Formation of communicative competence of massage therapists with visual impairments: A research study.

Heliyon

School of Health Professions Education & Department of Health Services Research, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Netherlands.

Published: September 2024

Background: Communicative competence for massage therapists with visual impairments is an important aspect in ensuring their successful integration into the profession and society. However, visually impaired massage therapists face numerous barriers to effective communication during their education, hiring process, and professional employment.

Aim: To study why communicative competence is important for students with visual impairments; to research features of communication of persons with visual impairments; to identify barriers and effective strategies for formation of communicative competence in the educational process.

Design: A qualitative descriptive study with focus groups and semi-structured interviews.

Settings: Higher education institution in Lviv (Ukraine) offering a nursing programme for students with visual impairments.

Participants: Three groups of respondents, namely visually impaired alumni of Lviv Medical Academy, Ukraine (n = 6), alumni's employers and co-workers (n = 4), and experts in the education of visually impaired persons (n = 11), participated in the research.

Methods: Two focus groups and in-depth semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematic coding was used to analyze transcripts.

Results: Five themes arose: significance of communication for nurse massage therapists with visual impairments; features of communication of persons with visual impairments; barriers to communication of persons with visual impairments; tools and approaches to improve communicative competence of massage therapists with visual impairments; ineffective methods in teaching communication to visually impaired students.

Conclusions: Communication barriers faced by visually impaired nursing students include isolation in specialized institutions, parental hypervigilance, and the challenge of establishing eye contact, which impedes reading nonverbal cues. To enhance communicative competence, it is essential to implement interactive teaching methods, involve students in various activities, ensure educational accessibility, and adopt an individualized and empathetic approach. Both inclusive and special education have advantages and disadvantages. It is recommended to advocate for a "reasonable accommodation" model to ensure high-quality education for visually impaired massage therapists.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11437833PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e38126DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

visual impairments
32
communicative competence
24
massage therapists
24
visually impaired
24
therapists visual
16
competence massage
12
communication persons
12
persons visual
12
visual
9
formation communicative
8

Similar Publications

Network Abnormalities in Ischemic Stroke: A Meta-analysis of Resting-State Functional Connectivity.

Brain Topogr

January 2025

Department of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.

Aberrant large-scale resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) has been frequently documented in ischemic stroke. However, it remains unclear about the altered patterns of within- and across-network connectivity. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to identify the altered rsFC in patients with ischemic stroke relative to healthy controls, as well as to reveal longitudinal changes of network dysfunctions across acute, subacute, and chronic phases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Antithrombin III deficiency and idiopathic intracranial hypertension: a case report.

J Med Case Rep

January 2025

Headache Department, Iranian Center of Neurological Research, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Background: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a condition where the pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid in the brain increases without a known cause. It typically affects adults but can also occur in adolescents and children, although it is less common. Numerous elements, including coagulopathy, have been documented in previous cases as potential etiological factors of IIH.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Vanishing white matter disease (VWMD) is a rare autosomal recessive leukoencephalopathy. It is typified by a gradual loss of white matter in the brain and spinal cord, which results in impairments in vision and hearing, cerebellar ataxia, muscular weakness, stiffness, seizures, and dysarthria cogitative decline. Many reports involve minors.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pathogenic mechanisms of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-associated retinal and choroidal adverse reactions.

Am J Ophthalmol

January 2025

Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Electronic address:

Purpose: To summarize and categorize postulated mechanisms of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-mediated retinal and choroidal inflammation and discuss resulting implications for evaluation and management of these adverse reactions.

Design: Targeted literature review with interpretation and perspective Methods: We performed a review of selected literature describing immune-mediated retinal and choroidal adverse reactions associated with ICI therapy, synthesizing and categorizing the likely underlying pathogenic mechanisms. Based on these mechanistic categories, we provide perspective on a rational approach to the evaluation of patients with ICI-associated inflammatory disorders of the retina and choroid.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Face pareidolia minimally engages macaque face selective neurons.

Prog Neurobiol

January 2025

Section on Cognitive Neurophysiology and Imaging, National Institute of Mental Health; Bethesda, MD, USA; Neurophysiology Imaging Facility, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Eye Institute; Bethesda, MD, USA. Electronic address:

The macaque cerebral cortex contains concentrations of neurons that prefer faces over inanimate objects. Although these so-called face patches are thought to be specialized for the analysis of facial signals, their exact tuning properties remain unclear. For example, what happens when an object by chance resembles a face? Everyday objects can sometimes, through the accidental positioning of their internal components, appear as faces.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!