Scope and Practices of Physical Therapists Working With Children: Results From an International Online Survey.

PURPOSE: To describe the scope of practice of physical therapists (PTs) working with children worldwide. METHODS: PTs working with children in any context and country were invited via social media and email campaigns to complete an online survey containing 42 questions about work context and service delivery. Descriptive statistics were computed. RESULTS: Of the 1133 participants from 77 countries, most worked with children full-time (51.8%), and in government-funded work settings (57.5%). Modalities of access to services varied across countries, work settings, and children's conditions, yet 46.7% of PTs reported that most children had direct access to services. PTs provided services to children with a variety of conditions, with cerebral palsy being most reported (83.3%). Interventions focused primarily on improving body function (42.0%) and on providing face-to-face individual treatment (96.6%). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides an international portrait of pediatric PT practice and illustrates the diversity of services in pediatric PT.

The p38/MK2 Axis in Monocytes of Fibromyalgia Syndrome Patients: An Explorative Study.

Background and Objectives: The aetiology and pathomechanism of fibromyalgia syndrome 12 (FMS) as one of chronic pain syndromes still need to be further elucidated. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway has been proposed as a novel approach in pain management. Since the major symptom of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) patients is pain, it became of interest whether MAPK pathways, such as the stress-activated p38 MAPK/MK2 axis, are activated in FMS patients. Therefore, this study aimed at determining p38 MAPK/MK2 in FMS patients. Materials and Methods: Phosphorylation of MAPK-activated protein kinases 2 (MK2), a direct target of p38 MAPK, was measured in monocytes of FMS and healthy controls (HCs) to monitor the activity of this pathway. Results: The mean level of phosphorylated MK2 was fivefold higher in FMS patients as compared to HCs (p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed that antidepressants did not influence the activity of MK2 in FMS patients. Conclusions: This result indicates that the p38/MK2 pathway could be involved in the pathomechanism of FMS, could act as a clinical marker for FMS, and could be a possible target for pain management in FMS patients.

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Immune Cells in Osteoarthritis, Chronic Low Back Pain, and Chronic Widespread Pain Patients: Association with Anxiety and Depression.

Background and Objectives: Musculoskeletal dysfunction can induce several types of chronic pain syndromes. It is of particular interest to elucidate the pathomechanism of different forms of chronic pain. It is possible that patients who have developed chronic widespread pain (CWP) may endure different pathomechanisms as compared to those who suffer from local pain (osteoarthritis, OA) and regional pain (chronic low back pain, cLBP), especially with regard to pain regulation and its related biomediators. The aim of this study was to determine the differences in pathomechanisms among these patients by measuring pain-related biomediators, particularly brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Additionally, subpopulations of immune cells were determined in parallel. Materials and Methods: Patients and healthy subjects (HSs) were recruited (age and gender-matched). BDNF was measured from serum samples of patients and HSs and the data of body composition parameters were recorded. Additionally, both patients and HSs were asked to fill in questionnaires related to pain intensity, anxiety, and depression. Results: Our results highlight that the levels of both free and total BDNF are significantly lower in pain patients compared to HSs, with p values of 0.041 and 0.024, respectively. The number of CD3- CD56bright natural killer (NK) cells shows significant differences between the groups. Comparing all chronic pain patients with HSs reveals a significantly lower number of CD4+ CD8+ T cells (p = 0.031), CD3- CD56bright NK cells (p = 0.049) and CD20+ CD3- cells (p = 0.007). Conclusions: To conclude, it seems that a general conformity between the pathomechanisms of different chronic pain diseases exists, although there are unique findings only in specific chronic pain patients.

COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia: Situation and challenges of rehabilitation medicine in Indonesia.

AbstrakCOVID-19 telah menjadi pandemik di Indonesia sejak ditemukannya kasus pertama pada tanggal 2 Maret 2020 di Depok. Peningkatan kasus perhari semakin tinggi sejak akhir Agustus 2020 yang mencapai lebih dari 2000 kasus per hari. Sistem kesehatan di Indonesia perlu ditingkatkan dalam hal kapasitas, termasuk rehabilitasi medik yang harus dilibatkan dari fase akut hingga jangka panjang dalam penanganan pasien COVID-19. Rehabilitasi medik juga diperlukan untuk pasien lain yang bukan COVID-19. Pentingnya keterlibatan, pelayanan rehabilitasi medik dan implementasinya dimasa pandemic COVID-19 memerlukan strategi tersendiri yang harus dilakukan baik oleh pekerja kesehatannya, rumah sakit dan kebijakan pemerintah. Hal ini diperlukan untuk percepatan peningkatan kesehatan pasien, percepatan pemulangan dan menghindari readmisi pasien, dan juga pengoptimalan program kembali bekerja untuk pasien yang sembuh dari COVID-19.AbstractCOVID-19 has become a pandemic in Indonesia since the first cases have been positively diagnosed on 2 March 2020 in Depok. The cases have been increased gradually since the end of August 2020 that has reached 1000 cases per day. The health system in Indonesia needs to be improved in terms of capacity, including rehabilitation medicine that should be involved in all health phases (from acute to long-term) in managing patients with COVID-19. Rehabilitation is also still needed for other non-COVID-19 patients. The importance of involvement and implementation of rehabilitation services during the COVID-19 pandemic will need special strategies that should be done by rehabilitation professionals, hospitals, and government. These are necessary to accelerate the improvement of patients' health, discharge, and avoid re-admission, as well as optimize return-to-work for patients who are recovered from COVID-19.

Effect of Ramadan fasting on fatigue, mood, sleepiness, and health-related quality of life of healthy young men in summer time in Germany: A prospective controlled study.

Muslims around the world fast during the lunar month of Ramadan. The month consists of 29 or 30 days, which vary in length depending on geographic location and the time of year. During this month, Muslims abstain from food, drink, smoking, and sex from dawn until sunset. In 2015, Ramadan fell during the summer. As a result, Muslims in Germany fasted 19 h a day. Previous research has shown associations between fasting and mood enhancement. This study aimed to determine the effect of fasting on young, healthy males who fasted in Germany during Ramadan 2015. In particular, this study examined the impact of fasting on mood, fatigue, and health-related Quality of Life (QoL). This study had 2 groups: fasting group (FG; n = 25), and non-fasting group (NFG; n = 25). In FG, participants were assessed at four different points: one week before Ramadan (T1), mid Ramadan (T2), the last days of Ramadan (T3), and one week after Ramadan (T4). In NFG, participants were assessed only at T1 and T3. The results revealed that there were no significant differences between the participants in the FG and the NFG at T1 or T3 for any of the outcomes. However, participants in the FG demonstrated significant improvement from T2 to T4 in fatigue (visual analogue scale p < 0.01; fatigue severity scale:p < 0.01), mood (Beck's Depression Index-II; ANOVA; p < 0.05), and sleepiness during day time (Epworth Sleepiness Scale: ANOVA; p < 0.01). Participants in the FG also experienced significant loss of body weight (ANOVA; p < 0.001), body mass index (ANOVA; p < 0.001), skeletal muscle mass (ANOVA; p < 0.01) and fat free mass (ANOVA; p < 0.01). Findings demonstrate that Ramadan fasting did not significantly influence mood, fatigue and QoL, when compared to NFG. Even, it gives benefit to fasting group with regard to these parameters.

Pain Relief with Wet Cupping Therapy in Rats is Mediated by Heat Shock Protein 70 and ß-Endorphin.

BACKGROUND: Wet cupping therapy is a complementary therapy in pain management. The mechanism of this therapy, however, needs further elucidation. Cells injured by wet cupping therapy seem to stimulate the expression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70). Its benefit in pain reduction could be mediated by the expression of ß-endorphin. This study aimed at determining the correlation between HSP70 and ß-endorphin after wet cupping therapy. METHODS: Sixteen male Wistar rats were divided into control (CG; n=8) and treatment (TG; n=8) groups. The rats in both groups were injected with complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) at the footpad. In the TG, wet cupping therapy was done at the left and right paralumbar regions 48 hours after the CFA injection. Twenty-four hours after therapy, the hot plate test was done to assess pain threshold. Thereafter, immunohistochemistry from the skin subjected to wet cupping therapy was conducted for HSP70 and ß-endorphin. RESULTS: The expression of HSP70 was significantly higher in the keratinocytes of the TG (20.25±3.53; P<0.001) than in the keratinocytes of the CG (10.50±2.44; P<0.001). The expression of ß-endorphin was significantly higher in the keratinocytes of the TG (22.37±3.52; P<0.001) than in the keratinocytes of the CG (5.12±1.72; P<0.001). The results also revealed a high correlation between HSP70 and ß-endorphin (ß=0.864; P<0.001). Pain threshold after wet cupping therapy was significantly higher in the TG (22.81±6.34 s; P=0.003) than in the CG (11.78±3.56 s). CONCLUSIONS: The benefit of wet cupping therapy in terms of pain reduction in rats could be mediated by the expression of HSP70 and ß-endorphin.

Functions of the temporomandibular system in extracranial chronic pain conditions: modulatory effects on nocifensive behavior in an animal model.

OBJECTIVE: Mastication may be able to activate endogenous pain inhibitory mechanisms and therefore lead to modulation of nociceptive processing. The purpose of this study was to examine the possible effect of food consistency on noxious input from the spinal system. METHODS: Three groups of adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were given an injection of complete Freund adjuvant in a hind paw 10 days after eating soft or hard food (one group received a saline injection-the control group [C]; the other group (D) received no injection). Nocifensive behavior was assessed with the use of the hot plate and tail flick assays at 1, 3, 6, and 12 hours and at 6.5 days after injection for groups A/B, and c-Fos activity was assessed in the brain after testing. Groups C/D had hot plate testing at 1 hour and 6.5 days. The data were analyzed by general linear modeling and 1-way analysis of variance. RESULTS: There was a small increase in the hot plate percent maximum possible effect (MPE) from -45.7 to -61.1 in group A over the length of the experiment, but a very small decrease for group B over the same period (-33.5 to -28.8). For the saline control group, there was a small increase toward 0 %MPE over the same time frame (-15.0 to 1.7). The %MPE differences were significant between groups A and C (P < .0005), but not significant between the other groups (F = 13.34, df = 2, P = .001, observed power = 99%). Using the pooled results (all time points), the differences between all groups were significant (P < .0005). There were no significant differences in the tail flick test. c-Fos was mainly observed in the raphe pallidus area with significant differences between groups A and B at 3 and 6 hours after injection of CFA (P = .027 and .022, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that food consistency (hardness) influences nocifensive behavior in this animal model via a descending pathway operating at the supraspinal level.

Alterations in anthropometric, inflammatory and mental health parameters during Ramadan intermittent fasting in a group of healthy people: a prospective cohort study.

Fasting has been practiced with different time span in different areas of the world and for various reasons. One of the types of fasting regimens is Ramadan intermittent fasting (RIF), which is described as intermittent dry fasting and known as the most commonly practiced form of religious fasting. Different studies have shown its effects on body composition parameters and mental health, fatigue and quality of life (QoL). Elucidating the relationship of RIF on biological parameters would also be of importance to show its mechanism. Therefore, we evaluated several biological mediators related to mental health, such as ß-nerve growth factor (ß-NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), interleukin-8 (IL-8), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and matrix-metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). This study consisted of fasting (FG; n = 25) and non-fasting group (NFG; n = 25). Four different time points were assessed for FG: one week before (T1), mid (T2), last days (T3), and one week after (T4) RIF. T1 and T3 were the assessment time points for NFG. Biological mediators were determined from serum samples by using Human Magnetic Luminex and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Furthermore, we then performed correlation analyses between biological mediators and our previously published clinical parameters including body composition and mental health parameters at all time points. Significant alterations were shown in FG for ß-NGF (T2vsT3, p < 0.05; T2vsT4, p < 0.05), GDNF (T1vsT4, p < 0.05; T2vsT4, p < 0.05), IL-8 (T2vsT3, p < 0.05; T3vsT4, p < 0.05), TNF-α (T1vsT3, p < 0.05; T1vsT4, p < 0.001; T2vsT4, p < 0.001), and MMP-9 (T1vsT4, p < 0.01). There were no statistically significant differences between FG and NFG in all biological mediators at T1 and T3. Correlation analysis showed that MMP-9 levels had negative correlation with body mass index (BMI) at T3. At T3 BDNF levels had negative correlation with Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) as one of measured QoL parameters. ß-NGF, GDNF, TNF-α, and MMP-9 had positive correlation with some of body composition and mental health parameters. Findings demonstrate that RIF altered different biological mediators could give benefit to health. Its benefit is mediated by the alteration of biological mediators.

The Delphi Method: Developing a Telerehabilitation Practice Guideline for Patients in Indonesia with Long COVID.

Telerehabilitation has the potential to help expand the reach of rehabilitation intervention. An online questionnaire-based Delphi method set out to develop a telerehabilitation guideline for patients in Indonesia with Long COVID. A Delphi panel comprised of 24 experts was selected from all relevant disciplines. Over two rounds of Delphi testing, panelists gave opinions and indicated their level of agreement with each recommendation. Key elements of consensus for a telerehabilitation guideline for patients with Long COVID includes: the benefit of telerehabilitation, types of rehabilitation intervention needed, methods of intervention, criteria for home-based self-exercise training, set-up of rehabilitation prescription, exercise monitoring, evaluation of rehabilitation intervention and duration of rehabilitation intervention. Further research is needed to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of this guideline.

CD3+CD56+natural killer T cells in fibromyalgia syndrome patients: association with the intensity of depression.

OBJECTIVES: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) patients have multiple symptoms, including mental symptoms such as depression. Natural killer T (NKT) cells have shown to be correlated with depression. However, up to now there is no information regarding the role of CD3+CD56+NKT cells in FMS patients, especially in the intensity of mental symptoms. The present study aimed to observe the role of CD3+CD56+NKT cells level in FMS patients in relation to the intensity of depression. METHODS: Ninety-six female patients who matched definition of FMS were divided into subgroups of depressions according to Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) score (HADS-Depression <8; 8-10; and >10). CD3+CD56+NKT cells from peripheral blood were measured by fluorescence-activated cell sorting methods. RESULTS: ANOVA test in the subgroup of depression of FMS patient showed significant differences. Additionally, the differences were observed in HADSD <8 and >10. The use of antidepressant significantly altered the level of CD3+CD56+NKT cells. A blocking variable ANCOVA with antidepressant as covariate showed main effects in the subgroup of depression, however, the interaction of antidepressant and the subgroup of depression did not influence the level of CD3+CD56+NKT cells. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that CD3+CD56+NKT cells could play a role as a mediator in mental symptom such as depression in FMS patients. It seems the role of antidepressant in the mood intensity is not mediated by CD3+CD56+NKT cells in FMS patients. Additionally, subgrouping FMS patients based on the intensity of mental symptoms may help to optimise the treatments.

Prevention Aiming at Functioning-Describing Prevention in the Context of Rehabilitation: A Discussion Paper.

The widely accepted model of prevention, including primary, secondary and tertiary prevention, focuses predominantly on diseases. The WHO provides a comprehensive model of health conceptualized on the basis of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). This paper develops a conceptual description of prevention aimed at functioning on the basis of the ICF model. Starting from the ICF-based conceptual descriptions of rehabilitation as a health strategy, a conceptual description of functioning prevention has been developed. Prevention aiming at functioning is the health strategy that applies approaches to avoid or reduce risks of impairing bodily functions and structures, activity limitations and participation restrictions; to strengthen the resources of the person; to optimize capacity and performance; to prevent impairments of bodily functions and structures; to prevent activity limitations and participation restrictions; to reduce contextual risk factors and barriers, including personal and environmental factors; to promote and strengthen contextual facilitators, with the goal of enabling people with impairments and people at risk of disability; and to maintain or improve the level of functioning in interactions with the environment. The proposed concept widens the scope of prevention to all aspects of functioning, including contextual factors.

Perceived strengths and weaknesses of paediatric physiotherapy services: Results from an international survey.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Ensuring access to high quality services in paediatric physiotherapy (PT) is important to respond to the diverse needs of children. The accessibility and quality of paediatric PT services has however never been explored internationally. The purpose of this study is to explore the perceived strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of paediatric PT services offered around the world. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey design method was used with a subsample of physiotherapists (PTs) who had previously participated in an online survey. The survey used for this study included close- and open-ended questions about access to services and the SWOT of PT services within participants' country. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize quantitative data and a content analysis was performed on open-ended questions. RESULTS: Overall, 47 PTs from 47 countries completed the survey; 36% of participants reported that free access was available to all children in their country while 34% stated that a referral was always required when accessing services. Lack of direct access, insufficient specialized PT, financial and geographical issues were the main perceived barriers to access services. Access also emerged as one of the nine themes following the SWOT analysis. Other themes included education, quality of PT approaches, PT practices, communication and cooperation, teamwork, government, resources, and attitudes of PTs. DISCUSSION: Despite variations in accessing services and how services are delivered across countries, some similar themes influencing PTs practices were found. Future opportunities for PTs working with children should aim at optimizing the initial training and professional development of PTs in paediatrics, increasing access to services for all children and advocating for sustainable and well-coordinated models of care building on best practices.

Effect of manual therapy on music students with playing-related musculoskeletal disorders: a prospective study.

Playing Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (PRMD) belong to the most prevalent medical ailments affecting musicians' health and career. This study documents the effect of a physiotherapeutic treatment as well as functional impairments of PRMD on the musculoskeletal system. In total, 32 music students suffering from PRMD were examined in Hanover Medical School (MHH) before and after they received twelve physiotherapeutic treatments, which were carried out over 20 min each over 6 weeks. Additionally, 32 healthy music students, matched by age and gender, were examined at one time point in the MHH to explore which musculoskeletal restrictions are associated with PRMD. The examination included the evaluation of the pain on the Visual Analogue Scale for pain (VAS), a body composition, and body posture measurement, the finger-to-floor distance, the range of motion of the cervical spine, the pressure pain and muscular hypertension examination, the temporomandibular joint-test, the Beighton score screening test, and the testing of the widespread pain score (WSP). After analyzing the data of the patient group (PG) a significant reduction of pain level on the VAS from an average pain of 6.31 to 3.53 was found (large effect). Additionally, a significant reduction of the pressure pain of the M. levator scapulae, the M. rhomboideus, the M. sternocleidomastoideus on the left side and the paravertebral muscles of the cervical spine on the right side after the treatment of the patients could be detected. Regarding the WSP, the positive testing significantly differed, showing a 28% positive testing in the patient group vs. a positive testing of 9% in the control group (CG). As hypermobility is a common phenomenon in musicians, the percentage of those being diagnosed with generalized hypermobility by using the Beighton score in both groups (PG: 37.5%; CG: 25%) was remarkably higher compared to previous studies. In this study, a short course of manual therapy, client tailored for each musician's specific problem, was shown to reduce pain levels in musicians with PRMD.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and exercise in fibromyalgia syndrome patients: a mini review.

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a common chronic pain condition characterized by chronic widespread pain and decreased pain threshold, with hyperalgesia and allodynia. Associated signs include fatigue, morning stiffness, non-restorative sleep, mood disturbance, depression, irritable bowel syndrome, and headache. In addition to the administration of drugs, psychological therapies treatment of FMS mainly consists of physical therapies. Although the precise pathogenesis of FMS remains elucidated, modern understanding conceptualizes FMS as central sensitization as a consequence of altered endogenous pain- and stress-response system and continuous nociceptive input. Altered brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in FMS suggest that BDNF--well known for its effects on neuronal plasticity--is involved in this sensitization process. Exercise leads to changes in serum BDNF levels, too. This association highlights the importance of exercise in FMS and other chronic pain conditions.

Development of a Minimum Reporting Set of Contextual Factors for Rehabilitation Studies: A Delphi Study.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the most important categories of the International Classification of Service Organization in Rehabilitation (ICSO-R 2.0) for a minimum reporting data set. METHODS: A 2-step Delphi survey was used. Rehabilitation experts from all world regions including physicians, nurses, neuropsychologists, physiotherapists, and others, were invited to participate. In the first round, all participants were asked to rate the categories and subcategories of the ICSOR 2.0 with the following criteria: Being relevant for study outcomes; Being distinctive among different rehabilitation settings; Being feasible to use and reported by objective figures or other clear characterization. All categories that were rated relevant, distinctive and feasible by more than 60% of respondents from the first round were included in the second round. RESULTS: The most important and relevant factors for the minimum reporting set in rehabilitation services regarding the provider were: human resources, context, technical resources, quality assurance and management, location of provider, and ownership. Regarding the service delivery, the most important and relevant factors were: target group, rehabilitation team, aspect of time and intensity, setting, location of service delivery, modes of referral, facility and reporting and documentation. CONCLUSION: Several categories were identified, and reduction in these through discussions and iterative voting at workshops and consensus conferences is needed before finalizing the reporting set.

Factors Affecting Oral Feeding Ability in Indonesian Preterm Infants.

Most preterm infants exhibit atypical and immature feeding skills. Even though preterm infants have fulfilled the oral feeding readiness criteria, they still do not have optimal oral feeding ability. This study aimed to determine various factors affecting oral feeding ability in Indonesian preterm infants who have fulfilled oral feeding readiness criteria but still have not been able to feed orally. A cross-sectional study included 120 preterm infants admitted to five tertiary hospitals in Jakarta, Indonesia. Participants were preterm infants born at 28-34 weeks gestational age who had fulfilled the oral feeding readiness as the inclusion criteria: (1) stable cardiorespiratory status, (2) have achieved full enteral feeding via orogastric tube (OGT) 120 mL/kg/day without vomiting or bloating, and (3) strong and rhythmic non-nutritive sucking (NNS) through objective measurement. Infants' oral feeding ability and various factors that were assumed to affect oral feeding ability, including physiological flexion postural tone, physiological stability, rooting reflex, self-regulation, behavioral state, and level of morbidity were evaluated. Chi-square and multivariate analysis with Poisson regression were performed. Results indicated that postural tone, rooting reflex, physiological stability, self-regulation, behavioral state, and level of morbidity were significantly related to oral feeding ability in preterm infants. The most influencing factors were self-regulation with a prevalence ratio (PR) of 1.96 (1.16-3.34; CI 95%) and p = 0.012, followed by postural tone, high morbidity, and behavioral state (PR 1.91; 1.59; 1.56; CI 95%, respectively). In conclusion, despite meeting the oral feeding readiness criteria, most preterm infants were still not able to feed orally. There are other factors affecting oral feeding ability in Indonesian preterm infants.

Organization of Rehabilitation Services in Randomized Controlled Trials: Which Factors Influence Functional Outcome? A Systematic Review.

Objective: To identify factors related to the organization of rehabilitation services that may influence patients' functional outcome and make recommendations for categories to be used in the reporting of rehabilitation interventions. Data Sources: A systematic review based on a search in MEDLINE indexed journals (MEDLINE [OVID], Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycINFO, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) until June 2019. Study Selection: In total 8587 candidate randomized controlled trials reporting on organizational factors of multidisciplinary rehabilitation interventions and their associations with functional outcome. An additional 1534 trials were identified from June 2019 to March 2021. Data Extraction: Quality evaluation was conducted by 2 independent researchers. The organizational factors were classified according to the International Classification for Service Organization in Health-related Rehabilitation 2.0. Data Synthesis: In total 80 articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria. There was a great heterogeneity in the terminology and reporting of service organization across all studies. Aspects of Settings including the Mode of Service Delivery was the most explicitly analyzed organizational category (44 studies). The importance of the integration of rehabilitation in the inpatient services was supported. Furthermore, several studies documented a lack of difference in outcome between outpatient vs inpatient service delivery. Patient Centeredness, Integration of Care, and Time and Intensity factors were also analyzed, but heterogeneity of interventions in these studies prohibited aggregation of results. Conclusions: Settings and in particular the way the services were delivered to the users influenced functional outcome. Hence, it should be compulsory to include a standardized reporting of aspects of service delivery in clinical trials. We would also advise further standardization in the description of organizational factors in rehabilitation interventions to build knowledge of effective service organization.

Functional activity limitation of leprosy cases in an endemic area in Indonesia and recommendations for integrated participation program in society.

BACKGROUND: Leprosy continues to be a health problem in Indonesia, with incidence reaching over 10,000 new cases by 2021. Leprosy-related disabilities cause limitation of patients' activity and participation in social activities. To date, no studies have been conducted in Indonesia which investigates disability in terms of bodily function, structure impairment, limitations in performing daily activities, and restrictions in participation in social activities in leprosy patients. This study is aimed to determine the demographic and clinical characteristics that might affect functional activity limitations of leprosy patients in endemic areas in Indonesia. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 267 retrospectively-diagnosed cases of leprosy. The Screening of Activity Limitation and Safety Awareness (SALSA) scale was used to measure functional activity limitation, which comprises five domains: vision, mobility, self-care, work with hands, and dexterity. Differences among variables were evaluated using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney test. The mean age of participants was 51.89±13.66 years, the majority of which were men (62.5%), uneducated (48.3%), and classified as type 2 in the World Health Organization (WHO) disability grading for hands and feet (66.3% and 68.2%, respectively). Assessment using the SALSA Scale showed 28.5% of subjects were without limitation, 43.8% with mild limitation, 13.5% with moderate limitation, 9.4% with severe limitation, and 4.9% with extreme limitation. Significant differences in the total SALSA Scale were found between age groups (p = 0.014), educational level (p = 0.005), occupation (p<0.001), and WHO disability grades (p<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that the most significant factor influencing the total score of SALSA was disability grading for feet (score = 0.31, p <0.001) followed by occupational status, disability grading for eyes, and age. Limitation of functional activity was significantly correlated to becoming unemployed with the odds 2.59. CONCLUSION: People affected by leprosy are prone to have functional activity limitation, especially the elderly, uneducated, unemployed and those with multiple disabilities. If they can overcome their barriers in functional activities, they will have better occupational opportunities.

Contribution of the scientific field of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine to improvements in health-related rehabilitation at all levels of the healthcare system: A discussion paper.

Rehabilitation is an important health strategy that should be implemented at all levels of the healthcare system and at all levels of care. Scientific evidence is vital to strengthen rehabilitation; therefore, research in the scientific field of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) should be implemented and linked to all levels of the healthcare system. PRM research can be categorized into 5 areas: (i) biosciences in rehabilitation; (ii) biomedical rehabilitation sciences and engineering; (iii) clinical PRM sciences; (iv) integrative rehabilitation sciences; and (v) human function-ing sciences. At the level of the healthcare system, rehabilitation can be divided into micro-, meso- and macro-levels. This paper discusses the contribution of the five above research areas to health-related rehabilitation at the different levels of the healthcare system. The contribution of PRM research can have synergistic value and facilitate improvements and implementation of scientific evidence in rehabilitation at all levels of healthcare. From a broader perspective, improved understanding of the contribution of each area of the scientific field of PRM and the priorities for the healthcare system that are set by relevant stakeholders will contribute to the advancement and rapid attainment of overall goals.

Phase-Adapted Rehabilitation for Acute Coronavirus Disease-19 Patients and Patient With Long-term Sequelae of Coronavirus Disease-19.

ABSTRACT: Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, many papers have highlighted the need for the rehabilitation of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Most papers refer to the need for respiratory rehabilitation in the acute phase; however, the fact that the infection also affects other organ systems has to be considered in rehabilitation interventions. Long-term symptoms in many cases severely limit activity and participation and alter quality of life, leading to rehabilitation needs. This article proposes a phase-adapted model of linking the acute, postacute, and long-term symptoms of COVID-19 with the well-established matrix of acute, postacute, and long-term rehabilitation services. A review of currently available recommendations for phase-adapted rehabilitation strategies, including the relevance of prehabilitation within this context, is provided.