Factors that influence exercise provision in clinical services V0.1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the factors that influence exercise provision in clinical services Version V0.1
IRAS ID
302454
Contact name
Paula Watson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Liverpool John Moores University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Summary of Research
When someone has a long-term medical condition such as high blood pressure or diabetes, they are offered a range of treatment options, which may include exercise support and guidance. Regular exercise has been shown to help people with medical conditions become healthier and cope better with the effect of other medical therapies such as drug treatments. For these reasons supervised exercise often within clinical settings (such as hospitals) is available across most long-term conditions in the UK. There is however, a lot of variation in the staff running these services. In this study, we will take an in-depth look at two services who employ staff with specific exercise qualifications and work in teams with other health professionals. At each site we will speak and get to know those who run and deliver the exercise programme (exercise professionals, nurses, physiotherapists) and the patients using the service, so we can understand how it works. We will gather this information over a 12-week period by talking individually or in small groups or observing how the exercise service runs on a day-to-day basis. This information will allow us to gain an understanding of how exercise professionals can help when providing clinical exercise to the general public. It will also provide guidance for running other services and inform the future training of exercise professionals who wish to work in this setting.Summary of Results
Lay summary of study results: Registered clinical exercise physiologists within this cardiac-specific, hospital and community-based service were essential for the provision of innovative and individualized exercise prescription, underpinned by their participation in real-world clinical research trials. The localized (site specific) service structure enabled staff upskilling through shared peer experiences, observations and collaborative working between clinical exercise physiologists and the other healthcare professionals within the service. Clinical nurse specialists enabled a smooth transition of referrals from hospital into the exercise component of the service and delivered most of the behaviour change elements of the programme. Registered clinical exercise physiologists were able to take part in impromptu lifestyle conversations and `teachable moments` with patients concerning behaviour change, however, specific timetabled education sessions were less effective for patient engagement.REC name
East Midlands - Leicester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/EM/0227
Date of REC Opinion
7 Oct 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion