Disability and rehabilitation
-
Purpose: Health literacy describes individuals' abilities to access, understand and use health information. Lower health literacy is associated with poor health outcomes, is more common among older adults and impacts on the effectiveness of rehabilitation/self-management interventions. This research explored nursing and allied healthcare professionals' views about identifying and responding to older adults' health literacy needs. ⋯ To meet older adults' health literacy needs, rehabilitation professionals should use clear and accessible tailored communication, build trust, assess understanding and involve patients' social networks. Rehabilitation professionals would benefit from further education regarding health literacy to build their knowledge/confidence and address their concerns about implementing health literacy strategies. Professional education regarding health literacy needs to accommodate variation between individuals and teams.
-
Purpose: To prioritize outcome domains sensitive to the needs of the various stakeholders involved in rehabilitation programs designed for youth with pain-related disability using the International Classification of Function Child and Youth version. Materials and methods: A 5-step nominal group technique was conducted with 13 stakeholders, including two youth with pain-related disability, two parents, five clinicians, two teachers, and two healthcare managers. Once identified by content thematic analysis and International Classification of Function linking, 15 outcome domains were ranked. ⋯ The consensus processes employed allowed for the reconciliation of the different priorities, and the achievement of agreement on participation in life and its related activities as a key desired outcome of rehabilitation programs for youth with pain-related disability. The use of the ICF-CY framework allowed a broader conceptualization of the rehabilitation outcome domains, and the examination of areas beyond reduction of pain, disability and impairment to include functional aspects such as self-care, daily routine and mobility activities, and meaningful participation in life, fostering social roles and responsibilities, and school engagement. As participation in life and its related tasks and activities were key outcomes for all stakeholders, they should be the focus of clinicians' treatment.
-
Purpose: To translate and cross-culturally adapt the Turkish version of the Facial Disability Index (FDI) and evaluate its psychometric properties, including reliability and validity. Methods: Translation of the original FDI was followed by international guidelines. Paralysis classification was evaluated with House-Brackman Rating System (HBGS). ⋯ IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONThe Turkish version FDI is the first Turkish tool translated cross-culturally adapted for specific assessment of facial paralysis. The Turkish version of the FDI is a valid and reliable questionnaire and can be used in all native Turkish speaking patients in peripheral facial paralysis. This assessment tool can be used in clinical routine and research settings to evaluate facial paralysis.
-
Purpose: To explore the attitudes, beliefs and experiences pertaining to the management of prescribed and unprescribed medications among community-dwelling adults with spinal cord injury/dysfunction (SCI/D) in Ontario, Canada. Materials and Methods: In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted by telephone. Each interview was audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. ⋯ IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONPersons with spinal cord injury/dysfunction identified numerous challenges and concerns with medication use post-injury. Educational medication management programs should be implemented post-discharge to improve the state of knowledge around medications (indication, side effects, strategies for taking medications) and how to optimize medication management. In order to optimize experiences and outcomes, there is a need for explicit and ongoing discussions around medication management between persons with spinal cord injury/dysfunction and their healthcare providers.
-
Background: People with Parkinson's disease find that exercise helps to improve their physical performance. However, when performed in a group, they also tend to appreciate each other's company. Purpose: After people with Parkinson's disease participated in a community-based group balance exercise program, our aims were to explore the participants' general attitude to their balance ability and exercise, and specifically their experiences of participating in a group exercise. ⋯ The group dynamics and the support of peers seem to promote a positive attitude to life and enable people to learn coping strategies from each other. Community-based exercise groups for people with early Parkinson seem to be a way to get out in society and regain a feeling of being part of society. Due to body limits, people with Parkinson's disease must struggle daily, already at an early stage of their disease; this stresses the need to begin rehabilitation early.