Contextual factors experienced by mothers of children with special needs.

Background: Caring for children with special needs places a burden on caregivers. The challenges experienced can be conceptualised as personal and environmental, as per the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Framework (ICF).

Objectives: Supported the caregiver experiences when caring for children with special needs and to conceptualise these needs in relation to the personal and environmental factors set out in the ICF.

Return to work rate of individuals after cardiac rehabilitation and the demographic and impairment factors that influence return to work in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) commonly affects individuals within the working age group, often resulting in unemployment, particularly in low- to middle-income countries. The purpose of the study was to determine the return to work (RTW) rate of individuals with CVD after cardiac rehabilitation (CR) and the impact of impairment and socio-demographics on the individual's ability to (RTW).

Methods: A cross-sectional survey, namely the Work Rehabilitation Questionnaire (WORQ) was used to gather the information.

The Role of Environmental Factors on Health Conditions, General Health and Quality of Life in Persons with Spinal Cord Injuries in South Africa.

Objective: The objective was to describe the individual items of the environmental factors and to investigate the relationship between the environmental factors to health conditions, general health and quality of life in people with SCI in South Africa.

Methods: Two hundred persons with SCI participated in a cross-sectional survey design. This study formed part of the International Spinal Cord Injury (InSCI) Community Survey.

Applying the ICF codes, flag model and C-OAR-SE in the development of return-to-work assessment scale for stroke survivors.

Background: The Return-to-Work Assessment Scale (RAS) was developed in 2021 by Ibikunle et al. to assess return-to-work among post-stroke survivors.

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe how the conceptual (flag model and ICF) and theoretical framework (C-OAR-SE) were used in developing the RAS.

Factors influencing employment among people with spinal cord injury in South Africa.

Purpose: The unemployment rate post spinal cord injury (SCI) in South Africa is high with limited knowledge of environmental factors outside the health services, especially in an unevenly developed resource setting like South Africa, affecting the employment rate in people with SCI. Our purpose was to investigate factors associated with employment in people with SCI in South Africa.

Methods: Two hundred persons with SCI participated in a cross-sectional survey design.

Validation of content and structure of the Return-to-work assessment for post-stroke survivors.

Background: Validation of an instrument consist of three main types: content, criterion and construct. Content validity needs to be determined in order for an instrument to be acceptable for use, validity establishes the fact that an instrument measures exactly what it proposes to measure. The Return-to-work assessment scale (RAS) was developed to measure three aspects of return to work: (Personal factors and/or issues, work issues and contextual factors) in 2021.

The structure, processes, and outcomes of stroke rehabilitation in Ghana: A study protocol.

Background: Conventional and complementary treatments are often used in rehabilitation for persons with stroke. The conventional treatment makes use of medications, physiotherapy, occupational, speech, and diet therapies, while the complementary treatment makes use of homeopathy, naturopathy, massage, and acupuncture. The structure, process, and outcomes of stroke rehabilitation using conventional or complementary treatments have not been empirically investigated in Ghana.

Telerehabilitation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden: a survey of use and perceptions among physiotherapists treating people with neurological diseases or older adults.

Unlabelled: BACKGROUND : Telerehabilitation, i.e. rehabilitation at a distance using Information and Communication Technology (ICT), is a promising avenue for improving health among people with neurological diseases or older adults who often experience limited access to services.

Family functioning and stroke: Family members' perspectives.

Background: Stroke survivors often experience permanent or temporal physical and psychological stroke impairments. As a result, stroke survivors are often discharged to recover in their home environments and are cared for mostly by family members. Additionally, caregiving roles are often assumed without any formal training or preparation whatsoever.

Predictors of return to work among stroke survivors in south-west Nigeria.

Introduction: Stroke is acknowledged globally and among Nigerian rehabilitation researchers as a public health problem that leaves half of its survivors with significant neurological deficits and inability to re-establish pre-existing roles. Consequent to the dearth of country specific data on return to work and its determinants for stroke survivors in Nigeria, this study investigated the predictors of return to work among stroke survivors in south-west Nigeria.

Method: Two hundred and ten stroke survivors from five tertiary health facilities in Osun state, Nigeria responded to a validated three-section questionnaire assessing return to work rates and its determinants after stroke in this study.

Structural validity and reliability of the return to work assessment scale among post stroke survivors.

Background: Return to work (RTW) after injury or illness is a behavior influenced by physical, psychological and social factors. This study aims to determine the structural validity and reliability of a return to work assessment scale using internal consistency and factor analysis.

Method: A cross sectional survey research design was adopted for this study involving 101 Post stroke survivors.

Emerging from the Shadows: Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors Facing Community Health Workers in Western Cape, South Africa.

Community health workers (CHWs) have been identified as a key component of the health workforce in South Africa. However, the efficacy of CHW programs continues to be limited by a poor understanding of facilitators and barriers to CHW engagement. This study explores intrinsic and extrinsic factors that CHWs face.

Levels and patterns of physical activity in stroke survivors with different ambulation status living in low-income areas of Cape Town, South Africa.

: Little is known about physical activity (PA) in people with stroke living in low-income areas. The aim of this study was to characterize and contrast the levels and patterns of PA between stroke survivors with different ambulation status living in low-income areas in Cape Town, South Africa. : In this cross-sectional study, 45 community-dwelling stroke survivors living in low-income areas in Cape Town participated.

The development of a return to work intervention programme for stroke survivor (SReTWIP): a Delphi survey.

Background: Even though clearly defined pathways for vocational re-entry are well recognized for conditions such as mental health, musculoskeletal dysfunction (MSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), none has been identified for stroke. There has been a lack of consensus regarding such clear pathways to vocational re-entry and the essential contents of return to work (RTW) interventions for stroke survivors. As part of a larger study aimed to design a RTW programme for stroke survivors, this study describes the concluding process through which Stroke Return to Work Intervention Programme (SReTWIP) was developed.

Return for prenatal care and childbirth services among Nigerian women using primary health care facilities.

Aim: The study assessed the return for prenatal care and childbirth services among Nigerian women using primary health care facilities.

Design: A descriptive cross-sectional approach was employed for the study.

Methods: A total of 730 participants randomly recruited systematically from 21 purposively selected primary health care facilities in Ibadan, Nigeria were studied.

Scoping review of acute stroke care management and rehabilitation in low and middle-income countries.

Background: Stroke is a major public health concern, affecting millions of people worldwide. Care of the condition however, remain inconsistent in developing countries. The purpose of this scoping review was to document evidence of stroke care and service delivery in low and middle-income countries to better inform development of a context-fit stroke model of care.

Supporting a student with visual impairment in the intensive care unit.

Background: The Department of Physiotherapy at the University of the Western Cape began accepting students with visual impairments (VIs) into the undergraduate physiotherapy programme in 1996. However, until recently, none had received a clinical rotation in any high care setting.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of all stakeholders involved in the process of placing a student with VI into the intensive care unit (ICU).

Correlation of the self-reported Leeds assessment of neuropathic symptoms and signs score, clinical neurological examination and MR imaging in patients with lumbo-sacral radiculopathy.

Background: Lumbo-sacral radiculopathy (LSR) is a common musculoskeletal disorder for which patients seek medical care and referrals for advanced imaging. However, accurate diagnosis remains challenging. Neuropathic pain screening questionnaires, clinical neurological examination and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are used in the initial diagnosis.

Stroke patients' outcomes and satisfaction with care at discharge from four referral hospitals in Malawi: A cross-sectional descriptive study in limited resource.

Background: Stroke is the fourth leading cause of mortality and disability in Malawi. There is paucity of studies reporting on acute stroke functional outcomes, quality of life and satisfaction with care among patients with stroke. This study aimed to determine stroke outcomes and satisfaction with care in the country's central hospitals.

Manpower capacity and reasons for staff shortage in primary health care maternity centres in Nigeria: a mixed-methods study.

Background: The heart-breaking maternal and neonatal health indicators in Nigeria are not improving despite previous interventions, such as 'Health for all' and 'Millennium Development Goals. The unattained health-related goals/targets of previous interventions put the success of the new Sustainable Development Goals in doubt if the existing paradigm remains unchanged. Thus, mere branding of health policies without improving what constitutes the health system such as manpower capacity and quality as well as staff-patients ratio will be wasteful efforts.

A Self-Management Training Intervention: Perceptions and Practices of Community Health Workers in South Africa.

. While community health workers (CHWs) are increasingly being used as a strategy for increasing health care access, particularly in rural communities, interventions are needed to improve their skill sets in inspiring health behavior change, both for themselves and among their community clients. Self-management (SM) education interventions have shown to improve health behaviors and well-being.

The relationship between social support and participation in stroke: A systematic review.

Background: The incidence of cerebrovascular accidents with its devastating effects on individuals is increasing. Post-stroke, restrictions in participation are common and social support could have an influence on this. Social support provided to individuals post-stroke is vital, but the relationship between social support and participation is not well understood.

Strengthening Health Systems for Persons With Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury in South Africa and Sweden: A Protocol for a Longitudinal Study of Processes and Outcomes.

The provision of specialized care in a time-sensitive manner has shown to be crucial for survival and recovery of functioning after a traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI). However, little is known about the provision of TSCI care in different international contexts; information which is required for strengthening policy and practice. The overarching aim of this study will be to explore health care processes and outcomes of TSCI care in South Africa and Sweden.

Factors predicting community participation in patients living with stroke, in the Western Cape, South Africa.

An important focus of poststroke rehabilitation is the attainment of community participation. However, several factors may influence participation some of which vary from setting to setting. The aim of this study is to investigate the factors influencing community participation among community-dwelling stroke survivors in the Western Cape, South Africa.