Barriers and facilitators experienced in collaborative prospective research in orthopaedic oncology: A qualitative study

J S Rendon; M Swinton; N Bernthal; M Boffano; T Damron; N Evaniew; P Ferguson; M Galli Serra; W Hettwer; P McKay; B Miller; L Nystrom; W Parizzia; P Schneider; A Spiguel; R Vélez; K Weiss; J P Zumárraga; M Ghert

doi:10.1302/2046-3758.65.BJR-2016-0192.R1

Barriers and facilitators experienced in collaborative prospective research in orthopaedic oncology: A qualitative study

Bone Joint Res. 2017 May;6(5):307-314. doi: 10.1302/2046-3758.65.BJR-2016-0192.R1.

Authors

J S Rendon¹, M Swinton¹, N Bernthal², M Boffano³, T Damron⁴, N Evaniew¹, P Ferguson⁵, M Galli Serra⁶, W Hettwer⁷, P McKay¹, B Miller⁸, L Nystrom⁹, W Parizzia⁶, P Schneider¹, A Spiguel¹⁰, R Vélez¹¹, K Weiss¹², J P Zumárraga¹³, M Ghert¹⁴

Affiliations

¹ McMaster University, 293 Wellington Street North, Suite 110, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
² Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California Los Angeles, 1250 16 Street, Suite 3142, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, CA, 90404, USA.
³ Department of Orthopaedics, AO Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Via Zuretti 29, Torino, 10126 Italy.
⁴ State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University, 6620 Fly Road, Suite 100, East Syracuse, NY, 13057, USA.
⁵ Division Chair, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Toronto, 600 University Avenue, Suite 476G, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁶ Universidad Austral, Av. Juan Domingo Péron 1500, 4to. Piso, Derqui B1629ODT Pilar, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
⁷ Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, 2100, Denmark.
⁸ Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Drive, 01015 JPP, Iowa City, USA.
⁹ Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, Loyola University Chicago, 2160 South First Avenue, Maywood, IL, 60153, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of Florida, 3450 Hull Road, Gainesville, FL, 32607, USA.
¹¹ Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Pg. Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 2a planta, Barcelona, Spain.
¹² Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, 5200 Centre Avenue, Shadyside Medical Building, Suite 415, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
¹³ Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Universidade de São Paulo, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua Dr. Ovídio Pires de Campos, 333, Cerqueira Cesar, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
¹⁴ Department of Surgery, McMaster University, 711 Concession Street, Surgical Offices B3 169A | Hamilton, ON, Canada ghert@hhsc.ca.

PMID: 28515060
PMCID: PMC5457637
DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.65.BJR-2016-0192.R1

Abstract

Objectives: As tumours of bone and soft tissue are rare, multicentre prospective collaboration is essential for meaningful research and evidence-based advances in patient care. The aim of this study was to identify barriers and facilitators encountered in large-scale collaborative research by orthopaedic oncological surgeons involved or interested in prospective multicentre collaboration.

Methods: All surgeons who were involved, or had expressed an interest, in the ongoing Prophylactic Antibiotic Regimens in Tumour Surgery (PARITY) trial were invited to participate in a focus group to discuss their experiences with collaborative research in this area. The discussion was digitally recorded, transcribed and anonymised. The transcript was analysed qualitatively, using an analytic approach which aims to organise the data in the language of the participants with little theoretical interpretation.

Results: The 13 surgeons who participated in the discussion represented orthopaedic oncology practices from seven countries (Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Spain, Denmark, United States and Canada). Four categories and associated themes emerged from the discussion: the need for collaboration in the field of orthopaedic oncology due to the rarity of the tumours and the need for high level evidence to guide treatment; motivational factors for participating in collaborative research including establishing proof of principle, learning opportunity, answering a relevant research question and being part of a collaborative research community; barriers to participation including funding, personal barriers, institutional barriers, trial barriers, and administrative barriers and facilitators for participation including institutional facilitators, leadership, authorship, trial set-up, and the support of centralised study coordination.

Conclusions: Orthopaedic surgeons involved in an ongoing international randomised controlled trial (RCT) were motivated by many factors to participate. There were a number of barriers to and facilitators for their participation. There was a collective sense of fatigue experienced in overcoming these barriers, which was mirrored by a strong collective sense of the importance of, and need for, collaborative research in this field. The experiences were described as essential educational first steps to advance collaborative studies in this area. Knowledge gained from this study will inform the development of future large-scale collaborative research projects in orthopaedic oncology.Cite this article: J. S. Rendon, M. Swinton, N. Bernthal, M. Boffano, T. Damron, N. Evaniew, P. Ferguson, M. Galli Serra, W. Hettwer, P. McKay, B. Miller, L. Nystrom, W. Parizzia, P. Schneider, A. Spiguel, R. Vélez, K. Weiss, J. P. Zumárraga, M. Ghert. Barriers and facilitators experienced in collaborative prospective research in orthopaedic oncology: A qualitative study. Bone Joint Res 2017;6:-314. DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.65.BJR-2016-0192.R1.

Keywords: Collaborative research; Focus group; Orthopaedic oncology.

Abstract

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