ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine if participation in a pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) program improved the functional and physiologic status of oncology patients with chronic symptoms of shortness of breath, fatigue, and/or exercise intolerance. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SETTING: Comprehensive cancer center. PATIENTS: Oncology patients (N=30) (either a solid or a hematologic malignancy) with chronic dyspnea, exercise intolerance, and/or decreased functional status who had participated in an outpatient PR program. INTERVENTIONS: The PR program used an individualized, progressive aerobic exercise program (2-3 sessions/wk for 8-12 weeks) that consisted of treadmill walking, riding on a bicycle ergometer and exercising on a sliding board. This program also included a didactic educational and psychosocial component. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Functional status and exercise tolerance was assessed by the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) conducted at the beginning and end of the program. Self reports of perceived exertion and dyspnea were collected during and after these tests. Physiologic status was assessed by calculating 6-minute walk work (body mass x 6-minute walk distance). RESULTS: Participation in the outpatient PR program significantly increased the 6-minute walk distance (21%, P<.05) and 6-minute walk work (17%, P<.05). Dyspnea and perceived exertion scores were similar at the pre- and postrehabilitation 6MWT despite the greater physiologic demand of the post-rehabilitation 6-minute walk. No adverse events occurred during the study. CONCLUSIONS: The current study, although limited in size, suggests that participation in a comprehensive outpatient PR program is safe and of benefit in a heterogeneous population of oncology patients with pulmonary symptoms.
Subject(s)
Dyspnea/rehabilitation , Exercise/physiology , Neoplasms/rehabilitation , Quality of Life , Respiratory Therapy/methods , Activities of Daily Living , Aged , Cohort Studies , Dyspnea/etiology , Exercise Tolerance/physiology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Neoplasms/complications , Neoplasms/diagnosis , Respiratory Function Tests , Retrospective Studies , Sensitivity and SpecificityABSTRACT
PURPOSE/AIM: The purpose of this study was to measure the predictive validity, internal consistency and clinical utility of the Matching Assistive Technology to Child & Augmentative Communication Evaluation Simplified (MATCH-ACES) assessment. METHODS: Twenty-three assistive technology team evaluators assessed 35 children using the MATCH-ACES assessment. This quasi-experimental study examined the internal consistency, predictive validity and clinical utility of the MATCH-ACES assessment. RESULTS: The MATCH-ACES assessment predisposition scales had good internal consistency across all three scales. A significant relationship was found between (a) high student perseverance and need for assistive technology and (b) high teacher comfort and interest in technology use (p = (0).002). CONCLUSIONS: Study results indicate that the MATCH-ACES assessment has good internal consistency and validity. Predisposition characteristics of student and teacher combined can influence the level of assistive technology use; therefore, assistive technology teams should assess predisposition factors of the user when recommending assistive technology. Implications for Rehabilitation Educational and medical professionals should be educated on evidence-based assistive technology assessments. Personal experience and psychosocial factors can influence the outcome use of assistive technology. Assistive technology assessments must include an intervention plan for assistive technology service delivery to measure effective outcome use.
Subject(s)
Disability Evaluation , Disabled Children , Self-Help Devices , Adolescent , Adult , Child , Child, Preschool , Disabled Children/psychology , Faculty , Female , Humans , Male , Pilot Projects , Reproducibility of Results , Schools , Students , United States , Young AdultABSTRACT
The purpose of this investigation was to determine if the location and the timing relative to muscle activation onset, of a mechanical stimulus applied to the soles impacted the neuromuscular activation associated with a voluntary movement. The subjects completed a series of dorsiflexion or plantarflexion movements during which a stimulus was applied to either the heel or ball of the foot at one of three time periods relative to the initiation of the agonist muscle. Surface electromyography from the tibialis anterior and soleus was collected during the movements. The results show that if the stimulus was applied shortly before agonist muscle activation, regardless of stimulation site, the neuromuscular activity associated with the movement was greatly increased.
Subject(s)
Foot/physiology , Muscle Contraction/physiology , Muscle, Skeletal/physiology , Physical Stimulation , Adult , Ankle/physiology , Electromyography , Female , Foot/innervation , Humans , Male , Movement/physiology , PressureABSTRACT
ABSTRACT Changes in cognitive functioning are a frequent complaint of persons diagnosed and treated for cancer. The purposes of this study were to explore the feasibility of the use of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) for identifying mild cognitive impairment in persons who are cancer survivors as well as begin to identify the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment in cancer survivors as identified by the MoCA. Thirty-eight cancer survivors participated in this study, and 14 scored below the cutoff score of 26 on the MoCA, which indicated mild cognitive impairment. These results indicate assessment of cognitive changes in cancer patients and survivors should be part of the occupational therapy evaluation and that the MoCA is a feasible tool for such use.