Publications by authors named "R J Scudds"
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether providing fall risk information to long-term care (LTC) nurses affects restraint use, activities of daily living (ADL), falls, and nurse fears about patient falls.
Methods: One-hundred and fifty LTC residents were randomized to a fall risk assessment intervention or care-as-usual group. Hypotheses were tested using analyses of variance and path analyses.
Background: The effects of a regular and graduated walking program as a stand-alone intervention for individuals in long-term care are unclear. Exercise and fall prevention programs typically studied in long-term care settings tend to involve more than one exercise mode, such as a combination of balance, aerobic, strengthening, and flexibility exercises; and, measures do not always include mental health symptoms and behaviors, although these may be of even greater significance than physical outcomes.
Methods/design: We are randomly assigning residents of long-term care facilities into one of three intervention groups: (1) Usual Care Group--individuals receive care as usual within their long-term care unit; (2) Interpersonal Interaction Group--individuals receive a comparable amount of one-on-one stationary interpersonal interaction time with study personnel administering the walking program; and, (3) Walking Program Group--individuals participate in a supervised, progressive walking program five days per week, for up to half an hour per day.
Purpose: The aims of this study were to (1) describe the completion rates of the 24 performance criteria (PCs) from the Physical Therapist Clinical Performance Instrument (PT-CPI) by clinical instructors; (2) evaluate change in PC visual analogue scores (VAS) with students' clinical experience; and (3) evaluate scoring patterns over time.
Methods: Final VAS scores for 208 physiotherapy (PT) students (seven cohorts) from 1,039 clinical placements between 2001 and 2008 were analyzed. Completion rates were calculated for each PC.
Purpose: Although falls often result in serious injury among seniors residing in long-term care (LTC), there is a paucity of research about LTC staff perceptions about falls. Our purpose was to elicit opinions of LTC staff about falls and fall prevention given 'least restraint' policies. We also aimed to identify obstacles for optimal falls prevention.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To examine the ability of two measures of physical activity (tri-axial accelerometer and activity diary) to discriminate among groups of inactive, moderately active and active individuals with multiple sclerosis and to explore the relationship between these two measures.
Design: Exploratory, descriptive study.
Subjects: Thirty individuals with multiple sclerosis and nine controls.