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Articles 5041 - 5070 of 5136

Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Eccentrically Induced Skeletal Muscle Damage In Patients With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Cfs), With Reference To Overtrained Athletes, David L. Wright Jan 1995

Eccentrically Induced Skeletal Muscle Damage In Patients With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Cfs), With Reference To Overtrained Athletes, David L. Wright

Theses : Honours

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and Overtraining syndrome (OTS) are separate, complex conditions which have so many similar debilitating effects that it has led some researchers to conclude that OTS is a sub-condition of CFS. The purpose of this research was to compare the force and damage-recovery characteristics of skeletal muscle in CFS patients and control normals, after a single damaging bout of eccentric contractions in the non-dominant forearm flexors. The subjects ( n = 25 ), a convenience sample were assigned to three groups; [I] CFS + eccentric damage (n = 8), [2] Control Damage (CD)+ eccentric damage (n = …

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The Effect Of Eccentric And Concentric Training On The Size And Strength Of Human Skeletal Muscle, Haydn J. N. Mcdonald Jan 1995

The Effect Of Eccentric And Concentric Training On The Size And Strength Of Human Skeletal Muscle, Haydn J. N. Mcdonald

Theses : Honours

The objective of this study was to determine if the high forces generated through eccentric contractions, and the subsequent damage sustained, contributes to greater growth and force increase in human skeletal muscle than other contraction types, and whether damage from eccentric exercise effects the increase in torque and muscle size expected after a progressive concentric strength training program. 20 healthy subjects were split into four groups which participated in 3 different training protocols, with one group serving as the control (C). Groups underwent either concentric training (CT), eccentric damage (ED), or a combination of the two protocols (DC) with the …

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Perceptions Of Control And Satisfaction With Hospital Birth Experiences For First-Time Mothers, Clelia Tedeschi Jan 1995

Perceptions Of Control And Satisfaction With Hospital Birth Experiences For First-Time Mothers, Clelia Tedeschi

Theses : Honours

Satisfaction with childbirth is associated with women's future emotional wellbeing. This study examined whether first- time mother's antenatal expectations, postnatal evaluations of control during labour and delivery, and the discrepancy between expectations and evaluations were significant predictors of women's satisfaction with their childbirth experiences. The effect of medical interventions (e.g., obstetrical interventions and pain relief medication) on women's perceptions of control and satisfaction was also examined. The purposive sample of eighty first-time mothers, mean age 26 years (excluding women who had caesareans) delivered at the public hospital where they attended antenatal classes. During their fourth antenatal class women completed a …

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Life At A Rural Psychiatric Hostel : The Experience Of A Group Of Male Residents, Rosalie R. Van Aken Jan 1995

Life At A Rural Psychiatric Hostel : The Experience Of A Group Of Male Residents, Rosalie R. Van Aken

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The study reported in this thesis describes and analyses the experience of 15 men with long term mental illness, living and/or working at a rural farm and hostel complex. The research was set in the context of recent studies and literature focussing on the transfer of care of people with mental illness from large psychiatric hospitals to community based care and the consequent quality of life issues. A phenomenological approach was chosen as the most appropriate for the study, in order to understand the meaning of the residents' experience. Data was obtained from three sources: in-depth interviews with 2 key …

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Art Therapy In The Paediatric Oncology Setting: An Assessment Of The Feasibility Of Art Therapy To Address The Psychosocial Needs Of Paediatric Cancer Patients, Anthea Carboni Jan 1995

Art Therapy In The Paediatric Oncology Setting: An Assessment Of The Feasibility Of Art Therapy To Address The Psychosocial Needs Of Paediatric Cancer Patients, Anthea Carboni

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

It is well recognised that children with cancer have special needs. Art therapy has been shown to be effective in meeting some of these needs. An exploratory study was conducted to assess the feasibility of art therapy to address the psychosocial needs of paediatric cancer patients in a medical setting where art therapy has not been practised before. A qualitative research design was used to investigate the research questions, using interviews as the main instrument. Subjects were recruited from the oncology team of a metropolitan children's hospital. The sample of thirteen informants consisted of representatives from the medical, nursing and …

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Postdischarge Surveillance Of Surgical Wound Infection By Telephone Interview, Robyn Taverner Jan 1995

Postdischarge Surveillance Of Surgical Wound Infection By Telephone Interview, Robyn Taverner

Theses : Honours

Many postoperative wound infections are not being detected by traditional methods of surveillance of hospital acquired infections, due to decreasing length of hospital stay Unless some form of postdischarge surveillance is undertaken, rates of hospital acquired infections will he underestimated. While Infection Control Practitioners are aware of this problem, implementation of postdischarge surveillance is hampered by lack of research into suitable cost-effective methods. This study describes the implementation and feasibility of postdischarge surveillance by telephone interview and compares rates of infection in a private hospital before and after discharge. During a five month period a systematic sample of 300 clients …

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Is There A Difference In Cortical Representation Between Dominant And Non-Dominant Arm Muscles Of Elite Badminton Players?, Dylan J. Edwards Jan 1995

Is There A Difference In Cortical Representation Between Dominant And Non-Dominant Arm Muscles Of Elite Badminton Players?, Dylan J. Edwards

Theses : Honours

Training for sport involves the development of skill and coordination. The physiological changes associated with skill acquisition are complex and at present poorly understood. One of the areas in the central nervous system thought to be involved with skill acquisition is the cerebral motor cortex where localised areas are responsible for controlling specific muscle groups. Learning or improving a motor skill may require reorganisation of the cortical areas controlling relevant muscles to accommodate the new skill. To test this idea we studied a group of elite badminton players that were highly skilled in their dominant playing arm. Transcranial magnetic stimulation …

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Effect Of Exercise Induced Muscle Soreness On The Motor Control Properties Of The Biceps Brachii, Alan J. Pearce Jan 1995

Effect Of Exercise Induced Muscle Soreness On The Motor Control Properties Of The Biceps Brachii, Alan J. Pearce

Theses : Honours

The objective of this study was to note the time course changes for up to 28 days on the motor control properties of biceps brachii muscle following a bout of eccentric exercise. Eight subjects (5 male, 25-40 years of age) performed 35 maximal voluntary eccentric contractions with the non-preferred arm of the elbow flexors through 130° of extension of 90°s-1. Voluntary electromyographic (EMG) activity and motor evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) were recorded via surface electrodes placed over the belly of the biceps brachii muscle. Maximal isometric strength was measured at 90° elbow flexion. …

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Immunisation Delay In The 0-18 Month Age Group In The Kimberley Region Of Western Australia, Anne Mahony Jan 1995

Immunisation Delay In The 0-18 Month Age Group In The Kimberley Region Of Western Australia, Anne Mahony

Theses : Honours

In two separate complementary exploratory descriptive studies the cover and timing of vaccine administration to children in the 0-18 month age group in the remote Kimberley Region of Western Australia were quantified, and reasons for delay in vaccine administration were investigated. The adapted PRECEDE model was used to guide the research and to integrate and interpret the findings. Study One: Three separate computer immunisation databases were combined to provide the first validated age-appropriate infant immunisation data in Western Australia. For the first time in WA, the timing of administration of vaccines was investigated, and for the first time in Australia, …

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Long Term Restoration Of Peak Torque, Endurance And Muscle Activation Post Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction, Darryl Alan Turner Jan 1995

Long Term Restoration Of Peak Torque, Endurance And Muscle Activation Post Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction, Darryl Alan Turner

Theses : Honours

In recent years, Accelerated Rehabilitation (A.R.) protocols have been used following Anterior Cruciate Ligament (A.C.L.) reconstructions, the longer term effects of these programs are seldom analysed. This study examined musculoskeletal mechanisms that might affect long term functional restoration, the control subjects (n = 19) of mixed age and gender, had no previous knee deficiencies and were recreationally fit. The experimental subjects (n = 17) had undergone intra-articular A.C.L reconstruction, using bone patellar-tendon bone grafts performed by the same surgeon and had also participated in the A.R. protocol, similar to that described by Shelbourne and Nitz (1990). The experimental group attended …

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The Supply Of Needles And Syringes To Injecting Drug Users : Attitudes And Practices Of Pharmacists In Western Australia, Heather June Newbey Jan 1995

The Supply Of Needles And Syringes To Injecting Drug Users : Attitudes And Practices Of Pharmacists In Western Australia, Heather June Newbey

Theses : Honours

Since 1986 in Western Australia many pharmacists have been supplying needles and syringes to injecting drug users as part of the governments's harm minimisation policy to prevent the spread of HIVI AIDS and other blood-borne viruses, particularly the more recently recognised hepatitis C. This practice was technically illegal, although officially condoned, until May 1994. Adequate baseline data not was available concerning needle and syringe supply or the attitudes of pharmacists concerning this issue. In this study a mail survey of Western Australian community pharmacists was conducted to determine the proportion of pharmacists currently supplying needles and syringes to injecting drug …

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Practice Nurses And Hepatitis B : Preventative Actions And Their Relationship To Health Beliefs, Helen Le Sueur Jan 1995

Practice Nurses And Hepatitis B : Preventative Actions And Their Relationship To Health Beliefs, Helen Le Sueur

Theses : Honours

Hepatitis B is a major, largely undiagnosed disease in the community and nurses working in doctors' surgeries (practice nurses) undertake many clinical tasks which may expose them to the Hepatitis B virus. Using the Health Belief Model as the theoretical framework, the purpose of this correlational-descriptive study was to determine what actions are taken, by practice nurses in Western Australia to protect themselves against Hepatitis B, and to what extent their health beliefs contribute to those actions. A response rate of 59% (118) was obtained from an anonymous, confidential questionnaire sent to a random sample of 200 practice nurses in …

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Influence Of The Label Intellectual Disability On Trainee Disability Service Providers' Impressions, Dianne Rosemary Mckillop Jan 1995

Influence Of The Label Intellectual Disability On Trainee Disability Service Providers' Impressions, Dianne Rosemary Mckillop

Theses : Honours

Labels can be identifiers of deviance from social norms and values as well as cognitive heuristics. Labelling theory proposes that deviancy labels create a perception of a stereotypical master status (Becker, 1963), which biases perceivers' impressions. The master status principle of labelling theory is analogous to the schema-based models of impression formation proposed by social psychology. The opposing view is that individual characteristics influence social perception to a greater extent than labels. The present study investigated the master status prediction of labelling theory using a social psychological framework. Empirical and theoretical evidence suggests that the perceptions of the people who …

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Localisation Of The Gene For A Novel Form Of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease In An Isolated Population, Kaite Honeyman Jan 1995

Localisation Of The Gene For A Novel Form Of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease In An Isolated Population, Kaite Honeyman

Theses : Honours

Localising the gene for a previously undescribed autosomal recessive form of CMT involved the use of a relatively new approach to rapid genome screening based on the identification of segments which are inherited identical by descent (IBD) from common founding ancestors. It is most feasible for populations which have been founded relatively recently (say less than 25 generations) and which have remained relatively isolated either geographically or culturally. The method is not suitable for highly inbred populations, that is with first and second cousin matings, as many segments will be inherited by chance. It appears to be a suitable screening …

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An Examination Of Selected Factors Associated With Nurses' Behaviour And Intentions Related To Patient Teaching, Ian R. Mullins Jan 1995

An Examination Of Selected Factors Associated With Nurses' Behaviour And Intentions Related To Patient Teaching, Ian R. Mullins

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Patient teaching is integral in the provision of an effective health care service. Registered nurses in all settings, have a professional responsibility to contribute towards their clients’ health promotion and maintenance by providing those clients with the health education they require. This study investigated the patient teaching intentions and behaviours of 181 registered nurses employed in acute medical and surgical settings at three metropolitan hospitals in Perth Western Australia. Within the framework of Ajzen and Fishbein’s (1980) theory of reasoned action, the study examined the relationships between registered nurses’ intentions to teach patients, their patient teaching behaviours and selected factors …

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Factors Influencing Western Australian Clinical Registered Nurses In Discharge Planning, S. R. Suiter Jan 1995

Factors Influencing Western Australian Clinical Registered Nurses In Discharge Planning, S. R. Suiter

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

A descriptive quantitative study was conducted to determine what factors nurses considered when discharge planning, and how these factors compared with factors identified in the literature as being effective in planning for discharge. This study was undertaken because with the intended Prospective Payment System (PPS) of funding to hospitals, it is essential that Western Australian Clinical Registered Nurses are able to prepare patients for discharge effectively to prevent the financial burden of cost outliers and re-admissions. Anderson and Steinberg ( 1984) in their studies of factors that influence the cost of hospital care for the elderly, found that the results …

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A Phenomenological Study Of Infertility : The Couple's Perspective, M. Imeson Jan 1995

A Phenomenological Study Of Infertility : The Couple's Perspective, M. Imeson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe and interpret the experience of infertility from the perspective of infertile couples, in order to gain an in-depth understanding of how it affects their lives. Ten to twenty per cent of the global population share the experience of infertility, however, little is known of their experiences and perceptions related to infertility. Literature to date mainly focuses on the physiological effects of infertility and does not take into account the context in which the experience takes place, or the meanings that people assign to this experience. To be effective, health carers need …

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Assessment Of Limb Perfusion By Measurement Of Toe Temperatures With A Skin Probe In Patients With Intraaortic Balloon Pumps, Jacqueline Hawkrigg Jan 1995

Assessment Of Limb Perfusion By Measurement Of Toe Temperatures With A Skin Probe In Patients With Intraaortic Balloon Pumps, Jacqueline Hawkrigg

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Assessment of peripheral perfusion is one of the most important aspects of care associated with nursing patients receiving intraaortic balloon pump (IABP) therapy. The validity of traditional methods of assessing peripheral perfusion based on colour, warmth, circulatory return, and quality of pedal pulses has' been questioned because of their subjective nature. Consequently, there is a need to identify a reliable quantitative method of monitoring peripheral perfusion in patients with IABPs. Measurement of toe temperatures by use of a skin probe has long been established as a reliable quantitative indicator of the state of lower limb perfusion in critically ill patients …

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Attitudes Of Nurses To Palliative Care In Nursing Homes In The Perth Metropolitan Region, Lynne Cohen Jan 1995

Attitudes Of Nurses To Palliative Care In Nursing Homes In The Perth Metropolitan Region, Lynne Cohen

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Zanna and Rempel (1988) have proposed that attitudes are a summary evaluation of an attitude object based on three classes of information, namely: cognitive information, affective information and behavioural information. This model has mainly been tested in the social groups and social policies area investigating two classes of information: cognitive and affective, and therefore there is a need for research to test the validity of this model in other areas. The present study applies the model to the area of palliative care in nursing homes. 76 directors of nursing, 76 clinical nurse specialists, and 76 nursing assistants working in nursing …

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The Lived Experience Of Nurses Caring For The Dying, David M. Byrne Jan 1995

The Lived Experience Of Nurses Caring For The Dying, David M. Byrne

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The study reported in this thesis describes and analyses the lived experience of caring for the dying amongst nine (9) nurses in a hospice setting. The research was established within the context of published literature on the subject of caring for the dying from nursing. A qualitative, phenomenological approach was chosen as the most appropriate for this study, in order to describe and interpret the understanding and shared meanings nurses have in the care of the dying. The major mode of data collection in this study was by in depth interview of nine (9) nurses, which was supplemented by the …

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The Effect Of Long Term Training On The Bone Mineral Density And Muscle Strength Of Perimenopausal Athletes, Jan Dook Jan 1994

The Effect Of Long Term Training On The Bone Mineral Density And Muscle Strength Of Perimenopausal Athletes, Jan Dook

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The aim of this research was to determine if long term training (20 years+) in a high impact weight bearing sport (netball/basketball: NB/88), a low impact weight-bearing sport (running/ field hockey: GEN) and a non weight-bearing sport, swimming (SWI) produced a positive relationship with regional bone mineral density (BMD) and muscle strength. Method: Three groups of perimenopausal athletes (n=20) plus a control group (CON) (n=20) had Total Body BMD and body composition measured by DEXA (Hologic QDR 2000) and isometric strength of dominant arm flexors and leg extensors by a strain tensiometer connected to a strength chair. Differences between groups …

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Questioning Strategies: Their Use By Clinical Teachers, Sue Sellappah Jan 1994

Questioning Strategies: Their Use By Clinical Teachers, Sue Sellappah

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study examined clinical teachers' use of questioning and the variations in their use of questioning as a teaching strategy. By using questioning and other appropriate teaching strategies, clinical teachers can facilitate the development of critical thinking, decision making, and problem solving in students. Effective use of questioning strategies involves asking low level and high level questions to facilitate recall of classroom knowledge and promote application of the knowledge to solve patient problems in varying clinical situations. Using a comparative descriptive design, this study used a convenience sample of 26 clinical teachers from one University School of Nursing to examine …

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Predictors, Patterns And Levels Of Stress Amongst Group Workers In Community Support Units For Adolescents, Alan Lee Jan 1994

Predictors, Patterns And Levels Of Stress Amongst Group Workers In Community Support Units For Adolescents, Alan Lee

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study sets out to determine the patterns, predictors and levels of stress amongst forty two groupworkers employed as care givers in five community based support units known commonly as hostels for troubled and troublesome adolescents. To establish and fully assess work related stress amongst groupworkers, it was necessary to capture not only results from questionnaires, but also individual perceptions of stress. To accomplish this, groupworkers were invited to discuss the topic further in face to face interviews upon completion of the questionnaires. Particular themes emergert from the results that reflect some of the concerns held by the author prior …

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The Retirement Experiences Of Former Elite Female Netball Players, J. L. Redmond Jan 1994

The Retirement Experiences Of Former Elite Female Netball Players, J. L. Redmond

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Research to date on retirement from sport has been dominated by the study of United States, male, collegiate sports. Studies within Australia, which has a substantially different community based sport system, are just commencing. This study provided an insight into retirement from sport as it was experienced by former Western Australian elite female netball players. Using a qualitative interpretive approach a three stage interview process was employed to capture the individual experiences of each of the 15 participants. The interviewees were also asked to recommend interventions or strategies that netball associations could employ to assist players in their transition out …

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Localisation And Detection Of A Polymorphism In The Human Skeletal Beta-Tropomyosin Gene (Tpm2), Clive C.J. Hunt Jan 1994

Localisation And Detection Of A Polymorphism In The Human Skeletal Beta-Tropomyosin Gene (Tpm2), Clive C.J. Hunt

Theses : Honours

Tropomyosin is one of the components of the thin filaments of muscle, binding to actin, and, together with troponin, regulating contraction in a calcium-dependent manner (Cho et al.,1990). There are at least four distinct tropomyosin genes in vertebrates and each may encode at least six different isoforms of tropomyosin by alternate splicing (Novy et al, 1993; MacLeod et al., 1988). The alpha-tropomyosin gene TPM1 has recently been localised to 15q22 (Eyre et al, 1994) and has been shown to be mutated in some cases of familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (Thierfelder et al., 1994). The alpha-tropomyosin gene TPM3 has been recently localised …

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The Effect Of Facilitating Increased Involvement In Nursing Home Caregiving On Former Caregivers' Satisfaction With The Care Arrangement, Christine Toye Jan 1994

The Effect Of Facilitating Increased Involvement In Nursing Home Caregiving On Former Caregivers' Satisfaction With The Care Arrangement, Christine Toye

Theses : Honours

This study examined the effect of a programme that facilitated fanner caregivers' increased involvement with nursing home care giving on their satisfaction with the care provided for their relatives. It was guided by Ray's Adaptation Model of Nursing (Ray, 1984, 1989). The hypotheses stated that the programme would help former caregivers to adapt to the institutionalisation of their loved ones, as manifested by their increased satisfaction with aspects of the care arrangement (overall care, nursing care, relationships, and the environment). The convenience sample consisted of 31 former care givers of long term residents admitted to a metropolitan nursing home 1 …

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A Comparison Of Two Bathing Methods : Effects On The Haemodynamic And Subjective Responses Of Low Risk Patients Within 48 Hours Post Myocardial Infarction, Heather M. Kidd Jan 1994

A Comparison Of Two Bathing Methods : Effects On The Haemodynamic And Subjective Responses Of Low Risk Patients Within 48 Hours Post Myocardial Infarction, Heather M. Kidd

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this within subject experimental study was to determine what effect showering by nurses, as compared to bed bathing patients, has on the haemodynamic and subjective responses of low risk patients within 48 hours of having a myocardial infarction. The sample consisted of 50 patients, 8 female and 42 male, with a mean age of 61 years (SD = 10). Twenty-five were randomly assigned to a bed bath, then a shower over 2 consecutive days and the other 25 to the reverse order. The haemodynamic responses consisted of heart rate, rate pressure product (RPP), blood pressure, cardiac rhythm, …

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Reasons Why Patients Attend An Emergency Department, Emily J. Carmona Jan 1994

Reasons Why Patients Attend An Emergency Department, Emily J. Carmona

Theses : Honours

The traditional role of emergency departments (ED) is to provide emergency and lifesaving treatment to accident victims (Catchlove, 1974). These departments provide a unique service to the Australian community, as medical treatment is available without medical referral or appointment. However, attendance patterns suggest that a high proportion of members of the public seek treatment for non-urgent conditions at these departments (Bain & Johnson, 1971; Starr, 1973). The purpose of this study is to update existing information about attendance patterns by describing the current use of one teaching hospital emergency department. A descriptive study design using a quantitative approach was used …

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The Self Reported Patterns Of Alcohol Consumption By Registered Nurses In Western Australia, K. Waters Jan 1994

The Self Reported Patterns Of Alcohol Consumption By Registered Nurses In Western Australia, K. Waters

Theses : Honours

The study of self reported patterns of alcohol consumption by Registered nurses in Western Australia is the first Australian study that attempts to quantify the amount of alcohol consumed by nurses. This study also examines the type of alcohol related problem that nurses most frequently experience, and investigates the relationships between problematic alcohol consumption and the demographic categories of age, gender, area of nursing practice and geographical location of residence. The conceptual framework that guides the study incorporates a model developed by Thorley, and considers factors related to the intrinsic properties of alcohol, the environment and the individual which contribute …

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The Prevalence Of Behavioural Risk Factors Associated With Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Ann M. Callaghan Jan 1994

The Prevalence Of Behavioural Risk Factors Associated With Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Ann M. Callaghan

Theses : Honours

Sudden Infant Death syndrome (SIDS) is a major cause of death in the first year of life. In Western Australia (WA), two infants in every thousand live births die from SIDS each year. The aim of this study was to ascertain the prevalence in WA of three risk factors which have been associated with SIDS, namely prone lying, maternal smoking and lack of breast feeding. In addition the study sought to determine the significant influences that encourage change in infant care practices by parents. The study obtained information from child health nurses and midwives regarding the advice they provide on …

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