Disability and rehabilitation
-
Among veterans with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) or disease aetiologies, examine the association between diagnosed mental illness (MI) and substance use disorders (SUD) on mortality after controlling for demographic and socioeconomic factors, SCI severity, injury duration and chronic physical illnesses. ⋯ Some types of MI and SUD were associated with excess mortality among veterans with SCI. Care for MI and SUD needs to be routinely integrated into SCI management. Future research is needed to determine whether depression and SUD treatment provides opportunity to improve survival.
-
To examine the validity and reliability of a modified Reintegration to Normal Living Index (mRNL Index) with a sample of community-dwelling adults with mixed diagnoses. ⋯ Modifications to the phrasing, rating scale and subscales improved the validity of the original RNL Index for a mixed rehabilitation, community-dwelling population.
-
The impact of stroke-related dysarthria on social participation and implications for rehabilitation.
Each year an estimated 30,000-45,000 UK individuals experience stroke-related dysarthria (impairment of movements required to produce speech). Many will experience persistent dysarthria long after discharge from stroke services. Although we have some insight into the impact of other communication impairments, we have very limited information on the impact of dysarthria on social participation. ⋯ The impact of stroke-related dysarthria transcends the physiological impairment to impact upon individuals' social participation, which is key to the process of rehabilitation. The development and evaluation of the effectiveness of an intervention that addresses these impacts is the next challenge for therapists and researchers working in this area.
-
The purpose of the study was to explore the aspects of functioning and health relevant to patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to the caregivers of TBI patients explicitly involved in the preliminary study for the Development of the ICF Core Set for TBI using a qualitative research method. ⋯ A broad range of aspects of functioning and health as well as several Environmental factors important to patients with TBI were explored and included in the preparatory phase of the development of ICF Core Sets for TBI. Whereas patients focused on problems in mobility, employment and recreation and leisure the caregivers highlighted several issues related to self-care as being important for the patients.
-
The objectives of our study were (1) to explore the link between joint contractures acquired in the ICU and the ambulatory status of patients at discharge home, to determine (2) when and how many patients received physiotherapy services in ICU and on the hospital ward, and (3) the differences in the use of hospital resources in the presence or absence of joint contractures. ⋯ The median delay of 7 days before musculoskeletal assessment in the ICU together with failure to assess 26% of patients may have allowed the development of contractures, which affected the patients' ambulatory status at discharge from hospital.