Adverse Effects of Electrothermal Phototherapy in Clinics in Cascavel, Paraná

A survey of 35 physical therapy clinics in Cascavel, Paraná, identified adverse effects from electrothermal phototherapy devices. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews with service providers at 25 clinics. The study was authored by Camila Prochnow Goulart.

Use Cases

• Compare adverse effect rates across different electrothermal phototherapy devices based on the reported percentages.
• Analyze the severity of reported adverse effects (e.g., skin irritation, pain, burns, nausea) based on the description.
• Study the methodology for collecting safety data in clinical settings based on the use of semi-structured interviews.
• Assess the relative safety profile of medium frequency devices versus TENS, shortwave, ultrasound, and laser therapy based on the reported incidence.

Strengths

• Provides specific adverse effect percentages for five device types: TENS (64%), shortwave (60%), therapeutic ultrasound (52%), low-power laser (36%), and medium frequency (20%).
• Breaks down adverse effects by type (e.g., skin irritation, pain, burns, nausea) for several devices.
• Data collection methodology is described, involving questionnaires and semi-structured interviews across 25 clinics.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the single-city (Cascavel, Paraná) study scope.

Provenance

Source

Camila Prochnow Goulart

Collection Method

Data collected through questionnaires in the form of semi-structured interviews with service providers.

Geography

Clinics in the city of Cascavel, Paraná, Brazil.