Factors influencing Zimbabwean physiotherapy students in choosing physiotherapy as a career

People join professions for different reasons and the same applies to physiotherapists. The aim of the study was to identify the reasons for choosing physiotherapy as a career by Zimbabwean physiotherapy students. The study used a descriptive cross-sectional design where a questionnaire was administered to 60 students. Data were collected on the demographics of the students and also on their rating on the importance of 12 factors for their influence in them choosing physiotherapy as a career.Three factors, which were, “the results I obtained at ‘A’Level” (68%), “job availability”(67%) and “desire to help others”(60%), were rated by more than 60% of the students as factors that had been “very important” in their decision to pursue physiotherapy as a career. Two factors, “I always wanted to be a physiotherapist” and “I worked with or received treatment from a physiotherapist”, were the only factors, which were rated by more than 70% of the students as no important in the students’ decision. Using the paired t-test, no significant statistical differences were found between male and female students, in their rating of importance of all twelve factors, (p-value=0.01)

Status of referral to physiotherapy among hiv positive patients at Chris Hani Baragwaneth hospital johannesburg South Africa 2005

HIV continues to be a major health problem in South Africa. The multiple diagnoses that the disease presents with, needs a holistic and comprehensive management approach. Physiotherapy and rehabilitation play a role in this management approach. Understanding the full scope of conditions that are present and those that are suitable for physiotherapy intervention is an essential prerequisite to developing appropriate curricula, intervention models or systems. It is accepted that HIV rehabilitation interventions are based largely on functional deficits ( O’Dell  1996), however  in South Africa functional deficits have not been fully explored. A common starting point, with the medical model of management was considered to be at the diagnosis level as this information would be more readily available than functional deficits. Purpose: This study aimed to establish how much and in which aeitiology is physiotherapy involved in the management of HIV within an inpatient hospital setting at Chris Hani Baragwaneth Hospital. This minor study forms part of a larger study establishing physiotherapy curricula needs. Method: Aretrospective review of patient records was carried out in order to identify conditions suitable for physiotherapy and to determine the referral patterns to physiotherapy. Findings: Of the 732 records reviewed and used in the study, 47% (n=344) of the patients were HIV positive. From these records, 19% (n=139) had diagnoses considered suitable for physiotherapy and only 2% (n=3) of these 139 patients were referred to physiotherapy. Conclusion: Almost half of the patients in the medical units were HIV positive. Although the referral rate was very low, some of these patients presented with diagnosis that are traditionally seen by physiotherapists.  None of the patients’ records indicated examination of the patients’ physical status such as exercise tolerance, mobility, muscle strength, lung function or pain. This study is by no means fully representative of the full scope of the epidemiology of conditions that can be seen by physiotherapists or their referral status but does give some indication of what conditions are, and could potentially interface with physiotherapy

Common lower extremity injuries in female high school soccer players in Johannesburg east district

Objectives. Soccer is one of the sports in South Africa which hasseen an increase in the participation of youth and adult female players. The aim of this study was to determine point and 1-year prevalence, profile of injuries that affect female soccer players, associations between injuries and player position, age, use of equipment, frequency of play, and training duration. Methods. A retrospective questionnaire-based descriptive survey of 103 first team high school female soccer players in the Johannesburg east district was conducted.Results. The 1-year prevalence for the participants who reportedinjuries was 46% (N=47) and the point prevalence was 33% (N=34). From these, a total of 78 and 42 injuries for the 1-year and point prevalence respectively were reported. An extended duration of skills (p=0.0001) and fitness (p=0.02) training in this population reduced the likelihood of incurring an injury. The older the participants, the more chance there was of sustaining injuries (p=0.01). The participants who wore shin guards were less prone to shin/leg injuries (p=0.01), the relative odds being 0.35. Themidfielders had more foot and toe injuries than the other players(p=0.05). Starting age (p=0.78), frequency of play (p=0.83), wearing of shoes (p=0.54) and stretching had no influence on injury. The knee and ankle were the main locations of injury, with defenders and midfielders mostly being injured. Conclusion. A decrease in the duration of training for both skills and fitness and not wearing shin guards are risk factors for injury in female soccer players in high school. The profile of injuries andthe risk factors determined from this study do not differ from the studies done in male adolescent and adult soccer players

An ultrasensitive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay to detect asymptomatic low-density Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax infections in small volume blood samples.

BackgroundHighly sensitive, scalable diagnostic methods are needed to guide malaria elimination interventions. While traditional microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) are suitable for the diagnosis of symptomatic malaria infection, more sensitive tests are needed to screen for low-density, asymptomatic infections that are targeted by interventions aiming to eliminate the entire reservoir of malaria infection in humans.MethodsA reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT- PCR) was developed for multiplexed detection of the 18S ribosomal RNA gene and ribosomal RNA of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. Simulated field samples stored for 14 days with sample preservation buffer were used to assess the analytical sensitivity and specificity. Additionally, 1750 field samples from Southeastern Myanmar were tested both by RDT and ultrasensitive RT-PCR.ResultsLimits of detection (LoD) were determined under simulated field conditions. When 0.3 mL blood samples were stored for 14 days at 28 °C and 80% humidity, the LoD was less than 16 parasites/mL for P. falciparum and 19.7 copies/µL for P. vivax (using a plasmid surrogate), about 10,000-fold lower than RDTs. Of the 1739 samples successfully evaluated by both ultrasensitive RT-PCR and RDT, only two were RDT positive while 24 were positive for P. falciparum, 108 were positive for P. vivax, and 127 were positive for either P. vivax and/or P. falciparum using ultrasensitive RT-PCR.ConclusionsThis ultrasensitive RT-PCR method is a robust, field-tested screening method that is vastly more sensitive than RDTs. Further optimization may result in a truly scalable tool suitable for widespread surveillance of low-level asymptomatic P. falciparum and P. vivax parasitaemia

Are we under-utilizing the talents of primary care personnel? A job analytic examination

BACKGROUND: Primary care staffing decisions are often made unsystematically, potentially leading to increased costs, dissatisfaction, turnover, and reduced quality of care. This article aims to (1) catalogue the domain of primary care tasks, (2) explore the complexity associated with these tasks, and (3) examine how tasks performed by different job titles differ in function and complexity, using Functional Job Analysis to develop a new tool for making evidence-based staffing decisions. METHODS: Seventy-seven primary care personnel from six US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Centers, representing six job titles, participated in two-day focus groups to generate 243 unique task statements describing the content of VA primary care. Certified job analysts rated tasks on ten dimensions representing task complexity, skills, autonomy, and error consequence. Two hundred and twenty-four primary care personnel from the same clinics then completed a survey indicating whether they performed each task. Tasks were catalogued using an adaptation of an existing classification scheme; complexity differences were tested via analysis of variance. RESULTS: Objective one: Task statements were categorized into four functions: service delivery (65%), administrative duties (15%), logistic support (9%), and workforce management (11%). Objective two: Consistent with expectations, 80% of tasks received ratings at or below the mid-scale value on all ten scales. Objective three: Service delivery and workforce management tasks received higher ratings on eight of ten scales (multiple functional complexity dimensions, autonomy, human error consequence) than administrative and logistic support tasks. Similarly, tasks performed by more highly trained job titles received higher ratings on six of ten scales than tasks performed by lower trained job titles. Contrary to expectations, the distribution of tasks across functions did not significantly vary by job title. CONCLUSION: Primary care personnel are not being utilized to the extent of their training; most personnel perform many tasks that could reasonably be performed by personnel with less training. Primary care clinics should use evidence-based information to optimize job-person fit, adjusting clinic staff mix and allocation of work across staff to enhance efficiency and effectiveness

Widening access of black students into physiotherapy programmes in the South Africa

Access to learning and the provision of equal opportunities for success and progression to the previously disadvantaged communities is addressed extensively in the Education White Paper 3. While historically white universities have invested some effort to diversify the racial composition of their students, physiotherapy departments at these universities do not reflect a change in student demographics. The purpose of this article is to address the concept of widening access into physiotherapy education within the  context of transformation in higher education. The article examines the history of education in the past dispensation, the policies that have been put in place to redress the educational inequalities caused by the past dispensation and makes suggestions as to how universities can react to them. The literature that has examined the relationship between entry requirements and the success of students within the chosen profession is also outlined.  The article concludes with recommendations for a way forward for physiotherapy in addressing some of the issues related to student selection

Predictors of success for african black physiotherapy students in South Africa

high school performance and aptitude tests are usually used to predict success at university, but this may not be applicable when the ethnic group of the student is considered. The aim of this study was to investigate factors  that  predict  success  of  African  black  students  in  physiotherapy programmes and whether these factors are influenced by race. A mixed methods approach was used. one hundred and twenty eight graduates who graduated between 2000 and 2005 from eight universities in South Africa and six heads of Physiotherapy Departments participated in the research. A  postal  questionnaire  comprising  closed  and  open-ended questions was used  for  graduate  and  in-depth  interviews  were conducted  with  heads  of Departments. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive analysis as well as inferential statistics using Chi square tests and logistic regression. Qualitative data was analysed using content analysis. of the participants, 59% of the African black students were successful compared to 90% of the white students.  A significant association was found between race and success with factors such as sharing a residence room, obtaining information about university support systems from classmates, feeling part of the group of classmates and choosing physiotherapy as the first choice of career being predictors of success. Students also highlighted determination to succeed and become a physiotherapist, financial and family support, and a favourable learning environment to contribute to success. HOD interviews associated adequate knowledge about the physiotherapy profession, proficiency in the language of instruction, academic discipline, relevant support and integration in the class with success. It is recommended that matriculation results should not be the only predictors of success but tertiary institutions should consider broader factors such as residential accommodation and a supportive learning environment

An ultrasensitive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay to detect asymptomatic low-density Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax infections in small volume blood samples.

BackgroundHighly sensitive, scalable diagnostic methods are needed to guide malaria elimination interventions. While traditional microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) are suitable for the diagnosis of symptomatic malaria infection, more sensitive tests are needed to screen for low-density, asymptomatic infections that are targeted by interventions aiming to eliminate the entire reservoir of malaria infection in humans.MethodsA reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT- PCR) was developed for multiplexed detection of the 18S ribosomal RNA gene and ribosomal RNA of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. Simulated field samples stored for 14 days with sample preservation buffer were used to assess the analytical sensitivity and specificity. Additionally, 1750 field samples from Southeastern Myanmar were tested both by RDT and ultrasensitive RT-PCR.ResultsLimits of detection (LoD) were determined under simulated field conditions. When 0.3 mL blood samples were stored for 14 days at 28 °C and 80% humidity, the LoD was less than 16 parasites/mL for P. falciparum and 19.7 copies/µL for P. vivax (using a plasmid surrogate), about 10,000-fold lower than RDTs. Of the 1739 samples successfully evaluated by both ultrasensitive RT-PCR and RDT, only two were RDT positive while 24 were positive for P. falciparum, 108 were positive for P. vivax, and 127 were positive for either P. vivax and/or P. falciparum using ultrasensitive RT-PCR.ConclusionsThis ultrasensitive RT-PCR method is a robust, field-tested screening method that is vastly more sensitive than RDTs. Further optimization may result in a truly scalable tool suitable for widespread surveillance of low-level asymptomatic P. falciparum and P. vivax parasitaemia