Objective This study aims to identify determinants of dietary behaviour in wheelchair users with spinal cord injury or lower limb amputation, from the perspectives of both wheelchair users and rehabilitation professionals. The findings should contribute to the field of health promotion programs for wheelchair users. Methods Five focus groups were held with wheelchair users (n = 25), and two with rehabilitation professionals (n = 11). A thematic approach was used for data analysis in which the determinants were categorized using an integrated International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health and Attitude, Social influence and self-Efficacy model. Results Reported personal factors influencing dietary behaviour in wheelchair users were knowledge, boredom, fatigue, stage of life, habits, appetite, self-control, multiple lifestyle problems, intrinsic motivation, goal setting, monitoring, risk perception, positive experiences, suffering, action planning, health condition, function impairments, attitude and self-efficacy. Reported environmental factors influencing dietary behaviour in wheelchair users were unadjusted kitchens, monitoring difficulties, eating out, costs, unfavourable food supply, nutrition education/counselling, access to simple healthy recipes, eating together, cooking for others, and awareness and support of family and friends. Conclusions Important modifiable determinants of dietary behaviour in wheelchair users that might be influenced in lifestyle interventions are knowledge, fatigue, habits, self-control, intrinsic motivation, risk perception, attitude and self-efficacy. It is recommended to involve relatives, since they appear to significantly influence dietary behaviour.
BACKGROUND: Regaining walking ability is a key target in geriatric rehabilitation. This study evaluated the prevalence of walking ability at (pre-)admission and related clinical characteristics in a cohort of geriatric rehabilitation inpatients; in inpatients without walking ability, feasibility and effectiveness of progressive resistance exercise training (PRT) were assessed.METHODS: Inpatients within RESORT, an observational, longitudinal cohort of geriatric rehabilitation inpatients, were stratified in those with and without ability to walk independently (defined by Functional Ambulation Classification (FAC) score ≤ 2) at admission; further subdivision was performed by pre-admission walking ability. Clinical characteristics at admission, length of stay, and changes in physical and functional performance throughout admission were compared depending on (pre-)admission walking ability. Feasibility (relative number of PRT sessions given and dropout rate) and effectiveness [change in Short Physical Performance Battery, FAC, independence in (instrumental) activities of daily living (ADL/IADL)] of PRT (n = 11) in a subset of inpatients without ability to walk independently at admission (able to walk pre-admission) were investigated compared with usual care (n = 11) (LIFT-UP study).RESULTS: Out of 710 inpatients (median age 83.5 years; 58.0% female), 52.2% were not able to walk independently at admission, and 7.6% were not able to walk pre-admission. Inpatients who were not able to walk independently at admission, had a longer length of stay, higher prevalence of cognitive impairment and frailty and malnutrition risk scores, and a lower improvement in independence in (I)ADL compared with inpatients who were able to walk at both admission and pre-admission. In LIFT-UP, the relative median number of PRT sessions given compared with the protocol (twice per weekday) was 11 out of 44. There were no dropouts. PRT improved FAC (P = 0.028) and ADL (P = 0.034) compared with usual care.CONCLUSIONS: High prevalence of inpatients who are not able to walk independently and its negative impact on independence in (I)ADL during geriatric rehabilitation highlights the importance of tailored interventions such as PRT, which resulted in improvement in FAC and ADL.
Person-centeredness refers to an individually-tailored, holistic approach to meeting a person's needs and recognizing the client as an expert and active participant in the rehabilitation process. This article focuses on a study conducted in Estonia to analyze the perceptions of persons with disabilities about person-centeredness by exploring their experiences about received disability services and participation in an initial rehabilitation needs assessment process. Twelve in-depth interviews were conducted in different regions of Estonia with persons with disability. Data were analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis. The aim of the research project (2010–2015) was to design a person-centered initial rehabilitation needs assessment instrument. Results revealed that in describing their experiences, study participants identified important components of person-centeredness: (1) understanding service users and meeting their individual needs, (2) connecting and partnering with service users, (3) providing appropriate information, and (4) addressing issues of power and empowerment. If these components are included, service users are more likely to become motivated to consider their situation and take more control of their lives. These findings may be of relevance for countries considering needs-based referrals to rehabilitation services and refocusing disability services using a person-centered approach
Physical rehabilitation programs revolve around the repetitive execution of exercises since it has been proven to lead to better rehabilitation results. Although beginning the motor (re)learning process early is paramount to obtain good recovery outcomes, patients do not normally see/experience any short-term improvement, which has a toll on their motivation. Therefore, patients find it difficult to stay engaged in seemingly mundane exercises, not only in terms of adhering to the rehabilitation program, but also in terms of proper execution of the movements. One way in which this motivation problem has been tackled is to employ games in the rehabilitation process. These games are designed to reward patients for performing the exercises correctly or regularly. The rewards can take many forms, for instance providing an experience that is engaging (fun), one that is aesthetically pleasing (appealing visual and aural feedback), or one that employs gamification elements such as points, badges, or achievements. However, even though some of these serious game systems are designed together with physiotherapists and with the patients’ needs in mind, many of them end up not being used consistently during physical rehabilitation past the first few sessions (i.e. novelty effect). Thus, in this project, we aim to 1) Identify, by means of literature reviews, focus groups, and interviews with the involved stakeholders, why this is happening, 2) Develop a set of guidelines for the successful deployment of serious games for rehabilitation, and 3) Develop an initial implementation process and ideas for potential serious games. In a follow-up application, we intend to build on this knowledge and apply it in the design of a (set of) serious game for rehabilitation to be deployed at one of the partners centers and conduct a longitudinal evaluation to measure the success of the application of the deployment guidelines.
Low back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide and a significant contributor to work incapacity. Although effective therapeutic options are scarce, exercises supervised by a physiotherapist have shown to be effective. However, the effects found in research studies tend to be small, likely due to the heterogeneous nature of patients' complaints and movement limitations. Personalized treatment is necessary as a 'one-size-fits-all' approach is not sufficient. High-tech solutions consisting of motions sensors supported by artificial intelligence will facilitate physiotherapists to achieve this goal. To date, physiotherapists use questionnaires and physical examinations, which provide subjective results and therefore limited support for treatment decisions. Objective measurement data obtained by motion sensors can help to determine abnormal movement patterns. This information may be crucial in evaluating the prognosis and designing the physiotherapy treatment plan. The proposed study is a small cohort study (n=30) that involves low back pain patients visiting a physiotherapist and performing simple movement tasks such as walking and repeated forward bending. The movements will be recorded using sensors that estimate orientation from accelerations, angular velocities and magnetometer data. Participants complete questionnaires about their pain and functioning before and after treatment. Artificial analysis techniques will be used to link the sensor and questionnaire data to identify clinically relevant subgroups based on movement patterns, and to determine if there are differences in prognosis between these subgroups that serve as a starting point of personalized treatments. This pilot study aims to investigate the potential benefits of using motion sensors to personalize the treatment of low back pain. It serves as a foundation for future research into the use of motion sensors in the treatment of low back pain and other musculoskeletal or neurological movement disorders.
Longaandoeningen, zoals COPD, veroorzaken problemen in het dagelijks functioneren door een afgenomen uithoudingsvermogen, benauwdheid en (bewegings-) angst. Tijdens longrevalidatie vormen inspanningstraining en het leren omgaan met dagelijkse fysieke beperkingen (zoals benauwdheid bij inspanning) de hoeksteen van de behandeling. Het is voor patiënten moeilijk om een actieve leefstijl te behouden. Na deelname aan revalidatie gaan trainingseffecten verloren door een verminderd aanbod van trainingsprikkels (reversibiliteit). Daarnaast wordt, een jaar na de revalidatie, maar liefst 20% van de patiënten opnieuw opgenomen in het ziekenhuis met een longaanval (exacerbatie). Door de verschuiving van (dure) derdelijns naar eerstelijns zorg, hebben meer patiënten toegang tot de zorg die ze nodig hebben. Hierdoor kan verergering van klachten voorkomen worden. Naast fysieke inspanning is het voor oefen- en fysiotherapeuten belangrijk om patiënten een duurzame actieve leefstijl aan te leren en het zelfmanagement van patiënten te vergroten. Een blended beweeginterventie, om het zelfmanagement (omtrent beweging, benauwdheid en beweginsgangst) van COPD patiënten te stimuleren, zowel in de praktijk als in de thuissituatie middels een eHealth toepassing, biedt mogelijk uitkomst. Echter, missen therapeuten kennis en handvatten om blended care toe te passen in de praktijk. Het doel van dit project is om samen met fysiotherapeuten en oefentherapeuten een blended care programma in te richten voor patiënten met COPD. In werkpakket 1 inventariseren we de behoeften en belemmerende factoren van een blended beweeginterventie bij therapeuten en patiënten. Op basis van deze bevindingen worden de belangrijkste elementen van de interventie geselecteerd en wordt, in co-creatie met eindgebruikers de eerste versie van de interventie ontwikkeld (WP2). Om te bepalen wat de toegevoegde waarde van de interventie is, worden de voorlopige effectiviteit en haalbaarheid onderzocht waarbij 25 eerstelijns therapeuten de blended interventie gaan gebruiken (WP3). In WP4 worden scholingsmodules ontwikkeld voor studenten en therapeuten om kennis over zelfmanagement en technologie bij COPD te vergroten.
