Publications by authors named "Lauren Christie"

Article Synopsis
  • - Plantar heel pain affects around 10% of people, primarily caused by plantar fasciitis, which sometimes comes with plantar calcaneal spurs whose impact on surgery is unclear.
  • - A study of 136 plantar fascia surgeries found that excising these spurs led to longer recovery times, including delayed symptom resolution and time before patients could bear weight in shoes.
  • - Right-sided surgeries had worse outcomes in terms of symptom resolution and higher retreatment rates, but there were no significant differences in complication rates between those who had the spur excised and those who did not.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Many fixation options exist for correction of a hallux valgus (HV) deformity with a first tarsometatarsal (TMT) joint arthrodesis with pros and cons to each. Few have looked at utilizing a SMA (shape memory alloy) staple made from nitinol for fixation. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a modified Lapidus technique using a nitinol (shape memory alloy) staple combined with a two-screw construct for first tarsometatarsal (TMT) joint arthrodesis in correcting hallux valgus (HV) deformity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: A service-focussed placement model involves an innovative partnership between service and education providers to a) address service delivery needs and b) facilitate students' competency development. Services are collaboratively redesigned such that students are positioned as collaborators in service delivery with their learning supported through evidence-informed educational design. This model was implemented in the hospital setting and was found to promote positive patient outcomes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To evaluate current oral care practices in an acute aged care hospital setting, and staff perceptions of the barriers and enablers to delivery of evidence-based oral care practices.

Method: A mixed method study comprised of retrospective file audit and cross-sectional survey was conducted within a single acute aged care unit. Medical records of patients aged ≥ 65 years admitted over a 6 month period were retrospectively audited.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates chair, bed, and toilet heights in rehabilitation hospitals and at home to help clinicians better prepare stroke survivors for returning home post-recovery.
  • - Data was gathered from six rehabilitation hospitals and homes of 200 first-time stroke survivors, revealing that home furniture is generally lower than in hospital settings (e.g., chairs are 2-5 cm shorter).
  • - The findings highlight a significant height disparity that clinicians need to address by lowering chair and bed heights in hospitals to facilitate a smoother transition for stroke survivors to their home environment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of a speech-language pathology (SLP) pathway on recovery following oesophagectomy.

Method: An audit was conducted at a single metropolitan public hospital in Sydney, Australia. Patients between 2014-2021 undergoing a three-stage oesophagectomy ( = 41) were included in the study.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: It is now widely recognised that engaging consumers in research activities can enhance the quality, equity and relevance of the research. Much of the commentary about consumer engagement in research focuses on research processes and implementation, rather than dissemination in conference settings. This article offers reflections and learnings from consumers, researchers and conference organisers on the 12th Health Services Research Conference, a biennial conference hosted by the Health Services Research Association of Australia and New Zealand (HSRAANZ).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

To determine whether allied health interventions delivered using telehealth provide similar or better outcomes for patients compared with traditional face-to-face delivery modes. A rapid systematic review using the Cochrane methodology to extract eligible randomized trials. Trials were eligible for inclusion if they compared a comparable dose of face-to-face to telehealth interventions delivered by a neuropsychologist, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, podiatrist, psychologist, and/or speech pathologist; reported patient-level outcomes; and included adult participants.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To identify patients presenting to an acute medical hospital with common signs and symptoms that occur in people with eating disorders (EDs), and determine by retrospective file audit if these are diagnosed cases of an ED.

Method: The investigators screened electronic medical records of people 16 years and older for common signs and symptoms of an ED such as hypokalemia, in patients presenting to an acute hospital in Sydney, Australia from 2018 to 2020. Cases where the clinical finding was unexplained had their file audited.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates consumer preferences in stroke rehabilitation using Discrete Choice Experiments (DCEs) to better understand which intervention characteristics are most valued by patients.
  • - A systematic review analyzed five qualifying DCE studies, revealing a preference for individualized therapy, moderate exercise intensity, and professional delivery over volunteer-led services.
  • - The research highlights a scarcity of DCEs in stroke rehabilitation, indicating a need for broader exploration of consumer preferences to inform practice and policy effectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Strength2Strength (S2S) is a group program designed to help families build resilience after a relative experiences a traumatic injury, and this study evaluates its teleconference delivery in rural New South Wales.
  • The research focused on the convenience and acceptability of the program while measuring its effectiveness using various scales related to resilience, emotional health, and caregiver burden before and after participation.
  • Results showed that 11 participants found the teleconference format effective, reporting significant improvements in resilience and emotional well-being after completing the program, suggesting it can be a beneficial support option for families.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aim: To explore the experiences of adults who completed a constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) programme, and the barriers and enablers to their participation.

Methods: Qualitative design using semi-structured interviews. Stroke and brain injury survivors ( = 45) who had completed CIMT as part of their usual rehabilitation were interviewed 1 month post-CIMT.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) is a recommended intervention for arm recovery after acquired brain injury but is underutilised in practice. The purpose of this study is to describe the development of a behaviour change intervention targeted at therapists, to increase delivery of CIMT.

Methods: A theoretically-informed approach for designing behaviour change interventions was used including identification of which behaviours needed to change (Step 1), barriers and enablers that needed to be addressed (Step 2), and intervention components to target those barriers and enablers (Step 3).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To increase the number of constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) programs provided by rehabilitation services.

Methods: A before-and-after implementation study involving nine rehabilitation services. The implementation package to help change practice included file audit-feedback cycles, 2-day workshops, poster reminders, a community-of-practice and drop-in support.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Radiographic measurements are frequently used to classify deformity and determine treatment options. Correlation coefficients can be used to determine inter- and intrarater reliability. Reliability is a required feature of any measurement if the measurement is to provide valid information.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Hemorrhagic transformation (HT) following reperfusion therapies for acute ischaemic stroke often predicts a poor prognosis. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to identify risk factors for HT, and how these vary with hyperacute treatment [intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and endovascular thrombectomy (EVT)].

Methods: Electronic databases PubMed and EMBASE were used to search relevant studies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Difficulty using the upper extremity in everyday activities is common after stroke. Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) has been shown to be effective in both sub-acute and chronic phases of stroke recovery and is recommended in clinical practice guidelines for stroke internationally. Despite reports of equivalence of outcome when stroke rehabilitation interventions are delivered using telehealth, there has been limited evaluation of CIMT when using this mode of delivery.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - This study investigates the impact of integrating allied health students, specifically in physiotherapy and occupational therapy, into clinical placements within an overstretched healthcare system to enhance patient care quality.
  • - Through multiple case studies involving interviews, surveys, and administrative data, the research found that collaboration between students and healthcare providers led to positive perceptions of care, quicker patient recovery, improved mobility, and increased efficiency in service delivery.
  • - The findings shift the perspective of student placements from being seen as a burden on the workforce to being viewed as beneficial, demonstrating that intentional integration of students can lead to better patient outcomes and more effective healthcare services.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Commercial delivery cyclists represent a uniquely vulnerable and poorly understood road user. The primary aim of this study was to pilot whether cycling injuries could be categorised as either commercial or non-commercial using documentation entered into routine hospital medical records, in order to determine the feasibility of conducting a large cohort study of commercial cycling injuries in the future. A secondary aim was to determine which key demographic, incident and injury characteristics were associated with commercial versus non-commercial cycling injuries in emergency.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Physical inactivity is a leading risk factor for chronic disease. Brief physical activity counselling delivered within healthcare systems has been shown to increase physical activity levels; however, implementation efforts have mostly targeted primary healthcare and uptake has been sub-optimal. The Brief Physical Activity Counselling by Physiotherapists (BEHAVIOUR) trial aims to address this evidence-practice gap by evaluating (i) the effectiveness of a multi-faceted implementation strategy, relative to usual practice for improving the proportion of patients receiving brief physical activity counselling as part of their routine hospital-based physiotherapy care and (ii) effectiveness of brief physical activity counselling embedded in routine physiotherapy care, relative to routine physiotherapy care, at improving physical activity levels among patients receiving physiotherapy care.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) helps people recover their arm use after a stroke or brain injury, but many therapists don't use it much.
  • * This study looked at how much it costs to provide CIMT and a special package to help therapists use it more often in Sydney, Australia.
  • * The results showed that delivering the CIMT package to teams cost over $110,000 AUD, and individual CIMT programs cost about $1,233 AUD per person, which helps healthcare leaders decide if it's worth using CIMT more.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To evaluate the psychometric properties of common health-related quality-of-life instruments used post stroke and provide recommendations for research and clinical use with this diagnostic group.

Methods: A systematic review of the psychometric properties of the five most commonly used quality-of-life measurement tools (EQ-5D, SF-36, SF-6D, AQoL, SS-QOL) was conducted. Electronic searches were performed in MEDLINE, CINAHL, and EMBASE on November 27th 2019.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Physical activity counselling has demonstrated effectiveness at increasing physical activity when delivered in healthcare, but is not routinely practised. This study aimed to determine (1) current use of physical activity counselling by physiotherapists working within publicly funded hospitals; and (2) influences on this behaviour. A cross-sectional survey of physiotherapists was conducted across five hospitals within a local health district in Sydney, Australia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

: To implement a service-wide approach in the collection of data to evaluate client experience of brain injury rehabilitation.: Mixed methods study. Clients with brain injury and family members of the Liverpool Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit completed a purpose-designed Patient Experiences Survey for Brain Injury Rehabilitation (PES-BIR) which included closed and free-text responses, as well as the Client Services Questionnaire-8 (CSQ-8).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) is an effective intervention for upper limb recovery following stroke and traumatic brain injury. Despite strong evidence, the use of CIMT in practice is limited. The aim of this study was to investigate clinician knowledge and experience of delivering CIMT protocols internationally in neurorehabilitation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: fopen(/var/lib/php/sessions/ci_sessiondh4k8cec8f55md5qamm3pjmqhqumvtob): Failed to open stream: No space left on device

Filename: drivers/Session_files_driver.php

Line Number: 177

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/html/index.php
Line: 316
Function: require_once

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: session_start(): Failed to read session data: user (path: /var/lib/php/sessions)

Filename: Session/Session.php

Line Number: 137

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/html/index.php
Line: 316
Function: require_once