Study information sheet
Study title and data controller
Higher education students at direct physiotherapy appointments, and the treatment paths and service use of customers with musculoskeletal symptoms within the Finnish Student Health Service
Data controllers
a) The Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS), Töölönkatu 37A, 00260 Helsinki. Business ID 0202637-8. Person responsible for data protection at the FSHS: Marjo Tipuri, marjo.tipuri(at)yths.fi,
tel. 040 5775526.
b) The University of Jyväskylä, Seminaarinkatu 15, PO Box 35, 40014 University of Jyväskylä. Tel. (switchboard) (014) 260 1211, business ID 0245894-7. Data Protection Officer at the University of Jyväskylä: tietosuoja(at)jyu.fi, tel. 040 805 3297.
Invitation to participate in a study
You are invited to take part in a study that will examine customers’ mental stress, their view of the treatment relationship in physiotherapy, and the connection between these and musculoskeletal symptoms and risk factors for pain prolongation. You are being invited to take part in the study because you have attended a direct physiotherapy appointment because of musculoskeletal symptoms. This information sheet describes the study and participation in it. Data protection is described in a separate annex.
All customers attending direct physiotherapy appointments at the FSHS will be invited to take part. You will also be sent questionnaires concerning your symptoms and risk factors for pain prolongation three and six months after your first visit. In addition to answers to the questionnaires we will collect the following background information about you: customer number, age and gender, educational background (student at university of applied sciences / university student) and field of study.
Participation is voluntary
Participation in this study is voluntary. You can choose not to participate in the study or withdraw your consent at any time.
How the study will be carried out
After a direct appointment with a physiotherapist, you will receive a questionnaire via the Self service. The questionnaire will ask you to assess the collaboration between you and your physiotherapist during your visit. Answering the questionnaire will take about 2–5 minutes. When filling out the questionnaire, you will be asked to give your consent to participate in the study.
Before your physiotherapy visit, you will have received a questionnaire concerning symptoms (PTA), a questionnaire assessing risk factors for pain prolongation (Örebro) and a questionnaire measuring mental stress (MHI-5). These questionnaires are part of standard care and will only be included in the study if you give your consent to participate. As with standard care, the results of the Örebro pain questionnaire and the MHI-5 mental stress questionnaire can also be used in planning further treatment, in which case, based on an assessment by the physiotherapist and with your permission, a doctor or a mental health professional will be consulted about your need for further treatment. Participating in the study will have no effect on any standard care you may receive.
If you choose to participate in the study, you will be sent the questionnaire concerning symptoms and the questionnaire assessing risk factors for pain prolongation again three and six months after you first visit.
Potential adverse effects and discomfort caused by the study
You will experience no adverse effects from this study, nor can you be identified from it.
Costs of the study
No payment will be made for participating in the study.
Study results and their publication
This study is part of research work carried out at the University of Jyväskylä for a doctoral dissertation. It will be available for reading in its entirety after the dissertation is published at https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/56880.
The study may also be presented in scientific publications / theses / conference and seminar presentations / as teaching material.
For more information contact
Doctoral researcher (University of Jyväskylä), Heidi Riska, tel. 044 5093910, heidi.e.riska(at)student.jyu.fi
(This text has been prepared 12 September 2022)