{
  "abstract": "Objective To explore National Health Service (NHS) healthcare professionals’ experiences of delivering rehabilitation for patients with Achilles tendon rupture (ATR).Design Qualitative study using semistructured interviews and reflexive thematic analysis.Setting NHS hospital sites in the United Kingdom, providing non-surgical ATR management using the Leicester Achilles Management Protocol (LAMP).Participants Twenty-one NHS healthcare professionals, including physiotherapists and orthopaedic consultants with a mean of 10.8 years of clinical experience, purposively sampled based on profession and experience managing ATR.Results Three main themes were identified: (1) clinical training on Achilles tendon ruptures, (2) rehabilitation following ATR and (3) the NHS service delivering rehabilitation. Participants reported limited training on ATR, leading to reduced confidence and slower rehabilitation progressions. Fear of re-injury influenced clinical decision-making, while discharge decisions were goal-oriented but constrained by service limitations.Conclusions This study highlights limited clinical training, inconsistent rehabilitation practices and NHS service constraints that collectively slow rehabilitation progress and affect return to sport following ATR. Enhanced training, service development and greater standardisation of ATR rehabilitation pathways are recommended to improve patient outcomes.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "School of Health Sciences, University of Leicester College of Life Sciences, Leicester, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Samuel Briggs-Price"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University of Leicester, Leicester, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Thomas Yates"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University of Leicester, Leicester, UK",
        "University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Jitendra Mangwani"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Maneesh Bhatia"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "School of Health Sciences, University of Leicester College of Life Sciences, Leicester, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Seth O’Neill"
    }
  ],
  "title": "What is the experience of healthcare professionals managing Achilles tendon ruptures in the National Health Service (NHS)?—a qualitative interview study in the United Kingdom",
  "uid": "fd673152-beef-5f60-9679-46bacebc0ec4"
}