Individuals after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) have a high rate of reinjury upon return to competitive sports. Deficits in motor control may influence reinjury risk and can be addressed during rehabilitation with motor learning strategies. When instructing patients in performing motor tasks after ACLR, an external focus of attention directed to the intended movement effect has been shown to be more effective in reducing reinjury risk than an internal focus of attention on body movements. While this concept is mostly agreed upon, recent literature has made it clear that the interpretation and implementation of an external focus of attention within ACLR rehabilitation needs to be better described. The purpose of this commentary is to provide a clinical framework for the application of attentional focus strategies and guide clinicians towards effectively utilizing an external focus of attention in rehabilitation after ACLR.
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Het ontwerpen en realiseren van bewegingsactiviteiten die door iedere leerling betekenisvol en uitdagend ervaren worden, is geen sinecure. We kunnen vaststellen dat dit voor ons als professionals enerzijds een complexe en ingewikkelde opgave en anderzijds een uitdagende ambitie is. Kunnen de gereedschappen uit de toolbox van het nieuwe motorische leren de professional de benodigde structuur en houvast bieden? Geven deze gereedschappen voldoende richting om nog krachtiger bewegingsarrangementen te ontwerpen?
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Wanneer een kwaliteitsmanagementsysteem net is opgezet, is het zinvol om een interne audit te beperken tot het onderzoeken of datgene wat is beschreven ook in de praktijk zo wordt uitgevoerd. Naarmate een interne audit vaker wordt gehanteerd, dient het doel te verschuiven van non-conformiteit naar sturing. Pas dan kan de auditor nagaan of doelstellingen van processen en management daadwerkelijk worden behaald en ontstaan zinvolle verbeteracties. Wanneer men bij interne audits blijft steken in het toetsen van non-conformiteiten, bestaat het risico dat het kwaliteitsmanagementsysteem niet verder wordt ontwikkeld en verbeterd. Uit de resultaten van een pilot onderzoek in het Medisch Centrum Alkmaar blijkt dat een combinatie van verschillende procedures voor auditing aanbeveling verdient. Aldus worden resultaten verkregen op meerdere management niveaus en op meer terreinen dan alleen het werkproces als zodanig. Discrepanties tussen de praktijksituatie en de beschreven procedures komen snel aan het licht, evenals opties voor verbetering van de efficiëntie van processen en procedures. De informatie is een belangrijke impuls voor verbetering van werkprocessen en biedt tevens aanknopingspunten voor verbetering van belangrijke thema’s en speerpunten in de organisatie.
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Individuals in multiproblem situations frequently seek frontline legal support. The support by frontline legal professionals is limited by its focus on the legal issue instead of the underlying problems. A strong focus on client values – i.e. on the outcome that these services yield in the client’s perception – may lead to a more effective approach by targeting underlying problems. Through individual interviews with clients and professionals, the current study examines client values and services that may contribute to those client values. Besides functional client values that focus on resolving the problem situation, emotional client values, such as trust prove at least as important. Furthermore, client values are not only supported by the professional’s legal expertise, accessibility and ability to build a relationship, but also by the professional’s knowledge and skills relevant to multiproblem situations, such as his ability to empower the client, the willingness to work on concrete needs, and his ability to adopt an integrated approach. Research findings confirm the relevance of an integrated approach to multiproblem situations, with due attention to different client values. Similarly, it proves important to incorporate skills and knowledge that specifically address multiproblem situations in education and training programmes of frontline legal professionals. Nederlandse samenvatting: Mensen in multiprobleem situaties maken veelvuldig gebruik van eerstelijns rechtshulp. De ondersteuning door eerstelijns rechtshulp wordt beperkt door de focus op de voorliggende rechtsvraag, in plaats van de onderliggende problematiek. Een sterke focus op klantwaarden – de opbrengsten van de dienstverlening in de ogen van de cliënt – zou weleens tot een effectievere werkwijze kunnen leiden, omdat de achterliggende problemen worden aangepakt. Aan de hand van diepteinterviews onder cliënten en professionals is onderzocht welke klantwaarden voor deze doelgroep relevant zijn en welke dienstverleningsaspecten daaraan kunnen bijdragen. Naast functionele klantwaarden gericht op oplossingen voor de probleemsituatie, blijken emotionele klantwaarden als vertrouwen en ontzorging minstens zo relevant. Ook dragen niet alleen juridisch vakmanschap, bereikbaarheid en de vaardigheden om met de klant een relatie op te bouwen van de professional aan klantwaarden bij, maar ook specifieke kennis en vaardigheden gericht op multiproblematiek, zoals de vaardigheid om de klant te empoweren, de bereidheid om te werken aan concrete behoeften, en het werken met een geïntegreerde aanpak. De onderzoeksbevindingen onderstrepen de relevantie van een integrale aanpak bij multiproblematiek met aandacht voor diverse klantwaarden. Evenzo blijkt van belang dat vaardigheden en kennis die specifiek gericht zijn op multiproblematiek in de opleiding van eerstelijns rechtshulp professionals worden geïncorporeerd.
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Introduction: The Netherlands does not have a national guideline for performing radiographic examinations on pregnant patients. Radiographic examination is a generic term for all examinations performed using ionizing radiation, including but not limited to radiographs, fluoroscopy and computed tomography. A pilot study amongst radiographers (Medical Radiation Technologists (MRTs)) showed that standardized practice of radiographic examinations on pregnant women is not evident between Radiology departments and that there is a need for a national guideline as the varying practice methods may lead to confusion and uncertainty amongst both patients and MRTs. Methods: Focus groups consisting of MRTs from several Radiology departments within the Netherlands were used to map ideas and requirements as to what should be included in the national guideline. Nine focus group sessions were organized with a total of 52 participants. Using a previous review (Wit, Fleur; Vroonland, Colinda; Bijwaard H. Pre-natal X-ray exposure and the risk of developing paediatric cancer; a systematic review of risk factors and a comparison of international guidelines. Health Physics 2021; 121 (3):225e233), the following key points were chosen as discussion topics for the focus group sessions: dose reduction, confirming pregnancy and risk communication. Results: Results showed that the participating MRTs did not agree on the use of lead aprons. That the national guideline should include standardized methods to adjust parameters to decrease radiation dose. Focus group participants find it difficult to ask a patient's pregnancy status, especially when dealing with relatively young and old (er) patients. When communicating the level of risk associated with a radiographic examination the participating MRTs would like to be able to use examples and comparisons, preferably by means of a multilingual website. Conclusion: A national guideline must include information on justification, available alternatives, dose reductions methods and confirmation of pregnancy requirements when fetal dose is a significant risk. Implications for practice: A national guideline ensures standardized practice can be implemented in Radiology departments, increasing clarity of the issues for both patients and MRTs.
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The Sport Empowers Disabled Youth 2 (SEDY2) project encourages inclusion and equal opportunities in sport for youth with a disability by raising their sports and exercise participation in inclusive settings. This SEDY2 Inclusive (Online) Focus Group Guidance aimed to develop an easy-to-use guidance document on how to deliver inclusive focus groups to attain the authentic views, wishes and feelings of children and youth with a disability about inclusion in sport in practice. This guidance document was produced in order to support other practitioners in conducting inclusive focus groups. The focus group guidance can easily be adapted to cover other topics and can also be used effectively with all (young) people.
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The uptake of eRehabilitation programs in stroke care is insufficient, despite the growing availability. The aim of this study was to explore which factors influence the uptake of eRehabilitation in stroke rehabilitation, among stroke patients, informal caregivers, and healthcare professionals. A qualitative focus group study with eight focus groups (6–8 participants per group) was conducted: six with stroke patients/informal caregivers and two with healthcare professionals involved in stroke rehabilitation (rehabilitation physicians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, managers). Focus group interviews were audiotaped, transcribed in full, and analyzed by direct content analysis using the implementation model of Grol. Results Thirty-two patients, 15 informal caregivers, and 13 healthcare professionals were included. A total of 14 influencing factors were found, grouped to 5 of the 6 levels of the implementation model of Grol (Innovation, Organizational context, Individual patient, Individual professional, and Economic and political context). Most quotes of patients, informal caregivers, and healthcare professionals were classified to factors at the level of the Innovation (e.g., content, attractiveness, and feasibility of eRehabilitation programs). In addition, for patients, relatively many quotes were classified to factors at the level of the individual patient (e.g., patients characteristics as fatigue and the inability to understand ICT-devices), and for healthcare professionals at the level of the organizational context (e.g., having sufficient time and the fit with existing processes of care). Although there was a considerable overlap in reported factors between patients/informal caregivers and healthcare professionals when it concerns eRehabilitation as innovation, its seems that patients/informal caregivers give more emphasis to factors related to the individual patient, whereas healthcare professionals emphasize the importance of factors related to the organizational context. This difference should be considered when developing an implementation strategy for patients and healthcare professionals separately. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-018-0827-5
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Background: Determining what constitutes an excellent allied health care professional (AHCP) is important, since this is what will guide the development of curricula for training future physical therapists, oral hygienists, speech therapists, diagnostic radiographers, and dietitians. This also determines the quality of care.Aim: To describe perspectives of AHCPs on which characteristics are commonly associated with an excellent AHCP.Methods: AHCPs’ perspectives were derived from three focus group discussions. Twenty-one health care professionals participated. The final analysis of the focus group discussions produced eight domains, in which content validity was obtained through a Delphi panel survey of 27 contributing experts.Results: According to the survey, a combination of the following characteristics defines an excellent AHCP: (1) cognizance, to obtain and to apply knowledge in a broad multidisciplinary health care field; (2) cooperativity, to effectively work with others in a multidisciplinary con¬text; (3) communicative, to communicate effectively at different levels in complex situations; (4) initiative, to initiate new ideas, to act proactively, and to follow them through; (5) innovative, to devise new ideas and to implement alternatives beyond current practices; (6) introspective, to self-examine and to reflect; (7) broad perspective, to capture the big picture; and (8) evidence-driven, to find and to use scientific evidence to guide one’s decisions.Conclusion: The AHCPs perspectives can be used as a reference for personal improvement for supervisors and professionals in clinical practice and for educational purposes. These perspectives may serve as a guide against which talented students can evaluate themselves.
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BACKGROUND: There is a growing interest in empowering older adults to age in place by deploying various types of technology (ie, eHealth, ambient assisted living technology, smart home technology, and gerontechnology). However, initiatives aimed at implementing these technologies are complicated by the fact that multiple stakeholder groups are involved. Goals and motives of stakeholders may not always be transparent or aligned, yet research on convergent and divergent positions of stakeholders is scarce. OBJECTIVE: To provide insight into the positions of stakeholder groups involved in the implementation of technology for aging in place by answering the following questions: What kind of technology do stakeholders see as relevant? What do stakeholders aim to achieve by implementing technology? What is needed to achieve successful implementations? METHODS: Mono-disciplinary focus groups were conducted with participants (n=29) representing five groups of stakeholders: older adults (6/29, 21%), care professionals (7/29, 24%), managers within home care or social work organizations (5/29, 17%), technology designers and suppliers (6/29, 21%), and policy makers (5/29, 17%). Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Stakeholders considered 26 different types of technologies to be relevant for enabling independent living. Only 6 out of 26 (23%) types of technology were mentioned by all stakeholder groups. Care professionals mentioned fewer different types of technology than other groups. All stakeholder groups felt that the implementation of technology for aging in place can be considered a success when (1) older adults' needs and wishes are prioritized during development and deployment of the technology, (2) the technology is accepted by older adults, (3) the technology provides benefits to older adults, and (4) favorable prerequisites for the use of technology by older adults exist. While stakeholders seemed to have identical aims, several underlying differences emerged, for example, with regard to who should pay for the technology. Additionally, each stakeholder group mentioned specific steps that need to be taken to achieve successful implementation. Collectively, stakeholders felt that they need to take the leap (ie, change attitudes, change policies, and collaborate with other organizations); bridge the gap (ie, match technology with individuals and stimulate interdisciplinary education); facilitate technology for the masses (ie, work on products and research that support large-scale rollouts and train target groups on how to use technology); and take time to reflect (ie, evaluate use and outcomes). CONCLUSIONS: Stakeholders largely agree on the direction in which they should be heading; however, they have different perspectives with regard to the technologies that can be employed and the work that is needed to implement them. Central to these issues seems to be the tailoring of technology or technologies to the specific needs of each community-dwelling older adult and the work that is needed by stakeholders to support this type of service delivery on a large scale. KEYWORDS: aged; eHealth; focus groups; health services for the elderly; implementation management; independent living; project and people management; qualitative research; technology
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In CLIL contexts, school subjects are taught in an additional language, allowing learners to acquire the target language through meaningful use. This places language teachers in an ambiguous position. What is their role in this context? On the one hand, language teachers are expected to collaborate with subject teacher colleagues; on the other hand, they teach separate language lessons. This double role provides language teachers and their educators with specific challenges in terms of identity and focus.To explore and explain the choices language teachers have, this review examines international research from the last 25 years with a primary focus on secondary schools. As recent discussions argue convincingly that research into CLIL, Content Based Instruction and immersion benefit from convergence and cross-fertilisation, we used a broad range of search terms to identify primary and secondary research.Selected articles were organised into four inquiry areas and analysed thematically: (1) language focus, (2) content focus of learning, (3) language teachers’ pedagogical practices, and (4) their collaboration with subject teachers. Based on these themes, we developed a framework for language teachers and their educators in bilingual education designed to help them explore, explain and develop their own identity and focus.
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