Identifying Design Requirements for an Interactive Physiotherapy Dashboard with Decision Support for Clinical Movement Analysis of Musicians with Musculoskeletal Problems: Qualitative User Research Study

Background: Performance-related musculoskeletal disorders are common among musicians, requiring precise diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Physiotherapists face unique challenges due to the complex relationship between musculoskeletal health and the demands of musical performance. Traditional methods often lack the necessary precision for this specialized field. Integrating clinical movement analysis (CMA) with clinical decision support (CDS) could improve diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic outcomes by offering detailed biomechanical insights and facilitating data-driven decision-making.
Objective: This study aimed to identify design requirements for an interactive dashboard that aids clinical decision-making by incorporating CMA to assist physiotherapists in managing musculoskeletal disorders in musicians.
Methods: A qualitative user research study was conducted, using human factors engineering methods from problem-driven research, user-centered design, and decision-centered design. Data collection included a domain-specific literature review, workflow observations, and focus group discussions with domain experts, including 4 physiotherapist experts and an expert for clinical reasoning and applied biomechanics. This qualitative data was triangulated to characterize the domain, identify the CMA workflow, user needs, key cognitive tasks, and decision requirements. These insights were translated into concrete design requirements.
Results: A workflow for integrating musician-specific CMA into physiotherapy was established. In total, 21 user requirements, 7 key cognitive tasks, and 5 key decision requirements were defined, along with 49 design seeds. Key features identified include (1) efficient integration of musician-specific biomechanical findings into therapy, (2) combining heterogeneous data types for holistic assessment, (3) providing an adaptive overview of patient-related information, (4) using adequate visual representations and interaction techniques, (5) facilitating efficient visual-interactive analysis of findings and treatment results, and (6) enabling preparation and export of therapy findings and analysis results. Additionally, 14 CDS recommendations and 11 technical prerequisites were identified. These requirements guide the design of an interactive tool featuring advanced visualization, interactive data exploration capabilities, and contextual integration of clinical and biomechanical data.
Conclusions: An interactive physiotherapy dashboard with CDS incorporating CMA data holds significant potential to enhance decision-making in physiotherapy for musicians with performance-related musculoskeletal disorders. By addressing cognitive demands and integrating advanced visualization techniques, the tool can support physiotherapists in making more accurate assessments, potentially improving patient outcomes, reducing injury recurrence, and supporting musicians’ career longevity. Ongoing research is essential to refine such a tool and validate its usability, decision support, and clinical effectiveness. Future work should explore advanced analytics, adapt to various CMA systems, and expand applications across musicians and therapeutic domains to enhance its impact.