Volume 8 (2021): Issue 1 (January 2021)

International research shows high levels of job demands and psychological resources for physical therapists, and job strain is considered to be moderate. So far, publications are based on therapists with varying length of service. Little is known about job strain during the first year in the profession.

To investigate the level of job strain of German novice physical therapists and to identify common workplace stressors.

We conducted a web-based survey among physical therapists who had been working for 12 month or less. Using a self-administrated questionnaire, job strain was measured by its effects on work commitment, general health, job satisfaction, burnout and turnover intention. Subgroup analyses based on age, sex and rating of professional training were performed. Stressors at work were evaluated by priority and frequency of appearance.

Data of 153 physical therapists was analysed. Low levels of job strain were reported. Novice physical therapists showed high levels of workplace commitment and general health, and low levels of turnover. Moderate ratings were recorded for job satisfaction and symptoms of burnout. Inadequate compensation for work, high caseload, time pressure and physical stress were the most common stressors mentioned. Therapists who rated their professional training as positive reported lower levels of job strain. No significant differences between women and men or between therapists of different age were found.

Although many workplace stressors are reported, novice physical therapists show low levels of job strain. Vocational training may be one important protective factor with regard to job strain.

For older people, poor balance and strength as well as environmental hazards are a major risk factor for falls. A lifestyle-integrated home-based physical exercise training and home modification intervention were developed for older people at risk of falling.

This study aimed to examine older people's perceptions of the FIT-at-Home fall prevention intervention in order to further develop the intervention's content, procedures and mode of delivery.

We conducted semi-structured interviews with individuals who participated in the falls prevention programme using the problem-centred interview method. The interviews were analysed in a deductive-inductive approach following Mayring's qualitative content analysis.

Seven themes emerging from the data described different facets of older people's perceptions towards the intervention. Findings suggested that the participants accepted the FIT-at-Home intervention. Overall, the individuals regard the intervention as feasible and practicable. From the older people's view, it was an advantage that the exercises could be implemented at any time without additional aids or equipment in-house and it was not necessary to visit the occupational therapy practice. Older people's experiences showed that feelings of success have a positive effect on the willingness to exercise. A perceived barrier influencing the implementation of exercises among older people was their own laziness, their general state of health and illnesses, their daily mood or meteor sensitivity.

The FIT-at-Home intervention comprising balance and strength exercises and home modification is feasible and acceptable for community-living older people. Older people's feedback will help us to further refine the intervention.

Guidelines recommend task-oriented training and the use of standardized assessments to improve stroke-related mobility deficits. However, the German outpatient physical therapy prescription catalogue does not include these recommendations resulting in a possible gap between guideline recommendations and clinical practice. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe physical therapy practice patterns of stroke-related mobility deficits in the outpatient setting exemplified by the states Baden-Württemberg and Thuringia.

Using an online survey, physical therapists treating people with stroke in outpatient settings in Baden-Württemberg and Thuringia were recruited. The questionnaire was developed using a multi-step procedure. Using a case vignette and open-ended questions, preferred evaluation and treatment methods were assessed. Data were analyzed using content analysis and descriptive statistics.

Data from 63 physical therapists were included in the analysis. Answers to the open questions showed a wide range of different citations. Of 186 citations on evaluation methods, 28 (15,1 %) were classified as “standardized assessments”, while 158 citations (84,9 %) were classified as “basic physical therapy evaluation (non-standardized)”. Standardized assessments were cited by 25% of participants. Of 182 citations on treatment methods, 69 (35,2%) were classified as “traditional therapies”. These traditional therapies were cited by 81 % of participants. Task-oriented training was not cited.

Despite the small sample size our data confirm the insufficient guideline use in German physical therapy and contribute results on practice patterns in outpatient stroke settings. These results will be used to initiate theory-based implementation strategies aiming to optimize physical therapy for people with stroke.

To investigate if first-year occupational therapy students who have had no on-campus, face-to-face learning experiences differed from second-, third- and fourth-year students in their perceptions and experiences of online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic.

One hundred and fifty-one occupational therapy undergraduate students (80.8% female; 66.2% 20–24 old) completed the Student Engagement in the e-Learning Environment Scale (SELES) and the Distance Education Learning Environment Scale (DELES). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) with bootstrapping was completed to examine the differences between first-year and senior students’ perceptions and experiences of online learning.

Significant differences were observed across several SELES and DELES scales: peer collaboration (SELES) (p = .001), interactions with instructors (SELES) (p = .026), student interaction and collaboration (DELES) (p = .003), authentic learning (DELES) (p = .026) and active learning (DELES) (p = .013).

The findings demonstrate significant differences in first-year and senior students’ perceptions and experiences of online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. The outcomes highlight the importance of facilitating collaborative and active engagement for all students by implementing academic, technological and social support measures within occupational therapy curricula.

Informal carers contribute significantly to healthcare delivery in Switzerland. Many of them are experienced in everyday practice and perform medication management procedures. Medication is a vital topic in patient safety; however, there is little knowledge about carers’ involvement in the medication process.

As a part of a larger study with a sequential mixed-methods design, this quantitative cross-sectional factorial online survey explored nurses’ responses towards carers’ interventions in medication safety, as well as their collaboration with nurse colleagues and/or physicians.

285 nurses from a chapter of the Swiss Nurses’ Association evaluated case vignettes in which carers approached them regarding (supposed) medication errors at the hospital. The data were analysed by fractional, ordered and multinomial logistic regression models, and robustness was tested by a probit model and an ordinary least squares model.

Nurses were significantly less likely to approve carers’ interventions if the relationship between the carer and the cared-for person was unclear to them, or if approached in an accusatory way. Prior experience in similar situations and higher education had the opposite effect. Higher age of the nurse and regular contact with carers increased collaboration with other nurses and physicians in verifying the carers’ claims.

The results highlight the importance of experience with and communication shaped to carers, emphasising an overarching perspective of the medication process by the nurse, including validating the carers’ claims in intra- and interprofessional collaboration. These competencies cannot be taken for granted. They must be taught and trained, as well as supported by carer-friendly executive management.

Fieldwork is a core element of health professional and education student training that is often a professional registration and practice requirement. There are many personal, social, and professional factors that impact on students’ fieldwork performance. The impact of professionalism, resilience, and reflective thinking on fieldwork performance is not well described in the literature.

To examine the relationship between health professional and teacher education university students’ perceptions of professionalism, resilience, reflective thinking and their links to fieldwork performance.

Ten focus group interviews were conducted with university undergraduate or master's students across four disciplines: occupational therapy (n = 18), pharmacy (n = 6), social work (n = 38), and education (n = 16). Thematic analysis was used to identify codes and categories in focus group transcripts. Commonalities of ideas and constructs were identified and interpreted to create meaningful themes.

Six themes were identified. Fieldwork placement created real-world opportunities for developing technical and nontechnical skills, professional acclimatization, psychosocial traits, and behaviors for coping with the transition from student to proto-professional. However, these outcomes had consequences related to bridging the gap between university course theory and the reality of the workplace, adapting to cultural differences and local practice as well as seeking their own resources, supports, and learning.

Despite the personal, professional, and practical challenges of fieldwork, students independently establish mental models of professionalism, resilience, and reflective thinking, which support their fieldwork performance. However, developing these mental models should be underpinned by theory, and coordinated university and industry supports should be provided to augment this process.

The main objective of this study is to assess the effect of soft skills and emotional intelligence on burnout among health-care professionals in Lebanon.

A cross-sectional study was conducted among health-care professionals working all over Lebanon for a period of 3 months starting from March till June 2021. In total, 324 out of 345 contacted health-care professionals responded. The survey was anonymous and administered via social networks as a link to an electronic form. The study included general sociodemographic questions and validated scales to measure emotional intelligence (Trait Meta-Mood Scale [TMMS-24]), burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory for Health Services Survey [MBI-HSS]), and soft skills.

Higher burnout was associated with lower soft skills (β = −0.137). Job satisfaction was negatively associated with burnout (β = −8.064). Nurses had higher burnout levels than dentists, radiologists, midwives, nutritionists, psychotherapists, and speech therapists (β = −4.595). Also, people working in Baalbek, Akkar, Beqaa, North and South had lower burnout levels compared to those working in Beirut (β = −9.015). As for emotional intelligence, no statistically significant association was found with burnout (P = 0.116).

This study showed that soft skills and emotional intelligence can affect job burnout. Additional research should be conducted in order to support our findings.