Experiences and perceptions of patients undergoing treatment and quality of life impact of diabetic macular edema: a systematic review.

Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a common cause of visual impairment. Current treatments for DME include laser photocoagulation, corticosteroids and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) antagonists, which are administered via intravitreal injection. The purpose of this systematic review is to explore the experiences and perceptions of patients undergoing laser, corticosteroid implants and intravitreal injection treatment for DME and the impact on Quality of Life (QoL).

Non-Pharmacological Approaches to Pain Management in Residential Aged Care: a Pre-Post-Test Study.

Objectives: The project aimed to evaluate a pain management program (PMP) using non-pharmacological approaches at five residential aged care facilities (RACFs) in Australia.

Methods: The PMP involved a physiotherapist implementing four sessions per week of treatments (massage therapy, TENS, exercises and stretching, or combinations of these). Ninety-five participants were recruited (average age, 83 years; SD = 7.

Understanding and encouraging volunteerism and community involvement.

Volunteerism and community involvement have been demonstrated to offer benefits both to communities and to volunteers themselves. However, not every method to encourage these behaviors is equally effective in producing committed volunteers. Drawing on relevant theoretical and empirical literatures, we identify features of efforts that are likely to produce intrinsically motivated other-oriented volunteers and those that may produce extrinsically motivated self-oriented volunteers.

Elizabeth Usher Memorial Lecture: Language is literacy is language - Positioning speech-language pathology in education policy, practice, paradigms and polemics.

This paper is concerned with the fundamental and intrinsic links between early receptive and expressive oral language competence on the one hand and the transition to literacy in the early school years and achievement of academic (and life) success on the other. Consequently, it also concerns the professional knowledge base of two key disciplines whose work is central to children's early language and literacy success: teachers and speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Oral language competence underpins the transition to literacy, which in turn underpins academic achievement.

Enhancing Self-Efficacy and Performance: An Experimental Comparison of Psychological Techniques.

Purpose: We assessed how 6 psychological performance enhancement techniques (PETs) differentially improved self-efficacy (SE) and skill performance. We also assessed whether vicarious experiences and verbal persuasion as posited sources of SE (Bandura, 1982 ) were supported and, further, if the effects of the 6 PETs remained after controlling for achievement motivation traits and self-esteem.

Method: A within-subject design assessed each individual across 2 trials for 3 disparate PETs.

Client-centred practice: Perspectives of persons with a traumatic brain injury.

Background: Client-centred practice is well established as a core foundation of occupational therapy; however, there is little research evidence concerning the client experience.

Objectives: To understand client-centred practice from the perspective of adults with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) participating in community-based occupational therapy.

Methods: Six adults with a moderate-severe TBI participated in two semi-structured, qualitative interviews each.

Depression and pain in night time and daytime functioning of individuals with lupus.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of pain and depression in night time and daytime functioning of individuals with lupus. A cross-sectional research design was used. Participants were recruited via a mail-out to members of the Lupus Australia Foundation and the Lupus Association of New South Wales.

Cross-cultural studies of temperament: temperament in greek infants.

Three infant cohorts from Greek cultural backgrounds were compared with an Anglo-Australian infant cohort across 9 dimensions of temperament using Australian and Greek versions of the revised Infant Temperament Questionnaire (Cazey and McDevitt 1978). Infants from a Greek cultural background were generally considered to be more 'difficult' than the Anglo-Australian infants on the temperament dimensions of Approach, Adaptability, Mood and Distractibility even after the effects of social class were controlled statistically. The reported cross-cultural differences were discussed with regard to the potential influence on temperament ratings of ethnicity and culture, social status, psychobiological factors, migrant status, social assimilation, and questionnaire characteristics.