The UPPScAle Project
Undergraduate Physiotherapy Pain Science Augmentation Project
Information Sheet Patient Representatives
Brona Fullen, an Associate Professor in the UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science is undertaking a research project that is examining pain science education in undergraduate Physiotherapy programmes in five universities across Europe. The UPPSCAle project (Undergraduate Physiotherapy Pain Science Augmentation Project) is funded by the Higher Education Authority Erasmus Plus programme.
What is this research about?
The UPPSCAle project aims to improve pain science education in BSc Physiotherapy Programmes in five universities across Europe. Having identified gaps in pain science education the five universities now wish to develop new modules / lectures.
To help inform these new modules / lectures we are seeking feedback from people living with chronic pain (pain for more than 6 months) about the skills they believe are necessary for graduate Physiotherapists to have for treating people with pain and how these skills can be integrated into teaching. We wish to have an equal number of males and females and aged between 20-60 years with a range of chronic pain conditions e.g. migraine, chronic low back pain, neck pain. The study has received ethics exemption from the UCD Human Research Ethics committee (LS-E-21-284-Fullen).
Why are you doing this research?
Including the opinions and feedback from patient representatives with a range of ages, genders, chronic pain diagnoses and years with chronic pain (pain for more than 6 months) is essential to inform teaching, and this feedback approach is used every year on the BSc Physiotherapy curriculum.
How will the data be used?
The feedback we receive will be aggregated, anonymised and incorporated into the learning objectives of the new modules / lectures. All information will be treated in the strictest confidence, and you will not be identifiable in any way.
What will happen if I decide to take part in this research study?
If you wish to learn more about the study or decide to take part in the study please contact the principal investigator Brona Fullen (contact details at the end of the leaflet). She will arrange a suitable time to discuss the study by phone or answer any questions you have by email, which ever you prefer. Once all your questions have been answered, if you still wish to participate you will be asked to complete a short demographic form (age, chronic pain diagnosis, gender) and informed consent form which will be sent by email using the secure platform Qualtrics. Due to COVID19 the workshop will be held on zoom on Tuesday 8th February 2022 via Zoom.
We will record the workshop to help with summarising the outcomes. The recording will be downloaded from the zoom cloud and stored in an encrypted file on the research assistant’s password protected laptop. Participants can choose if they wish not to have their camera on during the workshop. The workshop will be transcribed within 2 weeks and the recording will then be deleted in line with UCD policy.
The workshop will begin at 10.00am and finish at 3.30pm which includes a coffee and lunch break.
The Primary investigator (Brona Fullen) is leading the organisation of the workshop along with the four partners in the UPPScAle grant. The workshop will be facilitated by experts from UCD Centre for Teaching and Learning.
There will be three sessions
10.30am Workshop Introduction
Session 1 11.00-12.00pm
Working together patient representatives will be asked:
(i)what they want graduates to know about treating people with pain
(ii) what they consider a good patient consultation to be
(iii) How they like to be treated
At the same time 10 Physiotherapy students and recent graduates will propose skills they should have, and 12 academics will discuss how new modules can be incorporated into current BSc Physiotherapy timetables.
Session 2 Feedback Session 12.00-1.00pm
The three groups (patient representatives, students/ recent graduates, academics) will come together to share their ideas.
Session 3 Refining Session 2.00-3.30pm
Working in small mixed group (patient representatives, students / recent graduates, academic staff from 5 universities) all will discuss and propose how these skills could be integrated into new topics modules. The suggestions will be communicated to all participants at the end of the session.
What will happen if I decide not to take part in the study?
Nothing will happen if you decide not to take part in UPPSCAle project. You will be thanked for your time and you will not be contacted again
What will happen if I decide to withdraw from the study?
You can withdraw from the study at any time, including on the day without any notice.
How will you protect my privacy?
Maintaining your privacy is of the utmost importance. Once you agree to participate in the study you will be assigned a code number. A master sheet of name and code number will be held by the primary investigator in an encrypted file on a password protected desktop computer in the primary investigator’s locked office. Participants demographic data (name, age, diagnosis of chronic pain) will be collected using the secure system Qualtrics, de-identified and stored on the primary investigators password protected laptop computer. During the workshop a written summary of the discussions will be recorded by a research assistant in a word document on a laptop only using participants code number. This document will be encrypted and stored on the research assistants password protected laptop. Only project partners will have access to this anonymised document. Demographic details will not be shared, nor will any participant be identifiable in any way in any publications or presentations. All data about the study will be destroyed in 3 years once the study is completed and has been published in line with UCD policy.
What are the benefits of taking part in this research study?
There are no direct benefits to participant in the study. However, it will assist greatly in how we develop new pain science modules. In the longer term we hope this will translate into Physiotherapy graduates having greater skills to manage people living with pain.
What are the risks of taking part in this research study?
There are few risks to participating in UPPSCAle. Potentially you may not find the stakeholder curriculum workshop valuable.
How long will the data be retained?
The data will be retained for 3 years following completion of UPPScAle project or until all publications have been exhausted. It will be subsequently destroyed.
What if I have any further questions?
If you have any further questions and / or are interested in taking part please contact the Primary Investigator Brona Fullen using the contact below.
Thank-you for your consideration.
Brona Fullen, PhD, MSc, BSc,
Associate Professor,
UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science,
UCD Centre for Translational Pain Research, University College Dublin
[email protected], 01-7166516
