American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation
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A cross-sectional study on the correlates of elderly disability was conducted in Taiwan. A total of 400 subjects was randomly selected according to Barthel Index scores from among 2600 subjects, which was a sample of a previous community-based health survey of elderly aged 65 or over. ⋯ This suggests that prevention and treatment of chronic diseases should be pursued further and that further assessment of cognitive-mental status in the elderly is warranted. In addition, males were more disabled than females in a physical-functional aspect, which may be the consequence of the traditional Chinese cultural effect.
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Am J Phys Med Rehabil · Sep 1995
ReviewStrong quasi-experimental designs for research on the effectiveness of rehabilitation.
Medical rehabilitation needs better understanding of the effectiveness of its treatments and of patient characteristics most responsive to alternative intervention strategies. The goal of this paper is to improve understanding of research design in medical rehabilitation. ⋯ Pre-experimental research, including qualitative, descriptive, and predictive studies, should not be confused with experimental research designs. More frequent use of randomized experimental and strong quasi-experimental designs can provide knowledge that will augment the effectiveness of rehabilitation practice.
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Journal clubs can play an integral part in graduate medical education. They promote critical thinking, dissemination of information, and research and impact clinical practice. Little has been written, however, about how to organize a journal club or improve its efficacy. ⋯ This, in addition to poor faculty attendance, was a chief concern of those surveyed. Surprisingly, journal club participation was not felt to significantly alter the amount of reading residents did. Although most felt their journal clubs were successful, improving faculty participation, strengthening critical analysis skills, identifying and incorporating classic articles, improving clinical relevance, and providing a mechanism for feedback may further improve journal club efficacy and participant satisfaction.
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Am J Phys Med Rehabil · May 1995
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialTranscutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. Relevance of stimulation parameters to neurophysiological and hypoalgesic effects.
Although Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) has become a popular modality in pain management over the past 20 yr, there is still debate over its mechanisms of action and the precise relevance of stimulation parameters to its hypoalgesic effects. Thus, confusion still surrounds the selection of optimal stimulation parameters. ⋯ In addition, there was a high correlation (r = 0.9) between shifts in MPT and negative peak latency for the groups treated with this combination of TENS parameters. The results of this study thus illustrate that combinations of TENS parameters are important to the peripheral neurophysiological effects of this modality and, further, its associated hypoalgesic effects, at least on the model of pain used here.
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Am J Phys Med Rehabil · Mar 1995
Fellowship training in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Developed by the Association of Academic Physiatrists.
The AAP supports the development of fellowships, especially those that enhance research in areas relevant to PM&R. If possible, research training within fellowship programs should be acknowledged. As accredited fellowships develop, the AAP acknowledges potential risks to residency training and supports accreditation standards that consider the importance of coexisting fellowships and residency programs.