Forces involved when sliding a patient up in bed.

Background: This study investigated the effects of 3 different types of slide sheets upon hand forces while sliding a patient up in bed.

Methods: The sheets used included the reusable Arjo Maxislide, the McAuley disposable sheet, and a standard cotton sheet. Hand forces were measured from 38 male and female participants as they slid a 'patient' up in bed.

Men in Occupational Therapy: Issues, Factors, and Perceptions.

Objective: Relatively few men are occupational therapy practitioners in the United States. Little research has examined issues germane to men working in the profession. The objective of this study was to investigate perceptions, issues, and factors surrounding male occupational therapy practitioners.

Degree of Preference and Its Influence on Motor Control When Reaching for Most Preferred, Neutrally Preferred, and Least Preferred Candy.

The objective of this study was to determine whether reaching for objects with varying levels of preference associated with them elicited influenced motor control in a reaching task. Forty healthy adults were asked to reach for seven different types of candy, which they ranked by personal preference from being the most preferred to the least preferred. In this repeated measures design, data were analyzed on 39 participants who tended to demonstrate greater movement efficiency in movement time and movement units when reaching for candy in which they associated with greater preference (p < .

Occupational Embeddedness, Perceived Risk, and the Quality of Reach Motion in Females Aged 7 to 9 Years.

The perceived meaning ascribed to objects can influence the motor control efficiency in adults when reaching. However, little is known whether the same phenomenon occurs in pediatric females. Twenty-seven girls aged 7 to 9 years recruited from Girl Scout Brownie troupes and afterschool programs were asked to reach for plastic and porcelain teacups in the context of a "tea party" scenario.

Efficiency of unimanual and bimanual reach in persons with and without stroke.

Background: Deficiencies in motor control are one of the largest challenges faced by stroke survivors in regaining their independence after stroke.

Objective: This study investigated movement efficiency in people with and without stroke during both unimanual and bimanual upper extremity reaching tasks.

Method: Twenty-five participants (12 with stroke and 13 age-matched controls) between the ages of 36-69 years randomly experienced testing conditions involving reaching forward unimanually and bimanually at a preferred speed in a single session.

Alterations in stride-to-stride variability during walking in individuals with chronic ankle instability.

The aim of this study was to evaluate stride-to-stride variability of the lower extremity during walking in individuals with and without chronic ankle instability (CAI) using a nonlinear analysis. Twenty-five participants with self-reported CAI and 27 healthy control participants volunteered for this study. Participants walked on a motor-driven treadmill for 3 min at their selected speed.

Comparison of caregiver forces required for sliding a patient up in bed using an array of slide sheets.

This study investigated the forces required while performing the common patient handling task of moving a patient up in bed using traditional cotton sheets or friction-reducing slide sheets. Twenty-nine healthy adult participants 18 to 36 years of age were recruited as "patients." Hand forces and lumbar compression and shear forces were calculated on the "caregiver" when performing the repositioning task.

Choice as a strategy to enhance engagement in a colouring task in children with autism spectrum disorders.

This study investigated the effect of choice on a colouring task in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Children with ASD typically have difficulty engaging in purposeful activities, which makes progress toward skill development difficult in therapeutic or educational settings. Participants included 26 male and female children with ASD, aged 8 to 15 years.

Safe patient handling curriculum in occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant programs: A descriptive study of school curriculum within the United States of America.

The purpose of this study was to identify safe patient handling (SPH) curricular content in accredited occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant programs in the United States of America. A survey was emailed to 155 accredited occupational therapy and 137 accredited occupational therapy assistant programs. With a 39% response rate, most programs addressed SPH curricula by including lectures and lab-based experiences with gait belts, slide boards, and manual transfers while stressing ‘safe’ body mechanics.

A questionnaire of musculoskeletal injuries associated with manual patient lifting in occupational therapy practitioners in the state of ohio.

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence and type of musculoskeletal injury due to patient handling as well as to ascertain current safe patient handling practices in occupational therapy within the state of Ohio. A questionnaire focusing on safe patient handling issues was e-mailed to 1,113 occupational therapy practitioners in the state of Ohio, with an overall response rate of 26%. Sixty-four percent indicated they were required to transfer patients manually.

Long-handled shoehorn length, body mass index, and hip range of motion in healthy female adults.

We examined the effect that long-handled shoehorn (LHSH) length and body mass index (BMI) have on hip range of motion (ROM) in female adults. Thirty-eight female participants were asked to don a shoe using 18-, 24-, and 30-in. LHSHs.

Grasping naturally versus grasping with a reacher in people without disability: motor control and muscle activation differences.

Objective: We investigated motor control and muscle activation when reaching for and grasping objects with a reacher compared with the unaided hand.

Method: In a repeated-measures counterbalanced design, 41 healthy participants with no previous experience using a reacher were randomly assigned to a sequence of four conditions. Movements of the wrist and fingers were recorded using a three-dimensional Qualisys camera system for assessing reach and grasp.

Comparison of required operating forces between floor-based and overhead-mounted patient lifting devices.

This study investigated the differences in required push, pull and rotating forces for moving fully loaded, floor-based and overhead-mounted full body patient lifting devices with simulated patients of varying weight on a floor of optimal design (i.e. level vinyl tile over concrete).

Knowledge of results and learning to tell the time in an adult male with an intellectual disability: a single-subject research design.

The present study investigated whether knowledge of results, in the form of visual and audible feedback, would increase the accuracy of time-telling in an individual with an intellectual disability. A 19-year-old male with mild intellectual disability participated in this A1-B1-A2-B2 single-subject study design. The task involved correctly identifying the time given on a computer.

Semantic priming of motor task performance in young adults: implications for occupational therapy.

Objective: To investigate whether the performance of a multisegment motor task is influenced by reading a segment-specific action word.

Method: Twenty-four participants performed tasks that involved reaching for a bottle, grasping it, lifting and placing it on a shelf, and returning their hand to the starting position. At the initiation of each task, participants read either aloud or silently five randomly provided, task-related words (reach, grasp, lift, place, and return).

Personal preference and quality of reach in healthy adult women.

Objective: A common practice in occupational therapy is to have clients choose an object that they prefer to be used during treatment. This practice assumes that a preference for chosen items will hold greater meaning and result in higher quality of movement. Little research has been conducted that specifically addresses the effect that preference has on quality of movement.

Perceived risk: effects on reaching and placing performance in persons with cerebrovascular accident.

Objective: Developing useful movement with the affected extremity in persons with cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) is a common occupational therapy goal. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of perceived risk in an occupational form on upper-extremity movement dynamics in persons who have had CVAs.

Method: Twenty-eight persons (M = 69.

Frequency of knowledge of results and motor learning in persons with developmental delay.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of high versus low frequency knowledge of results (KR) in a group of 16 individuals with developmental delay and in gender and age-matched average individuals learning a motor skill on a laptop computer. Participants were randomly assigned to either a 100% KR or a 50% KR group. KR was provided during the acquisition phase according to group assignment as participants learned the motor skill, whereas no KR was provided during the retention phase.

Self-speech-induced facilitation of simple reaching movements in persons with stroke.

Objective: Occupational therapists are routinely involved in upper-extremity rehabilitation in persons with stroke. Recently we have reported that self-speech can be used to facilitate simple reach in young and older adults. The purpose of this study is to examine whether self-speech-induced facilitation of simple reach can be translated in persons with stroke.

Upper-extremity interlimb coupling in persons with left hemiplegia due to stroke.

Objective: To investigate interlimb coupling in an adult population with left hemiplegia and an age-matched control group to better understand the unique motor control issues in stroke rehabilitation.

Design: A chi-square analysis was performed to compare the distribution of participants adopting a given movement pattern ratio during 2 different bimanual movement tasks for both groups. The task involved oscillating the upper limbs at the elbow in asymmetric patterns, with 1 limb oscillating at twice the frequency of the other.

Long-handled sponges: to bend or not to bend.

The purpose of this study was to compare upper extremity range of motion when using a straight-handled long-handled sponge versus a bent-handled long-handled sponge. Thirty-eight participants ranging in age from 20 to 55 years were randomly assigned to one of two order groups: straight-bent or bent-straight. The task involved touching a buzzer placed over thoracic vertebrae 6 and 7 with the long-handled sponge.

The immediate and short-term effects of a wrist extension orthosis on upper-extremity kinematics and range of shoulder motion.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate upper-extremity kinematics and range of shoulder motion while wearing a wrist extension orthosis compared to the free hand at initial testing and after a week's wear.

Method: A convenience sample of healthy women, ages 20-50 years, performed a stacking task and a pouring task, freehanded and splinted, at two times, 1 week apart in this counterbalanced, repeated measures design. A Motion Analysis 3-D system measured quality of movement and range of motion variables.

Qualitative and quantitative knowledge of results: effects on motor learning.

Objective: This study investigated the effects of qualitative and quantitative knowledge of results (KR) on the acquisition of a motor skill. It was hypothesized that there would be differences in performance during skill acquisition and retention, depending on the type of feedback given. Qualitative KR was in the form of verbal encouragement and quantitative KR was in the form of an algebraic number representing an error score.

The relationship between hand strength and the forces used to access containers by well elderly persons.

Objective: This study extended previous work of Rice, Leonard, and Carter [AJOT, 52(8), 621-626] and examined the relationship between grip and pinch strengths and the forces produced while accessing common household containers in healthy, elderly persons.

Method: Forty-two women and 9 men 60 years of age and older were assigned randomly to one of four order groups in a counterbalanced, repeated-measures design. Grip strength was measured via a dynamometer and pinch strength via a pinch meter.