Experiences of participating in a structured osteoporosis school in persons with established spinal osteoporosis - an interview study

IntroductionPatient education in combination with physical activity has been proposed as a way of increasing health-related quality of life and functional capacity in patients with osteoporosis. A randomised pilot study called the School of Osteoporosis in Linkoping (SOL) was conducted in 2018 for persons aged >= 60 years with established spinal osteoporosis. The SOL was scheduled for ten weeks with once-weekly theory education with or without additional supervised physical group training. The purpose of the present study was to explore the experiences of having participated in an osteoporosis school in persons with established spinal osteoporosis.Materials and methodsTen participants who had completed the SOL with patient education and supervised physical group training were invited to individual interviews, while six persons were accepted to participate. Qualitative content analysis was conducted with an inductive approach.FindingsThree main categories were identified from the interviews: The structure of the osteoporosis school; Gained knowledge related to the education in the osteoporosis school; and Experiences of health status one-year post-intervention. Seven associated subcategories were identified. Increased knowledge and perceptions of improved health acquired by the interventions were emphasised. However, continued supervised group training was requested and there were also concerns about worsened health at the one-year post-intervention follow-up.ConclusionThe tailored content and the group aspects of the structured osteoporosis school were experienced as the most important factors for successful results.