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Background: Venous leg ulceration is caused by chronic venous insufficiency and affects millions of adults worldwide who suffer prolonged healing episodes and due to underlying pathophysiology ulcer recurrence is common after healing. Compression therapy is the current best practice for managing venous leg ulcer since it provides constant pressure, which promotes circulation in the lower limbs. Nevertheless, the healing outcomes of venous leg ulcer vary considerably. Physical activity may be an effective adjunct treatment to improve ulcer healing outcomes. However, a low level of physical activity level is observed in this cohort., Objective: To identify the barriers and enablers that affect physical activity participation in people with venous leg ulcers., Design: A systematic review of qualitative studies using the mega-aggregation approach., Methods: We followed the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for systematic reviews of qualitative evidence. We searched MEDLINE, CINAHL PLUS, PsycINFO and Emcare to identify relevant articles published in English from 1806 to January 2021. Two reviewers independently screened and selected articles against inclusion criteria. Eligible studies were appraised for methodological quality using Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal tool. Qualitative data were extracted manually. Theoretical Domain Framework was used to map barriers and enablers to physical activity participation., Results: Eighteen studies were included in this review. The main barriers and enablers identified in this review that influence physical activity engagement in people with venous leg ulcers are as follows: understanding the chronic nature of venous leg ulcers and the reasons for undertaking physical activities; specific beliefs that people hold about their own capabilities; pain related to wound and compression therapy; information and supports received from treating clinicians; feeling of fear and embarrassment. The confidence level for most of the synthesis findings was moderate to low., Conclusions: Our review identified people with venous leg ulcers experience significant challenges preventing them from engaging in physical activity. Factors such as knowledge of physical activity, availability of information, and self-belief may be particularly important for promoting physical activity in this cohort. Future interventions are recommended to provide educational information and clear instructions to improve participation. Further research is needed to explore potential interventions that may change physical activity behaviour in this population group., Registration: PROSPERO CRD42021238579., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Venous leg ulcers represent the most common chronic wound problem managed in Australian primary care. Despite the prevalence of the condition, there is an evidence-practice gap in both diagnosis and management of venous leg ulcers., Objective: We used the Theoretical Domains Framework to identify barriers and enablers perceived by primary care practitioners in implementing venous leg ulcer guidelines in clinical practice., Design: We collected data to explore the experiences of practice nurses and general practitioners related to their use of clinical practice guidelines in management of venous leg ulcers., Setting(s): We recruited participants from primary care settings located in metropolitan and rural areas across Victoria, Australia., Participants: We recruited general practitioners (15) and practice nurses (20)., Methods: We conducted 35 semi-structured face-to-face and telephone interviews. Content analysis of health practitioners' statements was performed and barriers to implementing clinical practice guidelines were mapped across the Theoretical Domains Framework theoretical domains., Results: Six main domains from the Theoretical Domains Framework (Environmental context and resources, Knowledge, Skills, Social influences, Social/Professional Role and Identity and Belief about Capabilities) best explained these barriers and enablers. Many participants were not aware of venous leg ulcer clinical practice guidelines. Those that were aware, stated that finding and accessing guidelines was challenging and most participants relied on other sources of information. Venous leg ulcer management was greatly influenced by professional experience and suggestions from colleagues. Other barriers included busy clinical practice, absence of handheld Doppler ultrasonography, insufficient skills and a lack of confidence related to the use of technology to rule out arterial involvement prior to compression application, a particular skill related to venous leg ulcer management that will impact on healing outcomes., Conclusions: We identified a number of barriers and the lack of enablers that influence the uptake of venous leg ulcer clinical practice guidelines in primary care. This paper adds a theoretically sound, systematic approach for understanding and addressing the behaviour change required to improve translation of venous leg ulcer clinical practice guidelines in clinical practice. Tweetable abstract: The need to optimise venous leg ulcer clinical practice guidelines (CPG) has never been greater as the current estimate of health cost is AUD3billion and increasing due to rising epidemics of diabetes and obesity. We found most primary care health practitioners are unaware of CPG and this will impact on health and healing outcomes in Australian primary care., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)