Publications by authors named "Kathryn Refshauge"

Background: Group allied health interventions for people with chronic conditions may be a solution to increasing access to allied health in primary care. This umbrella review aimed to determine the effectiveness of allied health group interventions to improve health-related outcomes for adults with chronic conditions and the applicability of the findings to the Australian primary health care context.

Methods: An umbrella review of systematic reviews conducted April-July 2022, searching eight databases.

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(1) Background: Despite inconclusive evidence on the benefits of activity-based therapies (ABTs) in people with spinal cord injuries, implementation has occurred in clinics worldwide in response to consumers' requests. We explored the clinical changes and participants' perceptions from engaging in an ABT program in the community. (2) Methods: This mixed-methods study involved a pragmatic observational multiple-baseline design and an evaluation of participants' perceptions.

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Background: Wrist fractures are common injuries associated with high disability in the early recovery period. The impact of wrist fractures on safe return to drive is not understood.

Purpose: (1) To compare the proportion of adults who were drivers in car crashes before and after wrist fracture; (2) To examine potential factors (demographic and/or clinical) associated with increased odds of being a driver in a car crash following wrist fracture.

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Current pathways of care for whiplash follow a "stepped care model," result in modest treatment outcomes and fail to offer efficient management solutions. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a risk-stratified clinical pathway of care (CPC) compared with usual care (UC) in people with acute whiplash. We conducted a multicentre, 2-arm, parallel, randomised, controlled trial in primary care in Australia.

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Article Synopsis
  • Chronic disease disproportionately affects CALD communities, and self-management is essential for effective management; however, these communities often struggle to engage with such approaches.
  • The Natural Helper Programme introduces cultural mentors with chronic disease experience into clinics to boost patient engagement and enhance factors like health self-efficacy and quality of life.
  • A rigorous trial will assess the impact of these cultural mentors through a cluster-randomized controlled trial in multicultural Australian clinics, measuring outcomes over time and evaluating implementation strategies.
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Cultural beliefs and values are increasingly understood to influence the experience of pain, health-seeking, and pain management behaviours. Research exploring cultural beliefs about pain is particularly needed for Indian migrants, who have a high prevalence of pain and are among the largest migrant communities in Australia and internationally. The objective of this study was to explore pain-related beliefs and coping strategies of Hindi-speaking Indian migrants with chronic back pain living in Sydney.

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Objectives: The Sunbeam trial significantly reduced falls in long-term aged care (LTC) residents. The current study's primary objective was to undertake subgroup analysis of the Sunbeam trial, to determine whether the intervention was effective for reducing falls in LTC residents with mild-moderate cognitive impairment/dementia. Secondary objectives were to determine intervention effects on cognitive and physical function.

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Purpose: To translate and cross-culturally adapt the Back Beliefs Questionnaire (BBQ) and Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ) into Marathi, and to evaluate their clinimetric properties in a native Marathi speaking population with chronic low back pain.

Material And Methods: The BBQ and PSEQ were translated into Marathi using international published guidelines. Fifty native Marathi speakers were recruited.

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Purpose: One of the largest migrant communities in Australia is the Indian migrant community. Current back pain guidelines recommend assessment of patients' beliefs; however, little is known about these beliefs in Indian communities. We aimed to investigate beliefs about back pain among Indian migrants living in Sydney.

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Introduction: Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions constitute the highest burden of disease globally, with healthcare services often utilised inappropriately and overburdened. The aim of this trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel clinical PAthway of CarE programme (PACE programme), where care is provided based on people's risk of poor outcome.

Methods And Analysis: Multicentre randomised controlled trial.

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Article Synopsis
  • - This study investigates the relationship between elevated levels of Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA+) and chronic migraines to determine whether the increase in GABA+ contributes to or results from chronic migraine symptoms.
  • - Over a 3-month period, researchers monitored 18 chronic migraine patients as their treatment was adjusted, assessing changes in migraine frequency, intensity, and disability alongside GABA+ levels using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS).
  • - Findings indicated that improvements in migraine symptoms were linked to increased GABA+ levels in the anterior cingulate cortex, while no changes were noted in the posterior cingulate gyrus; those treated with CGRP-monoclonal antibodies experienced greater increases in GABA+ levels and reductions
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The global burden of chronic disease has forced health systems to focus on improved care. This has led to improved health outcomes for some populations, but not for all people or for all conditions. The rising prevalence of chronic disease has also significantly increased demands on healthcare systems, with unsustainable costs to funders.

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Purpose: Spinal sagittal balance is associated with back pain and quality of life. Enhancing understanding of the clinical factors associated with sagittal balance is essential for guiding the development of effective non-operative treatment. We aimed to evaluate the associations between spinal sagittal balance and potentially modifiable clinical factors and interactions between current back pain and the evaluated clinical factors.

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[Purpose] The sagittal shape of the spine is associated with back-pain, balance and quality of life. We developed, evaluated and report the responses of a graphical tool to assess sagittal spine shape knowledge (literacy). [Participants and Methods] Two hundred and fifty adults were randomly assigned, in a cross-sectional crossover study, to free-hand draw and select the "ideal" sagittal spine shape.

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Treatment outcomes for migraine and other chronic headache and pain conditions typically demonstrate modest results. A greater understanding of underlying pain mechanisms may better inform treatments and improve outcomes. Increased GABA+ has been identified in recent studies of migraine, however, it is unclear if this is present in other headache, and pain conditions.

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Chronic musculoskeletal health conditions are highly prevalent in rural and remote areas, globally. It is unknown, however, whether interventions shown to be effective for urban populations are also effective for rural and remote populations. The purpose of the review was to evaluate the effectiveness of community-based interventions for management of chronic musculoskeletal health conditions in rural and remote populations.

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Background: There are various approaches to the psychological management of chronic pain and it is difficult to know which components of psychological therapies are necessary or desirable for the effective management of chronic pain.

Methods: We conducted a Delphi study to develop a consensus on the necessary and desirable psychological intervention strategies for chronic pain management. First, we identified 49 components of treatments that had been used in a treatment evaluated in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) through a systematic review.

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Introduction: Activity-based therapy (ABT) aims to activate the neuromuscular system below the level of the spinal cord lesion and promote recovery of motor tasks through spinal reorganisation, motor learning and changes to muscles and sensory system. We investigated the effects of a multimodal ABT program on mobility, independence and sitting balance in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Methods: Retrospective clinical data from 91 adults who independently enrolled in four community-based ABT centres in Australia were analysed.

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Background: One model of care that has not been tested for chronic low back pain (LBP) is patient-led goal setting. We aimed to compare the clinical effectiveness and healthcare use of a patient-led goal setting approach (intervention) with simple advice to exercise (control) over 12 months.

Methods: An assessor-blinded randomised controlled trial.

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Many genetic subtypes of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) show signs of symptomatic disease during the earliest years of life. This might be the ideal time to intervene before progression of clinical sequelae due to demyelination and axonal loss. In the absence of disease-specific clinical trial outcome measures for CMT during infancy and early childhood the aim of this study was to develop and validate a functional measure of disease severity, known as the Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease Infant Scale (CMTInfS).

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Importance: Many patients with acute low back pain do not recover with basic first-line care (advice, reassurance, and simple analgesia, if necessary). It is unclear whether intensive patient education improves clinical outcomes for those patients already receiving first-line care.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of intensive patient education for patients with acute low back pain.

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Objective:: To estimate the cost-effectiveness of a strength and balance exercise programme (SUNBEAM) which has been shown to be clinically effective in reducing the rate of falls in residents of aged care facilities.

Design:: An economic evaluation was conducted alongside a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial that included 16 residential care facilities and 221 participants. Mean participant age was 86 years, 65% were female and 78% relied on a mobility aide.

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