Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39311542›Full record

ArticleHealth expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy2024

Living With Spasticity During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study of Patient, Carer and Physician Experiences.

Mohamed Sakel, Karen Saunders, Rafey Faruqui, Jamie Keene, David Wilkinson

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Making Room for Every Voice: Reimagining Person-Centred Care in the Neurosciences.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Mohamed SakelEast Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, Canterbury, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-6749-5229
Karen SaundersCentre for Health Services Studies, School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-0626-2477
Rafey FaruquiCentre for Health Services Studies, School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-2668-3316
Jamie KeeneKing Edward VI Five Ways School, Birmingham, UK.ORCID 0009-0003-0363-4703
David WilkinsonSchool of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-9973-6477

Funding

The authors received no specific funding for this work.
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundApproximately 4.4 million people in England (8% of the total population) are living with a long-term neurological condition. Within this group of vulnerable individuals, there will be individuals living with severe spasticity that requires regular outpatient treatment with botulinum toxin injection. The closure of outpatient spasticity services during the pandemic impacted individuals who required spasticity treatment and their carers, as well as the specialist clinicians responsible for service delivery.

objectivesWe aimed to gain insight into the experiences of individuals living with spasticity, their carers and a clinical spasticity service lead during the pandemic, and to reflect on potential learning for the future.

methodsA qualitative study was designed using semi-structured interviews conducted by telephone. Participants comprised patients living with a long-term neurological condition who attended outpatient spasticity clinics before the start of the pandemic in England, primary carers who accompanied patients attending these clinics and a clinical spasticity service lead. Data were audio recorded, transcribed, anonymised and coded. Data analysis utilised the One Sheet of Paper thematic approach to identify themes, which were discussed and analysed by the interdisciplinary research team and two patient and carer participants.

resultsOut of the 11 participants recruited, aged 36-77 years, seven comprised people living with spasticity related to a long-term neurological condition, three were carers and one was a clinical spasticity service lead. Six participants were male and five were female. Among the participants, four were stroke survivors, two were living with spinal cord injury and one was living with multiple sclerosis. Analysis revealed six major themes: experience of living with spasticity during the pandemic; impact of the pandemic on patient, carer and clinician health; access to and experience of outpatient clinic appointments; coping strategies during the pandemic; system improvements; and learning from the pandemic period.

conclusionThese findings contribute research knowledge to a very limited research knowledge base and suggest that there is scope for improving system and service delivery through the allocation of research funding to senior clinicians working in this specialist area.

Indexed as

CaregiversCOVID-19Muscle SpasticityQualitative ResearchAdultAgedEnglandFemaleHumansInterviews as TopicMaleMiddle AgedPandemicsSARS-CoV-2botulinum toxinCOVID‐19 pandemiclived experiencelong‐term neurological conditionneuro‐rehabilitationqualitative researchspasticity

Identifiers

PMID39311542
PMCPMC11418296

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.