International journal of rehabilitation research. Internationale Zeitschrift für Rehabilitationsforschung. Revue internationale de recherches de réadaptation
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The aims of this study were to describe podiatric care for diabetic patients with foot problems and to explore the changes in knowledge, self-care behaviour and physical functioning after podiatric care. The treatment characteristics of 26 diabetic patients referred to podiatry were assessed. Prior to the first podiatric visit (T1) and 20 weeks later (T2) these patients filled in a structured questionnaire and performed a six-minute walking test. ⋯ After podiatric care, patients reported having less severe foot pain and some improvements in functional ability and self-care behaviour were found. This study offers clues to start controlled clinical trials on the effectiveness of podiatry for diabetic patients. Trials should not only be directed to (the role of podiatry in) ulcer healing; it may be even more significant to study its effectiveness for the purpose of prevention and treatment of early-stage diabetic foot symptoms.
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The Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre for Disabled Children (HRDC) in Nepal identified the need to evaluate their in-hospital and community programmes. An instrument was developed to provide information regarding the functional level of the children treated by the HRDC as well as to provide information regarding care-givers' attitudes towards disability. Inter-rater reliability of the measure was tested in three regions of Nepal with 49 children. ⋯ Inter-rater reliability coefficients, calculated using a weighted kappa statistic, varied from 0.60 to 1.0. We conclude that the instrument demonstrated an acceptable level of inter-rater reliability in the field setting. Future studies to measure construct and concurrent validity, test-retest reliability and responsiveness of the instrument are recommended as well as testing the instrument in different cultures.
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The main purpose of the present study was to examine the accountability of demography, disability status, and internal resources to the long-term psychosocial adaptation of women with chronic physical disabilities. Eighty-eight married women, with orthopaedic, neurological and internal chronic diseases, completed questionnaires dealing with demographic and disability characteristics, sense of coherence, and personal and familial adaptation. The results indicate that sense of coherence and socioeconomic index, rather than disability status variables, account significantly for the explained variance of adaptational outcome.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TNS) for painful osteoarthrosis of the knee.
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Professional power and professional effectiveness in hospitals is a little investigated but very critical phenomenon. The problem with any investigation on power is the many variables which are involved and the complex way in which they manifest themselves. ⋯ The null hypothesis was rejected in favour of the alternative hypothesis, concluding that the original nine variables contained redundancies and could be replaced with four non-redundant factors. The implications for future research in this area are stated.