Publications by authors named "Tova Plashkes"

Introduction: Physical Activity (PA) levels for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) peak during rehabilitation and sharply decline post-discharge. The ProACTIVE SCI intervention has previously demonstrated very large-sized effects on PA; however, it has not been adapted for use at this critically understudied timepoint. The objective is to evaluate the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance of the ProACTIVE SCI intervention delivered by physiotherapists and SCI peer coaches during the transition from rehabilitation to community.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The current tools for predicting mortality after trauma, like the Injury Severity Score (ISS), are not effective for traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI), prompting the need for a better method.
  • - A new prognostic tool called the Spinal Cord Injury Risk Score (SCIRS) was developed using machine learning on data from over 1,200 tSCI patients to improve mortality prediction based on various injury characteristics.
  • - Results show the SCIRS significantly outperforms the ISS in predicting both in-hospital and one-year mortality rates for tSCI, indicating its potential as a valuable resource in clinical and research settings.
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Study Design: Type II hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial protocol.

Objectives: To (1) evaluate the implementation of coordinated physical activity (PA) coaching delivered by physiotherapists and spinal cord injury (SCI) peers during the transition from in-hospital care to living in a community (implementation objective) and (2) assess the effect of coaching on PA behaviour and psychosocial predictors among people with SCI (effectiveness objective).

Setting: Rehabilitation hospital and home/community settings in British Columbia, Canada.

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Background Context: Models for predicting recovery in traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI) patients have been developed to optimize care. Several models predicting tSCI recovery have been previously validated, yet recent findings question their accuracy, particularly in patients whose prognoses are the least predictable.

Purpose: To compare independent ambulatory outcomes in AIS (ASIA [American Spinal Injury Association] Impairment Scale) A, B, C, and D patients, as well as in AIS B+C and AIS A+D patients by applying two existing logistic regression prediction models.

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Background Context: Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating condition with limited treatment options for neurologic or functional recovery. The ability to predict the prognosis of walking post injury with emerging prediction models could aid in rehabilitation strategies and reintegration into the community.

Purpose: To revalidate an existing clinical prediction model for independent ambulation (van Middendorp et al.

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Return to living at home is an important patient-reported outcome following traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI). Specialized inpatient rehabilitation assists such patients in maximizing function and independence. Our project aim was to describe those patients receiving specialized rehabilitation after tSCI in Canada, and to determine if such rehabilitation improved the likelihood of returning home.

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Coactivation of the knee extensors and flexors increases knee joint contact forces, which may lead to degradation of the articular surfaces. This study investigated the effect of neuromuscular fatigue induced by submaximal, repetitive, dynamic contractions on coactivation of knee musculature in young and middle-aged women. Data from 10 young women (24.

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