Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Improvement Of Pain Symptoms And Activities Of Daily Living In People With Knee Osteoarthritis After Intra-Articular Hyaluronic Acid Injection, Carl P. C. Chen, Chih-Kuang Chen, Max J. L. Chen, Yin-Chou Lin, Tony H. C. Hsu, Ju-Wen Cheng, Simon F. T. Tang

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a slowly evolving articular disease that appears to originate in the cartilage and affects the underlying bone, soft tissues, and synovial fluid. This condition usually occurs late in life, principally affecting the large weight-bearing joints such as the knee. It is particularly disabling when the knees are affected, because it limits the ability to walk, to rise from a chair, and to use stairs.The treatment selections for OA knees include analgesic drugs, physiotherapy, intra-articular (IA) drug administration, and surgical total knee replacement. We chose IA hyaluronic acid injection as the treatment method as it was documented as …

Learning Approaches, Learning Difficulties And Academic Performance Of Undergraduate Students Of Physiotherapy, Shreemathi S. Mayya, A. Krishna Rao, Ramnaryana K.

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

A locally developed ‘Approaches to Learning Inventory (ALI)’ was administered to explore the learning difficulties and learning approaches of undergraduate students of Bachelor of Physiotherapy, College of Allied Health Sciences, Manipal. University examination marks of these students were also collected. Learning approach and learning difficulties were summarized by computing mean, standard deviation and percentage of students experiencing some of the academic and non-academic problems. Spearman’s correlation was computed between standardized scores of examination marks, learning approach and learning difficulty scale scores. Academic performance has shown significant negative correlation with surface approach and various problems of learners like fear of failure …

Information Interface - Volume 32, Issue 3 - August/September 2004, George Washington University, Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library

Information Interface (1976 - 2009)

News and information about Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library of interest to users. Includes articles on digital microscopes, Ovid OpenLinks and PubMed Linkout, library liaisons, and database search tips.

Informing Discharge Plans. Assessments Of Elderly Patients In Australian Public Hospitals: A Field Study, Karen Grimmer, Esther May, Anna Dawson, Claudia Peoples

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

This paper describes assessment practices related to discharging elderly patients from Australian acute public hospitals. Common assessments were of cognition, continence, wound care, hygiene needs, nutrition, mobility and self-care. Nurses and social workers commonly took non-standardised assessment approaches, whilst therapists were more likely to use published assessment instruments. Patients’ perspectives were rarely incorporated into assessments. The relationship between many common assessment items and patients’ ability to manage safely after discharge from hospital was unclear. The validity of assessment items, the reliability with which assessments were taken, ‘normal’ variability in responses, and interpretation of instrument ‘scores’ with respect to post-discharge independence …

The Understanding And Utilization Of Occupational Therapy Services By Medical Doctors In Acute Hospital Settings, Naina Jamani

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine what medical doctors working in the Canadian healthcare system know about occupational therapy, and if this understanding of occupational therapy is deemed valuable by the rate of referrals generated by these practitioners. This study will examine the relationship between physician's knowledge level and referrals to occupational therapy. The study instrument was a survey that consisted of eight questions, seven multiple choice and one open-ended response. The study took approximately five minutes to complete. A total of forty surveys were distributed at three different acute hospital settings. A total of fourteen or thirty-five …

Orthopedic Treatment Outcomes And Physical Therapists' Orthopedic Clinical Specialist Status, Karin Granberg

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background and Purpose. Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) certification has been available since 1989, however, no prospective studies exist demonstrating better patient outcomes with OCS certification. The purpose of this study was to prospectively explore if there are differences in effectiveness as measured by health, work status and patient satisfaction; efficiency, as measured by visits, treatment duration, number of treatment codes and cost; value (unit of functional improvement per dollar charged), and utilization (unit of functional improvement per visit) depending on OCS status of PTs working in orthopedic outpatient settings.

Subjects. Six PTs with OCS certification and 11 PTs without …

Informal Carers’ Experience Of Caring For Stroke Survivors, Lorraine M. Smith, Maggie Lawrence, Susan M. Kerr, Peter Langhorne, Kennedy R. Lees

Dr. Maggie Lawrence

Stroke is the third most common cause of death in industrialized countries and a major cause of adult disability. However, the burden of caring for stroke survivors usually rests with family members who have neither chosen nor volunteered for the role of ‘carer’. This paper reports on a study which aimed to describe the experience of caring for a stroke survivor at one year after stroke in Scotland.

Functioning Among Taiwanese Families With A Child Having Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Jih-Yuan Chen Phd, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

A cross-sectional study was designed to determine the factors with functioning among Taiwanese families with a child having Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). This research investigated the level of a child's mobility upon family hardiness, functioning, and support from a family perspective. A total sample of 126 of participants was parents of children with DMD. Parents completed basic demographic information, the Family Assessment Device, Family Hardiness Index, Duke Health Profile, and Family APGAR. Pearson Correlation Coefficient test was performed to examine relationships between independent and dependent variables. To determine if the levels of child's mobility, family characteristics, family hardiness, family health, …

Physical Therapists' Evaluation Of The Trunk Flexors In Patients With Low Back Pain., Shari A. Rone-Adams, Eric Shamus, Melissa Hileman

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Study Design: This study utilized a single blind design in the observation of 20 initial low back evaluations performed by physical therapists. The physical therapists were blinded to what the researchers were observing. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether or not physical therapists were quantifying the strength of trunk flexors when the patient’s chief complaint was low back pain. Background: The literature has shown that there is a relationship between back pain and decreased strength in the abdominal muscles. Therefore, it appears important for physical therapists to evaluate the abdominal muscles in patients with low back …

Recruiting And Retaining Allied Health Professionals In Rural Australia: Why Is It So Difficult?, Janet C. Struber

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Rural communities in Australia have particular health needs, and the recruitment and retention of Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) is a significant concern. Despite the increasing number of AHPs being trained, vacancy and attrition rates in rural areas continue to rise. Professional and social isolation combined with rapidly changing health service delivery structures are identified as major deterrents to long-term rural practice. While strategies are now being implemented, endeavours to resolve the issues lag well behind initiates offered to Medical and Nursing staff. Given the wealth of political, professional and health related issues underlying the recruitment and retention of AHPs to …

International Low Back Pain Guidelines: A Comparison Of Two Research Based Models Of Care For The Management Of Acute Low Back Pain., Benedict Wand, C Bird, James H. Mcauley, Maureen Macdowell, Lorraine H. De Souza

Health Sciences Conference Papers

Evidence based guidelines for the management of acute low back pain (ALBP) have been formulated by numerous countries. There are discrepancies between guidelines regarding physiotherapy treatment.

The aim of this study was to compare two research based models derived from international LBP guidelines. A single-blind randomised controlled trial was undertaken in a physiotherapy outpatients department. Subjects with ALBP were randomly allocated to an ‘assess/advise/treat’ group (n = 50) or an ‘assess/advise/wait’ group (n = 52). The primary outcome measure was the Roland and Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ). Secondary outcome measures of pain (VAS, usual pain intensity) depressive symptoms (MZSRDS) somatic …

Dynamic Role Boundaries In Intermediate Care Services, Susan Nancarrow

Susan Nancarrow

This paper examines the impact of intermediate care service delivery on the role boundaries of service providers. Two intermediate care teams were selected as case studies to explore the roles of workers in the context of an admission avoidance and assisted discharge service. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 26 intermediate care staff, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses, a social worker and support workers. The study found that therapists' roles were most closely aligned with each other, whilst nurses perceived their roles as being distinct from therapists, with a more medical emphasis. Therapists and nurses delegate a range of …

The Development Of Support Workers In Allied Health Care: A Case Study Of Podiatry Assistants, Fiona Webb, Lisa Farndon, Alan Borthwick, Susan Nancarrow, Wesley Vernon

Susan Nancarrow

The aim of this study was to investigate why support workers were introduced, the development of the role and the impact this had on the UK podiatry profession. A documentary analysis was used to explore this subject over a 25 year time period, from 1977, when assistants were introduced, to 2002. All documents referring to podiatry assistants were studied and analysed using the framework approach. Analysis revealed that assistants were introduced to supplement a profession which was experiencing recruitment and retention problems at the time. Their training was given in-house as this was cost-effective and could accommodate local departmental needs. …

Relationship Between Static Mobility Of The First Ray And First Ray, Midfoot, And Hindfoot Motion During Gait, Mary K. Allen, Tyler J. Cuddeford, Ward M. Glasoe, Lisa M. Dekam, Pamela J. Lee, Kelli J. Wagner, H. John Yack

Faculty Publications - College of Physical Therapy

The relationship between a static measure of dorsal first ray mobility and dynamic motion of the first ray, midfoot, and hindfoot during the stance phase of walking was investigated in healthy, asymptomatic subjects who represented the spectrum of static flexibility. Static first ray mobility of 15 subjects was measured by a load cell device and ranged from stiff (3.1 mm) to lax (8.0 mm). Using three-dimensional motion analysis, mean first ray dorsiflexion/eversion and mid-/hindfoot eversion peak motion, time-to-peak, and eversion excursion were evaluated. Subjects with greater static dorsal mobility of the first ray demonstrated significantly greater time-topeak hindfoot eversion and …

Linking Primary Health Care Researchers In South Australia: A Network Strategy, Sarnet, Raechel L. Waters, Kathryn M. Weston, Elizabeth Farmer

Graduate School of Medicine - Papers (Archive)

In response to the changing definitions of primary care delivery there is a growing need for research to be practitioner-driven and multidisciplinary. This paper addresses the strategies used to enhance multidisciplinary participation and capacity building in research in the South Australian Primary Health Care Research Network (SARNet). This network has 198 members currently. Membership is strongly multidisciplinary and spans all levels of research expertise. The services offered by the network are member-driven and include competitive bursary funding for research and evaluation skills development, writing groups, training events, access to web-based resources and information, special interest groups, and email alerts. Potential …

Early Intervention For The Management Of Acute Low Back Pain: A Single Blind Randomised Controlled Trial Of Biopsychosocial Education, Manual Therapy And Exercise, Benedict Wand, Christien Bird, James H. Mcauley, Caroline J. Dore, Maureen Macdowell, Lorraine H. De Souza

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Design: A single blind randomised controlled trial comparing two models of care for patients with simple acute low back pain (ALBP).

Objectives: To compare two research-based models of care for ALBP, and investigate the effect of the timing of physical intervention. Summary of Background Data National guidelines offer conflicting information on the delivery of physical treatment in the management of ALBP. Review of guidelines suggests two different models of care. Direct comparisons between these models are lacking in the literature. The present study aims to compare these two approaches to the management of ALBP.

Method: Among 804 referred patients, 102 …

The Efficacy Of A Balance Strategy Training Circuit For Community Based Elders Who Have Had A Fall, Jennifer Nitz, Nancy Low Choy

Nancy Low Choy

Background:
Older people participate in exercise programmes to reduce the risk of falls but no study has investigated a specific balance strategy training intervention presented in a workstation format for small groups.

Objective:
To determine whether a specific balance strategy training programmeme delivered in a workstation format was superior to a community based exercise class programme for reducing falls.

Design:
A randomised controlled trial model.

Setting:
Neurological Disorders, Ageing and Balance Clinic, Department of Physiotherapy, The University of Queensland.

Subjects:
73 males and females over 60 years, living independently in the community and who had fallen in the previous year …