THE BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS FOR WIDESPREAD USING SURFACE ELECTROMYOGRAPHY IN CLINICAL PRACTICE: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY IN TURKIYE

Purpose: Surface electromyography (sEMG) is a non-invasive tool for understanding the mechanisms of neuromuscular systems, which provides very useful and important quantitative electrophysiological information as part of evidence-based practice. The sEMG has many applications across a wide variety of fields (e.g., in neurophysiology, physiotherapy, biofeedback, gait analysis, ergonomics, occupational medicine, neurorehabilitation, etc.). Although there are a great number of publications, books, tutorials, and advancements in sEMG, there remains a gap characterized by its lack of clinical acceptance. This study aimed to investigate facilitators and barriers to the widespread use of sEMG among clinicians. Methods: An online survey with 46 items was conducted to potential practitioners of sEMG including medical doctors, physiotherapists, and non-clinical researchers. Descriptive statistics and cross-tabulation tests were employed. Results: This study found that sEMG did not have high clinical acceptance despite a common perception of its clinical potential and benefits. It has been commonly used for research purposes. The major barriers were found as a lack of knowledge and experience about sEMG signals and systems due to the poor educational background of sEMG. When comparing the purpose of using sEMG, there were statistical differences in diagnosis (p=0.002) and research (p=0.004) but no differences in treatment (p=0.103). Significant statistical differences were also found among participants who took an sEMG course and those who did not (p=0.009). Conclusion: The findings indicate that multidisciplinary bachelor's and master's programs, like a Dutch Model, are needed because advances in sEMG require new professional skills with medical and technical knowledge.