Content - Volume 43, Issue 1

In 2008 the International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM) started an initiative to systematically develop its capacity and its internal and external policy agenda. This paper sums up achievements that have been made with this ISPRM initiative as well as pending issues and strategies to address them. The paper treats the following: ISPRM’s policy agenda in collaboration wi ...

Objective: Goal attainment scaling represents a unique approach to identifying and quantifying individualized, meaningful treatment outcomes, and its use in the rehabilitation medicine setting is increasing. The aim of this paper is to discuss the available literature for goal attainment scaling in patients with acquired brain injury, in terms of its advantages, disadvantages and practical applica ...

Objective: This report describes the design of a study aiming to provide evidence for the extended use of botulinum toxin A in focal post-stroke upper and lower limb spasticity and to evaluate the impact of incorporating botulinum toxin treatment into the rehabilitation of patients with spasticity. Design: International, prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study with an ope ...

Objective: To conduct a systematic review of the psychometric evidence relating to presenteeism scales in workers with musculoskeletal disorders. Methods: A structured search was conducted in 3 databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase) for articles published between 1966 and 2010. Sixteen articles met eligibility criteria. Pairs of raters used structured tools to analyse these articles through critica ...

Objective: To explore the relationships between perceived limitations in walking-related daily activities, walking ability (capacity), and the amount of daily walking (performance) in persons affected by leprosy and to identify their determinants. Design: A cross-sectional study. Subjects: Thirty-nine persons affected by leprosy. Methods: Perceived limitations were assessed with the World He ...

Objectives: To examine the characteristics of fatigued and non-fatigued post-polio patients and to define potential subgroups across the fatigue continuum. Design: Multi-centre study. Subjects: A total of 143 post-polio patients were subdivided on the basis of percentile distribution into a fatigue group, a intermediate group, and a non-fatigue group, using the Multi Fatigue Inventory 20 gener ...

Objective: To investigate the agreement between a patient’s therapist and an independent assessor in scoring goal attainment by a patient. Methods: Data were obtained on hospital patients with neurological disorders participating in a randomized trial. The patients’ therapists set 2–4 goals using a goal attainment scaling method. Six weeks later attainment was scored by: (i) the treating t ...

Objective: In order to facilitate comparisons of pain rehabilitation programmes in Sweden and to enable audit spirals for single programmes as well as outcome studies, the Swedish Association for Rehabilitation Medicine initiated a national quality registry in 1995. Patients: Referred for rehabilitation due to pain-related disability. Methods: The registry collects standardized self-reports be ...

Objective: To explore ambulatory outpatient experiences and perceptions in post-acute care settings and how these experiences may have led to perceived gaps in continuity of rehabilitation care. Subjects: Fifty-seven adults undergoing outpatient rehabilitation for musculoskeletal conditions/injuries, who had had more than 10 physiotherapy treatment sessions. Methods: Qualitative study using a ...

Purpose: To analyse differences between males and females in expectations about rehabilitation outcome. Methods: Design: cross-sectional study. Setting: a general rehabilitation centre. Patients: n = 616, mean age 44 years, with chronic musculoskeletal pain, referred for multidisciplinary pain rehabilitation. All eligible patients in the period January 2005 to September 2009 were sent a ques ...

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Objective: The aims of this study were: (i) to monitor changes in central facial paresis in patients with stroke after orofacial therapy, using functional scales and video analysis of the face; and (ii) to investigate correlations between changes in facial movement and mental function of patients after stroke. Methods: A prospective blind randomized study of patients after stroke with facial par ...

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