The reality of pressure ulcers: an exploratory sequential mixed design study in coaches and Paralympic athletes

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Tarih

2025

Dergi Başlığı

Dergi ISSN

Cilt Başlığı

Yayıncı

Taylor & Francis Ltd

Erişim Hakkı

info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess

Özet

ObjectivesThis study aims to explore and understand the knowledge and attitudes of Paralympic athletes and their coaches toward pressure ulcers. By focusing on this underserved population, the study seeks to improve awareness, recognition, and management practices to minimize the health and performance impacts of pressure ulcers in Paralympic sports.MethodsParalympic athletes and their coaches were contacted. Volunteers were included in the exploratory sequential mixed design study. In the quantitative phase, a digital survey was used to evaluate Paralympic athletes' and coaches' awareness of pressure ulcers. To gain a deeper understanding of the factors deemed significant in the quantitative analyses, the researcher conducted one-on-one semi-structured interviews with athletes and coaches. The data was analyzed using the SPSS package program and MAXQDA program.ResultsTen coaches and 82 Paralympic athletes participated in the study. The sports disciplines were wheelchair basketball (40%), Paralympic table tennis (40%), Paralympic court tennis (10%), and athletics (10%). Coaches' knowledge about pressure ulcers was low, and athletes' knowledge was even lower. It was concluded that coaches should improve their attitudes toward pressure ulcers, particularly in the areas of competence and responsibility sharing. During the interviews with the participants, several themes emerged.ConclusionTo address pressure ulcers' significance, it is essential to increase the knowledge level of both athletes and the entire team and adopt a positive attitude. It has been concluded that different areas of expertise in the fields of health and sports should work with a more organized structure and team awareness.

Açıklama

Anahtar Kelimeler

Pressure ulcer, Paralympic athletes, wheelchair athletes, mixed design, para-athletes

Kaynak

Physician and Sportsmedicine

WoS Q Değeri

Q2

Scopus Q Değeri

Q1

Cilt

53

Sayı

4

Künye