Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

The Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice is an internationally peer-reviewed, open-access, scholarly, online journal dedicated to the global exploration of allied health professional practice, research, and education. Now in its 14th year of publication, the IJAHSP continues to welcome manuscripts from first time and seasoned authors who have the desire to share knowledge through the dissemination of published works online.

List of Papers (Total 1,137)

Teaching for Cultural Competence in Non-Diverse Environments

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present teaching strategies to enhance students’ cultural competence in non-diverse educational settings. Methods: Utilizing Purnell’s cultural competence model and Lattanzi’s cultural ladder the authors describe teaching strategies used to promote students’ understanding of the complex nature of culture and how the multiple layers of...

International Students’ Perspectives of an Introductory Course as Preparation for Entry into a Postgraduate Physiotherapy Program

Purpose: Introductory or preparatory courses are often provided to international students in Australia as means to help them adjust to a new cultural and communication environment and a foreign educational setting. However, there is very little evaluation research on these introductory courses, especially from students’ perspectives, on their merits and demerits. Methods: This...

Examination of the Inter-Rater Agreement among Faculty Marking a Research Proposal on an Undergraduate Health Course

Purpose: This research looked at inter-rater agreement among faculty marking a research proposal on an undergraduate health course. The purpose of this study was to investigate if there were significant differences between marks as well as the comments given on research proposals that were double marked by two faculty members, where faculty were blind to the other marker’s marks...

Does the Sensation of Breathlessness Change Over Time in People with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease? A Systematic Review

The aim of this systematic review was to identify and appraise studies which tracked changes in the sensation of breathlessness, as described in terms of intensity, unpleasantness, its effect on impairment levels or quality of life, over two or more years in people with COPD. Four major databases were searched. Twelve studies were included for full analysis. These studies were a...

Distress with Breathing in People with Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review

While the prevalence of shortness of breath has been reported to be as frequent as pain in people with lung cancer, less attention has been paid to the distress associated with this symptom (dyspnea). This systematic review of the literature was undertaken to investigate how this symptom has been assessed and whether breathlessness in people with lung cancer is distressing. Using...

Translation and Alternate Forms Reliability of the Visual Analogue Scale in the Three Major Nigerian Languages

Purpose: Our aims were to translate the anchors on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) into the three major Nigerian Languages and determine the adequacy of the alternate forms reliability of the VAS in these translations. Methods: The anchors on the VAS were translated into Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa languages by linguistic experts and taken through back translation, clinical committee...

Fluid Replacement Knowledge and Sources of Hydration Information among Illinois High School Athletic Coaches: A Pilot Study

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine Illinois high school coaches’ knowledge of hydration and fluid replacement strategies. We also sought to identify their primary sources of fluid replacement information. Design: Descriptive Survey. Participants: 22 Coaches who were members of the Illinois High School Association were the survey respondents in this study. The...

The Relationship between Staff Compliance with Implementing Discharge Planning Guidelines, and Stroke Patients’ Experiences Post-Discharge

Purpose: To investigate staff compliance with discharge planning clinical guideline recommendations in an acute stroke unit, and its relationship with post-discharge experiences of stroke patients and their carers. Subjects: Fifty acute stroke patients were systematically recruited for a retrospective patient record audit of staff compliance with clinical guideline...

Prevalence and Pattern of Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis in Nigeria: A Community-Based Study

Purpose: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of disability, affecting 60-70% of people aged ≥60 years. Community-based prevalence estimates of OA in Nigeria are not readily available for referencing. This study investigated the prevalence and pattern of knee OA in Igbo-Ora, a rural community in Southwestern Nigeria. Methods: A total of 1044 adults (487 males, 557 females) aged...

Which Assessments and Interventions do Physiotherapists Value in the Management of Adults with Cystic Fibrosis in Australia?

Purpose: Evidence based practice involves the integration of three main components: best available research evidence, practitioner’s clinical expertise, and patient’s preferences. While the effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) has been extensively studied, no studies have explored physiotherapists’ perceptions and values concerning...

A Systematic Review on the Effectiveness of Mental Practice with Motor Imagery in the Neurologic Rehabilitation of Stroke Patients

Background: Mental practice with motor imagery entails an individual to symbolically rehearse a physical activity within working memory in the absence of overt body movement. It has been proven to be useful in sports training and other skills training. However, much is yet to be determined if the same promising results may be gained when this training method is used with persons...

Emotional-Social Intelligence of Physical Therapy Students during the Initial Academic Component of Their First Professional Year

Purpose: To describe and compare the development of emotional-social intelligence (ESI) of physical therapy students from a traditional education program and a problem-based learning (PBL) program during the initial academic component of their first professional year of studies. Methods: At the beginning of their first professional year (time 1), sixty students (39 from the...

Depressed, Low Self-Esteem: What Can Exercise Do For You?

The purpose of this paper is to review the current literature to examine the effects of various forms of physical activity upon mental health. A literature review was conducted to examine specific findings of the relationship between exercise (aerobic and anaerobic) and psychological well being. It was found that aerobic exercise performed at a moderate intensity produces...

Acclimatization to Heat during Preseason Football Practices at a Division I University: A Pilot Study

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine core temperature (TC) and markers of dehydration during one-a-day (D1) practices compared to two-a-day (D2) practices. Methods: Twenty-five National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) football players volunteered to participate in the study, with thirteen subjects providing...

Guiding Principles for Chronic Disease Management for Vulnerable and Disadvantaged People: Pilot Study Findings

Background: The need for chronic disease self-management (CDS-M) is increasing worldwide. CDS-M programs are variably effective for vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals. Objectives: The objects of this study were 1) To explore experiences of health workers leading CDS-M programs for vulnerable and disadvantaged populations, and 2) To develop guiding principles for the...

Case Study of the Access to the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Vaccine Against Tuberculosis in the United States

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is a vaccine that is used worldwide to prevent tuberculosis. Some developed countries, such as the United States, do not routinely administer this vaccine. This article presents the case study of a family who struggled to obtain the BCG in the months before a planned trip to a country in which tuberculosis is prevalent. The application of the BCG...

Age and Lateral Sleep Position: A Pilot Study

Purpose: Previous research, undertaken using a Super 8 camera and non-continuous data, has reported that with increasing age, people are more likely to sleep in the right lateral position. It has been postulated that this is due to age related alterations in cardiovascular function. This pilot study was undertaken to determine if collection and analysis of continuous sleep data...

Using Transformative Learning Theory to Enhance Professional Development

Purpose: Pediatric occupational therapy and physical therapy interventions for children with disabilities are designed to increase function and often focus on developmental skills instead of on the environmental context and promoting self-determination skills. A professional development course was developed to help therapists develop intervention strategies to meet developmental...

The Hot Seat: Challenging Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills in Physical Therapist Students

Purpose: Allied health profession students must develop critical thinking and problem solving skills to be able to make clinical decisions. The purpose of this paper is to describe an educational model used in a physical therapist education program to improve students’ confidence in clinical decision-making. Methods: The faculty chose topics for each forum and invited specific...

Design of Introductory Course to Improve Career Decision Making in Dental Hygiene

Dental Hygiene programs have a responsibility to help potential applicants determine if dental hygiene is the best career choice for them. Good fit of career promotes a satisfied workforce, along with program retention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate students’ satisfaction with an introductory course on career choice in dental hygiene and to assess the influence of the...

Blended Learning Environments, Active Participation, and Student Success

Purpose: Online discussion within blended learning environments is essential to student success in a well-designed course. Our research briefly describes ways in which online discussion can be evaluated to predict student learning. The paper will present some online data regarding active and passive use of Web-CT-based course content as it relates to student performance. Methods...

An Assessment of Faculty Usage of YouTube as a Teaching Resource

Creative classroom techniques incorporating technology promote a more productive and enriched learning environment. Preparing future health educators in today’s technology-driven society requires faculty to adopt new teaching strategies which motivate and engage the new tech-savvy Web 2.0 generation. YouTube® is a popular online video-sharing web site for both scholarly and non...

Descriptive Analysis of Level of Implementation in Allied Health Educational Institutions of IOM Recommended Core Competencies

A signal report of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 2003 stated that profound changes were needed in how health systems are designed, and postulated that such redesign could not take place without properly preparing health care professionals to take on this task. It established a set of core competencies (competence in patient-centered care, interdisciplinary teaming, evidence...

Provision of Health Promotion Information by Physiotherapists to In-Patients in a Tertiary Hospital: A Pilot Study

Purpose: The provision of health promotion information is an important part of the management of hospitalised patients. Allied health practitioners are often involved in the provision of this information. No studies appear to have documented the rate of provision of health promotion material by physiotherapists to hospitalised patients. The aim of this pilot study was to measure...