Introduction: Problem based curricula and problem based learning are used extensively to facilita... more Introduction: Problem based curricula and problem based learning are used extensively to facilitate learners to become effective learners and through that, effective professional problem solvers. The basic characteristics of the problem based curriculum and the processes of the problem based learning are described in the literature but many variations of problem based learning and the problem based curriculum exist. Research findings are also contradictory regarding the effectiveness of these approaches. The aim of this article is to discuss the theoretical foundation of these approaches and to identify the core issues that must be addressed in order to optimize their effect on learners.Methodology: A literature search was done by using the following keywords: problem based curriculum, problem based learning, clinical decision making, clinical problem solving, clinical judgement, physiotherapy, medicine, health care, and health care education.Discussion: There is a lack of research ...
Children with disabilities are rehabilitated by dedicated professionals. Rehabilitation professio... more Children with disabilities are rehabilitated by dedicated professionals. Rehabilitation professionals in rural areas are challenged by a lack of resources often in the form of budgetary constraints and a shortage of transport. Healthcare professionals are thus unable to provide quality health services leading to low staff morale and burnout. This study explores factors that negatively affect rehabilitation professionals' work ethic and morale in an under-resourced rural hospital, in Limpopo Province, South Africa. A qualitative, exploratory and descriptive approach was used. Data were collected in individual face-to-face interviews with eight rehabilitation professionals at Nkhensani Hospital. The participants comprised staff members from the physiotherapy department (n=2), occupational therapy department (n=5), and nursing department (n=1). Eight themes emerged as factors that negatively affect rehabilitation professionals' work ethic and morale including (1) Managerial sup...
BackgroundThe neurodevelopmental progress of infants (age below 3 months) is globally not well de... more BackgroundThe neurodevelopmental progress of infants (age below 3 months) is globally not well described, and a lack of published data on normative values of child development in this age group has been identified. In South Africa, the description of neurodevelopmental characteristics of infants at well-baby 6- and 10-week visits are omitted from the ‘Road to Health Booklet’, a nationally used patient-held clinical record. The neurodevelopmental status of infants in these age groups is thus not routinely monitored and the data is not documented. Important changes occur in the maturation of the central nervous system of infants at 6 weeks that signify this age as an important milestone for monitoring neurodevelopmental progress.Methodology and findingsA prospective longitudinal study was performed on a sample of 35 term-born healthy, infants from low-risk pregnancies at 6- and 10-weeks postnatal age in the Tshwane District, South Africa. The Hammersmith Neonatal Neurological Examinat...
Department of Physiotherapy, School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, College of Health S... more Department of Physiotherapy, School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana / School of Health Professions Education, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Netherlands / Centre for Sport, Exercise and Osteoarthritis Research Versus Arthritis, UK. Department of Physiotherapy, School of Healthcare Sciences, Sefako, Makgatho Health Sciences University. Department of Physiotherapy, School of Healthcare Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria. Department of Physiotherapy, School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana.
Childhood disabilities are conditions that affect or are likely to influence the development of c... more Childhood disabilities are conditions that affect or are likely to influence the development of children into adulthood. Childhood disabilities are common in both high-income as well as lowincome countries. UNICEF estimated that the number of children with disabilities below the age of 18 years was about 150 million. In low-income countries, the prevalence of childhood disability ranged between 0.4 and 12.7%. According to Census 2001, the prevalence of childhood disability in South Africa was between 2-3 %. It is commonly accepted in the literature that the aetiology of childhood disability is attributed to prenatal, perinatal and postnatal factors. However, disabilities within the African context have been associated with beliefs and spirituality retribution such as the “ will of God or witchcraft ”. The purpose of the study is to establish what the caregivers attribute as the cause of childhood disabilities in the rural community of South Africa. A qualitative, exploratory and des...
Introduction. In many urban, semi-urban and rural areas in South Africa, rehabilitation / clinica... more Introduction. In many urban, semi-urban and rural areas in South Africa, rehabilitation / clinical services are lacking due to a shortage of clinical staff. If it so happens that a lack of clinical services impact on clinical training of physiotherapy students, the situation can be turned around by seeing it as an opportunity to create a unique learning environment for students to engage in multi-faceted professional activities that would facilitate their professional identity, ability to practice/implement evidence based practice principles, communicative, collaborative and clinical skills in the context of a multi-professional team approach. The purpose of this paper is to explain how an early childhood intervention service was initiated and established by engaging final year physiotherapy students on their community block in unique clinical learning environment The need for an early childhood clinic was identified by the medical staff of a district hospital where final year physi...
Background. Unilateral spatial neglect (USN) is a visual-perceptual disorder that entails the ina... more Background. Unilateral spatial neglect (USN) is a visual-perceptual disorder that entails the inability to perceive and integrate stimuli on one side of the body, resulting in the neglect of one side of the body. Stroke patients with USN present with extensive functional disability and duration of therapy input. Objective. To determine the effect of saccadic eye movement training with visual scanning exercises (VSEs) integrated with task-specific activities on USN poststroke. Methods. A matched-pair randomized control trial was conducted. Subjects were matched according to their functional activity level and allocated to either a control (n = 12) or an experimental group (n = 12). All patients received task-specific activities for a 4-week intervention period. The experimental group received saccadic eye movement training with VSE integrated with task specific activities as an “add on” intervention. Assessments were conducted weekly over the intervention period. Results. Statistical...
This study was initiated in an attempt to compare the Simplified air cushion (SAC) with the Polyu... more This study was initiated in an attempt to compare the Simplified air cushion (SAC) with the Polyurethane Foam (PU Foam) wheelchair cushion with regard to effective pressure relief the study focused especially on the wheelchair bound spinal cord injured (SCI) patient.Thirty ulcer-free spinal cord injured (SCI) patients participated in this study. Patients were tested on a novice wheelchair cushion, namely the (SAC) as well as on the high-density PU Foam cushion, currently used in government subsidised hospitals. Ischial tuberosity interface pressures were measured under both ischial tuberosities by means of the Oxford Pressure Monitor MK 11 (OPM MK11).Maximum average pressures on the SAC were 73.60 mmHg and 82.97 mmHg on the PU Foam cushion. The results suggest that the SAC provides adequate pressure relief if compared to the PU Foam cushion. Due to the fact that the SAC is designed on the same principles as other air cushions, it provides a maximum support area which distributes the...
This paper follows on a previous paper describing a studyconducted on sexual harassment in the p... more This paper follows on a previous paper describing a studyconducted on sexual harassment in the physiotherapy work environment inSouth Africa. A survey questionnaire was used to determine the reactions ofphysiotherapists after they experienced their worst incidents of sexualharassment. The most common method of handling the sexual harassmentwas to avoid the perpetrator or situation. The most common effects relatedto work performance after the sexual harassment had occurred, were adecrease in concentration, job pleasure and confidence in job performanceand the most common emotional effect experienced was anger.
The evaluation of rehabilitation outcomes requiresmeasurementinstruments that are valid and relia... more The evaluation of rehabilitation outcomes requiresmeasurementinstruments that are valid and reliable, and have been psychometricallytested in the context of a particular population. The purpose ofthis study was to psychometrically test the validity and reliability of theReintegration to Normal Living Index (RNLI) as a measure of communityreintegration in a population of community-dwelling people living withspinal cord injury (PLWSCI) in South Africa.The study was a cross-sectional, involving community dwelling peopleliving with SCI (PLWSCI), who had been discharged from inpatient rehabilitation at for at least two years. RNLI datacollected from 160 PLWSCI were subjected to factor analysis and tested for reliability using chronbach’s alpha.Cronbach’s alpha for the RNLI instrument was 0.97 (ICC 95% CI: 0.97 – 0.98), indicating an excellent reliabilitycoefficient. A single -factor structure emerged from principal components analysis, indicating that there is onlyone factor structure fo...
This paper presents the legal framework within which sexual harassment of healthcare professional... more This paper presents the legal framework within which sexual harassment of healthcare professionals, including physiotherapists, may be managed in their work environment in South Africa. According to both international and national legal principles, sexual harassment is considered a form of discrimination. There are various statutes in South Africa that may assist physiotherapists when they seek redress after being sexually harassed. These entail labour-related laws, laws aimed at removing all forms of discrimination, as well as the criminal and civil pathways of seeking justice.
Introduction: Pressure relief done by a spinal cordinjured patient is of utmost importance in ord... more Introduction: Pressure relief done by a spinal cordinjured patient is of utmost importance in order to prevent pressuresore formation. Some pressure-relieving techniques are describedin previous literature, but their effectivity has not yet been deter-mined on different wheelchair cushions.Null Hypothesis (H0): The null hypothesis (H0) stated for thistudy is that there is no difference in the effectivity of forwardleaning and forward leaning towards the left as pressure relievingtechniques for quadriplegic wheelchair users over the differenwheelchair cushions.Design: An analytical experimental study design using a convenient sample group of ten complete lesion quadriplegics (C6 to T1) was performed at the Physiotherapy Department,University of Pretoria.Method: Interface pressure (in mmHg) over the ischial tuberosities and upper thigh areas was measured using theTalley Oxford Pressure Monitor MKII with a 12-way matrix cell system.Results and Conclusion: The Friedman test for associat...
No study has been conducted on sexual harassment of physiotherapists in South Africa and it is t... more No study has been conducted on sexual harassment of physiotherapists in South Africa and it is therefore not known whether harassment occurs and if it does, to what extent. To this purpose, a questionnaire on sexual harassment and other sexual-related issues in the physiotherapy work environment in South Africa, was sent to a random selection of 982 physiotherapists registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa. The response rate was 32%. This paper presents the results of the first half of the questionnaire, which was devoted to sexual harassment of the physiotherapist. Approximately 60% had experienced sexual harassment, of which 83.98% had been perpetrated by patients. Only 5.82% of the respondents had received some form of information in this regard. The most common form of harassment was requests for a hug or kiss.
Introduction: Problem based curricula and problem based learning are used extensively to facilita... more Introduction: Problem based curricula and problem based learning are used extensively to facilitate learners to become effective learners and through that, effective professional problem solvers. The basic characteristics of the problem based curriculum and the processes of the problem based learning are described in the literature but many variations of problem based learning and the problem based curriculum exist. Research findings are also contradictory regarding the effectiveness of these approaches. The aim of this article is to discuss the theoretical foundation of these approaches and to identify the core issues that must be addressed in order to optimize their effect on learners.Methodology: A literature search was done by using the following keywords: problem based curriculum, problem based learning, clinical decision making, clinical problem solving, clinical judgement, physiotherapy, medicine, health care, and health care education.Discussion: There is a lack of research ...
Children with disabilities are rehabilitated by dedicated professionals. Rehabilitation professio... more Children with disabilities are rehabilitated by dedicated professionals. Rehabilitation professionals in rural areas are challenged by a lack of resources often in the form of budgetary constraints and a shortage of transport. Healthcare professionals are thus unable to provide quality health services leading to low staff morale and burnout. This study explores factors that negatively affect rehabilitation professionals' work ethic and morale in an under-resourced rural hospital, in Limpopo Province, South Africa. A qualitative, exploratory and descriptive approach was used. Data were collected in individual face-to-face interviews with eight rehabilitation professionals at Nkhensani Hospital. The participants comprised staff members from the physiotherapy department (n=2), occupational therapy department (n=5), and nursing department (n=1). Eight themes emerged as factors that negatively affect rehabilitation professionals' work ethic and morale including (1) Managerial sup...
BackgroundThe neurodevelopmental progress of infants (age below 3 months) is globally not well de... more BackgroundThe neurodevelopmental progress of infants (age below 3 months) is globally not well described, and a lack of published data on normative values of child development in this age group has been identified. In South Africa, the description of neurodevelopmental characteristics of infants at well-baby 6- and 10-week visits are omitted from the ‘Road to Health Booklet’, a nationally used patient-held clinical record. The neurodevelopmental status of infants in these age groups is thus not routinely monitored and the data is not documented. Important changes occur in the maturation of the central nervous system of infants at 6 weeks that signify this age as an important milestone for monitoring neurodevelopmental progress.Methodology and findingsA prospective longitudinal study was performed on a sample of 35 term-born healthy, infants from low-risk pregnancies at 6- and 10-weeks postnatal age in the Tshwane District, South Africa. The Hammersmith Neonatal Neurological Examinat...
Department of Physiotherapy, School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, College of Health S... more Department of Physiotherapy, School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana / School of Health Professions Education, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Netherlands / Centre for Sport, Exercise and Osteoarthritis Research Versus Arthritis, UK. Department of Physiotherapy, School of Healthcare Sciences, Sefako, Makgatho Health Sciences University. Department of Physiotherapy, School of Healthcare Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria. Department of Physiotherapy, School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana.
Childhood disabilities are conditions that affect or are likely to influence the development of c... more Childhood disabilities are conditions that affect or are likely to influence the development of children into adulthood. Childhood disabilities are common in both high-income as well as lowincome countries. UNICEF estimated that the number of children with disabilities below the age of 18 years was about 150 million. In low-income countries, the prevalence of childhood disability ranged between 0.4 and 12.7%. According to Census 2001, the prevalence of childhood disability in South Africa was between 2-3 %. It is commonly accepted in the literature that the aetiology of childhood disability is attributed to prenatal, perinatal and postnatal factors. However, disabilities within the African context have been associated with beliefs and spirituality retribution such as the “ will of God or witchcraft ”. The purpose of the study is to establish what the caregivers attribute as the cause of childhood disabilities in the rural community of South Africa. A qualitative, exploratory and des...
Introduction. In many urban, semi-urban and rural areas in South Africa, rehabilitation / clinica... more Introduction. In many urban, semi-urban and rural areas in South Africa, rehabilitation / clinical services are lacking due to a shortage of clinical staff. If it so happens that a lack of clinical services impact on clinical training of physiotherapy students, the situation can be turned around by seeing it as an opportunity to create a unique learning environment for students to engage in multi-faceted professional activities that would facilitate their professional identity, ability to practice/implement evidence based practice principles, communicative, collaborative and clinical skills in the context of a multi-professional team approach. The purpose of this paper is to explain how an early childhood intervention service was initiated and established by engaging final year physiotherapy students on their community block in unique clinical learning environment The need for an early childhood clinic was identified by the medical staff of a district hospital where final year physi...
Background. Unilateral spatial neglect (USN) is a visual-perceptual disorder that entails the ina... more Background. Unilateral spatial neglect (USN) is a visual-perceptual disorder that entails the inability to perceive and integrate stimuli on one side of the body, resulting in the neglect of one side of the body. Stroke patients with USN present with extensive functional disability and duration of therapy input. Objective. To determine the effect of saccadic eye movement training with visual scanning exercises (VSEs) integrated with task-specific activities on USN poststroke. Methods. A matched-pair randomized control trial was conducted. Subjects were matched according to their functional activity level and allocated to either a control (n = 12) or an experimental group (n = 12). All patients received task-specific activities for a 4-week intervention period. The experimental group received saccadic eye movement training with VSE integrated with task specific activities as an “add on” intervention. Assessments were conducted weekly over the intervention period. Results. Statistical...
This study was initiated in an attempt to compare the Simplified air cushion (SAC) with the Polyu... more This study was initiated in an attempt to compare the Simplified air cushion (SAC) with the Polyurethane Foam (PU Foam) wheelchair cushion with regard to effective pressure relief the study focused especially on the wheelchair bound spinal cord injured (SCI) patient.Thirty ulcer-free spinal cord injured (SCI) patients participated in this study. Patients were tested on a novice wheelchair cushion, namely the (SAC) as well as on the high-density PU Foam cushion, currently used in government subsidised hospitals. Ischial tuberosity interface pressures were measured under both ischial tuberosities by means of the Oxford Pressure Monitor MK 11 (OPM MK11).Maximum average pressures on the SAC were 73.60 mmHg and 82.97 mmHg on the PU Foam cushion. The results suggest that the SAC provides adequate pressure relief if compared to the PU Foam cushion. Due to the fact that the SAC is designed on the same principles as other air cushions, it provides a maximum support area which distributes the...
This paper follows on a previous paper describing a studyconducted on sexual harassment in the p... more This paper follows on a previous paper describing a studyconducted on sexual harassment in the physiotherapy work environment inSouth Africa. A survey questionnaire was used to determine the reactions ofphysiotherapists after they experienced their worst incidents of sexualharassment. The most common method of handling the sexual harassmentwas to avoid the perpetrator or situation. The most common effects relatedto work performance after the sexual harassment had occurred, were adecrease in concentration, job pleasure and confidence in job performanceand the most common emotional effect experienced was anger.
The evaluation of rehabilitation outcomes requiresmeasurementinstruments that are valid and relia... more The evaluation of rehabilitation outcomes requiresmeasurementinstruments that are valid and reliable, and have been psychometricallytested in the context of a particular population. The purpose ofthis study was to psychometrically test the validity and reliability of theReintegration to Normal Living Index (RNLI) as a measure of communityreintegration in a population of community-dwelling people living withspinal cord injury (PLWSCI) in South Africa.The study was a cross-sectional, involving community dwelling peopleliving with SCI (PLWSCI), who had been discharged from inpatient rehabilitation at for at least two years. RNLI datacollected from 160 PLWSCI were subjected to factor analysis and tested for reliability using chronbach’s alpha.Cronbach’s alpha for the RNLI instrument was 0.97 (ICC 95% CI: 0.97 – 0.98), indicating an excellent reliabilitycoefficient. A single -factor structure emerged from principal components analysis, indicating that there is onlyone factor structure fo...
This paper presents the legal framework within which sexual harassment of healthcare professional... more This paper presents the legal framework within which sexual harassment of healthcare professionals, including physiotherapists, may be managed in their work environment in South Africa. According to both international and national legal principles, sexual harassment is considered a form of discrimination. There are various statutes in South Africa that may assist physiotherapists when they seek redress after being sexually harassed. These entail labour-related laws, laws aimed at removing all forms of discrimination, as well as the criminal and civil pathways of seeking justice.
Introduction: Pressure relief done by a spinal cordinjured patient is of utmost importance in ord... more Introduction: Pressure relief done by a spinal cordinjured patient is of utmost importance in order to prevent pressuresore formation. Some pressure-relieving techniques are describedin previous literature, but their effectivity has not yet been deter-mined on different wheelchair cushions.Null Hypothesis (H0): The null hypothesis (H0) stated for thistudy is that there is no difference in the effectivity of forwardleaning and forward leaning towards the left as pressure relievingtechniques for quadriplegic wheelchair users over the differenwheelchair cushions.Design: An analytical experimental study design using a convenient sample group of ten complete lesion quadriplegics (C6 to T1) was performed at the Physiotherapy Department,University of Pretoria.Method: Interface pressure (in mmHg) over the ischial tuberosities and upper thigh areas was measured using theTalley Oxford Pressure Monitor MKII with a 12-way matrix cell system.Results and Conclusion: The Friedman test for associat...
No study has been conducted on sexual harassment of physiotherapists in South Africa and it is t... more No study has been conducted on sexual harassment of physiotherapists in South Africa and it is therefore not known whether harassment occurs and if it does, to what extent. To this purpose, a questionnaire on sexual harassment and other sexual-related issues in the physiotherapy work environment in South Africa, was sent to a random selection of 982 physiotherapists registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa. The response rate was 32%. This paper presents the results of the first half of the questionnaire, which was devoted to sexual harassment of the physiotherapist. Approximately 60% had experienced sexual harassment, of which 83.98% had been perpetrated by patients. Only 5.82% of the respondents had received some form of information in this regard. The most common form of harassment was requests for a hug or kiss.
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