Physiotherapists’ experiences with a blended osteoarthritis intervention: A mixed methods study

E-Exercise is an effective 12-week blended intervention consisting of around five face-to-face physiotherapy sessions and a web-based application for patients with hip/knee osteoarthritis. In order to facilitate effective implementation of e-Exercise, this study aims to identify physiotherapists' experiences and determinants related to the usage...

The effectiveness of functional task exercise and physical therapy as prevention of functional decline in community dwelling older people with complex

Background: A physically active lifestyle in older people contributes to the preservation of good health. We assessed the influence of physiotherapy on daily functioning among community dwelling older people (75+) with complex health problems identified with screening, versus usual care. We also compared functional task exercise (FTE), with...

The excessively crying infant: Etiology and treatment

Excessive crying, often described as infantile colic, is the cause of 10% to 20% of all early pediatrician visits of infants aged 2 weeks to 3 months. Although usually benign and selflimiting, excessive crying is associated with parental exhaustion and stress. However, and underlying organic cause is found in less than 5% of these infants. In...

Evidence-based practice in physiotherapy: Time to involve the patient?

Outcome measures in physiotherapy management of patients with stroke: A survey into self-reported use, and barriers to and facilitators for use

Objective. To investigate physiotherapists' self-reported use of outcome measures as recommended in the Dutch Clinical Practice Guideline on Physiotherapy Management of Patients with Stroke (CPGPS) and to assess perceived barriers to and facilitators for the use of outcome measures in everyday practice. Method. A 41-item survey, including the...

Economic evaluation of a multi-stage return to work program for workers on sick-leave due to low back pain

Objective: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of a return to work (RTW) program for workers on sick-leave due to low back pain (LBP), comparing a workplace intervention implemented between 2 to 8 weeks of sick-leave with usual care, and a clinical intervention after 8 weeks of sick-leave with usual care. Design: Economic...

Transfer standard device to improve the traceable calibration of physiotherapy ultrasound machines

Ultrasound (US) physiotherapy as a clinical treatment is extremely common in the Western world. Internationally, regulation to ensure safe application of US physiotherapy by regular calibration ranges from nil to mandatory. The need for a portable power standard (PPS) has been addressed within a European Community (EC)-funded project. This PPS...

Physical exercise interventions to improve disability and return to work in low back pain: Current insights and opportunities for improvement

Introduction: There is a body of literature that indicates that physical exercise interventions, with a primary focus on improvement of functioning instead of pain relief, might be effective to stimulate return to work and improve function in workers who are absent from work due to low back pain (LBP). Successful application and implementation...

The validity of self-reported use of health care across socioeconomic strata: A comparison of survey and registration data

Background. Socioeconomic differences in health and in use of health care are well known. Most data on socioeconomic differences in health care utilization are based on retrospective self-report in community surveys, but the evidence on the validity of self-reported utilization of health care across socioeconomic groups is limited. The aim of...

Validated ultrasonic power measurements up to 20 W

A project has been completed to develop reference methods for the measurement of ultrasonic power with a validated measurement uncertainty of < 7% at power levels of 1 to 20 W over the frequency range 1 to 3 MHz of collimated beams. The project is the result of collaborative research between the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Germany ...

The cross-cultural validity of self-reported use of health care: A comparison of survey and registration data

Surveys are often used to obtain data on ethnic differences in health care utilization. This study examines the cross-cultural validity of such data. Survey data were linked to an insurance register, for 3054 residents of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Concordance was estimated using Cohen's kappa statistics (agreement adjusted for chance agreement...

Characterising ultrasonic physiotherapy systems by performance and safety now internationally agreed

The IEC 1689 standard specifies: methods of measurement, characterisation of the output performance, requirements for safety due to the ultrasonic field generated, characteristics to be declared by manufacturers and acceptance criteria for aspects of performance. For the characterisation, reference as well as routine testing methods are...