The Experience and Perception of Physiotherapists in Nigeria re: Fall Prevention in Recurrent-Faller Older Adults

Background: Effective fall prevention practices are essential for reducing falls among older adults. Rehabilitation professionals like physiotherapists are essential members of the fall prevention team, yet little is known about the experiences of physiotherapists practicing fall prevention in developing nations. Objective: To explore the experiences of physiotherapists in Nigeria who practice fall prevention among older adults. Method: We adopted a phenomenological approach to the traditional qualitative design in this study. We purposefully selected and conducted face-to-face interview with twelve physiotherapists who have treated at least one older adult who reported falling two or three times within last six months. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Four themes emerged from our participants: characteristics of recurrent fallers, fall prevention practices, hindrances to fall prevention, and strategies to promote fall prevention practices. In practice, understanding the characteristics (risk factors) of older adults with a history of recurrent falls is important for effective fall prevention practices among physiotherapists. Among other characteristics, our participants believed that older adults who have patronized “traditional bone setters/healer” are at the higher risk of having multiple falls. Conclusion: This study adds to the sparse amount of literature concerning the experience of physiotherapist in fall prevention practices in the developing world. More importantly, the findings of this study will strengthen or stimulate discussion around development of fall prevention strategies specific to the developing world context

Exploring the relationship between falls, fall‐related psychological concerns, and personality traits in adults : a scoping review protocol

Background and Aims: Personality traits, such as neuroticism and extraversion, are emerging as important predictors of falls. Despite their significance, existing fall prevention programs often overlook these traits, creating a notable research gap. This study aims to conduct a comprehensive scoping review to explore the existing literature on the relationships among personality traits, falls, and fall-related psychological concerns (FrPCs). Methods: This scoping review will adhere to the framework established by Arksey and O'Malley, incorporating extensions recommended by the Joanna Briggs Institute and using the PRISMA-ScR checklist. A thorough search strategy will be employed, aligning with the population, concept, and context (PCC) selection criteria. Electronic databases, including MEDLINE, APA PsycINFO, Web of Science, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus, will be searched from their inception to the present. Additionally, a manual search of the reference lists of identified and relevant full-text articles will be conducted. Two independent reviewers will screen titles and abstracts, perform full-text reviews, and extract data from pertinent articles. Discussion: Personality traits are increasingly recognized as influential predictors of falls and related psychological concerns. This review aims to make a substantial contribution to the existing literature by being the first to comprehensively explore and provide a descriptive synthesis of the relationship between personality traits and falls, as well as FrPCs in adults. It is hoped that the outcomes of this review will enhance our comprehension of the role of personality traits in falls, potentially informing future research and strategies for this critical area of study. Scoping Review Registration: This scoping review protocol was registered with Open Science Framework (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/KR74X)

Methodology and reporting quality of 544 studies related to ageing: a continued discussion in setting priorities for ageing research in Africa

# Background The quality assessment provides information on the overall strength of evidence and methodological quality of a research design, highlighting the level of confidence the reader should place on the findings for decision making. This paper aimed to assess the quality (methodology and quality of reporting) of ageing studies in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). # Method This paper is the second of a Four-Part Series paper of a previous systematic mapping review of peer-reviewed literature on ageing studies conducted in SSA. We updated the literature search to include additional 32 articles, a total of 544 articles included in this paper. Downs & Black checklist, Case Report guidelines checklist, the 45-items Lundgren et al. checklist, and the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool were used to assess the methodological quality of quantitative, case reports, qualitative, and mixed-method studies. Quality assessment was piloted and conducted in pairs for each study type. Depending on the checklist, each study was classified as excellent, good, fair, or poor. # Result Of the 544 articles, we performed the quality assessment of a total of 451 quantitative studies $$Randomized control trials (RCTs) and pre-post (n=15), longitudinal (n=122), case-control (n=15) and cross-sectional (n=300); 4 case reports, 74 qualitative and 15 mixed-method studies. Only 20.4$$. The remaining 433 were rated as moderate quality (n=292, 53.7%), fair quality (n = 96, 17.7%) and poor quality (n = 45, 8.2%). Most (80%) quantitative articles' sample size is small, resulting in insufficient power to detect a clinically or significant important effect. Three-quarter (75%) of the qualitative studies did not report their research team characteristics and a reflexivity component of the 45-items Lundgren et al. checklist. Mixed-method studies with low quality did not report the qualitative studies properly. # Conclusion We conclude that the methodological and quality reporting of published studies on ageing in SSA show variable quality, albeit primarily moderate quality, against high quality. Studies with a large sample size are recommended, and qualitative researchers should provide a section on research team members' characteristics and reflexivity in their paper or as an appendix

Patients’ satisfaction with physiotherapy management of chronic mechanical neck pain in physiotherapy departments of public hospitals in Ibadan, Nigeria: a mixed-method study

Introduction: The study was aimed at determining patients’ satisfaction level with physiotherapy in the management of chronic mechanical neck pain (CMNP) in physiotherapy departments of the 3 public hospitals in Ibadan, Nigeria. Methods: A mixed-method design that involved 51 and five both purposively selected participants for the cross-sectional survey (CSS) and qualitative study, respectively. For the CSS, data was collected using the MedRisk instrument and analyzed using the Chi-square test at p ≤ .05. For the qualitative study, patients’ satisfaction was explored through a focus group discussion (FGD) and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: For CSS, 49.0% and 7.8% of the participants reported excellent and fair satisfaction, respectively, with physiotherapy in the management of CMNP. There was no significant association of patients’ satisfaction level with: age (p = .588); sex (p = .851); and marital status (p = .409). For the FGD, three themes (patients’ experience with physiotherapists; patient satisfaction with physiotherapy services; patient satisfaction with other health care services) that emerged further explained that participants were satisfied with physiotherapy management of their CMNP. However, they were not satisfied with the attitude of the record officers, constancy of the same treating physiotherapists, and unavailability of resources. Conclusion: Patients with CMNP are satisfied with the physiotherapy care they received

The Burden Experience of Formal and Informal Caregivers of Older Adults With Hip Fracture in Nigeria

Introduction The incidence of hip fracture among older adults in Nigeria is on the rise. As a result, there is increased frequency of hospitalization, patient suffering, family burden, and societal cost. One dimension that has not been sufficiently explored is the burden of care experienced by informal and formal caregivers. Objectives To describe the care burden experience of informal and formal caregivers for older adults with hip fractures in a specialized orthopedic center in Nigeria and to explore in detail how their experience differs in caregiving roles. Method This study was conducted in the phenomenological approach of qualitative methods. Face-to-face interviews and focus group interaction with 12 family caregivers and 5 health-care professionals were carried out until data saturation was achieved. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results The physical, emotional, and general health of elderly hip fracture patients are issues that affect caregiving. Factors that contribute to increased caregivers’ burden include system factors (lack of personnel and health-care facilities) and patient factors: comorbidity, patient’s cognitive status, and challenges completing activities of daily living (ADL). Social and financial barriers to care contribute to the type of burden experienced by the participants. Conclusions Caregivers experience difficulty in helping patients complete their ADL because patients with hip fracture have mobility issues that are often complicated by comorbid physical and cognitive problems. Strategies to reduce caregivers’ burden for older adults with hip fracture in Nigeria are needed. Greater access to health-care services and ADL aids, and training of caregivers on how to deal with cognitive and multimorbid health problems are potential solutions