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NCT Number: NCT06605040

Scientific Content Disseminated Via Social Media for Physiotherapists

This study is designed to assess how effective social media is in disseminating scientific knowledge to physiotherapists in Brazil. The trial will include physiotherapists who treat at least three patients weekly and regularly use Instagram and WhatsApp. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: the experimental group will receive scientific content through Instagram, while the control group will receive the same content via email. Both groups will engage with the material for 10 weeks.

The scientific content covers seven key topics related to physiotherapy, such as musculoskeletal and sport rehabilitation, and will be tailored to clinical practice. For the Instagram group, content will be shared via posts, stories, and reels, while the email group will receive summaries and links to full articles. The study aims to evaluate the impact of these interventions on participants' engagement with scientific content and its application to clinical practice.

Key outcomes will include the effectiveness of knowledge dissemination, participant feedback on the audiovisual content, and qualitative insights from interviews. The study will follow a specific timeline, with reassessment three months after the intervention to gauge long-term effects. Data will be analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the intervention's reach and feasibility.

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Key information

Conditions

Physiotherapy

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Federal University of Santa Maria

Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, 97105-900, Brazil

About this study

This protocol details a randomized, single-blind controlled trial to assess how effectively scientific content can be disseminated to Brazilian physiotherapists using social media (Instagram). The study will follow physiotherapists who treat at least three patients per week and use Instagram and WhatsApp regularly. These participants will be randomized into two groups: an experimental group receiving content via Instagram and a control group receiving the same information via email.

The study will focus on seven areas relevant to physiotherapy practice, including musculoskeletal rehabilitation, cardiovascular care, and women's health. The content, developed using scientific articles, will be shared daily over 10 weeks. For the Instagram group, the content will be presented through various formats like posts, stories, and reels, with visually engaging elements to boost retention. The email group will receive daily summaries of the articles, similar to a journal-style format.

To maintain participant engagement, both groups will receive weekly summaries, and participants will be assessed on how well they apply the scientific content in practice. The primary outcomes include the effectiveness of content dissemination, participant engagement, and knowledge retention, evaluated through surveys, interviews, and technical assessments. Qualitative interviews will explore participants' experiences, and the quality of the audiovisual materials used will be rated by participants.

The trial will last for 10 weeks, followed by an additional week for reassessment and a three-month follow-up. Data will be analyzed quantitatively to measure the reach and effectiveness of the interventions, with feasibility analyzed using the RE-AIM framework. Qualitative data will be analyzed through thematic analysis, ensuring an in-depth understanding of the intervention's success. This study aims to offer insights into the best methods for delivering scientific knowledge to healthcare professionals via digital platforms.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Physiotherapists practicing in Brazil
  • Involvement in the rehabilitation of at least three patients per week
  • Having access to the social media platforms Instagram and WhatsApp at least once daily on most days of a typical week

Treatment and study plan

Dissemination via Social Media

Other

Participants in the experimental group will follow a scientific Instagram profile where content will be shared. The profile will remain open, allowing permanent access to all posts. To optimize Instagram's algorithm, we will use an existing active profile. Any control group participants already following the profile will be removed upon allocation.

For each selected article, we will create three presentations using Instagram features like carousel images and short videos, shared as posts, stories, and reels. This strategy will provide content for 30 weeks of daily posts. Each post will feature visually appealing graphics to convey scientific information and support evidence-based practice (EBP) competencies.

Dissemination via Email

Other

The participant allocated to the control group will receive a different summary each day, along with a link to the full article. This strategy was chosen to replicate the approach used by scientific journals to disseminate new issues.

Primary outcomes

  1. Use of scientific information to make clinical decisions

    Time frame: Baseline and the end of treatment at 10 weeks

    Participants should indicate their level using a scale 0-10 points (0 = I do not use; 10 = I only make clinical decisions using the best available evidence)

  2. Understanding of scientific information interpretation for application in clinical practice

    Time frame: Baseline and the end of treatment at 10 weeks

    Participants should indicate their level using a scale 0-10 points (0 = I do not understand; 10 = I have a complete understanding to apply scientific findings in clinical practice)

  3. Motivation to search for scientific information that could support clinical decisions

    Time frame: Baseline and the end of treatment at 10 weeks

    Participants should indicate their level using a scale 0-10 points (0 = I have no motivation; 10 = I am completely motivated)

  4. Importance of scientific information in making clinical decisions

    Time frame: Baseline and the end of treatment at 10 weeks

    Participants should indicate their level using a scale 0-10 points (0 = No importance; 10 = Extremely important)

  5. Barriers to applying scientific findings

    Time frame: Baseline and the end of treatment at 10 weeks

    Participants will describe their barriers to applying scientific findings in clinical practice and the number of barriers reported will be considered for analysis

  6. Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire (EBPQ)

    Time frame: Baseline and the end of treatment at 10 weeks

    The EBPQ evaluates EBP competencies and has 24 items scored using a 7-point Likert scale (1-7 points); mean of the items will be used for analysis

  7. Overcoming the reported barriers

    Time frame: End of treatment at 10 weeks

    Participants will be asked whether the program helped to overcome the reported barriers (yes or no answer)

Other outcomes

  1. Completion

    Time frame: End of treatment at 10 weeks

    Number of participants who completed the study

  2. Level of participation

    Time frame: End of treatment at 10 weeks

    Participants should indicate their level using a scale 0-10 points (0 = I did not pay attention to any shared material; 10 = I read all the shared material of my interest)

  3. Impact of program on the clinical practice and decisions

    Time frame: End of treatment at 10 weeks

    Participants should indicate their level using a 5-point Likert scale (1=much worse, 2= worse, 3=the same, 4= better, 5=much better)

  4. Use of shared information

    Time frame: End of treatment at 10 weeks

    Participants will indicate whether they applied information shared during the program in clinical practice (yes or no answer)

  5. Influence of the program

    Time frame: End of treatment at 10 weeks

    Participants will indicate whether the program Influenced them to do something different in clinical practice (yes or no answer)

  6. Intervention's modification

    Time frame: During the whole program which will take approximately 7 months

    We will register whether modifications to the interventions are necessary during the study

  7. Contamination of control group

    Time frame: During the 10 weeks of treatment

    Checking if participant is following the Instagram's profile

  8. Attitude towards seeking information from channels that facilitate the understanding of high-quality scientific findings

    Time frame: End of treatment at 10 weeks

    Participants should indicate their level using a scale 0-10 points (0 = I will not use such information source; 10 = I will definitely use information source that facilitate my understanding)

  9. Approach to study

    Time frame: End of treatment at 10 weeks

    Participants will indicate whether the program influenced on the approach to studying technical content (yes or no answer)

  10. Use of channels to facilitate understanding

    Time frame: 3-month follow-up

    Participants will indicate whether they have used channels that facilitate the understanding of scientific findings

  11. Application of information from different channels

    Time frame: 3-month follow-up

    Participants will indicate whether they have applied information from channels that facilitate the understanding of scientific findings in clinical practice

  12. Qualitative outcome

    Time frame: End of treatment at 10 weeks

    Semi-structured interviews aimed at understanding their perceptions of the application of scientific content in clinical practice and their views on the interventions. Individual interviews will be conducted via telephone or video call, with responses to open-ended questions being audio-recorded.

  13. Quality of information

    Time frame: End of treatment at 10 weeks

    Participants should indicate their opinion about the quality of information using a scale 0-10 points (0 = terrible content; 10 = excellent content)

  14. Visual quality of the shared materials

    Time frame: End of treatment at 10 weeks

    Participants should indicate their opinion using a scale 0-10 points (0 = worst visual quality; 10 = excellent visual quality)

  15. Metrics from social media

    Time frame: During the whole program which will take approximately 7 months

    We will collect engagement metrics from Instagram

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Universidade Federal de Santa Maria

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Audiovisual Materials Disseminated Via Social Media Targeting Evidence-based Rehabilitation Implementation for Physiotherapists

Acronym: ASTEROID

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Sep 20, 2024
Registry last updated
Apr 8, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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