Survey among allied health professionals of stated preferred treatments for Achilles tendinopathy

The research is being carried out by the following researchers:
Role	Name	Organisation
Chief Investigator	Sean Docking	La Trobe University
Co-Investigator	Hylton Menz	La Trobe University
Co-Investigator	Shannon Munteanu	La Trobe University
Research funder	This research is supported by in kind support by La Trobe University.

1. What is the study about?

You are invited to participate in a study to survey allied health professionals to understand their treatment preferences for patients with Achilles tendon pain. We hope to provide a snapshot of the most common treatments used by allied health professionals in Australia and some of the reasons for these choices.

2. Do I have to participate?

Being part of this study is voluntary. If you want to be part of the study we ask that you read the information below carefully.

You can read the information below and decide at the end if you do not want to participate. If you decide not to participate this won’t affect your relationship with La Trobe University or any other listed organisation.

3. Who is being asked to participate?

You have been asked to participate because:

A registered allied health professional in Australia

4. What will I be asked to do?

If you want to take part in this study, we will ask you to complete an anonymous survey via an online platform (REDCap). It will take approximately 10 minutes of your time to be part of this study.

5. What are the benefits?

The benefit of you taking part in this study is that it may provide you with a reflection of your own clinical practice. The expected benefits to society in general are a greater understanding of what treatments are being provided by allied health professionals in Australia and allow researchers to set priorities for the treatments that may need to be investigated.

6. What are the risks?

With any study there are (1) risks we know about, (2) risks we don’t know about, and (3) risks we don’t expect. If you experience something that you aren’t sure about, please contact us immediately so we can discuss the best way to manage your concerns.

Name/Organisation	Position	Telephone	Email
Sean Docking, La Trobe University	Post-doctoral researcher	03 9479 3115	s.docking@latrobe.edu.au

7. What will happen to information about me?

By clicking on the ‘I agree, start questionnaire’ button, this tells us you want to take part in the study. We will collect and store information about you in ways that will not reveal who you are. This means you cannot be identified in any type of publication from this study.

Your information will be available as open access, where researchers will be able to access the anonymised data. We will keep your information for 5 years after the project is completed. After this time we will destroy all of your data.

We will collect, store and destroy your data in accordance with La Trobe Universities Research Data Management Policy which can be viewed online using the following link: https://policies.latrobe.edu.au/document/view.php?id=106/.

The information you provide is personal information for the purposes of the Privacy and Date Protection Act 2014 (Vic). You and your child have the right to access personal information held about you by the University, the right to request correction and amendment of it, and the right to make a complaint about a breach of the Information Protection Principles as contained in the Information Privacy Act.

8. Will I hear about the results of the study?

We will let you know about the results of the study by publication, either in peer-reviewed journals or via industry related newsletters/blogs. Yourself and other researchers will be able to access survey responses via FigShare, which is an open access data sharing website. As we are not collecting personal data, your questionnaire responses will not be identifiable.

9. What if I change my mind?

If you no longer want to complete the questionnaire, simply close the web browser. If you change your mind after clicking on the ‘Submit’ button, we cannot withdraw your responses because we cannot link who you are with your questionnaire responses.

Your decision to withdraw at any point will not affect your relationship with La Trobe University or any other organisation listed.

10. Who can I contact for questions or want more information?

If you would like to speak to us, please use the contact details below:

Name/Organisation	Position	Telephone	Email
Sean Docking, La Trobe University	Post-doctoral researcher	03 9479 3115	s.docking@latrobe.edu.au

11. What if I have a complaint?

If you have a complaint about any part of this study, please contact:

Ethics Reference Number	Position	Telephone	Email
[INSERT - Ethics Number]	Senior Research Ethics Officer	+61 3 9479 1443	humanethics@latrobe.edu.au

Thank you for agreeing to complete this survey.

We are attempting to get a snapshot of what are the most common treatments utilised IN THE PAST THREE YEARS.

For this survey, we are specifically referring to MIDSUBSTANCE ACHILLES TENDINOPATHY. Treatments that you prescribe for specifically for insertional, sheath irritation or other variations of Achilles tendinopathy should not be included in your responses.

What is your registered profession in Australia?

* must provide value

Physiotherapist

Podiatrist

Exercise Physiologist

Myotherapist

Osteopath

Chiropractor

Dietician

Other

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Please state "Other"

* must provide value

What is the highest level of education completed?

* must provide value

Bachelor

Honours

Graduate entry Masters

Masters by research

Clinical Masters

Doctorate

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How many years have you been practicing your profession?

* must provide value

0-5 years

6-10 years

11-15 years

Greater than 15 years

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In the past three years, in what state or territory have you predominantly practiced?

* must provide value

ACT

New South Wales

Northern Territory

Queensland

South Australia

Tasmania

Victoria

Western Australia

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In which setting(s) do you work? [select all that apply]

* must provide value

Private Practice

Sporting team

Hospital

Community Health

Other

Please state "other"

* must provide value

How many new patients with Achilles tendinopathy do you treat per month?

* must provide value

Rarely

1 per month

2-5 per month

6-10 per month

11-15 per month

16-20 per month

More than 20 per month

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What population group/s do you see with Achilles tendinopathy? [select all that apply]

* must provide value

Elite/sub-elite athletes

Recreational athletes

Sedentary population

Other

Please state "other"

* must provide value

In the past three years, what treatment modalities have you used to treat patients with Achilles tendinopathy? Please be thorough and select all options that apply

* must provide value

Exercise-based therapy (eg eccentrics, isometrics etc)

Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT)

Orthotics

Heel lifts for the shoe

Dry needling

Massage

Footwear advice

Tape / bracing

Heat / ice therapy

Stretching

Education and/or physical activity modification

Running retraining

Referral for medical intervention (eg PRP injection, surgery, corticosteroids etc)

Other

Please state "other"

* must provide value

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In the past three years, how frequently do you prescribe an EXERCISE-BASED THERAPY for Achilles tendinopathy?

* must provide value

Rarely

Sometimes

Often

Always

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In the past three years. which types of EXERCISE-BASED THERAPY have you prescribed? [select all that apply]

* must provide value

Eccentric training

Isometrics

Concentric-eccentric exercise with theraband

Concentric-eccentric exercise with body-weight

Concentric-eccentric exercise with weight

Clinical pilates

Hydrotherapy

Other

Please state "other"

* must provide value

What informs your choice of using EXERCISE-BASED THERAPY? [select all that apply]

* must provide value

Research evidence showing effectiveness

Clinical practice guidelines

Clinical experience of positive outcomes

Familiarity and confidence in prescribing treatment

Patients preference / patient request for treatment modality

Cost-effectiveness of treatment

Expert opinion

Referrers recommendation

Access to equipment within clinic

Patient characteristics or other reasons

Please state the patient characteristics or other reason for choosing EXERCISE-BASED THERAPY

* must provide value

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In the past three years, how frequently do you prescribe SHOCKWAVE THERAPY for Achilles tendinopathy?

* must provide value

Rarely

Sometimes

Often

Always

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What informs your choice of using SHOCKWAVE THERAPY? [select all that apply]

* must provide value

Research evidence showing effectiveness

Clinical practice guidelines

Clinical experience of positive outcomes

Familiarity and confidence in prescribing treatment

Patients preference / patient request for treatment modality

Cost-effectiveness of treatment

Expert opinion

Referrers recommendation

Access to equipment within clinic

Patient characteristics or other reasons

Please state the patient characteristics or other reason for choosing SHOCKWAVE THERAPY

* must provide value

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In the past three years, how frequently do you prescribe ORTHOTICS for Achilles tendinopathy?

* must provide value

Rarely

Sometimes

Often

Always

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Which types of ORTHOTICS do you prescribe? [select all that apply]

* must provide value

Customised

Off-the-shelf

What informs your choice of using ORTHOTICS? [select all that apply]

* must provide value

Research evidence showing effectiveness

Clinical practice guidelines

Clinical experience of positive outcomes

Familiarity and confidence in prescribing treatment

Patients preference / patient request for treatment modality

Cost-effectiveness of treatment

Expert opinion

Referrers recommendation

Access to equipment within clinic

Patient characteristics or other reasons

Please state the patient characteristics or other reason for choosing ORTHOTICS

* must provide value

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In the past three years, how frequently do you prescribe HEEL-LIFTS FOR THE SHOE for Achilles tendinopathy?

* must provide value

Rarely

Sometimes

Often

Always

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What informs your choice of using HEEL-LIFTS FOR THE SHOE? [select all that apply]

* must provide value

Research evidence showing effectiveness

Clinical practice guidelines

Clinical experience of positive outcomes

Familiarity and confidence in prescribing treatment

Patients preference / patient request for treatment modality

Cost-effectiveness of treatment

Expert opinion

Referrers recommendation

Access to equipment within clinic

Patient characteristics or other reasons

Please state the patient characteristics or other reason for choosing HEEL-LIFTS FOR THE SHOE

* must provide value

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In the past three years, how frequently do you prescribe DRY NEEDLING for Achilles tendinopathy?

* must provide value

Rarely

Sometimes

Often

Always

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Where do you DRY NEEDLE? [select all that apply]

* must provide value

Calf muscle

Achilles tendon

Other

Please state the OTHER area(s) you Dry Needle

What informs your choice of using DRY NEEDLING? [select all that apply]

* must provide value

Research evidence showing effectiveness

Clinical practice guidelines

Clinical experience of positive outcomes

Familiarity and confidence in prescribing treatment

Patients preference / patient request for treatment modality

Cost-effectiveness of treatment

Expert opinion

Referrers recommendation

Access to equipment within clinic

Patient characteristics or other reasons

Please state the patient characteristics or other reason for choosing DRY NEEDLING

* must provide value

In the past three years, how frequently do you prescribe MASSAGE for Achilles tendinopathy?

* must provide value

Rarely

Sometimes

Often

Always

reset

What informs your choice of using MASSAGE? [select all that apply]

* must provide value

Research evidence showing effectiveness

Clinical practice guidelines

Clinical experience of positive outcomes

Familiarity and confidence in prescribing treatment

Patients preference / patient request for treatment modality

Cost-effectiveness of treatment

Expert opinion

Referrers recommendation

Access to equipment within clinic

Patient characteristics or other reasons

Please state the patient characteristics or other reason for choosing MASSAGE

* must provide value

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In the past three years, how frequently do you provide FOOTWEAR ADVICE for patients with Achilles tendinopathy?

* must provide value

Rarely

Sometimes

Often

Always

reset

Please provide any specifics around FOOTWEAR ADVICE that you provide patients with Achilles tendinopathy, should you wish.

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What informs your choice of using FOOTWEAR ADVICE? [select all that apply]

* must provide value

Research evidence showing effectiveness

Clinical practice guidelines

Clinical experience of positive outcomes

Familiarity and confidence in prescribing treatment

Patients preference / patient request for treatment modality

Cost-effectiveness of treatment

Expert opinion

Referrers recommendation

Access to equipment within clinic

Patient characteristics or other reasons

Please state the patient characteristics or other reason for choosing FOOTWEAR ADVICE

* must provide value

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In the past three years, how frequently do you prescribe TAPE OR BRACES for patients with Achilles tendinopathy?

* must provide value

Rarely

Sometimes

Often

Always

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Which types of TAPE AND BRACING do you prescribe? [select all that apply]

* must provide value

Rigid tape

Kinesiotape

Moon boot brace

Night-time splint

Other

Please state "other"

* must provide value

What informs your choice of using TAPE OR BRACES? [select all that apply]

* must provide value

Research evidence showing effectiveness

Clinical practice guidelines

Clinical experience of positive outcomes

Familiarity and confidence in prescribing treatment

Patients preference / patient request for treatment modality

Cost-effectiveness of treatment

Expert opinion

Referrers recommendation

Access to equipment within clinic

Patient characteristics or other reasons

Please state the patient characteristics or other reason for choosing TAPE OR BRACES

* must provide value

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In the past three years, how frequently do you prescribe HEAT OR ICE THERAPY for patients with Achilles tendinopathy?

* must provide value

Rarely

Sometimes

Often

Always

reset

Please provide any specifics around HEAT OR ICE THERAPY that you provide patients with Achilles tendinopathy, should you wish.

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What informs your choice of using HEAT OR ICE THERAPY? [select all that apply]

* must provide value

Research evidence showing effectiveness

Clinical practice guidelines

Clinical experience of positive outcomes

Familiarity and confidence in prescribing treatment

Patients preference / patient request for treatment modality

Cost-effectiveness of treatment

Expert opinion

Referrers recommendation

Access to equipment within clinic

Patient characteristics or other reasons

Please state the patient characteristics or other reason for choosing HEAT OR ICE THERAPY

* must provide value

Expand

In the past three years, how frequently do you prescribe STRETCHING for patients with Achilles tendinopathy?

* must provide value

Rarely

Sometimes

Often

Always

reset

Please provide any specifics around STRETCHING that you provide patients with Achilles tendinopathy, should you wish.

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What informs your choice of using STRETCHING? [select all that apply]

* must provide value

Research evidence showing effectiveness

Clinical practice guidelines

Clinical experience of positive outcomes

Familiarity and confidence in prescribing treatment

Patients preference / patient request for treatment modality

Cost-effectiveness of treatment

Expert opinion

Referrers recommendation

Access to equipment within clinic

Patient characteristics or other reasons

Please state the patient characteristics or other reason for choosing STRETCHING

* must provide value

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In the past three years, how frequently do you prescribe EDUCATION AND / OR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY MODIFICATION for patients with Achilles tendinopathy?

* must provide value

Rarely

Sometimes

Often

Always

reset

Please provide any specifics around EDUCATION AND/OR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY MODIFICATION that you provide patients with Achilles tendinopathy, should you wish

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What informs your choice of using EDUCATION AND/OR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY MODIFICATION? [select all that apply]

* must provide value

Research evidence showing effectiveness

Clinical practice guidelines

Clinical experience of positive outcomes

Familiarity and confidence in prescribing treatment

Patients preference / patient request for treatment modality

Cost-effectiveness of treatment

Expert opinion

Referrers recommendation

Access to equipment within clinic

Patient characteristics or other reasons

Please state the patient characteristics or other reason for choosing EDUCATION AND / OR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY MODIFICATION

* must provide value

Expand

In the past three years, how frequently do you prescribe RUNNING RETRAINING for patients with Achilles tendinopathy?

* must provide value

Rarely

Sometimes

Often

Always

reset

Please provide any specifics around RUNNING RETRAINING that you provide patients with Achilles tendinopathy, should you wish

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What informs your choice of using RUNNING RETRAINING? [select all that apply]

* must provide value

Research evidence showing effectiveness

Clinical practice guidelines

Clinical experience of positive outcomes

Familiarity and confidence in prescribing treatment

Patients preference / patient request for treatment modality

Cost-effectiveness of treatment

Expert opinion

Referrers recommendation

Access to equipment within clinic

Patient characteristics or other reasons

Please state the patient characteristics or other reason for choosing RUNNING RETRAINING?

* must provide value

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In the past three years, how frequently do you refer patients for MEDICAL INTERVENTION for patients with Achilles tendinopathy?

* must provide value

Rarely

Sometimes

Often

Always

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Which types of MEDICAL INTERVENTION do you recommend when referring to medical professionals for? [select all that apply]

* must provide value

Surgery

Corticosteroid injection

Platelet-rich plasma injection

High-volume injection

Topical medication

Oral medication

Other

Please state the TOPICAL OR ORAL MEDICATIONS you recommend

* must provide value

Expand

Please state "other"

* must provide value

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What informs your choice of referring for MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS? [select all that apply]

* must provide value

Research evidence showing effectiveness

Clinical practice guidelines

Clinical experience of positive outcomes

Familiarity and confidence in prescribing treatment

Patients preference / patient request for treatment modality

Cost-effectiveness of treatment

Expert opinion

Referrers recommendation

Access within clinic

Patient characteristics or other reasons

Please state the patient characteristics or other reason for referring for MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS

* must provide value

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In the past three years, how often have you referred patients for clinical imaging (or performed it yourself) for Achilles tendinopathy?

* must provide value

Never

Rarely

Sometimes

Often

Always

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What informs your choice of never or rarely referring for clinical imaging? [select all that apply]

* must provide value

Lack of research evidence supporting its use

Cost

Access to medical imaging

Does not impact my treatment decision/s

Potential for negative impact on patient

Expert opinion

Other

Please provide any information you feel is relevant around your choice to never or rarely use clinical imaging for Achilles tendinopathy, should you wish

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Which imaging modality do you frequently refer to? [select all that apply]

* must provide value

Ultrasound performed myself

Ultrasound at radiology clinic

MRI

X-Ray

Other

Please state "other"

* must provide value

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What informs your choice of referring patients for clinical imaging for Achilles tendinopathy? [select all that apply]

* must provide value

Research evidence supporting its use

Confirms / improves confidence in diagnosis

Prognosis on time-frames for recovery

Rule out red-flags

Cost-effectiveness

Access to medical imaging

Impacts my treatment decision/s

Patients expectation / request for clinical imaging

Expert opinion

Other

Please provide any information you feel is relevant around your choice to refer patients for clinical imaging for Achilles tendinopathy, should you wish

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