Patient Motivation and Adherence to Postsurgery Rehabilitation Exercise Recommendations: The Influence of Physiotherapists' Autonomy-Supportive Behaviors

Abstract

Chan DK, Lonsdale C, Ho PY, Yung PS, Chan KM. Patient motivation and adherence to postsurgery rehabilitation exercise recommendations: the influence of physiotherapists' autonomy-supportive behaviors. Objective To investigate the impact of physiotherapists' autonomy-supportive behaviors on patients' motivation and rehabilitation adherence after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery. Design Retrospective study. Setting Outpatient orthopedic clinic of a university medical center. Participants Postsurgery ACL reconstruction patients (N=115; minimum postsurgery interval, 6mo; mean ± SD postsurgery interval, 1.77±0.8y). Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Questionnaires measuring autonomy support from physiotherapists (Health Care Climate Questionnaire), treatment motivation (Treatment Self-Regulation Questionnaire), and rehabilitation adherence (adapted from the Sport Injury Rehabilitation Adherence Scale and the Patient Self-Report Scales of Their Home-Based Rehabilitation Adherence). Results Structural equation modeling analyses revealed that patients' treatment motivation mediated the relationship between physiotherapists' autonomy-supportive behaviors and rehabilitation adherence. Autonomy-supportive behavior positively predicted autonomous treatment motivation (β=.22, P<.05). Rehabilitation adherence ( R 2=.28) was predicted positively by autonomous motivation (β=.64, P<.05) and negatively predicted by controlled motivation (β=−.28, P<.05). Conclusions These preliminary findings are promising and provide an empirical basis for further research to test the efficacy of autonomy support training designed to increase patients' rehabilitation adherence.