Physical therapy
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Physical therapists, as integral members of the multidisciplinary team in cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, should be knowledgeable about methods for assessing outcomes for their patients, and they need to understand the value of aggregated data in improving interventions. Definitions are discussed, and appropriate data used to monitor function are identified, including data used in the assessment of well-being. ⋯ A discussion of how to select outcomes to assess and the value of outcome information for program management is included. Therapists are in a position to encourage and participate in widespread, collaborative measurement of disease-specific clinical outcomes, patient functioning, and well-being, which should improve the effectiveness and efficiency of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation.
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Lung transplantation requires the skillful attention of a health care team to provide optimal results. The physical therapist is an integral part of this team, providing expertise in exercise testing and prescription in all phases, from initial evaluation through postoperative rehabilitation and beyond. ⋯ It is important for the physical therapist to stay abreast of the evolving field of lung transplantation, including medications and complications. The physical therapist has a critical role in helping lung transplant recipients achieve optimal function, increased survival, and improved quality of life.
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The Roland-Morris Questionnaire (RMQ) is a self-administered disability measure in which greater levels of disability are reflected by higher numbers on a 24-point scale. The RMQ has been shown to yield reliable measurements, which are valid for inferring the level of disability, and to be sensitive to change over time for groups of patients with low back pain. Little is known about the usefulness of this instrument in aiding decision making regarding individual patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the minimum level of detectable change when the RMQ is applied to individual patients. ⋯ The magnitude of CSEMs is sufficiently small to detect change in patients with initial scores in the central portion of the scale (4-20 RMQ points); however, the magnitude is too large to detect improvement in patients with scores of less than 4 and deterioration in patients who have scores greater than 20.
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The purpose of this multiple-subject case report is to describe the physical impairments, disabilities, and handicaps of patients with multiple traumas and pelvic-ring fractures after management with open reduction internal fixation. Nineteen men and 12 women, with a mean age of 38+/-16 years (chi+/-SD), were interviewed and examined at least 1 year (chi+/-14.5 months) after sustaining multiple traumas, including an unstable pelvic-ring fracture that was repaired by open reduction internal fixation. Disabilities and handicaps were assessed using the Oswestry Low Back Pain Questionnaire and the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP). ⋯ The mean Oswestry score of 13.26%+/-15.41% also represents mild disability. Some subjects demonstrated impairments, disabilities, and handicaps 1 year postoperatively, but for the most part the subjects recovered almost all lost function. The data and clinical management information can be used as a basis of comparison for treatment and research with these types of patients.
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The purposes of this study were to determine whether a Dutch translation of the Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale (QBPDS) retains the high levels of reliability and validity of the original English version and to determine whether it is therefore more practical to translate this scale, and possibly other scales, than to generate language- and culture-specific instruments. ⋯ Our results support previous findings of the English and French versions of the QBPDS. Whether this instrument can be used as an evaluative instrument remains unknown.