Physiotherapy
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To determine the current structure and content of pulmonary rehabilitation programs in Australia. ⋯ Pulmonary rehabilitation programs in Australia generally meet the broad recommendations for practice in terms of components, program length, assessment and exercise training. The prescription of exercise training intensity is an area requiring deeper exploration.
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To evaluate if direct physiotherapy assessment and management of patients presenting to emergency departments with musculoskeletal injuries (primary contact physiotherapy) results in reduced length of stay without any increase in adverse effects compared with secondary contact physiotherapy, where patients are seen by a physiotherapist after initial assessment by a doctor. ⋯ Experienced musculoskeletal physiotherapists working in emergency departments can be the first point of contact for patients with simple, semi-urgent and non-urgent peripheral musculoskeletal injuries, resulting in decreased waiting times and length of stay for patients without any adverse effects.
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To develop a computer model to analyse the performance of a standard physiotherapy clinic in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ⋯ The model was able to evaluate the capacity of the actual clinic configuration, and additional simulation strategies indicated how the operation of the clinic depended on the main study variables.
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To investigate the effects of chest wall vibration timing on air flow and pressure in a ventilated lung model. ⋯ The safety and effectiveness of respiratory physiotherapy treatments are likely to be influenced by the timing of vibrations within the breath cycle. Early vibrations generate potentially dangerous peak inspiratory pressures. Late vibrations, although not harmful, are not effective at increasing peak expiratory flow. This is an important consideration when training physiotherapists and evaluating outcomes of treatments in intensive care.