Hip fracture is a global and a growing public health problem. More women than men sustain hip fractures, the incidence increases exponentially with age and mean age is above 80. About one third of hip-fracture patients suffer from dementia and are prone to develop acute confusional state (delirium). Delirium is one of the most common complications after hip-fracture surgery, and seriously impacts on morbidity and mortality. Malnutrition is also common in hip-fracture patients and is associated with postoperative complications, such as delayed healing of the wound, infections and decubitus ulcers. Arthroplasty is usually preferred procedure in displaced femoral neck fractures but is, however, controversial in patients with dementia due to the fear of dislocation of the prosthesis. The aims of this thesis are to identify risk factors for delirium and the impact of delirium on rehabilitation outcome, to evaluate whether a postoperative multi-factorial intervention program could reduce delirium, to investigate the effect of a nutritional intervention and to evaluate complications, functional outcome and mortality regarding two surgical methods, hemiarthroplasty (HAP) and internal fixation (IF), in old patients with femoral neck fracture. Thirty-eight out of 61 consecutive patients (62%) were delirious on admission to hospital or developed postoperative delirium. An increased risk of postoperative delirium was found among hip-fracture patients with dementia and/or depression. Delirious patients were hospitalized longer, were more dependent in their activities of daily living, had poorer psychological well-being and suffered more complications than non-delirious patients. A postoperative multi-factorial and multidisciplinary intervention program reduced the incidence, at 55% vs 75% (p=0.003), and number of days with delirium, 5 vs 10 days (p=0.009). Postoperative complications were also reduced; decubitus ulcers 9% vs 22% (p= 0.010), urinary tract infections 31% vs 51% (p=0.005), falls 12% vs 27% (p=0.007), and the mean hospitalization period was 10 days shorter in the intervention group (p=0.030). Malnutrition was common among all these patients (53 %) and associated with postoperative complications such as decubitus ulcers and delirium. However, the nutritional intervention had no effect on nutritional parameters at four months, nevertheless men had better nutritional outcomes than women. A higher proportion of patients with dementia operated on using HAP had regained their pre-fracture ability to walk independently at the one-year follow up compared with those operated on using IF. Six of 83 patients dislocated their HAP during hospitalization and during an episode of delirium, none had dementia. No difference in mortality between the surgical methods was seen. Dementia per se should not be a reason to disqualify patients from being treated with the most appropriate surgical method. It is clinically important to discriminate between dementia and delirium, since delirium can be prevented and treated even in patients with dementia. Old patients undergoing surgery have special needs that are not always catered for in ordinary orthopaedic or surgical wards. The special care for these patients should include: a combined nursing and medical care based on comprehensive geriatric assessments, systematic prevention, detection and treatment of postoperative complications such as delirium, hypoxemia, urinary tract infections, pain, malnutrition and an active rehabilitation. It is obvious that improved quality of care reduces patient suffering and seemingly the costs for society.

High quality health services are often difficult to access in rural and remote areas of Australia. This is due to a shortage of health care professionals and specialists, inadequate and poorly distributed resources, and the tyranny of distance. The result is a reduced level of health and a higher mortality rate than seen in urban communities. Telemedicine, which is the use of various technologies to deliver a range of health care services over a distance, has the potential to increase equity and access to health care in rural and remote areas. To date there has been a poor uptake of telemedicine technology within the profession of physiotherapy. This undoubtedly stems from the perceived, and indeed, real difficulty of performing what is traditionally ‘hands on’ therapy, via an electronic medium. Added to this is a paucity of rigorous clinical outcome studies to demonstrate the efficacy of performing successful treatment via this delivery method. The aim of this thesis was to establish the efficacy of telemedicine as a clinical tool for physiotherapists. To achieve this, the first major undertaking was the development of a telemedicine system to meet the unique needs of clinical physiotherapists and their patients. A series of studies was then performed to calibrate the system and establish its validity and reliability as a clinical assessment tool. Finally, a randomised controlled trial was conducted to assess the treatment efficacy of the telemedicine system. The telemedicine system was constructed using a human systems development approach, with close consultation with senior clinical physiotherapists and potential users of the system. The personal computer-based system was designed to connect patients in their home with physiotherapists in the hospital, via low-speed and low-cost communications. The system incorporated real-time videoconferencing and physical measurement tools to enable the remote assessment of patients. The validity and reliability of the telemedicine physical measurement tools were established through a series of five studies. The results demonstrated these measurements to be accurate and reliable, under various measurement conditions, when compared to reference instruments. A prospective randomised controlled trial was conducted to assess the treatment efficacy of the telemedicine system. The research model chosen for this study was the rehabilitation of subjects who had undergone total knee replacement surgery. Block randomisation was used to assign 65 participants to either a traditional face-to-face therapy group or a telemedicine rehabilitation group. Participants in both groups received treatment over a six week period. Data analysis focussed on comparing physical and functional rehabilitation outcomes achieved in each treatment group. The results of this study demonstrated that the rehabilitation outcomes produced via the telemedicine system were similar to those achieved in the traditional manner. Additionally, the telemedicine therapy was found to produce greater improvements in a number of functional outcome measurements. A high level of satisfaction was expressed by participants who received treatment via the telemedicine method. This thesis provides evidence of the efficacy of telemedicine as a clinical tool for physiotherapists. Furthermore, the work detailed in this thesis represents one of the first randomised control trials in telerehabilitation and makes a significant contribution towards the knowledge of low-bandwidth telemedicine in general. This thesis provides a framework upon which further research and telemedicine applications may be developed, with the ultimate goal of improving equity and access to high quality health services in rural and remote areas.

High quality health services are often difficult to access in rural and remote areas of Australia. This is due to a shortage of health care professionals and specialists, inadequate and poorly distributed resources, and the tyranny of distance. The result is a reduced level of health and a higher mortality rate than seen in urban communities. Telemedicine, which is the use of various technologies to deliver a range of health care services over a distance, has the potential to increase equity and access to health care in rural and remote areas. To date there has been a poor uptake of telemedicine technology within the profession of physiotherapy. This undoubtedly stems from the perceived, and indeed, real difficulty of performing what is traditionally ‘hands on’ therapy, via an electronic medium. Added to this is a paucity of rigorous clinical outcome studies to demonstrate the efficacy of performing successful treatment via this delivery method. The aim of this thesis was to establish the efficacy of telemedicine as a clinical tool for physiotherapists. To achieve this, the first major undertaking was the development of a telemedicine system to meet the unique needs of clinical physiotherapists and their patients. A series of studies was then performed to calibrate the system and establish its validity and reliability as a clinical assessment tool. Finally, a randomised controlled trial was conducted to assess the treatment efficacy of the telemedicine system. The telemedicine system was constructed using a human systems development approach, with close consultation with senior clinical physiotherapists and potential users of the system. The personal computer-based system was designed to connect patients in their home with physiotherapists in the hospital, via low-speed and low-cost communications. The system incorporated real-time videoconferencing and physical measurement tools to enable the remote assessment of patients. The validity and reliability of the telemedicine physical measurement tools were established through a series of five studies. The results demonstrated these measurements to be accurate and reliable, under various measurement conditions, when compared to reference instruments. A prospective randomised controlled trial was conducted to assess the treatment efficacy of the telemedicine system. The research model chosen for this study was the rehabilitation of subjects who had undergone total knee replacement surgery. Block randomisation was used to assign 65 participants to either a traditional face-to-face therapy group or a telemedicine rehabilitation group. Participants in both groups received treatment over a six week period. Data analysis focussed on comparing physical and functional rehabilitation outcomes achieved in each treatment group. The results of this study demonstrated that the rehabilitation outcomes produced via the telemedicine system were similar to those achieved in the traditional manner. Additionally, the telemedicine therapy was found to produce greater improvements in a number of functional outcome measurements. A high level of satisfaction was expressed by participants who received treatment via the telemedicine method. This thesis provides evidence of the efficacy of telemedicine as a clinical tool for physiotherapists. Furthermore, the work detailed in this thesis represents one of the first randomised control trials in telerehabilitation and makes a significant contribution towards the knowledge of low-bandwidth telemedicine in general. This thesis provides a framework upon which further research and telemedicine applications may be developed, with the ultimate goal of improving equity and access to high quality health services in rural and remote areas.

High quality health services are often difficult to access in rural and remote areas of Australia. This is due to a shortage of health care professionals and specialists, inadequate and poorly distributed resources, and the tyranny of distance. The result is a reduced level of health and a higher mortality rate than seen in urban communities. Telemedicine, which is the use of various technologies to deliver a range of health care services over a distance, has the potential to increase equity and access to health care in rural and remote areas. To date there has been a poor uptake of telemedicine technology within the profession of physiotherapy. This undoubtedly stems from the perceived, and indeed, real difficulty of performing what is traditionally ‘hands on’ therapy, via an electronic medium. Added to this is a paucity of rigorous clinical outcome studies to demonstrate the efficacy of performing successful treatment via this delivery method. The aim of this thesis was to establish the efficacy of telemedicine as a clinical tool for physiotherapists. To achieve this, the first major undertaking was the development of a telemedicine system to meet the unique needs of clinical physiotherapists and their patients. A series of studies was then performed to calibrate the system and establish its validity and reliability as a clinical assessment tool. Finally, a randomised controlled trial was conducted to assess the treatment efficacy of the telemedicine system. The telemedicine system was constructed using a human systems development approach, with close consultation with senior clinical physiotherapists and potential users of the system. The personal computer-based system was designed to connect patients in their home with physiotherapists in the hospital, via low-speed and low-cost communications. The system incorporated real-time videoconferencing and physical measurement tools to enable the remote assessment of patients. The validity and reliability of the telemedicine physical measurement tools were established through a series of five studies. The results demonstrated these measurements to be accurate and reliable, under various measurement conditions, when compared to reference instruments. A prospective randomised controlled trial was conducted to assess the treatment efficacy of the telemedicine system. The research model chosen for this study was the rehabilitation of subjects who had undergone total knee replacement surgery. Block randomisation was used to assign 65 participants to either a traditional face-to-face therapy group or a telemedicine rehabilitation group. Participants in both groups received treatment over a six week period. Data analysis focussed on comparing physical and functional rehabilitation outcomes achieved in each treatment group. The results of this study demonstrated that the rehabilitation outcomes produced via the telemedicine system were similar to those achieved in the traditional manner. Additionally, the telemedicine therapy was found to produce greater improvements in a number of functional outcome measurements. A high level of satisfaction was expressed by participants who received treatment via the telemedicine method. This thesis provides evidence of the efficacy of telemedicine as a clinical tool for physiotherapists. Furthermore, the work detailed in this thesis represents one of the first randomised control trials in telerehabilitation and makes a significant contribution towards the knowledge of low-bandwidth telemedicine in general. This thesis provides a framework upon which further research and telemedicine applications may be developed, with the ultimate goal of improving equity and access to high quality health services in rural and remote areas.

High quality health services are often difficult to access in rural and remote areas of Australia. This is due to a shortage of health care professionals and specialists, inadequate and poorly distributed resources, and the tyranny of distance. The result is a reduced level of health and a higher mortality rate than seen in urban communities. Telemedicine, which is the use of various technologies to deliver a range of health care services over a distance, has the potential to increase equity and access to health care in rural and remote areas. To date there has been a poor uptake of telemedicine technology within the profession of physiotherapy. This undoubtedly stems from the perceived, and indeed, real difficulty of performing what is traditionally ‘hands on’ therapy, via an electronic medium. Added to this is a paucity of rigorous clinical outcome studies to demonstrate the efficacy of performing successful treatment via this delivery method. The aim of this thesis was to establish the efficacy of telemedicine as a clinical tool for physiotherapists. To achieve this, the first major undertaking was the development of a telemedicine system to meet the unique needs of clinical physiotherapists and their patients. A series of studies was then performed to calibrate the system and establish its validity and reliability as a clinical assessment tool. Finally, a randomised controlled trial was conducted to assess the treatment efficacy of the telemedicine system. The telemedicine system was constructed using a human systems development approach, with close consultation with senior clinical physiotherapists and potential users of the system. The personal computer-based system was designed to connect patients in their home with physiotherapists in the hospital, via low-speed and low-cost communications. The system incorporated real-time videoconferencing and physical measurement tools to enable the remote assessment of patients. The validity and reliability of the telemedicine physical measurement tools were established through a series of five studies. The results demonstrated these measurements to be accurate and reliable, under various measurement conditions, when compared to reference instruments. A prospective randomised controlled trial was conducted to assess the treatment efficacy of the telemedicine system. The research model chosen for this study was the rehabilitation of subjects who had undergone total knee replacement surgery. Block randomisation was used to assign 65 participants to either a traditional face-to-face therapy group or a telemedicine rehabilitation group. Participants in both groups received treatment over a six week period. Data analysis focussed on comparing physical and functional rehabilitation outcomes achieved in each treatment group. The results of this study demonstrated that the rehabilitation outcomes produced via the telemedicine system were similar to those achieved in the traditional manner. Additionally, the telemedicine therapy was found to produce greater improvements in a number of functional outcome measurements. A high level of satisfaction was expressed by participants who received treatment via the telemedicine method. This thesis provides evidence of the efficacy of telemedicine as a clinical tool for physiotherapists. Furthermore, the work detailed in this thesis represents one of the first randomised control trials in telerehabilitation and makes a significant contribution towards the knowledge of low-bandwidth telemedicine in general. This thesis provides a framework upon which further research and telemedicine applications may be developed, with the ultimate goal of improving equity and access to high quality health services in rural and remote areas.

High quality health services are often difficult to access in rural and remote areas of Australia. This is due to a shortage of health care professionals and specialists, inadequate and poorly distributed resources, and the tyranny of distance. The result is a reduced level of health and a higher mortality rate than seen in urban communities. Telemedicine, which is the use of various technologies to deliver a range of health care services over a distance, has the potential to increase equity and access to health care in rural and remote areas. To date there has been a poor uptake of telemedicine technology within the profession of physiotherapy. This undoubtedly stems from the perceived, and indeed, real difficulty of performing what is traditionally ‘hands on’ therapy, via an electronic medium. Added to this is a paucity of rigorous clinical outcome studies to demonstrate the efficacy of performing successful treatment via this delivery method. The aim of this thesis was to establish the efficacy of telemedicine as a clinical tool for physiotherapists. To achieve this, the first major undertaking was the development of a telemedicine system to meet the unique needs of clinical physiotherapists and their patients. A series of studies was then performed to calibrate the system and establish its validity and reliability as a clinical assessment tool. Finally, a randomised controlled trial was conducted to assess the treatment efficacy of the telemedicine system. The telemedicine system was constructed using a human systems development approach, with close consultation with senior clinical physiotherapists and potential users of the system. The personal computer-based system was designed to connect patients in their home with physiotherapists in the hospital, via low-speed and low-cost communications. The system incorporated real-time videoconferencing and physical measurement tools to enable the remote assessment of patients. The validity and reliability of the telemedicine physical measurement tools were established through a series of five studies. The results demonstrated these measurements to be accurate and reliable, under various measurement conditions, when compared to reference instruments. A prospective randomised controlled trial was conducted to assess the treatment efficacy of the telemedicine system. The research model chosen for this study was the rehabilitation of subjects who had undergone total knee replacement surgery. Block randomisation was used to assign 65 participants to either a traditional face-to-face therapy group or a telemedicine rehabilitation group. Participants in both groups received treatment over a six week period. Data analysis focussed on comparing physical and functional rehabilitation outcomes achieved in each treatment group. The results of this study demonstrated that the rehabilitation outcomes produced via the telemedicine system were similar to those achieved in the traditional manner. Additionally, the telemedicine therapy was found to produce greater improvements in a number of functional outcome measurements. A high level of satisfaction was expressed by participants who received treatment via the telemedicine method. This thesis provides evidence of the efficacy of telemedicine as a clinical tool for physiotherapists. Furthermore, the work detailed in this thesis represents one of the first randomised control trials in telerehabilitation and makes a significant contribution towards the knowledge of low-bandwidth telemedicine in general. This thesis provides a framework upon which further research and telemedicine applications may be developed, with the ultimate goal of improving equity and access to high quality health services in rural and remote areas.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Linköping : Linköpings universitet, 2005. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Linköping : Linköpings universitet, 2008. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Abstract The theoretical part of the thesis entitled The Use of NIC and NOC Classifications at Patients with the Total Hip Arthroplasty deals with the problem of the total hip replacement, educating patients before surgery and the regime which must be observed by the patient during the hospitalization and when being discharged from the hospital to home nursing. Further, the nurse has been described as a provider of rehabilitation nursing cooperating with the physiotherapist. The thesis is concerned with the nursing process, it preoccupies with the terminology in the health care, the issue of NANDA, NIC and NOC classifications and the Alliance 3N. Three goals of the thesis were defined: 1. to find out what types of NIC activities are typically used by nurses within the care of patients with total hip replacement. 2. to verify the application of NIC an NOC classifications in the care of patients with total hip replacement. 3. to investigate what sorts of the NOC indicators are typically used by the nurses in the care of patients with total hip replacement. The combination of the quantitative and qualitative research is applied. The four hypotheses were determined in the frame of the quantitative survey: 1. Nursing diagnoses are assessed as not being beneficial by the nurses. 2. Ensuring of tools facilitating the movement is a commonly preferred kind of an intervention by the nurses. 3. The knowledge of NIC and NOC terms is influenced by the previous education. 4. The satisfaction of the nurses with the nursing documentation is influenced by the length of practice. Data was collected by means of the questionnaires. One research query was established for the qualitative research: 1. What is the standpoint of the nurses on the NIC and NOC classifications in the care of the patient with total hip replacement? Data was collected by means of the formed nursing documentation based on the NIC and NOC classifications. The semi-structured interviews were used, as well. H1 remained unconfirmed. H2, H3 and H4 were not statistically validated. The NIC and NOC classifications are generally classified as not being beneficial for the nursing practice by the nurses.

INTRODUÇÃO: a doença de Legg-Calvé-Perthes (DLCP) é a causa da osteoartrose de quadril em menos de 5% dos casos com indicação de artroplastia total do quadril (ATQ). Por isso, poucos estudos descrevem os resultados clínicos e radiológicos da ATQ nessa situação, em que deformidades no fêmur proximal e no acetábulo tornam a cirurgia um desafio técnico. MÉTODO: neste estudo tipo caso-controle, foram revisados os prontuários de pacientes admitidos num hospital público universitário de referência para serem submetidos à ATQ por osteoartrose primária ou secundária à DLCP entre 2008 e 2015, utilizando um determinado modelo de prótese não cimentada de um mesmo fabricante. Os pacientes foram convocados para análise clínica e radiográfica. Indivíduos com ATQ por osteoartrose secundária à DLCP foram comparados a um grupo controle de pacientes com osteoartrose primária quanto a dor e função por meio do questionário de Lequesne. Foram também avaliadas as seguintes variáveis radiográficas: inclinação lateral do componente acetabular em relação à pelve, offset femoral e posicionamento do componente femoral em relação ao canal femoral. As avaliações radiográficas no pós-operatório imediato e na última consulta de seguimento foram comparadas. O tempo cirúrgico, o tamanho dos componentes protéticos utilizados e as complicações decorrentes do ato cirúrgico foram comparados nos dois grupos. RESULTADOS: no período do estudo, foram analisados 22 pacientes no grupo estudo (25 quadris) e 22 pacientes (25 quadris) do grupo controle, que foram comparados. Os dois grupos eram homogêneos quanto a lateralidade, sexo, tempo de cirurgia, tempo de seguimento e tamanho dos componentes utilizados. Os pacientes do grupo controle, com osteoartrose primária, tinham idade superior aos do grupo estudo. Ocorreram quatro fraturas periprotéticas femorais intraoperatórias no grupo com sequela da DLCP e nenhuma no grupo com osteoartrose primária (p = 0,050). A avaliação clínica e funcional mostrou maior comprometimento no grupo de pacientes com sequela da DLCP (p = 0,002). As medidas angulares de inclinação lateral acetabular foram semelhantes entre os dois grupos. Tanto no pós-operatório imediato quanto no final do seguimento, os componentes femorais estavam posicionados significativamente mais em valgo para o grupo com sequela da DLCP quando comparados ao grupo controle (com p = 0,008 no pós-operatório imediato e p = 0,002 no seguimento final). A medida do offset femoral lateral não teve diferenças significativas entre os grupos. Em nenhum dos casos dos grupos estudados houve infecção, luxação ou lesão neurológica decorrentes do ato cirúrgico. Não foi indicada ou realizada nenhuma cirurgia de revisão em ambos os grupos. CONCLUSÕES: há risco aumentado de fratura femoral periprotética intraoperatória e resultados clínico-funcionais piores em pacientes com osteoartrose secundária à sequela da DLCP submetidos a ATQ sem cimento convencional do que em pacientes com osteoartrose primária do quadril. Os componentes femorais da ATQ sem cimento convencional tendem a ser implantados mais em valgo no canal femoral nos casos motivados por osteoartrose secundária à sequela da DLCP comparados aos casos motivados por osteoartrose primária do quadril / INTRODUCTION: Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease (LCPD) is the cause of hip osteoarthrosis in less than 5% of cases with an indication of total hip arthroplasty (THA). For that reason, few studies describe the clinical and radiological results of THA in this situation, in which proximal femur and acetabulum deformities make surgery a technical challenge. METHODS: In this case-control study, the medical records of patients admitted to a public university reference hospital to undergo THA due to primary osteoarthrosis or to LCPD sequelae between 2008 and 2015, using a cementless prosthesis from the same manufacturer, were reviewed. Patients were recruited for clinical and radiographic analysis. Individuals with osteoarthrosis secondary to LCPD were compared to a control group of patients with primary osteoarthrosis regarding pain and function using the Lequesne questionnaire. The following radiographic variables were also evaluated: acetabular component inclination in relation to the pelvis, femoral offset, and femoral component position in relation to the femoral canal. Evaluations in the immediate postoperative period and at the last follow-up visit were compared. The surgical time, the size of the prosthetic components used and the complications resulting from the surgical procedure were studied and compared between groups. RESULTS: During the study period, 22 patients in the study group (25 hips) were compared to 22 patients (25 hips) in the control group. The two groups were homogeneous regarding the laterality, sex, surgery time, follow-up time and size of the prosthetic components used. Patients in the control group, with primary osteoarthrosis, were older than those in the study group. There were four intraoperative femoral periprosthetic fractures in the group with LCPD sequelae and none in the primary osteoarthrosis group (p = 0.050). The clinical and functional evaluation showed greater impairment in the group of patients with LCPD sequelae (p = 0.002). Angular measures of acetabular inclination were similar between the two groups. Both in the immediate postoperative period and at the end of the follow-up, the femoral components were positioned significantly more in valgus for the LCPD sequelae group when compared to the control group (p = 0.008 in the immediate postoperative period and 0.002 in the final follow-up). The measurement of the lateral femoral offset was similar between the groups. In none of the cases of the studied groups, there was infection, dislocation or neurological injury resulting from the surgical act. No revision surgery was indicated or performed in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: There is an increased risk of intraoperative periprosthetic femoral fracture and worse clinical-functional results in patients with osteoarthrosis secondary to LCPD sequelae undergoing conventional cementless THA than in patients with primary hip osteoarthrosis. The femoral components of the cementless THA tend to be implanted more in valgus in the femoral canal in the cases of osteoarthrosis secondary to the sequelae of the LCPD compared to cases of primary hip osteoarthrosis