In response to rising health care costs, hospitals are implementing clinical pathways in order to standardize care, improve cost efficiency and outcomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of initiating physical therapy (PT) on post operative day 1 (POD1) compared to initiating PT on day of surgery (DOS), on length of stay and in-hospital rehabilitation functional outcomes in total hip arthroplasty patients. This change in PT guidelines was part of the implementation of a new multidisciplinary clinical pathway, adopted by the institution in 2007. A retrospective descriptive study of 408 subjects undergoing unilateral THA compared two groups (204 in each group): those who initiated PT on POD1 and those who initiated PT on DOS. Compared to the POD1 group, patients in the DOS group stayed on average 0.21 days less in the hospital. There was no difference in the achievement of functional milestones in spite of the shortened hospitalization. The initiation of a new clinical pathway was successful in reducing mean length of stay while still allowing patients to achieve all necessary functional outcomes, required for discharge home.
This study investigated the information needs, priorities and information-seeking behaviours of parents of infants recently diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) following newborn screening, by piloting the 'Care of Cystic Fibrosis Families Survey'. The questionnaires were posted to eligible parents ( n = 66) attending CF clinics in hospitals in two Australian states; reply-paid envelopes were provided for return of the questionnaires. Twenty-six were returned (response rate 39.4%). The most common questions to which parents required answers during their initial education period related to what CF is, how it is treated and how to care for their child. Parents preferred face-to-face consultations to deliver information, and yet all reported using the Internet to search for more information at some point during the education period. Many parents provided negative feedback about being given their child's CF diagnosis via telephone. The timing, content and method of information delivery can all affect the initial education experience. We can deliver education to better suit the information needs and priorities for education of parents of infants recently diagnosed with CF. The Care of Cystic Fibrosis Families Survey was successfully piloted and recommendations for amendments have been made for use in a larger study across Australia.
Over-the-horizon radars (OTHRs) utilize the refractive properties of the ionosphere to illuminate targets beyond the Earth's horizon. Consequently, the performance of this type of radar is highly dependent on the ionosphere. Reliable models of the radar ground backscatter are required to accurately assess the ionospheric propagation conditions and, thus, the expected performance of OTHRs. The ground backscatter coefficient characterizes the amount of radiation scattered back from a surface toward a receiver per unit area. While the backscatter coefficient of the sea is well understood and may be calculated from theory if the sea state is known, the backscatter coefficient of land at high frequencies is not well understood. To calculate the land backscatter coefficients over Northern Australia, a methodology that compares observed backscatter ionograms to those synthesized using high-frequency (HF) radio wave raytracing techniques through model ionospheres was developed. Maps of the backscatter coefficients across Northern Australia were produced. The effects of surface properties, including topography, soil moisture, and vegetation cover on the backscatter coefficients, were investigated. A weak positive correlation between the backscatter coefficient and the soil moisture and surface roughness was observed; however, it was found that the vegetation had the largest effect on the backscatter coefficient.
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