TY - JOUR
T1 - Therapist competencies in the context of group-based exercise programs in medical rehabilitation
T2 - a qualitative study with patients and exercise therapists from Germany
AU - Schuber, André Arik
AU - Gernert, Madeleine
AU - Schaller, Andrea
N1 - © 2023. The Author(s).
PY - 2023/1
Y1 - 2023/1
N2 - BACKGROUND: Group-based exercise programs account for nearly half of exercise therapy services provided in German medical rehabilitation facilities. However, information about necessary therapist competencies for the successful execution of these programs is sparse. Thus, the aim of this qualitative study was to explore relevant therapist competencies in the context of group-based exercise programs from the patients' and therapists' perspective.METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five rehabilitation patients following a 3-week inpatient orthopedic rehabilitation program as well as five exercise therapists with work experience in group-based exercise therapy. Data were analyzed using structuring content analysis according to Kuckartz.RESULTS: From 155 topic-related text passages, collected over 10 interviews, four competency categories with 16 subcategories and respective characteristics were identified. In addition to professional expertise like biomedical knowledge, exercise therapists were expected to possess a multitude of didactic-methodological, personal, and social-communicative abilities.CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the psychosocial, behavioral and educational goals of group-based exercise programs necessitate a wide range of therapist competencies. These conform to the multidimensional nature of exercise therapy and should therefore be covered in vocational and continuing education.
AB - BACKGROUND: Group-based exercise programs account for nearly half of exercise therapy services provided in German medical rehabilitation facilities. However, information about necessary therapist competencies for the successful execution of these programs is sparse. Thus, the aim of this qualitative study was to explore relevant therapist competencies in the context of group-based exercise programs from the patients' and therapists' perspective.METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five rehabilitation patients following a 3-week inpatient orthopedic rehabilitation program as well as five exercise therapists with work experience in group-based exercise therapy. Data were analyzed using structuring content analysis according to Kuckartz.RESULTS: From 155 topic-related text passages, collected over 10 interviews, four competency categories with 16 subcategories and respective characteristics were identified. In addition to professional expertise like biomedical knowledge, exercise therapists were expected to possess a multitude of didactic-methodological, personal, and social-communicative abilities.CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the psychosocial, behavioral and educational goals of group-based exercise programs necessitate a wide range of therapist competencies. These conform to the multidimensional nature of exercise therapy and should therefore be covered in vocational and continuing education.
KW - Exercise therapy
KW - Musculoskeletal diseases
KW - Professional competence
KW - Qualitative research
KW - Rehabilitation
UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/a7a9844f-affb-3785-8b1f-b7abd44fa592/
U2 - 10.1186/s13102-023-00674-8
DO - 10.1186/s13102-023-00674-8
M3 - Journal articles
C2 - 37085945
SN - 2052-1847
VL - 15
JO - BMC sports science, medicine and rehabilitation
JF - BMC sports science, medicine and rehabilitation
M1 - 64
ER -