Disability and rehabilitation
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Aim of this study is to assess the psychometric properties of the developed Greek version of the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) in total knee replacement (TKR) patients. ⋯ The Greek KOOS was found to be a practical and comprehensible self-reported measure for TKR patients with acceptable psychometric properties. It is therefore, recommendable for usage in future clinical trials and clinical practice. Implications for Rehabilitation The Greek version of KOOS is an essential assessment scale to evaluate not only acute injuries but also chronic knee associated conditions in a holistic perspective. The Greek KOOS has been found to be a practical and comprehensible self-reported measure for TKR patients with acceptable psychometric properties, recommendable for usage in future clinical trials and clinical practice. KOOS Greek version (downloadable at the official site http://www.koos.nu/koosgreek.pdf ) was used in the validity study.
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Physical functioning is a multidimensional construct covering perceived functioning, functional capacity and actual physical activity. Currently, the assessment of physical functioning in low back pain (LBP) patients has been limited to only one or two of these aspects. This study evaluates physical functioning of LBP patients by assessing the three individual aspects using questionnaires and ambulant sensor-based measurements. ⋯ Perceived functioning, actual physical activity and functional capacity are three independent outcome dimensions, being complementary but not redundant. Especially, perceived functioning and physical capacity need attention when evaluating LBP patients during rehabilitation. Implications for Rehabilitation Perceived physical functioning and physical capacity are negatively affected by low back pain and improve after treatment. Low back pain patients perform their daily activity independent of pain and complaints. Inertia sensor-based motion analysis can objectify treatment effects showing low back pain patients their progress in rehabilitation. New interventions can be justified with inertia sensor technology in low back pain patients.
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The purpose of this study is to describe thoughts and attitudes of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) when talking about exercise training as treatment. ⋯ Patients with COPD, with no previous experience of exercise training as treatment for their disease, describe exercise training as something unknown and unimportant for them. The results provide important knowledge for healthcare professionals regarding how to educate patients with COPD about the content and benefits of exercise training as treatment. Implications for Rehabilitation Exercise training is effective for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with regard to dyspnea, physical capacity, health-related quality of life, and health care use. Patients with COPD perceive a lack of information regarding exercise training as treatment. The information and the presentation of exercise training as treatment might be of importance to get better adherence to this treatment.
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HIV and disability are interrelated providing a double burden to HIV endemic countries in East and Southern Africa and their already fragile health systems. Although literature reveals that people with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to HIV and that HIV, its opportunistic infections and treatments can cause disability, only few interventions target this issue and none have been evaluated in this region. ⋯ Formative evaluation indicates that the workshops can be effective not only in sensitising healthcare workers and people with disabilities to opportunities to improve services for people with disabilities but also to provide knowledge and skills to initiate improvements. Skills that need more practical training (e.g. screening for disability) need to be trained in more detail, and this will inform the adaptation of the workshops. However, the workshop evaluation also revealed that without policy implementation and budget allocations this change would only be limited. Implications for Rehabilitation HIV, its co-morbidities and treatments cause health conditions and impairments that have the potential to develop into disability. People with disabilities are at increased risk of exposure to HIV. Rehabilitation professionals, healthcare workers and people with disabilities can be sensitised in a three-day workshop on the relationship of disability and HIV. However, the trained participants can only implement no or low-cost elements of interventions, while high-cost interventions need budget allocations at provincial and national level.
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Nurses represent the largest professional group working with stroke-survivors, but there is limited evidence regarding nurses' involvement in post-stroke rehabilitation. The purpose of this study was to identify and explore the perspectives of nurses and other multidisciplinary stroke team members on nurses' practice in stroke rehabilitation. ⋯ The contribution that nurses with stroke rehabilitation skills can make to effective stroke care was understood. However, realising the potential of nurses as full partners in stroke rehabilitation is unlikely to occur without introduction of structured competency-based multidisciplinary training in rehabilitation skills. Implications for Rehabilitation Multidisciplinary rehabilitation in stroke units is a cornerstone of effective stroke care. Views of stroke unit team members on nurses' involvement in rehabilitation have not been reported previously. Nurses can routinely incorporate rehabilitation principles in their care. Specialist competency-based stroke rehabilitation training needs to be provided for nurses as well as for allied health professionals.