Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Changing Practices To Better Support First-Year Health Science Students, G Hoyne, K Mcnaught

Health Sciences Conference Papers

Entrance to university in Australia, in a post-Bradley era, is diversified and massified, with targets and programs to increase the participation of equity groups that were previously not represented. The changed cohorts have major implications for universities, in meeting the students’ needs, and as a moral and ethical response to enrolment. At the University of Notre Dame Australia (UNDA) Fremantle campus, the 2011 cohort entering Health Sciences, experienced a high rate of failure and withdrawal from university. They entered university at a time when UNDA had begun to implement first year experience (FYE) pedagogical approaches but these had not been …

Cortical Training In The Management Of Acute Upper Limb Burns: A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial, L M. Zorzi, D Edgar, Benedict M. Wand, F Wood

Health Sciences Conference Papers

The aim of this study is to examine the feasibility, safety and efficacy of a prophylactic cortical training programme in patients with an acute upper limb burn.

A randomised controlled pilot study is being carried out at the Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) Telstra Burns Outpatient Department. Subjects who have sustained isolated upper limb burns and presented to RPH within seven days of injury are randomised into experimental or control groups.

Subjects in the control condition receive usual physiotherapy care for four weeks; those in the experimental group receive usual care and the addition of a cortical training programme which includes …

Tactile Thresholds Are Preserved Yet Cortical Sensory Function Is Impaired In Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain Patients, Benedict M. Wand, Flavia S. Di Pietro, Pamela George, Neil E. O’Connell

Health Sciences Conference Papers

Introduction: A substantial amount of evidence points to an alteration in brain structure and function patients with chronic non-specific low back pain (CNSLBP) [1-6]. One interpretation of these findings is that the observed brain changes may represent a disruption of the brain’s representations of the body part and the resultant body perception disturbance may underpin this clinical problem. The current study aimed to investigate sensory dysfunction in CNSLBP. Specifically we aimed to distinguish cortically mediated sensory dysfunction from peripheral dysfunction by comparing simple tactile thresholds with more complex cortically mediated sensory tests

Methods: We investigated tactile thresholds (TTH), two point …

Systematic Review Of Physiotherapy During Acute Exacerbations Of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Aecopd), K Hill, Shane Patman, D Brooks

Health Sciences Conference Papers

In COPD patients, acute exacerbations are important events. Reviews of studies investigating treatment during AECOPD focus on medical management, with little discussion of physiotherapy. Therefore a systematic review was undertaken of the studies pertaining to physiotherapy during AECOPD. Methods: Studies were identified by searching databases and scanning reference lists. Appropriate studies were reviewed by two independent investigators. Data were extracted using a standardized form. Where possible, a score was assigned using the PEDro scale for assessment of study quality.

HIll, K., Patman, S., & Brooks, D. (2008). Systematic review of physiotherapy during Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (AECOPD). …

Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy Education – Are We Achieving The Vision?, Shane Patman

Health Sciences Conference Papers

This action research project comprised a broad macro situational analysis type review targeting clinicians conducting cardiorespiratory placements and those providing mentoring/supervision for the The University of Notre Dame Australia. The intent was to gain a perspective from the clinicians and supervisors whether current curriculum content and design was effectively preparing students for the real world of cardiorespiratory physiotherapy. By inference, an avenue for reflection on teaching skill and performance was provided.

Profiling Physiotherapy In Australian And New Zealand Intensive Care, Kristin Leslie, Shane Patman

Health Sciences Conference Papers

Physiotherapy for ICU patients is considered essential by many health professionals and professional bodies, yet the evidence base for this service is insufficient. No published research outlining optimal management of this service exist. Effective evaluation and implementation of best practice ‘critical-care physiotherapy’ requires knowledge of the current profile of ICU physiotherapists’.

Leslie, K., & Patman, S. (2008). Profiling physiotherapy in Australian and New Zealand intensive care. Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, 36(6), 897.

ISSN: 0310-057X

Benchmarking Intensive Care Physiotherapy Staffing In Australian Tertiary Hospitals, Wenxing Sun, Shane Patman

Health Sciences Conference Papers

Physiotherapy is an important component in the management of patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Existing guidelines on ICU physiotherapy staffing represent European settings and are not contemporary. With no specific recommendations in Australia, medical and nursing staffing guidelines reflected the need to have designated physiotherapy services available and accessible 24 hours a day in ICU. Therefore, this study aimed to pinpoint a guideline for ICU physiotherapy staff allocation by examining the current physiotherapy staff levels in ICU of Australian tertiary hospitals and comparing it with staff levels desired by senior physiotherapy leaders.

Optimising Physiotherapy Care For Acute Low Back Pain – Identifying Non-Responders To Treatment, James H. Mcauley, Benedict M. Wand, C Bird, Lorraine H. De Souza

Health Sciences Conference Papers

Recent evidence suggests that positive effects of physiotherapy for acute low back pain patients can be achieved if treatment is delivered early enough. However it is clear that not all patients treated with physiotherapy are likely to report equally positive outcomes from their treatment. The identification of clinical characteristics of those patients who do less well will help refine models of care for acute low back pain.

Aim: To identify non-responders to early active physiotherapy.

Method: A secondary analysis was conducted on the data from a recently published randomised controlled trial of early physiotherapy for acute low back pain. All …

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 …