South African Journal of Physiotherapy

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a long-term condition that causes significant impairment, and because of the increasing prevalence of OA, the demand for arthroplasty will continue to rise. However, the demand will not be matched by availability, because of prioritisation of trauma-related surgeries. Implementing prehabilitation could assist physiotherapists in having an impact on improving access by reducing the length of stay. OBJECTIVES: The aim of our scoping review was to explore, map and identify trends and gaps to better inform the content of a prehabilitation programme...

BACKGROUND: Hand grip strength (HGS) measurements serve as an objective measure of upper extremity function. Reliable hand strength evaluation is vital for assessing treatment effectiveness. OBJECTIVES: To determine the influence of hand dominance, gender, and body mass index (BMI) on HGS among university students in Ghana. METHOD: In our cross-sectional study of 304 participants, height, weight, and BMI were measured using a stadiometer and weighing scale...

BACKGROUND: Respiratory impairments refer to a reduction in pulmonary function, which may adversely affect an individual's health. Incentive spirometry is a technique designed to assist patients in achieving a pre-set airflow volume; the volume is determined from predicted values or baseline measurements. Our study aims to assess the effect of incentive spirometry on respiratory impairments. METHOD: Fifty-four patients aged 40 years and above with obstructive, restrictive or mixed respiratory impairments attending the respiratory clinic at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja (LASUTH), will be recruited and assigned to three groups of 18 participants based on the class of respiratory impairment...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Low physical activity (PA) participation levels and increasing non-communicable diseases in children are concerning in South Africa and globally. OBJECTIVES: We sought to assess the mediating role of perceived social support factors on the relationship between PA enjoyment and PA levels among rural, peri-urban and urban school children. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was adopted to assess peer, family and teacher encouragement as mediators on the relationship between perceived PA enjoyment and perceived physical activity participation among children, using the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C)...

BACKGROUND: Recently, there has been a marked increase in the incidence of cancer, HIV, and other noncommunicable diseases globally. Thus, the demand for palliative care (PC), including end-of-life care, continues to grow worldwide. Physiotherapy has an important role in PC as it aims to alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life by optimising independent levels of function. OBJECTIVE: To assess the level of knowledge, awareness and current practice of PC amongst Nigerian physiotherapists in clinical practice...

BACKGROUND: Literature describing the impact of guided self-study (G-SS) in knowledge changes and skills improvements in undergraduate students is scarce. OBJECTIVES: The aims of our study were to evaluate the feasibility of a G-SS programme in a full-time undergraduate physiotherapy degree course and to assess the effectiveness of the G-SS on changes in knowledge and development of skills (hands-on). METHOD: Fifty-three first-semester undergraduate physiotherapy students were randomly divided into a G-SS group and a control group (CG)...

BACKGROUND: Lymphoedema is a chronic condition that is increasing in prevalence and requires specialised management to avoid possible life-threatening complications. OBJECTIVES: To describe the perceived knowledge of physiotherapists about lymphoedema and its management, the lymphoedema patient load seen by physiotherapists, and the current treatment approaches of physiotherapists in South Africa when managing lymphoedema. METHOD: A quantitative study using self-administered, online questionnaires were distributed among physiotherapists...

BACKGROUND: Soccer is one of the fastest growing sports in South Africa and the number of physiotherapists working with soccer teams has increased significantly. Despite increased appointments, very little is known regarding the demographic, education and work profiles of these physiotherapists. OBJECTIVE: To determine the profiles of physiotherapists working with soccer teams in South Africa. METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was used to collect data from physiotherapists employed with soccer teams...

BACKGROUND: As patients with hemiplegia have a high risk of falling, it is important to develop a fall rehabilitation plan and/or apply personalised treatment when necessary. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate the effects of individualised treatment with Computerised Dynamic Posturography (CDP) on balance in patients with and without a history of chronic hemiplegic falls. METHOD: Forty patients with hemiplegia (time post-stroke: 8-18 months) between 40 and 70 years of age in the Istanbul Yeniyüzyıl University, Gaziosmanpaşa Hospital participated in our study...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: While attention has been drawn to the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the mental health of healthcare workers generally, little is known regarding mental health changes over time in frontline and non-frontline physiotherapists during this period. OBJECTIVES: Our study aimed to investigate differences in mental health trends among frontline and non-frontline physiotherapists across three time periods during the pandemic. METHOD: Survey-based data were collected from 366 practising physiotherapists across three time periods during the pandemic (Time 1: n = 171; Time 2: n = 101; Time 3: n = 94)...

BACKGROUND: The extension of medicine prescription rights to other healthcare providers was proposed to reduce pharmacotherapeutic service delivery challenges in the South African healthcare sector. The scope of practice of physiotherapists is being reviewed to possibly include prescription rights to promote service delivery. OBJECTIVES: Our study assessed the attitudes of registered South African physiotherapists to the inclusion of prescription rights in their scope of practice, including enablers and challenges, and the drug classes they believe to be most relevant...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.4102/sajp.v78i1.1782.].

BACKGROUND: With the ever-changing healthcare environment and impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on tertiary education, healthcare students need to constantly adapt their approach to learning, clinical practice and well-being. Adaptive performance is therefore vital. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the adaptive performance of final year physiotherapy students at the University of the Free State. METHOD: A quantitative descriptive study was performed...

BACKGROUND: One in three women in South Africa suffer from urinary incontinence. Effective management is influenced by patients help-seeking behaviour and services offered by healthcare professionals within the healthcare system. Current practice towards urinary incontinence management in South Africa is unknown. OBJECTIVES: Our study aimed to describe and compare urinary incontinence practice and knowledge of nurses and physicians (practitioners) working in primary healthcare settings, measured against the NICE 2013 guideline and explore attitudes and beliefs towards urinary incontinence management...

BACKGROUND: Community reintegration is one of the ultimate goals of stroke rehabilitation. The increasing burden of stroke morbidity by other non-communicable diseases in Nigeria indicated the need for our study. OBJECTIVES: The authors explored the factors contributing to successful community reintegration among Nigerian stroke survivors. METHOD: We conducted an explorative qualitative study design to achieve this aim using in-depth semi-structured interviews with 12-purposively sampled stroke survivors...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.4102/sajp.v78i1.1611.].

BACKGROUND: Public-private partnership (PPP) for the delivery of health services is known to improve access to healthcare, yet little is known about its utilisation for rehabilitation services, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). OBJECTIVES: As a first step to generating evidence to develop a PPP model for physiotherapy service delivery in South Africa, our study mapped and described available research evidence on PPP models for rehabilitation services in the global literature...

BACKGROUND: Patients with mental health disorders (MHDs) often present with chronic illness and complain of pain and poor physical health. They present with a high burden of disease and poor quality of life. Significant associations between MHDs and chronic illness have been found. Lifestyle interventions are cost-effective strategies, which seem to be effective in managing comorbid mental and physical health disorders. Therefore, a summary of the evidence and clinical practice guidelines is needed in South Africa...