Inertial measurement units (IMUs) allow for measurements of kinematic movements outside the laboratory, persevering the athlete-environment relationship. To use IMUs in a sport-specific setting, it is necessary to validate sport-specific movements. The aim of this study was to assess the concurrent validity of the Xsens IMU system by comparing it to the Vicon optoelectronic motion system for lower-limb joint angle measurements during jump-landing and change-of-direction tasks. Ten recreational athletes performed four tasks; single-leg hop and landing, running double-leg vertical jump landing, single-leg deceleration and push off, and sidestep cut, while kinematics were recorded by 17 IMUs (Xsens Technologies B.V.) and eight motion capture cameras (Vicon Motion Systems, Ltd). Validity of lower-body joint kinematics was assessed using measures of agreement (cross-correlation: XCORR) and error (root mean square deviation and amplitude difference). Excellent agreement was found in the sagittal plane for all joints and tasks (XCORR > 0.92). Highly variable agreement was found for knee and ankle in transverse and frontal plane. Relatively high error rates were found in all joints. In conclusion, this study shows that the Xsens IMU system provides highly comparable waveforms of sagittal lower-body joint kinematics in sport-specific movements. Caution is advised interpreting frontal and transverse plane kinematics as between-system agreement highly varied.
BackgroundPodiatrists are key professionals in promoting adequate foot self-care for people with diabetes at high-risk of developing foot ulcers. However, merely informing patients about the advantages of foot self-care is insufficient to realise behavioural change. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a promising person-centred communication style that could help to create a working alliance between healthcare providers and patient to improve foot self-care. This study aims to observe and analyse the application of MI in consultations carried out by MI-trained and non-MI-trained podiatrists with their patients, and explore podiatrists’ attitudes and experiences towards MI.MethodsEighteen podiatrists (median age: 28.5 years, 10 female and 8 male) followed a three-day basic training in MI and 4 podiatrists (median age: 38.5 years, 4 female) were not trained in MI. To observe and rate the MI-fidelity in daily clinical practice, audio recordings from the MI-trained and non-MI-trained podiatrists were scored with the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity code. Individual, semi-structed, in-depth interviews were conducted with the MI-trained podiatrists to explore their attitudes towards and experiences with MI. These data sources were triangulated to describe the effect of training podiatrists in MI for their clinical practice.ResultsThe MI-trained podiatrists scored significantly higher than the non-MI-trained podiatrists on two of four global MI-related communication skills (empathy, p = 0.008 and change talk, p = 0.008), on one of five core MI-adherent behaviours (affirmation, p = 0.041) and on one of the other behaviour counts (simple reflections, p = 0.008). The podiatrists mainly reported their attitudes and experiences regarding partnership and cultivating change talk, during the interviews. In addition, they also mentioned facilitators and barriers to using MI and indicated whether they experienced MI as having added value.ConclusionsThe MI-trained podiatrists used the principles of MI at a solid beginner proficiency level in their clinical practice in comparison to the non-MI-trained podiatrists, who did not reach this level. This achievement is in accordance with the basic MI-training they received. This multi-method study reveals that podiatrists can be effectively trained in applying MI in daily clinical practice.Trial registrationNetherlands Trial Register NL7710. Registered: 6 May 2019.
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