对愈合的贡献。与 HPs 的访谈中出现了三个主题:对放松的看法、患者的变化以及 DFU 的变化/愈合。关于放松干预措施的可行性,患者和 HPs 都出现了三个主题:建议的修改、压力源/困难以及 COVID-19 大流行的影响。效用主题仅出现在 HPs 的访谈中,其下主题包括患者的痛苦、心理干预、放松干预以及心理学家在团队中的整合。
这些发现为糖尿病足咨询中放松干预措施的适宜性/可接受性、可行性和实用性提供了证据。