Development of a patient-reported outcome measure for neck pain in military aircrew: qualitative interviews to inform design and content

IntroductionThe prevalence of flight-related neck pain is 70% in UK fast jet pilots; much higher than the general population. The Aircrew Conditioning Programme and direct access physiotherapy exist to minimise the impact on military capability, but a population specific patient-reported outcome mea...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMJ open 2021-02, Vol.11 (2), p.e039488-e039488
Main Authors: Dowling, Anna, Slungaard, Ellen, Heneghan, Nicola R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
aviation medicine
Data collection
Grounded theory
Humans
Interviews
Male
Military Personnel
musculoskeletal disorders
Neck
Neck pain
Neck Pain - therapy
Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Patient Reported Outcome Measures
Prevalence
Qualitative research
Quantitative psychology
Questionnaires
rehabilitation medicine
Risk factors
Validity
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Summary:IntroductionThe prevalence of flight-related neck pain is 70% in UK fast jet pilots; much higher than the general population. The Aircrew Conditioning Programme and direct access physiotherapy exist to minimise the impact on military capability, but a population specific patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) is required to investigate the effectiveness of these. We aimed to explore the experiences of flight-related neck pain to inform the content validity and development of a population specific PROM.MethodsQualitative semistructured interviews combining phenomenological and grounded theory methods, reported using Consolidated criteria for Reporting Qualitative research guidelines. A purposive sample of 10 fast jet pilots with neck pain was recruited. Concept elicitation interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim along with field notes. Data analysis involved subject and methodological expertise used a concept elicitation approach.ResultsParticipants included 10 male fast jet pilots, age 34.7 years. Identified themes included: (1) physical symptoms associated with flying activities; (2) occupational effects revealed modifications of flying, or ‘suboptimal’ performance owing to neck pain; (3) psychological effects revealed feelings or worry and (4) social and activity effects showed impact on out of work time.ConclusionPopulation-specific occupational, psychological and social factors should be considered alongside physical symptoms when managing neck pain in military aircrew. Findings support the development of a PROM specifically designed for military aircrew with neck pain.
ISSN:2044-6055
2044-6055
DOI:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-039488