Development of overarching themes.

BackgroundPhysical activity is encouraged for people with Multiple Sclerosis. Yoga is a popular form of physical activity and is chosen by some people with Multiple Sclerosis. However, little is known about the impact of yoga for this population, alongside what influences ongoing engagement.AimThe aim of this study is to qualitatively explore the impact of online home-based yoga on people with Multiple Sclerosis and to explore factors that influence engagement.MethodsA qualitative study using semi-structured interviews and focus groups with people with Multiple Sclerosis and a yoga teacher. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Ethical Approval was gained from Northumbria University.FindingsThree overarching themes emerged from the analysis. ‘Yoga as engagement in physical activity’ captured the reasoning for participating in yoga and how this method of physical activity was an alternative to physical activity done prior to diagnosis. Frustration was apparent within this theme that some individuals were unable to engage in the range of physical activity that they wished to. ‘Yoga is a personalised approach’ demonstrated the flexibility and inclusivity of yoga, for individuals with varying symptoms to be able to engage with. Finally, ‘yoga impacts individuals both physically and psychologically’ captured the focus on the psychological impact of yoga, improving wellbeing and control.ConclusionsYoga gives people with Multiple Sclerosis the feeling of control over their symptoms and a means to engage with meaningful physical activity. Prior involvement in physical activity influenced engagement in yoga and wanting to push themselves. There was reluctance among this group to engage with aerobic activity, which warrants future investigation and support from health and exercise professionals.</div

Focus group / semi-structured interview schedule.

BackgroundPhysical activity is encouraged for people with Multiple Sclerosis. Yoga is a popular form of physical activity and is chosen by some people with Multiple Sclerosis. However, little is known about the impact of yoga for this population, alongside what influences ongoing engagement.AimThe aim of this study is to qualitatively explore the impact of online home-based yoga on people with Multiple Sclerosis and to explore factors that influence engagement.MethodsA qualitative study using semi-structured interviews and focus groups with people with Multiple Sclerosis and a yoga teacher. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Ethical Approval was gained from Northumbria University.FindingsThree overarching themes emerged from the analysis. ‘Yoga as engagement in physical activity’ captured the reasoning for participating in yoga and how this method of physical activity was an alternative to physical activity done prior to diagnosis. Frustration was apparent within this theme that some individuals were unable to engage in the range of physical activity that they wished to. ‘Yoga is a personalised approach’ demonstrated the flexibility and inclusivity of yoga, for individuals with varying symptoms to be able to engage with. Finally, ‘yoga impacts individuals both physically and psychologically’ captured the focus on the psychological impact of yoga, improving wellbeing and control.ConclusionsYoga gives people with Multiple Sclerosis the feeling of control over their symptoms and a means to engage with meaningful physical activity. Prior involvement in physical activity influenced engagement in yoga and wanting to push themselves. There was reluctance among this group to engage with aerobic activity, which warrants future investigation and support from health and exercise professionals.</div

International, multi-disciplinary, cross-section study of pain knowledge and attitudes in nursing, midwifery and allied health professions students

Background: Persistent pain is a highly prevalent, global cause of disability. Research suggests that many healthcare professionals are not well equipped to manage pain, and this may be attributable at least in part to undergraduate education. The primary aim of this study was to quantify and compare frst and fnal year nursing, midwifery and allied health professional (NMAHP) students’ pain related knowledge and attitudes. The secondary aim was to explore what factors infuence students’ pain related knowledge and attitudes.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 1154 frst and fnal year healthcare students, from 12 universities in fve diferent countries completed the Revised Neurophysiology of Pain Quiz (RNPQ) [knowledge] and the Health Care Providers Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale (HC-PAIRS) [attitudes].Results: Physiotherapy was the only student group with statistically and clinically improved pain related knowledge [mean diference, 95% CI] (3.4, 3.0 to 3.9, p=0.01) and attitudes (-17.2, -19.2 to 15.2, p=0.01) between frst and fnal year. Pain education teaching varied considerably from course to course (0 to 40 h), with greater levels of pain related knowledge and attitudes associated with higher volumes of pain specifc teaching.Conclusions: There was little diference in pain knowledge and attitudes between all frst and fnal year NMAHP students other than physiotherapy. This suggests that for most NMAHP disciplines, undergraduate teaching has little or no impact on students’ understanding of pain. There is an urgent need to enhance pain education provision at the undergraduate level in NMAHPs.</p