Musculoskeletal Disorders, Pain and Fatigue among String and Wind Music Students

Music students are more likely to get Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs), fatigue, and pain. However, limited studies compared MSDs, pain and fatigue between different types of musical instrument players. This study compared MSDs, pain, and fatigue among music students who play wind and string instruments. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a group of music students in one of the universities in Malaysia. No statistical differences in pain and fatigue were found, but more wind players experience MSD at the wrist and hand than string players. Therefore, students who play string instruments should be more watchful with MSD symptoms. Keywords: Musical instruments, pain, fatigue, musculoskeletal disorder eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7i20.345

Effects of Occupation-Based Intervention for Older People with Mild Dementia in the Institution

Older people with dementia always experience the cognitive difficulties that are believed to impact their daily life significantly. However, information regarding occupation-based intervention toward older people with mild dementia in the institution is inconclusive. The results of this randomized controlled trial indicate a significant difference in cognitive functions, social relationship, and the quality of life. Participants in the experimental group improved significantly compared to the participants in the control group. Engagement in occupational activities should be encouraged to older people with mild dementia in institution to facilitate the cognitive functions, social relationship, and quality of life. Keywords: older people; mild dementia; occupation-based; quality of life eISSN: 2398-4287© 2021. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v6i16.272

Inclusive Design Intervention during COVID-19: Reflective mirror therapy rehabilitation

The emergence of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has posed significant challenges in occupational therapy rehabilitation practice prior to the level of contact with patients. This paper discussed the inclusive design process and intervention procedure in developing a design of home-setting rehabilitation products, self-occupational therapy practice and the challenges involved through the ongoing care of patients by occupational therapists, caregivers, and patients during this pandemic. The case study of Personal Reflective Mirror Therapy (P-REMIT) is premeditated as a pilot study tool, designed, and developed through patients’ experience (user-centered) for Diplegia (Upper Limb Stroke) patients. Keywords: Inclusive; Design; Intervention; COVID-19; Clinical; Therapy; Procedure eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under the responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians), and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7iSI7.380

Cross-Cultural Adaptation, Validity and Reliability of Malay Version Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire

This study aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the Malay version Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (M-BCTQ). A cross-sectional study was used to generate the final version of M-BCTQ that was administered to 55 patients for psychometric testing. M-BCTQ had excellent test-retest reliability with ICCs value 0.837 for Symptom Severity Scale (SSS) and 0.913 for Functional Status Scale (FSS). The Cronbach alpha coefficient for the internal consistencies was reported at 0.864 for SSS and 0.893 for the FSS. A strong correlation was found with the Malay version of Disability of Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire (MV-DASH) as Spearman correlation for construct validity was 0.791 for SSS and 0.831 for FSS.Keywords: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome; Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire; Reliability; ValidityeISSN: 2398-4287 © 2019. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v4i12.193

Mental Health Literacy among Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Condition: A concept paper

Parents of children with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) are highly exposed to mental health problems. Low mental health literacy is one of the barriers in accessing mental health services provided, leaving mental health problems untreated, yet mental health literacy among parents of children with ASC is poorly understood. This conceptual paper of the ongoing study aims to emphasize the significance of understanding the mental health literacy concept within the specific population. Findings will be able to highlight the implications of mental health literacy among parents of children with ASC and will also provide further opportunities to explore the literature gap. Keywords: mental health literacy; mental health; parents with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) children; concept paper eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7i19.325

Participation in Daily Activities and Quality of Life among Individuals with Paraplegic Spinal Cord Injury in Pakistan

Individuals with paraplegic Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) face various difficulties that limit participation in daily activities and lowered Quality of Life (QOL) after hospital discharge. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the level of participation in daily activities and QOL among individuals with paraplegic SCI and to examine the relationship between these two variables. The results revealed that individuals with paraplegic SCI faced significant challenges in social participation, life activities, mobility, getting along, self-care, and cognition, leading to a reduction in overall QOL. Occupational therapists prioritize post-discharge interventions targeting to improve participation and QOL for successful rehabilitation and community reintegration

Perceived Depression, Anxiety and Stress Among UiTM Dental Undergraduates in Clinical Years

This study investigated the occurrence of depression, anxiety and stress; and identified the possible stress factors among clinical dental undergraduates. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 127 dental undergraduates from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Sungai Buloh, Malaysia. Overall the scores of DASS-21 shows the majority of dental undergraduates have no depression, anxiety and stress. This study also highlights the main factor affecting the dental undergraduates’ depression levels is the students’ educational environment. Future research on any correlation between depression levels and clinical performances is highly recommended for better understanding on this topic, and to provide a better educational environment at dental institutes in Malaysia

Psychological Appraisal of UiTM Dental Undergraduates in Clinical Years

This cross sectional study investigated the occurrence of depression, anxiety and stress, and identified the possible stress factors among 127 clinical dental undergraduates from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Sungai Buloh, Malaysia. Overall, the scores of DASS-21 shows majority of dental undergraduates have no depression, anxiety and stress. This study highlights the main factor affecting the dental undergraduates’ depression levels is the students’ educational environment. Future research on any correlation between depression levels and clinical performances is highly recommended for better understanding on this topic, and to provide better educational environment at dental institutes in Malaysia. Keywords: Dental Undergraduates; Clinical Years; Stressors; Stress. eISSN 2398-4279 © 2018. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.  DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ajqol.v3i13.16

Occupation based intervention in hand injury rehabilitation: a Malaysian perspective

Occupation refers to what people do for productive living, which includes Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs), work, rest and sleep, leisure, play, education and social participation. Occupational therapy views occupation as both a healing agent and a goal to be accomplished by clients. This view is based on evidence that occupation promotes mental and physical health. Maintaining occupations as a core intervention in hand rehabilitation is challenging in Malaysia. Contextual factors such as the dominance of the medical model and organisational culture within the context of practice contribute to these challenges. Furthermore, there is no conclusive definition in the literature, nor consensus on what constitutes Occupation Based Intervention (OBI). The uniqueness of the Malaysian culture, which permits the clients to take a 'sick role', also makes it difficult to transfer western concepts of occupational therapy and OBI into practice.\ud \ud The aim of this study was to explore OBI in hand injury rehabilitation from a Malaysian perspective. A mixed methods approach using an exploratory sequential design was employed and conducted in three phases. Mixed methods research offers a 'completeness' to the issues studied and allows the development and expansion of research and evidence for OBI. The following research questions were formulated: (1) what is the consensus definition of OBI from a Malaysian perspective; (2) how do Malaysian occupational therapists perceive and describe their experiences providing OBI for clients with hand injuries; and (3) what is the effectiveness of combining OBI and TE in comparison to TE alone in the rehabilitation of clients with hand injuries. The research process sought a consensus definition of OBI from the perspectives of Malaysian occupational therapists in Phase One. The study was expanded further in Phase Two to describe the experience of occupational therapists applying the OBI based on the definition from Phase One. Results from Phase Two were used to develop an OBI intervention protocol, and the effectiveness of this protocol was tested in Phase Three. The mixed methods research used pragmatism as its philosophical approach and allowed the issues to be investigated using both qualitative and qualitative methods dependent upon the research question and objectives.\ud \ud A three round Delphi study was conducted in Phase One to achieve a consensus definition of OBI from a Malaysian occupational therapist's perspective. The participants were fifteen occupational therapy practitioners and educators who had more than five years' of experience practising occupational therapy. Findings from this study confirmed the notion of OBI as a means and as an end. Occupation as a means referred to occupations and purposeful tasks as healing agents while occupation as an end referred to occupation as the goal to be attained by the clients. The client-centred approach, top-down approach, and gradable and modifiable interventions were the basic elements of OBI. Conceptual frameworks such as the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO), Canadian Model of Occupational Performance (CMOP) and the theories of occupation as a means and as an end guided the Malaysian occupational therapists in their practise with OBI. It was found that although occupation as a means and end have different purposes, the ultimate goal is the same, which is to enable the client to engage in daily occupation regardless of their limitations and disabilities. Other forms of intervention such as preparatory and purposeful methods were also suggested to be incorporated to achieve the ultimate goal.\ud \ud In Phase Two, an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to describe the experiences of occupational therapists using OBI in hand injury rehabilitation. Sixteen occupational therapists who were working and had more than five years' of experience in hand rehabilitation were interviewed individually. Five superordinate themes emerged, namely: 'Occupation as a means', 'Occupation as an end', 'Benefit of OBI', 'Challenges of OBI' and 'Making OBI a reality'. Occupation as a means and as an end can be merged together in a single therapy session when occupation acts as the healing agent and the goal is to be accomplished by the clients. Occupational therapists described OBI as having double benefits in a single therapy session, it represents the identity of occupational therapy, provides enjoyable rehabilitation experience, improves client's satisfaction and is a cost effective intervention. However, practising OBI in hand injury rehabilitation is challenging for the therapists due to logistical issues, contextual factors, therapist and client factors, and the credibility of occupation as an intervention modality. Participants suggested that practising OBI in hand rehabilitation would be enhanced through education and information, training of occupation therapists and consideration of client's occupational profile before providing the intervention. An OBI intervention protocol was developed from Phase Two by extracting occupations and purposeful tasks that were most frequently used by occupational therapists in Malaysia, and were perceived to have rich therapeutic benefits to the clients.\ud \ud The effectiveness of the intervention protocol was examined in Phase Three using a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) study. The purpose of the study was to examine the efficacy of the combination of OBI and therapeutic exercise (TE) versus TE alone in the rehabilitation of adult clients with hand injuries. Forty-six clients who had experienced bone, tendon and nerve injuries to the hand, wrist and forearm consented to participate in the study. They were randomly allocated into two groups; OBI+TE and TE. Forty participants, twenty in each group completed overall procedures for the study. Following six weeks of intervention, significant differences were found for the total active motion (TAM, p=0.04), neuropathic pain (p<0.001), Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) performance (p=0.03) and COPM satisfaction (p=0.05) in favour of OBI+TE group. At the follow-up, significant differences were found for the Disability of Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score (p=0.02), TAM (p=0.01), neuropathic pain (p=0.02), COPM performance (p=<0.001) and COPM satisfaction (p=<0.001) in favour of OBI+TE group. The linear mixed model was used to examine the effect of the intervention with the presence of confounding factors such as duration of injury, gender, injured hand, age, cause of injury, number of digits affected, occupation and type of injuries. Although the duration of injury and gender were found to influence the effect of the intervention, the OBI+TE group showed better improvements in all outcome measures as compared to the TE group.\ud \ud In conclusion, when framed by the sequential exploratory mixed methods design, this study was insightful as it provided better understanding and increased evidence about OBI in hand injury rehabilitation in Malaysia. The definition of OBI from Phase One allowed the term to be used more consistently in practice and education. Importantly, this study suggests potential solutions to overcome the challenges in practising OBI. This study provided empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness of OBI to support occupational therapy practice in hand injury rehabilitation. Translation of the study outcomes into practice provided better treatment effects for the clients. By encouraging the occupational therapists to use OBI with their clients, this indirectly assists them to reinforce their professional identity within occupational therapy in Malaysia.\u

A consensus definition of occupation-based intervention from a Malaysian perspective: a Delphi study

Introduction: Descriptions and definitions for occupation-based intervention vary in the literature. Occupation-based intervention is assumed to be based on occupation and is seen as a means and an end. Occupation-based intervention also includes all levels of interventions in occupational therapy as long as the goal is occupational performance. Occupation-based intervention can also be described as a therapeutic process that emerges during the therapy session. The purpose of this study was to achieve a consensus definition of occupation-based intervention among Malaysian occupational therapists.\ud \ud Method: A three-round Delphi technique using a sequential questionnaire was conducted. Fifteen occupational therapists and occupational therapy educators completed all rounds. The Delphi process began with open-ended questions, asking the participants some questions about occupation-based intervention. The second and third rounds asked participants to rank their agreement with statements about occupation-based intervention.\ud \ud Results: Occupation-based intervention is seen by therapists to be both a means and an end, with occupational performance as the main outcome. It is believed that using occupation alone is not enough; preparatory and purposeful methods may have to be incorporated to achieve the outcomes.\ud \ud Conclusion: It is important to adopt a common definition of occupation-based intervention in practice and education to signify occupation at the centre of occupational therapy