The microbiological and physical properties of catheters for intermittent catheterization: a systematic review on the impact of reuse and cleaning.

Study Design: Systematic Review.

Objectives: To review systematically the clinical evidence of the effectiveness of various intermittent catheter cleaning methods that have been proposed as methods to prepare catheters for reuse.

Methods: A keyword search in Medline, Excerpta Medica dataBASE, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Web of Science and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, was undertaken to identify all English, Russian and German language literature evaluating the effectiveness of various intermittent catheter cleaning methods.

Barriers and facilitators to changing bowel care practices after spinal cord injury: a Theoretical Domains Framework approach.

Background: Improvement to autonomic processes such as bladder, bowel and sexual function are prioritised by individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Bowel care is associated with high levels of dissatisfaction and decreased quality of life. Despite dissatisfaction, 71% of individuals have not changed their bowel care routine for at least 5 years, highlighting a disconnect between dissatisfaction with bowel care and changing routines to optimise bowel care.

Canadian Physicians' Use of Perioperative Botulinum Toxin Injections to Spastic Limbs: A Cross-sectional National Survey.

Objective: To investigate the practice patterns of Canadian physicians who use perioperative botulinum toxin (BoNT) injections to improve surgical outcomes on spastic limbs.

Design: A cross-sectional national survey composed of an invitation email and an 18-item questionnaire was disseminated by a national physical medicine and rehabilitation (PMR) society to 138 physician members involved in spasticity management.

Setting: Not applicable.

Evaluation of the quality of published SCI clinical practice guidelines using the AGREE II instrument: Results from Can-SCIP expert panel.

Introduction: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a complex condition with substantial adverse personal, social and economic impacts necessitating evidence-based inter-professional care. To date, limited studies have assessed the quality of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) within SCI. The aim of this study is to evaluate the quality of the development process and methodological rigour of published SCI CPGs across the care continuum from pre-hospital to community-based care.

Development of the Canadian Spinal Cord Injury Best Practice (Can-SCIP) Guideline: Methods and overview.

Introduction: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a life-altering injury that leads to a complex constellation of changes in an individual's sensory, motor, and autonomic function which is largely determined by the level and severity of cord impairment. Available SCI-specific clinical practice guidelines (CPG) address specific impairments, health conditions or a segment of the care continuum, however, fail to address all the important clinical questions arising throughout an individual's care journey. To address this gap, an interprofessional panel of experts in SCI convened to develop the Canadian Spinal Cord Injury Best Practice (Can-SCIP) Guideline.

Mind the gaps: functional networks disrupted by white matter hyperintensities are associated with greater falls risk.

White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are associated with greater falls risk and slow gait speed. Whether these deficits are caused by the disruption of large-scale functional networks remains inconclusive. Further, physical activity moderates the association between WMHs and falls, but whether this extends to the disruption of functional networks remains unknown.

Prevalence of Walking Limitation After Acute Stroke and Its Impact on Discharge to Home.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to provide contemporary estimates of the prevalence of lower extremity motor impairment and walking limitation after first-ever stroke and to characterize the predictive nature of early walking ability for being discharged home after acute hospitalization.

Methods: In this cohort study, data were collected from a metropolitan acute care hospital in Canada at admission for 487 adults with first-ever acute ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. Lower extremity motor impairment and walking limitation were measured using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and AlphaFIM, respectively.

Patients' and therapists' experience and perception of exoskeleton-based physiotherapy during subacute stroke rehabilitation: a qualitative analysis.

Purpose: To explore the experience and acceptability of an exoskeleton-based physiotherapy program for non-ambulatory patients during subacute stroke rehabilitation from the perspective of patients and therapists.

Materials And Methods: This was a qualitative descriptive study using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis. Fourteen patients with stroke who participated in the experimental arm of a randomized controlled trial investigating the efficacy of exoskeleton-based physiotherapy were recruited.

Efficacy of an exoskeleton-based physical therapy program for non-ambulatory patients during subacute stroke rehabilitation: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Individuals requiring greater physical assistance to practice walking complete fewer steps in physical therapy during subacute stroke rehabilitation. Powered exoskeletons have been developed to allow repetitious overground gait training for individuals with lower limb weakness. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of exoskeleton-based physical therapy training during subacute rehabilitation for walking recovery in non-ambulatory patients with stroke.

Blenderized Tube Feeding and Enterostomy Tube Occlusions Among Adults with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Primary Lateral Sclerosis.

Adults with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) may develop swallowing difficulties and elect to receive an enterostomy feeding tube for nutrition support. Blenderized tube feeding (BTF) appeals to those interested in a homemade enteral nutrition option, but there are concerns of feeding tube occlusion and limited research on this potential risk. Therefore, our purpose was to determine the frequency of, and risk factors for, feeding tube occlusions among adults with ALS or PLS who use BTF.

Patient and Caregiver Perspectives on an eHealth Tool: A Qualitative Investigation of Preferred Formats, Features and Characteristics of a Presurgical eHealth Education Module.

Introduction: Total hip and total knee replacement (THR and TKR) are suggested for reducing joint pain resulting from hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA), especially when other interventions have not resulted in desired outcomes. Providing prehabilitation education can improve patients' psychological and physical well-being before and after surgery. The use of electronic health (eHealth) tools can be considered an effective method to increase patients' access to prehabilitation, particularly for those facing barriers to attending diagnosis-specific in-person education sessions.

Acute Exercise Modulates the Excitability of Specific Interneurons in Human Motor Cortex.

Acute exercise can modulate the excitability of the non-exercised upper-limb representation in the primary motor cortex (M1). Accumulating evidence demonstrates acute exercise affects measures of M1 intracortical excitability, with some studies also showing altered corticospinal excitability. However, the influence of distinct M1 interneuron populations on the modulation of intracortical and corticospinal excitability following acute exercise is currently unknown.

Implementation of the spinal cord injury exercise guidelines in the hospital and community settings: Protocol for a type II hybrid trial.

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.

The Impact of COVID-19-Related Restrictions on Social and Daily Activities of Parents, People With Disabilities, and Older Adults: Protocol for a Longitudinal, Mixed Methods Study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to wide-scale changes in societal organization. This has dramatically altered people's daily activities, especially among families with young children, those living with disabilities such as spinal cord injury (SCI), those who have experienced a stroke, and older adults.

Objective: We aim to (1) investigate how COVID-19 restrictions influence daily activities, (2) track the psychosocial effects of these restrictions over time, and (3) identify strategies to mitigate the potential negative effects of these restrictions.

Cardiac arrhythmias six months following traumatic spinal cord injury.

Objective: To investigate the incidence of cardiac arrhythmias at six months following traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) and to compare the prevalence of arrhythmias between participants with cervical and thoracic SCI.

Design: A prospective observational study using continuous twenty-four-hour Holter monitoring.

Setting: Inpatient rehabilitation unit of a university research hospital and patient home setting.

Development of priorities for a Canadian strategy to advance activity-based therapies after spinal cord injury.

Study Design: Participatory design.

Objectives: Activity-based therapies (ABT) have physical and psychosocial benefits for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). A Canadian ABT summit was held to: (1) identify methods used in stroke rehabilitation that may be appropriate for SCI; (2) understand the current state of ABT activities in Canada; and (3) identify priorities for ABT research and care for the next five years.

Telehealth coaching to improve self-management for secondary prevention after stroke: A randomized controlled trial of Stroke Coach.

Background: Stroke Coach is a lifestyle coaching telehealth program to improve self-management of stroke risk factors.

Aims: To examine the efficacy of Stroke Coach on lifestyle behavior and risk factor control among community-living stroke survivors within one-year post stroke.

Methods: Participants were randomized to Stroke Coach or an attention control Memory Training group.

Neurogenic Bowel in Acute Rehabilitation Following Spinal Cord Injury: Impact of Laxatives and Opioids.

Objective: To explore the association between bowel dysfunction and use of laxatives and opioids in an acute rehabilitation setting following spinal cord injury (SCI).

Methods: Data was collected regarding individuals with acute traumatic/non-traumatic SCI over a two-year period (2012-2013) during both the week of admission and discharge of their inpatient stay.

Results: An increase in frequency of bowel movement (BM) ( = 0.

Postprandial Hypotension and Spinal Cord Injury.

Postprandial hypotension (PPH) is defined as a fall of ≥20 mmHg in systolic blood pressure (SBP) or a SBP of <90 mmHg after having been >100 mmHg before the meal within two hours after a meal. The prevalence of PPH among persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) is unknown. Ambulatory blood pressure measurement was performed in 158 persons with SCI, 109 men, median age was 59.

Painting by lesions: White matter hyperintensities disrupt functional networks and global cognition.

White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are a prominent feature of cerebral small vessel disease and are associated with cognitive impairment. These deficits in cognition may be caused by the disruption of large-scale functional networks due to the presence of WMHs. However, knowledge regarding the relevance of these lesions on functional networks remains inconclusive.