Competent in any context: An integrated model of interprofessional education.

While most graduate health professions programs in the United States have accepted the Interprofessional Education Collaborative's core competencies for collaborative practice, there is no consistent way to integrate the competencies into courses of study already crowded with uniprofessional competencies. A potential negative effect of treating interprofessional education as an add-on is that learners will not engage deeply with the competencies required to work effectively in health care teams. To design an integrated model, one institution adopted a theory from the management literature that frames professional competence as a way of being, not simply a body of knowledge to master.

Applying concepts of responsiveness to patient management in neurologic physical therapy.

Determining whether real change has taken place as a result of treatment and whether that change constitutes important change are challenges central to evidence-based physical therapist practice. Recently, the literature reporting these values for clinical measures has expanded considerably. In this article, we discuss some of the indices for identifying real change and important change, and how physical therapists can use these indices to enhance the interpretability of change scores derived from clinical measures.

The accuracy of individual Berg Balance Scale items compared with the total Berg score for classifying people with chronic stroke according to fall history.

Background And Purpose: To determine whether individual Berg Balance Scale (BBS) items or a group of items would have greater accuracy than the total BBS in classifying community-dwelling people with stroke with a history of multiple falls.

Methods: The subjects were 44 community-dwelling individuals with chronic stroke; 34 had one or no falls in the past six months, and 10 had multiple falls. Each BBS item was dichotomized at three points along the scoring scale of 0-4: between scores of 1 and 2, 2 and 3, and 3 and 4.

Using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health as a framework to examine the association between falls and clinical assessment tools in people with stroke.

Background: Falls in people with stroke are extremely common and present a significant health risk to this population. Development of fall screening tools is an essential component of a comprehensive fall reduction plan.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the accuracy of clinical measures representing various domains of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) relative to their ability to identify individuals with a history of multiple falls.

Advantage of limb salvage over amputation for proximal lower extremity tumors.

Unlabelled: Although function after lower extremity amputation and limb salvage has been compared, no study has assessed individual functional variables by surgical level. Our aim was to determine whether risks of long-term psychologic and physical limitations were associated with amputation or limb salvage at four levels: below-knee, above-knee, hip, and pelvis. We included 408 patients with sarcomas and postoperative followup of 2 years or greater who had completed a quality-of-life self-report questionnaire.

Determinants of balance confidence in community-dwelling elderly people.

Background And Purpose: The fear of falling can have detrimental effects on physical function in the elderly population, but the relationship between a persons' confidence in the ability to maintain balance and actual balance ability and functional mobility is not known. The extent to which balance confidence can be explained by balance performance, functional mobility, and sociodemographic, psychosocial, and health-related factors was the focus of this study.

Subjects: The subjects were 50 community-dwelling elderly people, aged 65 to 95 years (mean=81.

Construct validation of a model for professional behavior in physical therapist students.

Background And Purpose: For physical therapist educators, professional behavior has been difficult to define. The purpose of this study was to test the construct validity of a model of professional behavior that was previously established through consensus and reported in the literature.

Subjects And Methods: One hundred eighty-three students from 2 professional programs participated in the study.

Is base of support greater in unsteady gait?

Background And Purpose: We investigated dynamic interfoot distance (IFD) throughout the gait cycle in people with unsteady gait caused by vestibulopathy and in people without known neuromuscular pathology. We expected that the subjects with unsteady gait would use a greater IFD than subjects without neuromuscular pathology and that this IFD would be correlated with other measures of locomotor stability.

Subjects And Methods: Simultaneous whole-body (11-segment) dynamic kinematic data were collected from 22 subjects with vestibulopathy and 22 subjects without known neuromuscular pathology who were matched for age, height, weight, and body mass index.

A comparison of three measures of disease progression in ALS.

Effective clinical trials in neuromuscular research require accurate and sensitive methods to quantitate disease progression. The purpose of this study was to concurrently compare manual muscle testing (MMT), maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC), and a functional scale (the ALS Score). Twenty patients with ALS were tested ten times at monthly intervals using each of the three methods.

Effects of joint mobilization on joint stiffness and active motion of the metacarpal-phalangeal joint.

Joint mobilization is a common technique used to restore joint motion; however, documentation of its effectiveness is lacking. The purpose of this study was to determine if joint mobilization is effective in counteracting joint stiffness and decreased active range of motion of the metacarpal-phalangeal joint. It was hypothesized that there would be a significant increase in range of motion in those patients who received joint mobilization.

Comparison of integrated electromyographic activity and lumbar curvature during standing and during sitting in three chairs.

The purposes of this study were to monitor the integrated electromyographic activity of the erector spinae (ES) muscles and to measure lumbar curvature (LC) during static and dynamic postures in three chairs--a Balans Multi-Chair (BC), and office chair (OC), and a straight-back chair (SBC)--and during standing. Integrated electromyographic data were recorded in relaxed and erect postures at L2 and L5 in 20 volunteers. Lumbar curvature was measured with a flexible ruler.

Electromyographic activity of back musculature during Williams' flexion exercises.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the pattern and magnitude of electromyographic activity recorded from paraspinal musculature at four different vertebral levels while subjects performed six Williams' flexion exercises with anterior and posterior pelvic tilt. Bipolar surface electrodes were placed on the right sides, at C5, T6, L3, and S1, of eight men and eight women. Integrated electromyographic activity was analyzed at the end of range of each exercise.

Electromyographic activity of shoulder muscles during unilateral upper extremity proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation patterns.

Twenty-nine normal adults were tested to measure the electrical activity of the anterior, middle, and posterior portions of the deltoid muscle and sternal portion of the pectoralis major muscle during the performance of four upper extremity diagonal patterns with the elbow straight, flexing, and extending. The patterns were performed through range of motion, with an isometric contraction performed in the shortened range. With the elbow straight, the middle portion of the deltoid muscle was primarily active with shoulder flexion, abduction, and external rotation; the anterior portion of the deltoid muscle with shoulder flexion, adduction, and external rotation; the posterior portion of the deltoid muscle with shoulder extension, abduction, and internal rotation; and the sternal portion of the pectoralis major muscle with shoulder extension, adduction, and internal rotation.