An exploration of sports rehabilitators and athletic rehabilitation therapists' views on fear of re-injury following Anterior Cruciate Ligament reconstruction.

Date of Acceptance: 08/12/2014 The article appears here in its accepted, peer-reviewed form, as it was provided by the submitting author. It has not been copyedited, proofed, or formatted by the publisherAim: The aim of the study was to gain a greater understanding of the views of sports rehabilitators and athletic rehabilitation therapists on recognition of fear of re-injury in clients following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Background: Research involving long term follow up of patients following successful ALCR rehabilitation has shown return to sport rates are not as good as would be expected despite many patients having normal functional knee scores. The psychological component, specifically fear of re-injury plays a critical role in determining patients returning to play, and is frequently underestimated. Little is known about the recognition and intervention from the therapists’ perspective.Peer reviewe

A review of innovation strategies and processes to improve access to AT: Looking ahead to open innovation ecosystems.

It is essential to understand the strategies and processes which are deployed currently across the Assistive Technology (AT) space toward measuring innovation. The main aim of this paper is to identify functional innovation strategies and processes which are being or can be deployed in the AT space to increase access to AT globally. We conducted a scoping review of innovation strategies and processes in peer-reviewed literature databases and complemented this by identifying case studies demonstrating innovation strategies. The review includes WHO world region, publication year, AT type and a sector analysis against the Systems-Market for Assistive and Related Technologies Framework. We analyzed the case studies and interviews using thematic analysis. We included 91 papers out of 3,127 after review along with 72 case studies. Our results showed that product innovations were more prevalent than provision or supply innovations across papers and case studies. Case studies yielded two themes: open innovation (OI); radical and disruptive innovation. Financial instruments which encourage OI are needed and we recommend pursuing OI for AT innovation. Embedding AT within larger societal missions will be key to success governments and investors need to understand what AT is and their translational socioeconomic value

Evaluation of the use and handling of three different pen systems considered for in vitro fertilization treatment

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to assess and compare the features of the Bemfola, Gonal-f and Puregon injection pens. METHODS Females who intended to undergo hormonal treatment received the three different pens in a randomized, consecutive sequence. For each of the pens, the potential patients completed an Injection Pen Assessment Questionnaire, as well as a questionnaire comparing the handling, convenience and preference among the three pens. RESULTS The mean score on the visual analogue scale (VAS) for the Bemfola pen (BP) was 77.8 ± 14.0; for the Puregon pen (PP), 72.1 ± 12.4; and for the Gonal-f pen (GP), 68.6 ± 16.4. The BP was superior to both competitor devices in pen size, inconspicuousness, ease of use and dose changing; no significant differences to both competitor pens were observed in the way the pen looks, the way the pen feels and the ease of injection of the volume. The 'overall' assessment was significantly better for the BP when compared to the GP (p = 0.0019), while no significant difference was observed between the BP and the PP. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated significantly higher ratings for pen size, inconspicuousness, ease of use and dose adjustment for the BP compared to other marketed pens

Proof-of-concept of prehabilitation, a combination of education and behavioural change, to promote physical activity in people with fibromyalgia

Objectives: To establish proof-of-concept of a prehabilitation intervention, a combination of education and behavioural change, preceding a physical activity programme in people with fibromyalgia (FM). Settings: Open-label, feasibility clinical trial. Participants: Eleven people with FM (10 women). Interventions: The prehabilitation intervention consisted of 4 weeks, one weekly session (~1 to 1.5 hours), aimed to increase self-efficacy and understand why and how to engage in a gentle and self-paced physical activity programme (6 weeks of walking with telephone support). Primary and secondary outcome measures: Primary outcome was the acceptability and credibility of the intervention by means of the Credibility/Expectancy Questionnaire (CEQ). Secondary outcomes comprised scales to measure FM severity, specific symptoms, and sedentary behaviour. An exit interview was finally conducted to identify the strengths, weaknesses and barriers of the intervention. Results: One participant dropped out due to finding the walking programme excessively stressful. Participants expected the intervention would improve their symptoms by 22- 38% but resulted in 5-26% improvements. Participants would be confident in recommending this intervention to a friend who experiences similar problems. The interviews suggested considering the fluctuation of symptoms as an outcome and as a part of the prehabilitation intervention. Additional suggestions were to incorporate initial interviews (patient-centered approach), to tailor the programs to individuals’ priorities and conditions in a daily basic and to offer a variety of physical activity programs to improve motivation. Conclusions: This feasibility study demonstrated that our novel approach is acceptable to people with FM. Future interventions should pay attention to flexibility, symptoms fluctuation and patients support