Conectar
by Nadeen Al Awamry, Laura Seidelin, Alyssa Marino, Ethan Evans, Elizabeth Karam, Vishwa Kumar, Kristin E. Musselman, Anita Kaiser, José Zariffa
PurposeSpinal cord injury (SCI) impacts physical, emotional, and social well-being, contributing to decreased quality of life and increased healthcare burden. Surface electromyography (sEMG), a non-invasive tool for measuring muscle activity, has demonstrated potential as a biomarker for recovery in SCI research, yet remains underutilized in clinical practice. Understanding how physical therapists (PTs) and occupational therapists (OTs) perceive the use of sEMG is necessary for integrating sEMG into post-SCI treatment and advancing personalized rehabilitation.
Materials and methodsA cross-sectional, qualitative descriptive design was employed. Ten participants (9 PTs and 1 OT) were recruited through convenience sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed inductively using a thematic analysis approach.
ResultsTwo major themes were identified: 1) Perceived value of the use of electrophysiology and sEMG data in clinical practice. Participants valued sEMG as an adjunct assessment tool for providing objective feedback after incomplete SCI and setting goals during treatment. 2) Barriers and facilitators to implementing sEMG. Key barriers highlighted include the lack of training and standardized protocols. Continued training, resources, and educational support were key facilitators.
ConclusionPTs and OTs perceive sEMG as a valuable tool in SCI rehabilitation, but desire education and standardized protocols to support its clinical integration.
To evaluate the safeguarding impact of government commitment (defined as the proportion of government expenditure relative to total expenditure) to health and immunisation financing in mitigating the disruptions to routine childhood vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A quasi-experimental difference-in-differences study with country fixed effect, leveraging the COVID-19 pandemic as a natural experiment.
Low-income and middle-income countries.
A cohort of 131 low- and middle-income countries from 2010 to 2023.
Our primary outcomes included the coverage rates for the third dose of the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis containing vaccine (DTP3) and the first dose of the measles containing vaccine (MCV1).
Both high government commitment countries (ie, above the upper 20th percentile) and low government commitment countries (ie, below the upper 20th percentile) experienced declines in immunisation coverage over the 4 years following the COVID-19 pandemic, with DTP3 and MCV1 decreasing by 4 and 5 percentage points, respectively (p
Greater government commitment to health and immunisation financing may not be sufficient on its own to mitigate pandemic-related disruptions in routine childhood vaccination.
FreshRSS 