Phantom limb pain may occur after the accidental removal or surgical amputation of a limb. Phantom limb pain is the experience of pain in the limb that is no longer present. The clinical management of phantom limb pain is essential in the overall reduction of patient rehabilitation and poor patient outcomes. A patient’s degree of phantom limb pain is influenced by their personal response to loss and pain and can have devastating effects to a person’s social performance, occupational role, family role, relationships, and involvement in activities or hobbies. Like most chronic pain, phantom limb pain decreases the quality of life. Not all amputees who suffer from chronic pain respond to traditional therapies. The purpose of this integrated review of the literature was to explore current research and determine the efficacy of mirror therapy in the treatment of Phantom limb pain in amputees. A database search of CINAHL, PubMed (MEDLINE), and OneSearch was conducted. Mirror therapy had no reported side effects, was inexpensive, and was capable of being practiced at home and at the bedside. Relevant findings in the literature revealed a significant decrease in phantom limb pain when using mirror therapy for more than 4 weeks. Although limited research on the use of mirror therapy as an intervention for amputees, existing research supports the efficacy of mirror therapy for the management of phantom limb pain. Nurses and healthcare providers need education on mirror therapy to advocate for their patients to ensure the best possible outcome and reduction of phantom limb pain. Further research on mirror therapy is needed.

Background. A sizable amount of individuals in the community are presented with various kinds of physical and mental health problems which are either undetected, untreated or inadequately treated, due to the limitations on the availability and accessibility of the services in the existing health care system, or to other social and personal reasons. The current study evaluated the effectiveness of a newly developed modality of health-enhancing treatment---the Mindfulness-based Dejian Mind-Body Intervention, as compared to that of a Group Psychoeducational Treatment, in alleviating depressive mood and improving physical health of adult individuals in the community. / Conclusions. Findings of the current study suggest that compared with the Group Psychoeducational Treatment, Dejian Mind-Body Intervention might be more effective in enhancing the emotional and physical health of community individuals presented with moderate to severe depressive mood and/or problems with bowel functioning. / Method. Forty adult volunteers with various degree of depressive mood and physical problems who expressed interest in receiving either Dejian Mind-Body Intervention or Group Psychoeducational Treatment were recruited in the current study. They were matched for gender, age, education and level of depression, and were randomly assigned to either treatment group. / Results. Both the Dejian Mind-Body Intervention and Group Psychoeducation Treatment were effective in bringing about a significant reduction in depressive mood iv among treatment completers. However, differential effectiveness emerged among those presented with moderate to severe depressive mood, where Dejian Mind-Body Intervention resulted in significantly greater treatment-related reduction in depressive mood compared with the Group Psychoeducational Treatment. Besides, Dejian Mind-Body Intervention brought about significant increase in an objective QEEG measure of positive affect, and improvements in physical health (i.e., bowel functioning) that were not evidenced in the Group Psychoeducation Treatment. / Tsui, Jin Ching. / Adviser: Agnes S.Y. Chan. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-06, Section: B, page: 3799. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 62-68). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.

<p>All images in this document may not be produced without the expressed written consent of the author.</p> / <p>The innovative research method of “body mapping” was used in this study with geriatric inpatients receiving daily hæmodialysis therapy for end-stage renal disease at Toronto Rehabilitation Institute.</p> <p>Five people took part in this study; three participants completed all study phases. They created three body maps each and took part in one follow up, semi-structured interview to share their experiences of body mapping. Two themes were drawn from the data: (1) body mapping gives patients a voice to communicate their experiences in the dialysis unit; and (2) body mapping makes visible participants’ illness adjustment patterns, and levels of connection, or disconnection in the dialysis unit.</p> <p>Based on the ways body mapping benefitted participants in this study, it is reasonable to suggest that this visual communication tool could be useful in other research settings, and as a clinical tool to support patients’ attention to their bodies and their interactions with healthcare providers.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)