Motivators, Barriers, and Opportunity for E-Health to Encourage Physical Activity in Axial Spondyloarthritis: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.

Objective: Physical activity is fundamental in the management of axial spondyloarthritis (SpA); however, evidence suggests that patients with axial SpA are not adhering to physical activity recommendations. E-health technology (e.g.

Bridging the Gap Between Symptom Onset and Diagnosis in Axial Spondyloarthritis.

Objective: To evaluate a stratified screening process for the early identification of axial spondyloarthritis (SpA) with consideration of the following: 1) wait times from primary care to rheumatology screen, 2) incremental precision and accuracy from primary care to rheumatology screening, and 3) diagnostic delay.

Methods: Adults with low back pain attending primary care at low back pain clinics prospectively underwent a primary standardized clinical screening. Patients with low back pain of >3 months who experienced symptom onset at age <50 years were referred for a comprehensive secondary screening by a physical therapist with advanced rheumatology training.

Advancing Early Identification of Axial Spondyloarthritis: An Interobserver Comparison of Extended Role Practitioners and Rheumatologists.

Objective: To compare clinical impression and confidence of extended role practitioners (ERP) with those of rheumatologists experienced in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) according to (1) evaluation of patients with chronic back pain assessed for axSpA; and (2) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) recommendation for further investigation of these patients.

Methods: Patients with ≥ 3 months of back pain and age of onset < 45 years were referred for axSpA evaluation. An ERP assessed consecutive patients and recorded standardized clinical information in written form.

The patient perspective: arthritis care provided by Advanced Clinician Practitioner in Arthritis Care program-trained clinicians.

Objective: To assess patient satisfaction with the arthritis care services provided by graduates of the Advanced Clinician Practitioner in Arthritis Care (ACPAC) program.

Materials And Methods: This was a cross-sectional evaluation using a self-report questionnaire for data collection. Participants completed the Patient-Doctor Interaction Scale, modified to capture patient-practitioner interactions.

Analysis of the effect of the oral contraceptive pill on clinical outcomes in women with ankylosing spondylitis.

Objective: There are unexplained sex-specific changes in the clinical expression of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). We sought to examine the potential effect of exogenous estrogen in the form of oral contraceptive pills (OCP) on AS initiation and severity.

Methods: This cross-sectional study consisted of women with AS from the membership of the Spondylitis Association of America.

Development, sensibility, and reliability of the Toronto Axial Spondyloarthritis Questionnaire in inflammatory bowel disease.

Objective: There is an unacceptable delay in the diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) in its early stages among patients at high risk, in particular those with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Our objectives were to develop a sensible and reliable questionnaire to identify undetected axSpA among patients with IBD.

Methods: Literature was reviewed for item generation in the Toronto axSpA Questionnaire on IBD (TASQ-IBD).

System integration and clinical utilization of the Advanced Clinician Practitioner in Arthritis Care (ACPAC) Program-Trained Extended Role Practitioners in Ontario: a two-year, system-level evaluation.

Background: The Advanced Clinician Practitioner in Arthritis Care (ACPAC) program was developed in 2005 to prepare experienced physical and occupational therapists to function as extended role practitioners (ERPs) within models of arthritis care across Ontario, Canada.

Purpose: To examine the system-level integration and clinical utilization of the ACPAC program-trained ERP.

Method: A longitudinal survey was administered to all ACPAC graduates over a two-year period (n=30).

Evaluation of perceived collaborative behaviour amongst stakeholders and clinicians of a continuing education programme in arthritis care.

Successful implementation of new extended practice roles which transcend conventional boundaries of practice entails strong collaboration with other healthcare providers. This study describes interprofessional collaborative behaviour perceived by advanced clinician practitioner in arthritis care (ACPAC) graduates at 1 year beyond training, and relevant stakeholders, across urban, community and remote clinical settings in Canada. A mixed-method approach involved a quantitative (survey) and qualitative (focus group/interview) evaluation issued across a 4-month period.

Geographic information systems (GIS): an emerging method to assess demand and provision for rehabilitation services.

Purpose: To illustrate the application of geographic information systems (GIS) as a tool to assess rehabilitation service delivery by presenting results from research recently conducted to assess demand and provision for community rehabilitation service delivery in Ontario, Canada.

Methods: Secondary analysis of data obtained from existing sources was used to establish demand and provision profiles for community rehabilitation services. These data were integrated using GIS software.

Exploring wait list prioritization and management strategies for publicly funded ambulatory rehabilitation services in ontario, Canada: further evidence of barriers to access for people with chronic disease.

Background: Timely access to publicly funded health services is a priority issue across the healthcare continuum in Canada. The purpose of this study was to examine wait list management strategies for publicly funded ambulatory rehabilitation services in Ontario, Canada.

Methods: Ambulatory rehabilitation services were defined as community occupational therapy (OT) and physiotherapy (PT) services.

Physiotherapy for ankylosing spondylitis: evidence and application.

Purpose Of Review: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a disease that tends to affect younger individuals, many of whom are in the prime of their lives; therefore, incorporating the most up-to-date evidence into physiotherapy practice is critical. The purpose of this review is to update the most recent evidence related to physiotherapy intervention for AS and highlight the application of the findings to current physiotherapy research and clinical practice.

Recent Findings: The results of this review add to the evidence supporting physiotherapy as an intervention for AS.

The FIM™ as a measure of change in function after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation: a Canadian perspective.

Purpose: To examine the FIM™ as an outcome measure at follow-up following discharge from inpatient rehabilitation.

Methods: Secondary analysis of the National Rehabilitation Reporting System (NRS) data from 13 facilities across Canada that collected follow-up data between 2001 and 2006. The study sample included all NRS records with a hospital length of stay of at least 3 days, for individuals 18 years and older.

Exercise in ankylosing spondylitis: discrepancies between recommendations and reality.

Objective: To determine the type and extent of exercise used by an ankylosing spondylitis (AS) cohort and to examine patients' perceptions of exercise. Recommendations for the management of AS identify exercise as the cornerstone of comprehensive management.

Methods: An exercise inventory questionnaire and the Exercise Benefits and Barriers Scale (EBBS) were administered to patients attending the AS clinic of a large teaching hospital.

Wait times for publicly funded outpatient and community physiotherapy and occupational therapy services: implications for the increasing number of persons with chronic conditions in ontario, Canada.

Background: Timely access to publicly funded health services has emerged as a priority policy issue across the continuum of care from hospitals to the home and community sector. The purpose of this study was to examine wait lists and wait times for publicly funded outpatient and community occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) services.

Methods: A mailed self-administered questionnaire was sent in December 2005 to all publicly funded sites across Ontario that deliver outpatient or community OT or PT services (N = 374).

Availability and structure of ambulatory rehabilitation services: a survey of hospitals with designated rehabilitation beds in ontario, Canada.

Purpose: To determine the degree to which ambulatory physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT), and speech language pathology (SLP) services are available in hospitals with designated rehabilitation beds (DRBs) in Ontario, and to explore the structure of delivery and funding among services that exist.

Methods: Questions regarding ambulatory services were included in the System Integration and Change (SIC) survey sent to all hospitals participating in the Hospital Report 2005: Rehabilitation initiative.

Results: The response rate was 75.

Detecting latent tuberculosis infection in hemodialysis patients: a head-to-head comparison of the T-SPOT.TB test, tuberculin skin test, and an expert physician panel.

Current guidelines advocate screening hemodialysis patients for latent tuberculosis infection; however, the tuberculin skin test (TST) is believed to be insensitive in this population. This study compared the diagnostic utility of the TST with that of an IFN-gamma assay (T-SPOT.TB) and the clinical consensus of an expert physician panel.