Digital health interventions in adult intensive care and recovery after critical illness to promote survivorship care.

Digital health refers to the field of using and developing technology to improve health outcomes. Digital health and digital health interventions (DHIs) within the area of intensive care and critical illness survivorship are rapidly evolving. Digital health interventions refer to technologies in clinical interventional format.

Home-Based Exercise and Self-Management After Lung Cancer Resection: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Patients with lung cancer have poor physical functioning and quality of life. Despite promising outcomes for those who undertake exercise programs, implementation into practice of previously tested hospital-based programs is rare.

Objective: To evaluate a home-based exercise and self-management program for patients after lung resection.

MyoVision-US: an Artificial Intelligence-Powered Software for Automated Analysis of Skeletal Muscle Ultrasonography.

Introduction/aims: Muscle ultrasound has high utility in clinical practice and research; however, the main challenges are the training and time required for manual analysis to achieve objective quantification of morphometry. This study aimed to develop and validate a software tool powered by artificial intelligence (AI) by measuring its consistency and predictability of expert manual analysis quantifying lower limb muscle ultrasound images across healthy, acute, and chronic illness subjects.

Methods: Quadriceps complex (QC [rectus femoris and vastus intermedius]) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscle ultrasound images of healthy, intensive care unit, and/or lung cancer subjects were captured with portable devices.

Neuromuscular Control and Resistance Training for People With Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

To determine if adding lumbar neuromuscular control retraining exercises to a 12-week program of strengthening exercises had greater effect for improving disability than 12 weeks of strengthening exercises alone in people with chronic low back pain (LBP). Single-center, participant- and assessor-blinded, comparative effectiveness randomized controlled trial. Sixty-nine participants (31 females; 29 males; mean age: 46.

"How Do I Test the Waters? How Do I Go Forward?": Codesigning a Supportive Pathway after Critical Illness.

Long-term recovery after critical illness can be affected by post-intensive care syndrome (PICS), a significant burden, which can impact return to activities and work. There is a need for streamlined support for intensive care unit (ICU) patients in their recovery while enduring PICS symptoms. To explore critical illness recovery from the experiences, perspectives, and beliefs of former ICU patients, their caregivers, and multidisciplinary clinicians to design a future rehabilitation intervention prototype to support ICU patients.

Students experienced near peer-led simulation in physiotherapy education as valuable and engaging: a mixed methods study.

Questions: What is the student experience of near peer-led simulation in physiotherapy education from the perspectives of students (near peer learners and near peer teachers)? What are their expectations, perceptions and engagement in this as a teaching and learning activity? Are there any short-term benefits?

Design: Convergent mixed-methods study.

Participants: From a graduate entry Doctor of Physiotherapy course, 111 first-year and 20 second-year students participated.

Intervention: Near peer-led simulation was delivered within first-year cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal and neurological physiotherapy curricula and as a precursor to second-year clinical placements.

Construct and criterion validity of muscle ultrasonography for assessment of skeletal muscle in patients recovering from COVID-19.

The purpose was to investigate the content, construct, and criterion validity of muscle ultrasound in a mixed cohort of participants recovering from mild and critical COVID-19. A secondary analysis of a prospective cross-sectional study was conducted on data obtained from a battery of muscle and physical function assessments including a muscle biopsy and muscle ultrasonography (US). Rectus femoris (RF) muscle thickness (mT), quadricep complex (QC) mT, RF muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) using 2D freeform trace and estimated from Feret's diameter, and RF echo intensity (EI) were assessed with US.

Inconsistently reporting post-licensure EPA specifications in different clinical professions hampers fidelity and practice translation: a scoping review.

Background: Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) are defined units of professional practice entrusted to professionals once they have attained the specific competencies required to complete the end-to-end task. They provide a contemporary framework for capturing real-world clinical skillsets and integrating clinical education with practice. Our scoping review question was: how are post-licensure EPAs reported in peer reviewed literature, in different clinical professions?

Method: We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist, Arksey and O'Malley and Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology.

Physiotherapy and Exercise Management of People Undergoing Surgery for Lung Cancer: A Survey of Current Practice across Australia and New Zealand.

Background: Moderate- to high-certainty evidence supports the benefits of pre- and post-operative exercise for people undergoing surgical resection for lung cancer. Despite this, exercise programs are not commonly provided. Previous data regarding exercise practices are a decade old.

Benefits and risks of ventilator hyperinflation in mechanically ventilated intensive care patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: Patients requiring mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit (ICU) have diminished respiratory defences and are at high risk of respiratory compromise, leading to an increased risk of pulmonary infection and prolonged ventilation. Ventilator hyperinflation (VHI) is an airway clearance technique used by physiotherapists and is suggested to improve respiratory mechanics. The objective of this study was to review the evidence for the benefits and risks of VHI in intubated and mechanically ventilated patients in the ICU.

Methodological and Clinimetric Evaluation of Inspiratory Respiratory Muscle Ultrasound in the Critical Care Setting: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: Significant variations exist in the use of respiratory muscle ultrasound in intensive care with no society-level consensus on the optimal methodology. This systematic review aims to evaluate, synthesize, and compare the clinimetric properties of different image acquisition and analysis methodologies.

Data Sources: Systematic search of five databases up to November 24, 2021.

Prophylactic Postoperative Noninvasive Ventilation in Adults Undergoing Upper Abdominal Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality following upper abdominal surgery. Applying either noninvasive ventilation (NIV) or continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in the early postoperative period is suggested to prevent PPC. We aimed to assess whether postoperative NIV or CPAP or both prevent PPCs compared with standard care in adults undergoing upper abdominal surgery, including in those identified at higher PPC risk.

Exercise in allogeneic bone marrow transplantation: a qualitative representation of the patient perspective.

Purpose: Exercise is emerging as a vital aspect of care to alleviate the physical and psychosocial symptom burden associated with allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Understanding the patient perspective regarding exercise is important to move towards implementation. This study aimed to characterise experiences and views regarding participation in an exercise program in adults receiving treatment for haematological disease with allogeneic BMT.

Patients Surviving Critical COVID-19 have Impairments in Dual-task Performance Related to Post-intensive Care Syndrome.

Objective: The purpose was to examine Dual Task (DT) performance in patients surviving severe and critical COVID-19 compared to patients with chronic lung disease (CLD). Secondarily, we aimed to determine the psychometric properties of the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test in patients surviving COVID-19.

Design: Prospective, cross-sectional, observational study.

Effect of a postoperative home-based exercise and self-management programme on physical function in people with lung cancer (CAPACITY): protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Exercise is important in the postoperative management of lung cancer, yet no strong evidence exists for delivery of home-based programmes. Our feasibility (phase I) study established feasibility of a home-based exercise and self-management programme (the programme) delivered postoperatively. This efficacy (phase II) study aims to determine whether the programme, compared with usual care, is effective in improving physical function (primary outcome) in patients after lung cancer surgery.

Physiotherapy management for COVID-19 in the acute hospital setting and beyond: an update to clinical practice recommendations.

This document provides an update to the recommendations for physiotherapy management for adults with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the acute hospital setting. It includes: physiotherapy workforce planning and preparation; a screening tool for determining requirement for physiotherapy; and recommendations for the use of physiotherapy treatments and personal protective equipment. New advice and recommendations are provided on: workload management; staff health, including vaccination; providing clinical education; personal protective equipment; interventions, including awake proning, mobilisation and rehabilitation in patients with hypoxaemia.

Reliability of lumbar multifidus and iliocostalis lumborum thickness and echogenicity measurements using ultrasound imaging.

Purpose: To establish the test-retest and inter-rater reliability of lumbar multifidus (LM) and iliocostalis lumborum (IL) muscle thickness and echogenicity as derived using ultrasound imaging.

Methods: Ultrasound images of the LM and IL were collected from 11 healthy participants on two occasions, 1 week apart, by two independent assessors. Measures of LM and IL thickness and echogenicity were subject to test-retest and inter-rater reliability, which was assessed by calculation of an F statistic, the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC), the standard error of measurement, 95% confidence intervals and Bland-Altman plots.

Evaluating a Muscle Ultrasound Education Program: Theoretical Knowledge, Hands-on Skills, Reliability, and Satisfaction of Critical Care Physiotherapists.

Objective: To evaluate learning results of critical care physiotherapists participating in a muscle ultrasound (MUS) educational program.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: A custom-made 20-hour MUS course was performed over a 2-week time period, including knobs familiarization, patient positioning, anatomic landmarks, image acquisition, and limb muscle measurements.

Safety and Feasibility of an Interdisciplinary Treatment Approach to Optimize Recovery From Critical Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Objectives: Examine the safety and feasibility of a multimodal in-person or telehealth treatment program, administered in acute recovery phase for patients surviving critical coronavirus disease 2019.

Design: Pragmatic, pre-post, nonrandomized controlled trial with patients electing enrollment into one of the two recovery pathways.

Setting: ICU Recovery Clinic in an academic medical center.

Architectural anatomy of the quadriceps and the relationship with muscle strength: An observational study utilising real-time ultrasound in healthy adults.

Quadriceps atrophy and morphological change is a known phenomenon that can impact significantly on strength and functional performance in patients with acute or chronic presentations conditions. Real-time ultrasound (RTUS) imaging is a noninvasive valid and reliable method of quantifying quadriceps muscle anatomy and architecture. To date, there is a paucity of normative data on the architectural properties of superficial and deep components of the quadriceps muscle group to inform assessment and evaluation of intervention programs.