Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Provision Of Health Promotion Information By Physiotherapists To In-Patients In A Tertiary Hospital: A Pilot Study, Chris J. Macfarlane, Kathy Stiller

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: The provision of health promotion information is an important part of the management of hospitalised patients. Allied health practitioners are often involved in the provision of this information. No studies appear to have documented the rate of provision of health promotion material by physiotherapists to hospitalised patients. The aim of this pilot study was to measure the frequency with which health promotion information was provided to in-patients by physiotherapists and to evaluate patients’ perception of the effectiveness of this information. Method: Retrospective medical record audits and follow-up telephone interviews were undertaken over an 18 month period for patients who …

The Self Reported Aggravating Activities Of Chronic Non Specific Low Back Pain Patients Do Not Demonstrate A Consistent Directional Pattern: An Observational Study, Benedict M. Wand, Rebecca Hunter, Neil E. O'Connell, Louise Marston, James Mcauley

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Question: Do the self-reported aggravating activities of chronic non-specific low back pain patients demonstrate a consistent directional pattern?

Design: Cross-sectional observational study. Participants: 240 chronic non specific low back pain patients.

Outcome measure: We invited experienced clinicians to classify each of the three self-nominated aggravating activities from the Patient Specific Functional Scale by the direction of lumbar spine movement. Patients were described as demonstrating a directional pattern if all nominated activities moved the spine into the same direction. Analyses were undertaken to determine if the proportion of patients demonstrating a directional pattern was greater than would be expected by chance. …

Predicting Outcome In Acute Low Back Pain Using Different Models Of Patient Profiling, Benedict M. Wand, James H. Mcauley, Louise Marston, Lorraine H. De Souza

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Study Design: Prospective observational study of prognostic indicators, utilising data from a randomised, controlled trial of physiotherapy care of acute low back pain (ALBP) with follow up at 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months.

Objective: To evaluate which patient profile offers the most useful guide to long-term outcome in ALBP.

Summary of Background Data: The evidence used to inform prognostic decision-making is derived largely from studies where baseline data is used to predict future status. Clinicians often see patients on multiple occasions so may profile patients in a variety of ways. It is worth considering if better prognostic decisions …

Learning Style Preferences Of Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy And Speech Pathology Students: A Comparative Study, Ted Brown, Tessa Cosgriff, Glenys French

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Educating future health care practitioners is an important role of universities. Optimal learning environments consider how students learn and utilise various teaching methods to tailor curriculum delivery to match specified student learning preferences. Method: This paper presents a comparative study examining the learning style preferences of first-year undergraduate occupational therapy (n = 116), physiotherapy (n = 60) and speech pathology students (n = 42) at one Australian university. Each student group completed the Kolb Learning Style Inventory (LSI) and the VARK Questionnaire during the first semester of year one of their courses. Results: Minimal significant differences were identified between …

What Is The Effectiveness Of A Biopsychosocial Approach To Individual Physiotherapy Care For Chronic Low Back Pain?, Susan I. George

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

A systematic review of randomized controlled trials was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of a biopsychosocial approach to management for chronic low back pain when applied by individual physiotherapists. Eight primary databases and three secondary databases were searched electronically. A manual reference search was also performed. To be eligible, trials had to provide treatment according to biopsychosocial principles in primary care or comparable settings. This approach is a holistic intervention that addresses social, psychological, and biological aspects of chronic pain. Included trials defined chronic low back pain as of greater than eight weeks duration. Primary outcome measures were reductions in …

Challenges Facing Physiotherapy Education In Africa, Jose Frantz

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Health care is changing and the demands put on health professionals are increasing. Physiotherapy education should reflect the health and social priorities of the nation. The World Confederation of Physical Therapy (WCPT) is committed to assisting physiotherapy associations in developing educational standards. Physiotherapy education in Africa however, seems to have a real need for assistance from the WCPT. The aim of this paper is to highlight the challenges facing physiotherapy education in Africa. The Delphi methodology was used to obtain information from key informants involved in the area of physiotherapy education from a variety of African countries. The majority of …

Assessing Clinical Placements In A B.Sc. Physiotherapy Program, Jose M. Framtz, Anthea J. Rhoda

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Background: The clinical setting is one of the most valuable educational resources available to institutions training physiotherapy students. The experiences gained at the clinical settings assist graduates to grasp what the discipline of physiotherapy is all about. Objective: To evaluate existing clinical venues providing placement for physiotherapy students at the University of the Western Cape. Methodology: Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to gather data. A validated questionnaire was used to gather the quantitative information. The questionnaire consisted of a seventeen-item instrument using a Likert scale which ranged from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Five open ended questions were …

Can Human Patient Simulators Be Used In Physiotherapy Education?, Annette Jones, Lorraine Sheppard

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to review the evidence for the use of human patient simulators in physiotherapy education. Method: A review of the physiotherapy literature was undertaken. Due to the lack of studies found the search was expanded to include health professional education. Exclusion criteria were then applied to the identified literature and critical appraisal undertaken. Results: Due to the differences in methodology employed in the studies identified a meta-analysis could not be performed. The studies identified repeat practice and the ability to control the learning environment as positive aspects for learning using human patient simulators. In …

Effectiveness Of Eccentric Exercises In The Management Of Chronic Achilles Tendinosis, Carla Van Usen, Barbara Pumberger

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Chronic Achilles tendinosis is commonly seen in clinical practice however the causes are largely unknown. In the last ten years good results have been reported with a range of approaches, one of which is eccentric training. Objective: This study reports on a systematic review of the literature to determine the effectiveness of eccentric training compared with other types of interventions for chronic Achilles tendinosis. Method: A systematic review of the published research literature was conducted to examine the quantity, nature, quality and significance of literature relevant to the effectiveness of eccentric training for chronic Achilles tendinosis. Subject inclusion criteria were …

Electronic Clinical Records For Physiotherapists, Christine Barry, Mark Jones, Karen Grimmer

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: This pilot study compared traditional (paper-based) and electronic (computerized) clinical physiotherapy records. The content of the records and the software’s user acceptability were considered. Methods: A neuro-musculoskeletal patient scenario involving two encounters (initial and follow-up) was scripted and role-played to each of three experienced physiotherapists (A, B and C). Participants assessed the patient and made traditional clinical records. After basic training in an electronic record system, they repeated the assessments and made electronic records via a laptop computer. Three experienced physiotherapists (A, D and E) each used their usual method to write a clinical report and an electronic record …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Accountability And Accreditation In The Australian Allied Health Context, Susan Nancarrow, Julie Clark

Susan Nancarrow

This paper examines the professional accreditation systems developed by five allied health associations in Australia. Professional accreditation is potentially a powerful tool because it can describe both the attributes of a health service provider and aspects of the quality of their care. This information is of value to patients, regulatory bodies and funding organizations to guide their health service decision making. However, the lack of consistency in the approaches used by the allied health disciplines means that the term 'accreditation' has a different value for each profession. Additionally, patient and purchaser preferences have received little consideration in the development of …

Evaluation Of The Bunbury Chronic Pain Management Program, Samar Aoun, Carmen Gregg

Research outputs pre 2011

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a six-week program in pain management for patients with chronic pain referred by GPs in Bunbury, Australind, Harvey, Collie, and Donnybrook. The evaluation consisted of a retrospective analysis of patient data from the first 3 courses of the program (November 1996 to March 1997), and satisfaction surveys for 26 clients, 26 GPs and the 7 staff in the multidisciplinary team.

A comparison of pre-program and post-program pain inventory psychometric measures revealed a significant decrease in the amount pain interfered with general activity, social activities, normal work, sleep and mood. …

A Randomized Clinical Trial To Compare Selective Posterior Rhizotomy Plus Physiotherapy With Physiotherapy Alone In Children With Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy, Paul Steinbok, Ann M. Reiner, Richard Beauchamp, Robert Armstrong, Douglas Cochrane

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

A randomized controlled single-blind trial was performed to compare lumbo-sacral selective posterior rhizotomy (SPR) followed by intensive physiotherapy, with intensive physiotherapy alone in improving motor function in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. Fifteen patients were randomly assigned to each treatment modality. Patients in the SPR group had rhizotomy within 1 month, followed by intensive outpatient physiotherapy for 9 months. Patients assigned to physiotherapy alone had identical intensive physiotherapy. There was a statistically significant and clinically important difference in improvement in motor function in favor of the SPR group, with a mean increase in total Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) …

Hospital Care In Ten Departments, Abram Troy Lassiter

MA TESOL Collection

Hospital Care in Ten Departments is a series of lessons which serve as an introduction to students planning to enter English-speaking hospitals for On-the-Job Training. The text gives the students an idea of what occurs in ten different hospital departments and enables them to more easily choose the department in which they would like to work. The hospital stories are followed by a section on suggested activities which could be used for any story. Finally, there is a section on specific exercises for specific lessons.