Clinical trial NCT04952623: Online Education to Improve the Management of Rotator Cuff Related Shoulder Pain
Official title: Randomized Controlled Trial of Online Education for Physiotherapy Students to Improve the Management of Rotator Cuff Related Shoulder Pain
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Subacromial Pain Syndrome
Rotator Cuff Injuries
Keywords: Online education
Shoulder pain
Physiotherapy
Lead sponsor: Marmara University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2021-07-07
Enrollment: 198
Sex: ALL
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: OTHER

Brief summary: A randomized controlled trial: Conservative treatments including physiotherapy and rehabilitation in the management of rotator cuff-related shoulder pain (RCRSP) are generally accepted as the first-line treatment approach, however, it is known that the disease-specific physiotherapy methods used by physiotherapists are highly variable. This may be caused by the insufficient knowledge of therapists about evidence-based interventions to RCRSP. The aim of this study is to develop the '' Rotator Cuff Related Shoulder Pain E-learning Program'' and evaluate its effect on students' knowledge and clinical reasoning skills related to evidence-based RCRSP interventions and their levels of confidence to have this knowledge compared with a control group.

Detailed description: Shoulder pain is one of society's most common musculoskeletal problems, with a prevalence defined between 16-26%. Almost 70% of shoulder pain complaints are caused by pathologies associated with the rotator cuff. Conservative treatments including physiotherapy are widely accepted as a first-line treatment approach in the management of shoulder pain and on the other hand, the variety of physiotherapy practice is conspicuous. Despite the majority of physiotherapists provide treatment in line with current evidence, passive modalities are still highly preferred by some physiotherapists. The gap between research evidence and practice could be slightly due to the lack of an up-to-date undergraduate physiotherapy curriculum about the RCRSP. Therefore, the aim of this study is to develop the '' Rotator Cuff Related Shoulder Pain E-learning Program'' and evaluate its effect on students' knowledge and clinical reasoning skills related to evidence-based RCRSP interventions and their levels of confidence to have this knowledge compared with a control group. A randomized controlled trial including 146 4th grade physiotherapy students will be conducted. Students will be randomized into an e-learning group (n=73) or wait-list control group (n=73). The primary outcome will be the RCRSP achievement test, and the secondary outcome will be the self-reported confidence in knowledge and clinical reasoning skills related to RCRSP. All data will be collected through an online survey, which will be applied in two different time periods: pre-intervention and post-intervention. All groups will first answer the questionnaire at the beginning (week 0) and after the study group's e-learning activity (4-5 weeks).

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* 3th or 4th grade physiotherapy students

Exclusion Criteria:

* Students who are not currently enrolled in 3th or 4th grade

Primary outcomes:
measure: Rotator cuff related shoulder pain achievement test
timeFrame: Change from baseline test scores at 4 weeks
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Self-reported confidence in knowledge and clinical reasoning skills related to rotator cuff related shoulder pain
timeFrame: Change from baseline self-reported scores at 4 weeks
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: İstanbul
country: Turkey
facility: Marmara University
Study officials:
affiliation: Marmara University
name: Mine Gülden Polat, PhD.
role: STUDY_CHAIR
affiliation: Marmara University
name: Bahar Ayberk, PhD.
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: