Journal of Allied Health最新文献

Allied and behavioral health professionals (ABHP) interact with clients who may be at higher risk for substance misuse or substance use disorders (SUD) due to mental health problems, relational problems, and acute/chronic pain due to injury/illness. These problems can lead to more substance misuse and affect daily life activities and overall health and wellbeing. Unfortunately, not enough individuals seek treatment due to stigma associated with substance use, partially because of the lack of properly trained and educated healthcare professionals. The researchers developed an interprofessional training program using the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) to develop learning modules focused on understanding the science of addiction, the stigma related to addictions, and the basic interviewing and assessment techniques to support appropriate substance use intervention and referral. The goal was to prepare ABHP students to appropriately address substance use as part of their future professional practice. The SBIRT learning modules used pre/post test quizzes to collect data on the effectiveness. 140 occupational and physical therapy and mental health counselling students completed the training and the results showed a significant increase in participants knowledge supporting the value of the SBIRT training.

Prerequisite courses have been a staple in admissions requirements for health programs for more than a century. Prerequisites serve various roles including achieving accreditation standards, determining academic preparation, predicting academic success, and informing admissions decisions. While the theories purported to support prerequisite courses have largely remained static, the challenges for educators and applicants have evolved. In addition to training future healthcare providers, contemporary educators are focused on attracting and training a diverse workforce as well as attaining enrollment targets to ensure financial stability. We propose 4 assumptions that pit common prerequisite practices against these contemporary challenges including limitations caused by the cost of prerequisites, disproportionate burden on underrepresented minorities, extraordinarily complex and variable policies, and a disconnect between grades and knowledge retention. Continuing to operate under these assumptions creates unnecessary barriers for potential students. We offer model practices for approaching prerequisites with more flexibility. These practices involve refining expectations for learning, normalizing alternatives to coursework, conducting prospective research, analyzing relevant data, and exploring more personalized pathways and holistic practices. As higher education changes and the demand for healthcare providers increases, innovation to the admissions process is needed to identify those who can complete programs and become competent healthcare providers.

Resistance training is considered the most effective intervention for increasing older people's muscle mass and strength. Thus, we created the Sukubara®, a self-administered training system (squat + balance training) that incorporates a new low-load exercise. In this study, we hypothesize that introducing Sukubara will positively affect skeletal muscle mass and physical function. A preliminary verification was carried out on healthy, non-elderly participants who were recruited from the hospital staff. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups for a 12-week intervention: the resistance training group (R group) that performed the Sukubara exercise program and the control group (C group) that did not. This study's primary end¬point was a change in skeletal muscle mass, while the secondary endpoints were knee extension strength and one-leg standing time with eyes closed. An analysis of the 18 participants (R group = 8; C group = 10) was performed. Results showed that skeletal muscle mass, knee extension strength, and one-leg standing time were significantly improved or tended to be significantly higher in the R group than in the C group. Our study concluded that, by incorporating low-load exercise, Sukubara resulted in muscle hypertrophy and improved physical function.

The Journal of Allied Health came into existence as a quarterly publication of the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) in 1972. Issues were prepared in paper format and distributed by the U.S. Postal Service, a process that continues to the present day. Subsequently, the establishment of the Internet as a vital means of communication sent a strong message that the Journal should aim to keep relevant with the changing times by adding an online version. That addition commenced with the Spring 2001 issue through a company in England called Ingenta. Most recently, the ASAHP Board of Directors decided that publication in paper format will end with the Winter 2024 issue. Going forward, all subsequent iterations will be made available exclusively online.

Admission to physical therapist education programs (PTEPs) is commonly based on cognitive attributes such as undergraduate grade point average (uGPA), pre-requisite course GPA (pre-req GPA), and sometimes Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, admissions interviews or essays. The primary purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the relationships between non-cognitive attributes identified through a personality-oriented job analysis (POJA) and Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) student academic performance to improve admissions procedures and DPT student education and training. The present study examined correlations among 12 non-cognitive attributes identified through the POJA and existing cognitive admission criteria, specifically uGPA and pre-req GPA, with DPT grades in the first semester of the PTEP. Multiple regression using non-cognitive attributes in addition to current cognitive admissions criteria showed that uGPA was the strongest predictor of DPT grades, followed by self-reflection and anxiousness/neuroticism (negatively). While uGPA was the strongest predictor of DPT student GPA, it may be valuable to add measures of self-reflection and anxiousness/neuroticism to the admissions process to increase the likelihood of success academically. The present study adds to a still limited body of knowledge of how both cognitive and non-cognitive attributes predict graduate academic performance in a variety of health professions.

A radiation therapist (RTT) is a key member of the radiation oncology team responsible for delivering radiation and providing direct patient care to individuals undergoing cancer treatment. Stony Brook University's School of Health Professions, in collaboration with Mount Sinai Health System's Department of Radiation Oncology, offers a unique RTT Program structure: a 4-year baccalaureate degree followed by a 12-month clinical non-credit, non-degree certificate. The RTT Program embeds concepts such as the theory of gynecologic malignancies, introduced in the didactic setting and mastered in the clinical environment. The program assigns credentialed RTTs, referred to as "RTT mentors" to students upon acceptance to the program. These mentors offer additional support to students by translating theoretical and practical aspects of the curriculum and guiding students through their academic and clinical education. This article aims to demonstrate how the hallmarks of gynecologic malignancies are integrated into radiation therapy education, from both the student's and mentor's perspectives, and across the didactic and clinical setting.

Health professions students in their final year of the mental health counseling (MHC), nursing, occupational therapy (OT), pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant, and speech/language pathology programs at Touro University participated in a virtual interprofessional education (IPE) symposium designed to promote interprofessional collaboration. The students worked as an interprofessional team with a faculty facilitator to first create a plan of care and later a discharge plan for a fictitious patient. At the completion of the symposium, 281 out of 311 students completed the Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Survey (ICCAS), a tool that assesses competency in collaborative practice. Results demonstrated a significant increase in every collaboration-related competency for all participants as a group (p < 0.001), as well as significant differences between professions (F = 2.99, p = 0.007). For example, students from OT rated themselves lowest at the start and showed the greatest gains, and students from MHC showed the smallest gains but had the fewest participants. This virtual symposium resolved some common logistical challenges and was effective at improving interprofessional collaborative competency. Including a wide variety of health professions in this IPE activity facilitated a broad reach and applicability to the interprofessional teams that students will encounter in the future.

Purpose: This study compared Doctor of Physical Therapy students' perceived confidence with evaluating/treating complex patients before and after a case-based patient management course. The impact of simulated learning and prior clinical exposure were explored.

Methods: A longitudinal, pretest-posttest design was used across 4 university campuses. A Physiotherapist Self-Efficacy survey was used to collect student responses before/after the course, related to adequate preparation, verbal/written communication, subjective/objective assessments, interpreting assessment findings, identifying/prioritizing patient problems, selecting appropriate short/long term goals, performing/evaluating treatments, discharge planning, progressing interventions, and dealing with a range of patient conditions. Descriptive statistics, paired sample t-tests, ANOVA tests, and conceptual content analyses were completed.

Results: Eighty surveys were completed (13.88% response rate). Posttest confidence levels were higher compared to pretest values in all survey items. The t-statistics indicated a significant difference (p<0.001) between the pretest/posttest scores across all 80 records. Levene's statistic revealed p-values >0.001, indicating we met the assumption of homogeneity of variance across different cohort groups.

Conclusions: Student confidence levels towards complex patients significantly improved after course exposure, for all survey components in all cohorts. Simulated experiences, supplemental course materials, and prior outpatient clinical experience contributed to self-efficacy values. Six themes were identified as useful and/or needing revision to further improve self-efficacy.

With growing recognition that climate change is a significant threat to human health, allied health professionals are increasingly recognized as critical allies in addressing this threat. This article describes the approach that Rush University's College of Sciences is pursuing to better prepare health sciences students for this reality. Faculty and students enrolled across all programs of the College were surveyed regarding their levels of concern about global warming using items from the Six Americas Survey, as well as perceived importance of planetary health curricular elements adapted from the Planetary Health Report Card. Faculty were additionally asked about perceived opportunities to bring planetary health education into each of the degree programs offered by the university. A total of 37 faculty and 43 students completed the survey, collectively representing all programs in the college. Responses reflected widespread interest in expanding planetary health education, but topic priorities and optimal methods for implementation differed between programs. Although the survey process had limitations, it demonstrated the need for greater attention to planetary health across curricula and offered more efficient approaches implementing this essential content across programs.

Objectives: With the exception of states that require licensure, there is no uniform requirement for certification or for education from the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science (NAACLS) accredited laboratory science program for employment in a laboratory, under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) of 1988. The objective of the Value of Education and Certification (VEC) study was to determine if lack of NAACLS-accredited education and Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT)/Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) certification was associated with laboratory errors.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used personnel and testing/reporting error data from 739 laboratorians, involving five laboratory partners.

Results: MLS-certified individuals were 33% less likely to make errors (p=0.0473) and MLT-certified individuals were 71% less likely to make errors (p=0.0014) compared to those who were not certified. MLS-certified laboratorians were twice as likely to make testing/reporting errors compared to those who were MLT certified, which was significant (p=0.0238). Education level and accredited laboratory education were not associated with testing/reporting errors.

Conclusion: Our data suggest that lack of MLS and MLT certification are independently associated with laboratory testing/reporting errors.