Abstract
METHODS
Participants who completed a 12-week live-remote exercise programme for cancer survivors were recruited in 5 European countries and Australia. Participants generated statements in response to prompts about patient interaction and trainer behaviour. The next group of participants sorted statements into thematically similar clusters and/or rated them by perceived importance. Exercise specialists rated the same statements according to feasibility. Data were analysed using multidimensional scaling, hierarchical cluster analysis, and qualitative interpretative analysis.
CONCLUSIONS
Participants and trainers agreed on the relative priorities, and all key aspects were rated as feasible, suggesting favourable conditions for implementation. Adequate instruction and supervision by trainers and a warm, welcoming atmosphere among participants were considered the most important aspects of live-remote training.
RESULTS
A total of 120 participants and 14 exercise specialists participated. The patient interaction prompt generated 45 statements organized into five clusters (mean importance rating 3.29; mean feasibility 3.61). The subjective experience of belonging to the group was the highest rated cluster for this prompt. The trainer behaviour prompt generated 56 unique statements organized into seven clusters (mean importance 3.82; mean feasibility 4.13). High-quality individual and group level instructions were rated as most important for this prompt.
PURPOSE
Live-remote supervised exercise helps cancer survivors reduce the negative side effects of their treatment, and group dynamics are an integral aspect of successful rehabilitation outcomes. In this international group concept mapping study, we investigated which aspects of peer interaction and trainer behaviour participants consider important and how feasible those preferences are according to exercise professionals.