Effectiveness of Interprofessional Education Modules on Cultural Competency of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Students

Purpose: The United States is a melting pot of diverse ethnicities and cultures. Graduate-level teaching methods must prepare students to work with diverse populations and in various contexts. The outcome of instruction should be technically competent and culturally humble health care providers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of collaborative interprofessional instruction on cultural competency levels of Doctor of Physical Therapy Program (DPT) and Master of Science Occupational Therapy Program (MSOT) students. Methods: This was a pre-posttest quasi experimental study. A total 58 students from the DPT (28) and MSOT (30) programs participated and provided demographic information for this study. Cultural competency levels of the students were determined at the beginning of their first year and prior to graduation. The paper version of the Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competence Among Healthcare Professionals - Revised (IAPCC-R) was used to assess cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, cultural skill, cultural encounters, and cultural desire. Instructional methods included: webinars, implicit bias assessments, self-reflection, class interactions, and an interprofessional student panel discussion. Paired t and Multiple mixed-design ANOVA tests were used to compare the pre-instruction and post-instruction cultural competency scores and to compare key demographic characteristics. Results: Post-instruction cultural awareness, knowledge, skill, and total scores of the IAPCC-R were statistically significantly higher than pre-instruction scores (p0.05). Between group comparisons revealed that female and male students showed similar improvements on total and all subscales of the survey (p\u3e0.05). Caucasian students showed greater improvements on cultural skills and encounters subscales than minority students (p0.05). Conclusion: Collaborative interprofessional cultural competency focused instruction is effective in improving cultural competency levels of healthcare DPT and MSOT students. Healthcare professional programs should consider the benefits of interprofessional education in areas such as cultural competency/humility. The efficacy of the instruction on a topic such as cultural awareness/humility/competence should have quantifiable and qualitative outcome measures to determine the benefits of the instruction, monitor students\u27 progress, and provide a rationale for content inclusion in curricula. cula

Shoulder pain, functional capacity and quality of life in professional wheelchair basketball players and non-athlete wheelchair users

Background and Objective: Wheelchair users are exposed to many stresses on their upper extremities. The appearance of shoulder pain related to these stresses could affect their functional capacity and quality of life. The aim of this study was to investigate the shoulder pain and compare the shoulder pain, functional capacity and quality of life between wheelchair basketball players and non-athlete wheelchair users. Methods: Twenty-five wheelchair basketball players (athletes) from professional leagues and 23 non-athlete wheelchair users were included in this study. The subjects' shoulder pain was assessed with the Wheelchair User's Shoulder Pain Index. Timed Forward Wheeling, Forward Vertical Reach and 1-Stroke Push tests were used to measure functional capacity, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale was used to evaluate their quality of life. Results: No differences were found in Wheelchair User's Shoulder Pain Index and Satisfaction with Life Scale score between the athletes and non-athletes (P > 0.05). The scores of functional capacity, height in forward vertical reach test, 1-stroke push distance, and timed forward wheeling were better in the athlete versus the non-athlete group (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Although significantly higher functional capacity is seen in athlete versus non-athlete wheelchair users, their shoulder pain and quality of life may be similar. © 2007 W.S. Maney & Son Ltd

Effect of age and physical activity level on functional fitness in older adults

It is difficult to distinguish between the effects of age and physical activity level in the functional fitness level of older adults. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of age and physical activity level on some functional fitness parameters in community-dwelling older adults.Two hundred twenty-nine elderly (111 female; 118 male) aged between 65-87 years living in the Bal double dagger ova municipality region were divided into two groups: the young elderly (65-69 years old) and the elderly (70 years old or over). The "seven-day physical activity recall questionnaire" was used to estimate physical activity level (PAL). The functional fitness evaluation included the body mass index (BMI), the lower body strength (LBS), the dynamic balance, and the aerobic endurance. The young elderly were significantly worse with regard to BMI and significantly better with regard to LBS, dynamic balance, and aerobic endurance than the elderly; in contrast, PAL did not affect any of the functional fitness parameters. The young elderly showed worse BMI than the elderly when the age groups were less active. The young elderly showed better LBS and dynamic balance than the elderly when the age groups were more active. The young elderly showed significantly better aerobic endurance than the elderly in both the less and more active age groups. This study confirms that age affects functional fitness, whereas PAL generally does not. However, being more active is advantageous for the young elderly with regard to BMI, LBS, and dynamic balance

Factors affecting the benefits of a six-month supervised exercise program on community-dwelling older adults: interactions among age, gender, and participation

[Purpose] This study determined the effects of age, gender, and participation on the benefits of a 6-month supervised exercise program on older adults. [Subjects and Methods] Eighty-five (37 women, 48 men) community-dwelling older adults participated. The chair sit-and-reach test, the 8-foot up-and-go test, the 6-minute walk test, the Berg Balance Scale, lower-body flexibility, dynamic balance, aerobic endurance, balance, metabolic rate, muscle strength, and position sense were evaluated. Repeated-measures of analysis of variance was performed including dependent variables of age, gender, and participation in the exercise program as dependent inter-subject factors and time of assessment as an intra-subject factor. [Results] Mean exercise participation was 29.88 +/- 1.29 sessions. Flexibility, balance, position sense, and strength showed a significant main effect of time. There was a significant gender interaction for right shoulder flexion strength and knee extension strength, a significant gender-participation interaction for pre-/post-intervention measures of functional mobility, and a significant age-participation interaction for flexibility. [Conclusion] Exercise training improved outcomes after 6 months of supervised exercise, but the changes were similar regardless of participation level. Changes in strength were more pronounced in men than women

Factors affecting the benefits of a six-month supervised exercise program on community-dwelling older adults: interactions among age, gender, and participation

[Purpose] This study determined the effects of age, gender, and participation on the benefits of a 6-month supervised exercise program on older adults. [Subjects and Methods] Eighty-five (37 women, 48 men) community-dwelling older adults participated. The chair sit-and-reach test, the 8-foot up-and-go test, the 6-minute walk test, the Berg Balance Scale, lower-body flexibility, dynamic balance, aerobic endurance, balance, metabolic rate, muscle strength, and position sense were evaluated. Repeated-measures of analysis of variance was performed including dependent variables of age, gender, and participation in the exercise program as dependent inter-subject factors and time of assessment as an intra-subject factor. [Results] Mean exercise participation was 29.88 ± 1.29 sessions. Flexibility, balance, position sense, and strength showed a significant main effect of time. There was a significant gender interaction for right shoulder flexion strength and knee extension strength, a significant gender-participation interaction for pre-/post-intervention measures of functional mobility, and a significant age-participation interaction for flexibility. [Conclusion] Exercise training improved outcomes after 6 months of supervised exercise, but the changes were similar regardless of participation level. Changes in strength were more pronounced in men than women

Shoulder pain, functional capacity and quality of life in professional wheelchair basketball players and non-athlete wheelchair users

Background and Objective: Wheelchair users are exposed to many stresses on their upper extremities. The appearance of shoulder pain related to these stresses could affect their functional capacity and quality of life. The aim of this study was to investigate the shoulder pain and compare the shoulder pain, functional capacity and quality of life between wheelchair basketball players and non-athlete wheelchair users. Methods: Twenty-five wheelchair basketball players (athletes) from professional leagues and 23 non-athlete wheelchair users were included in this study. The subjects' shoulder pain was assessed with the Wheelchair User's Shoulder Pain Index. Timed Forward Wheeling, Forward Vertical Reach and 1-Stroke Push tests were used to measure functional capacity, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale was used to evaluate their quality of life. Results: No differences were found in Wheelchair User's Shoulder Pain Index and Satisfaction with Life Scale score between the athletes and non-athletes (P > 0.05). The scores of functional capacity, height in forward vertical reach test, 1-stroke push distance, and timed forward wheeling were better in the athlete versus the non-athlete group (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Although significantly higher functional capacity is seen in athlete versus non-athlete wheelchair users, their shoulder pain and quality of life may be similar. © 2007 W.S. Maney & Son Ltd