Development and Validation of a Hypertension Prevalence Estimator Tool For Use in Clinical Settings

Health systems are well positioned to identify and control hypertension among their patients. However, almost one third of US adults with uncontrolled hypertension are currently receiving medical care and are unaware of being hypertensive. This study describes the development and validation of a tool that health systems can use to compare their reported hypertension prevalence with their expected prevalence. Tool users provide the number of patients aged 18 to 85 years treated annually, stratified by sex, age group, race/ethnicity, and comorbidity status. Each stratum is multiplied by stratum‐specific national prevalence estimates and the amounts are summed to calculate the number of expected hypertensive patients. The tool's validity was assessed by applying samples from cohorts with known hypertension prevalence; small differences in expected vs actual prevalence were identified (range, ?3.3% to 0.6%). This tool provides clinically useful hypertension prevalence estimates that health systems can use to help inform hypertension management quality improvement efforts.     

Evaluation of Highly Adjustable Throwing Chair for People with Disabilities

ABSTRACT

Participation in exercise and sport, such as throwing events, can have a positive effect on both the physical and physiological health of people with disabilities. While the biomechanics of seated throwing athletics has been studied, there is paucity of literature that focuses on chairs for this sport. This work describes the design and evaluation of a highly adjustable chair for throwing athletics. A prototype was designed, fabricated, and evaluated by 19 participants at the 2010 National Veterans Wheelchair games. Participants conveyed their thoughts on the chair in an interview, which followed a throwing session. The participants indicated a positive response to the device citing improved range of motion as its best feature. Future work should focus on quantitative data collection and improvement in the designs portability.     

Diagnosis and Management of Cervicogenic Headache

Abstract:   Upper cervical pain and/or headaches originating from the C0 to C3 segments are pain-states that are commonly encountered in the clinic. The upper cervical spine anatomically and biomechanically differs from the lower cervical spine. Patients with upper cervical disorders fall into two clinical groups: (1) local cervical syndrome; and (2) cervicocephalic syndrome. Symptoms associated with various forms of both disorders often overlap, making diagnosis a great challenge. The recognition and categorization of specific provocation and limitation patterns lend to effective and accurate diagnosis of local cervical and cervicocephalic conditions.     

Italian normative data for a stroke specific cognitive screening tool: the Oxford Cognitive Screen (OCS)

Cognitive deficits occur in most stroke patients and cognitive impairment is an important predictor of adverse long term outcome. However, current screening measures, such as the Mini Mental State Examination or the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, do not provide information tuned for evaluating the impact of cognitive impairment in the early phase after stroke. The Oxford Cognitive Screen (OCS) represents an important new development in this regard. The OCS is now available for assessment of Italian individuals and the aim of this study is to standardize the OCS on a large sample of healthy Italian participants stratified for age, gender and education level. Results confirmed the influence of these factors in several of the OCS tasks. Age-, education- and gender-adjusted norms are provided for the ten sub-tests of the test. The availability of normative data represents an important prerequite for the reliable use of OCS with stroke patients.     

Rehabilitation After Hip Arthroscopy

Rehabilitation after hip arthroscopy has not been well understood in the past. While surgical procedures continue to advance, athletes are already pushing the limits to return to competition as quickly as possible. As postoperative protocols evolve, it is essential to follow the basic guidelines of rehabilitation. Initially, soft-tissue healing constraints must be considered while focusing on controlling swelling and pain, restoring ROM, and preventing muscle atrophy. As physiological healing occurs, rehabilitation must address progressive lower-extremity strengthening, proprioceptive retraining, and sport-specific training.     

Integrated approaches to physical Therapy education: a new comprehensive model from the University of Illinois Chicago

Demand for physical therapists in the United States (U.S.) is currently robust and expected to grow further. There are currently 228 physical therapy programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), and 30 more are in development in the U.S.; 29,246 students are currently enrolled in these programs (2014–2015 data). A shortage of physical therapy faculty with an advanced doctoral degree (i.e., PhD, EdD, DSc) is a primary concern for these programs. Specialized residency and fellowship training in physical therapy continue to expand, preparing professionals to deliver advanced clinical care. The American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education (ABPTRFE) reports that there are currently 179 accredited residency programs and 35 accredited fellowship programs in the U.S. A number of academic physical therapy programs also currently operate a clinical faculty practice. Currently, these aspects and trends in physical therapy education, advanced training, and clinical practice, for the most part, lack synergy and connectivity, in both planning and implementation amongst the various components. This professional theoretical article describes a novel model for academic physical therapy, with potential transformative implications for entry-level physical therapy education, advanced clinical training, and academic preparation.