Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Univ., 2002. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Aims: Life satisfaction and self-efficacy are psychosocial experiences that appear to profoundly influence the rehabilitation of a stroke patient. However, relevant studies have been mostly carried out on Western stroke survivors, with limited reports on stroke experience in the Middle East. Reviewed literature suggests a positive correlation between religious faith and health outcome, however studies investigating relationships among religious faith, self-efficacy and other psychosocial variables in stroke patients are limited. The aims of this study were therefore to (1) explore stroke experience and factors associated with life satisfaction post-stroke in Kuwait, (2) to investigate the relationships between self-efficacy, life satisfaction and religious faith in female stroke patients living in Kuwait, and (3) to identify cultural influences on stroke survivors in Kuwait from the health professionals‘ point of view. Method: The study was carried out in these four phases. 1) Phase 1:- Exploring stroke experience in patients in Kuwait with semi-structured interviews 2) Phase 2:- Client-Centred Adaptation of a Self-Efficacy measure for stroke patients living in Kuwait 3) Phase 3:- Assessing quantitative relationships between the three variables (self-efficacy, life satisfaction and religious faith) with questionnaires 4) Phase 4:- Exploring perceptions of health professionals regarding the world of the stroke patient and effects of culture on recovery and rehabilitation with semi-structured interviews Qualitative data were analysed with thematic analysis. Results: Significant correlations were found between general self-efficacy, and psychosocial adaptation self-efficacy. Self-efficacy (both general and psychosocial adaptation) showed significant correlations with life satisfaction post-stroke. Religious faith was not related to either life satisfaction or self-efficacy. Health professionals‘ interviews identified cultural characteristics specific to stroke patients living in Kuwait. These included family involvement, prevailing attitude towards stroke, dependency and access to maids, religious beliefs, and social stigma. Conclusion: Psychosocial self-efficacy was identified as having the strongest relationship to life satisfaction compared with the other variables tested. This study failed to show any significant relationship between religious faith and self-efficacy or life satisfaction in female stroke patients living in Kuwait. However, results from patient and health professional interviews identified religious beliefs as playing an important role in recovery, behaviour during rehabilitation and in interaction with the health professions. The qualitative aspects of this study, in particular, highlight the importance of taking into consideration religious and cultural influences during the rehabilitation of stroke patients in Kuwait.

INTRODUÇÃO: A perda óssea acelerada é uma das reconhecidas complicações da hemiplegia pós-acidente vascular encefálico (AVE), mas pouco se sabe sobre o ritmo de perda na fase crônica e seus determinantes. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a evolução tardia da densidade mineral óssea (DMO) em pacientes hemiplégicos crônicos, bem como identificar possíveis fatores associados. MÉTODOS: Foi realizado um estudo longitudinal envolvendo pacientes ambulatoriais com hemiplegia há mais de 12 meses. Pacientes com doenças e outras condições associadas à perda óssea foram excluídos. Avaliações clínica e densitométrica foram realizadas no início e após aproximadamente 16 meses, e foram analisados fatores de risco para perda óssea. RESULTADOS: Cinquenta e sete pacientes foram estudados, sendo 40 do sexo masculino, com média de 59,3 anos e tempo médio de hemiplegia de 33,4 meses. Ao comparar os hemicorpos acometido e não acometido, foi observada perda óssea mais acentuada em antebraço acometido (p=0,001), mas não em fêmur acometido. Foi observada perda óssea significativa em 56% dos pacientes em antebraço e 22,6% em fêmur, no lado acometido. Maior tempo de AVE foi protetor para a perda óssea em antebraço (OR = 0,96, IC 95%: 0,92 0,99; p=0,015), e o uso de anticoagulantes e/ou anticonvulsivantes (OR = 5,83, IC 95%:1,25 27,3; p=0,025) e espasticidade moderada/intensa (OR = 8,29, IC 95%:1,10 62,4; p=0,040) foram determinantes para perda óssea em fêmur. CONCLUSÕES: O presente estudo evidenciou que a perda óssea é comum e frequente em antebraço acometido em pacientes com hemiplegia crônica, com tendência à estabilização da perda com o passar do tempo. Espasticidade mais intensa e uso de anticoagulantes e/ou anticonvulsivantes foram associados à perda óssea em fêmur. Estes achados indicam que pacientes hemiplégicos crônicos devem ser monitorados e tratados para perda óssea, com atenção para os determinantes identificados, e que o membro superior acometido deve ser incluído na avaliação da DMO / INTRODUCTION: Accelerated bone loss is a well-known early complication of hemiplegia. However, less is known about chronicphase bone loss and its determinants. The objective of this study was to evaluate long-term changes in bone mineral density (BMD) in chronic hemiplegic patients, and investigate possible related factors. METHODS: A longitudinal study involving chronic stroke-related hemiplegic patients was conducted. Clinical and densitometric evaluations were performed at baseline and after approximately 16 months, and risk factors for bone loss were analyzed. RESULTS: Fiftyseven patients were studied (40 males) with a mean of 59.3 years and with mean time since hemiplegia of 33.4 months. Decrease in BMD was more pronounced in affected forearms compared to the nonaffected forearms (p=0.001). No difference was found between affected and non-affected femurs. Bone loss was observed in 56% of the affected forearms and 22.6% of the affected femurs. Longer time since stroke was protective for bone loss in the forearm (OR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.92 0.99; p=0.015), and the use of anticoagulation/antiepileptic drugs (OR = 5.83, 95% CI: 1.25 27.3; p=0.025) and moderate/severe spasticity (OR = 8.29, 95% CI: 1.10 62.4; p=0.040) were associated to bone loss in the femur. CONCLUSIONS: Bone loss is common and more frequent in the affected forearm in chronic hemiplegic patients with tendency to stabilize over time. Greater spasticity and use of anticoagulation and/or antiepileptic drugs were proved to be associated with bone loss at the femur. Our findings indicate that chronic hemiplegic patients should be monitored and treated for bone loss, with attention to the identified determinants, and that the upper paretic limb should be included in BMD evaluation

INTRODUÇÃO: A perda óssea acelerada é uma das reconhecidas complicações da hemiplegia pós-acidente vascular encefálico (AVE), mas pouco se sabe sobre o ritmo de perda na fase crônica e seus determinantes. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a evolução tardia da densidade mineral óssea (DMO) em pacientes hemiplégicos crônicos, bem como identificar possíveis fatores associados. MÉTODOS: Foi realizado um estudo longitudinal envolvendo pacientes ambulatoriais com hemiplegia há mais de 12 meses. Pacientes com doenças e outras condições associadas à perda óssea foram excluídos. Avaliações clínica e densitométrica foram realizadas no início e após aproximadamente 16 meses, e foram analisados fatores de risco para perda óssea. RESULTADOS: Cinquenta e sete pacientes foram estudados, sendo 40 do sexo masculino, com média de 59,3 anos e tempo médio de hemiplegia de 33,4 meses. Ao comparar os hemicorpos acometido e não acometido, foi observada perda óssea mais acentuada em antebraço acometido (p=0,001), mas não em fêmur acometido. Foi observada perda óssea significativa em 56% dos pacientes em antebraço e 22,6% em fêmur, no lado acometido. Maior tempo de AVE foi protetor para a perda óssea em antebraço (OR = 0,96, IC 95%: 0,92 0,99; p=0,015), e o uso de anticoagulantes e/ou anticonvulsivantes (OR = 5,83, IC 95%:1,25 27,3; p=0,025) e espasticidade moderada/intensa (OR = 8,29, IC 95%:1,10 62,4; p=0,040) foram determinantes para perda óssea em fêmur. CONCLUSÕES: O presente estudo evidenciou que a perda óssea é comum e frequente em antebraço acometido em pacientes com hemiplegia crônica, com tendência à estabilização da perda com o passar do tempo. Espasticidade mais intensa e uso de anticoagulantes e/ou anticonvulsivantes foram associados à perda óssea em fêmur. Estes achados indicam que pacientes hemiplégicos crônicos devem ser monitorados e tratados para perda óssea, com atenção para os determinantes identificados, e que o membro superior acometido deve ser incluído na avaliação da DMO / INTRODUCTION: Accelerated bone loss is a well-known early complication of hemiplegia. However, less is known about chronicphase bone loss and its determinants. The objective of this study was to evaluate long-term changes in bone mineral density (BMD) in chronic hemiplegic patients, and investigate possible related factors. METHODS: A longitudinal study involving chronic stroke-related hemiplegic patients was conducted. Clinical and densitometric evaluations were performed at baseline and after approximately 16 months, and risk factors for bone loss were analyzed. RESULTS: Fiftyseven patients were studied (40 males) with a mean of 59.3 years and with mean time since hemiplegia of 33.4 months. Decrease in BMD was more pronounced in affected forearms compared to the nonaffected forearms (p=0.001). No difference was found between affected and non-affected femurs. Bone loss was observed in 56% of the affected forearms and 22.6% of the affected femurs. Longer time since stroke was protective for bone loss in the forearm (OR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.92 0.99; p=0.015), and the use of anticoagulation/antiepileptic drugs (OR = 5.83, 95% CI: 1.25 27.3; p=0.025) and moderate/severe spasticity (OR = 8.29, 95% CI: 1.10 62.4; p=0.040) were associated to bone loss in the femur. CONCLUSIONS: Bone loss is common and more frequent in the affected forearm in chronic hemiplegic patients with tendency to stabilize over time. Greater spasticity and use of anticoagulation and/or antiepileptic drugs were proved to be associated with bone loss at the femur. Our findings indicate that chronic hemiplegic patients should be monitored and treated for bone loss, with attention to the identified determinants, and that the upper paretic limb should be included in BMD evaluation

Advanced devices that can assist the therapists to offer rehabilitation are in high demand with the growing rehabilitation needs. The primary requirement from such rehabilitative devices is to reduce the therapist monitoring time. If the training device can autonomously adapt to the performance of the user, it can make the rehabilitation partly self-manageable. Therefore the main goal of our research is to investigate how to make a rehabilitation system more adaptable. The strategy we followed to augment the adaptability of the GENTLE/A robotic system was to (i) identify the parameters that inform about the contribution of the user/robot during a human-robot interaction session and (ii) use these parameters as performance indicators to adapt the system. Three main studies were conducted with healthy participants during the course of this PhD. The first study identified that the difference between the position coordinates recorded by the robot and the reference trajectory position coordinates indicated the leading/lagging status of the user with respect to the robot. Using the leadlag model we proposed two strategies to enhance the adaptability of the system. The first adaptability strategy tuned the performance time to suit the user’s requirements (second study). The second adaptability strategy tuned the task difficulty level based on the user’s leading or lagging status (third study). In summary the research undertaken during this PhD successfully enhanced the adaptability of the GENTLE/A system. The adaptability strategies evaluated were designed to suit various stages of recovery. Apart from potential use for remote assessment of patients, the work presented in this thesis is applicable in many areas of human-robot interaction research where a robot and human are involved in physical interaction.