Physiotherapy Practice and Research - Volume 42, issue 1

Authors: McDermott, Adam | Haberlin, Ciaran | Moran, Jonathan

Article Type: Review Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: People living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) are less active than healthy individuals. Ehealth is an emerging concept in healthcare which presents opportunities to promote physical activity (PA) in people with PD. The aim of this systematic review was to explore the effectiveness of ehealth in the promotion of PA in people living with PD. METHODS: Suitable articles were searched for using EMBASE, PsychInfo, Web of Science and OVID Medline databases using a combination of keywords and medical subject headings. Articles were included if they described an ehealth intervention designed to promote PA in people living with PD. …Two reviewers screened studies for suitability and extracted data. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias 2 tool and the Downs and Black risk of bias checklist. Due to the heterogeneity of studies, a narrative synthesis of study interventions and results was completed rather than a quantitative analysis. RESULTS: 1449 articles were screened. Four studies met the eligibility criteria which included 652 participants. Web and mobile applications were used to design the PA interventions. PA levels were measured using self-reported questionnaires, Fitbits, activity monitors and accelerometers. Three of the studies reported improvements in aspects of PA. However, this was not consistently reported in all study participants. No adverse effects, a high level of enjoyment and a relatively low attrition rate (∼12.5%) were reported. CONCLUSION: Ehealth is a safe and feasible intervention to promote PA in this population. It is unclear whether ehealth is effective at promoting PA in people with PD. Show more

Keywords: Ehealth, Parkinson’s disease, physical activity, health promotion

DOI: 10.3233/PPR-200474

Citation: Physiotherapy Practice and Research, vol. 42, no. 1, pp. 79-92, 2021

Authors: Ferrarello, Francesco | Capolli, Lorenzo | Kader, Suchi | Di Bari, Mauro

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Physiotherapy is a key discipline in stroke rehabilitation. Physiotherapists sometimes select interventions following personal preference rather than a scientific rational. Data on physiotherapy approaches used in stroke rehabilitation may help policy makers and educators to plan education strategies and implement efficient clinical practices, thus improving rehabilitation effectiveness. We aimed to develop and test a questionnaire designed to survey physiotherapy interventions utilized in stroke rehabilitation. METHODS: We used a multistep questionnaire development method (literature review and synthesis; questionnaire drafting; expert validation; cognitive interviewing). Afterwards the survey proceeded to reliability testing; the outcomes of interest were completion …time, estimated comprehensiveness of the lists of interventions, and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Retrieved survey tools, their items, and a taxonomy were useful for the questionnaire development. We interviewed four experts; changes were made to the survey following their suggestions. Thirteen physiotherapists participated in cognitive interviewing and further changes were made. Thirty-five raters participated in the test-retest study. Most participants considered the list of physiotherapy interventions and assistive device exhaustive. Median compilation time and time interval between the two compilations were 7 minutes and 21 days. The observed ICC was 0.844 (95% confidence interval, 0.829/0.857). Our method provided a valid and reliable questionnaire, however further methodological considerations of sampling methods and contact delivery modes are needed. CONCLUSIONS: If adequately implemented, the questionnaire can provide information about interventions utilized in stroke rehabilitation practice by physiotherapists. Data eventually acquired could be useful for planning educational strategies and implementing effective clinical practices. Show more

Keywords: Physiotherapy, stroke, survey, intervention types, approach

DOI: 10.3233/PPR-200465

Citation: Physiotherapy Practice and Research, vol. 42, no. 1, pp. 93-101, 2021