No abstract

Evaluating fidelity measures is useful in terms of revealing the gaps between optimal and actual performance in hand hygiene. Fidelity measures are suitable in different healthcare contexts and easy to measure according to the relevant indicators of fidelity, such as the length of hand rubbing. Knowing the gap facilitates improvements in clinical practice.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between balancing movements and age and sex in standing on two legs with the eyes open and closed using the motion analysis system. The collected data may help in developing balance evaluation and training in rehabilitation. The study sample consisted of 100 healthy, randomly selected people from the City of Oulu (men and women aged 31 to 80 years). The participants were divided into 10 groups by age decade and sex. The body movements in standing on two legs with the eyes open and closed were measured with the Mac Reflex motion analysis system (Qualisys AB, Partille, Sweden) and calculated as maximal anterior-posterior and total movements. The associations between movement values and age and sex were analysed. During standing on two legs with the eyes open, there was a statistically significant difference in the maximal anterior-posterior head movement between the age groups (P < 0.05) but the results did not show any other statistically significant differences between the balancing movements of the separate body parts of the groups or between the balance measurement values of men and women in standing on two legs with the eyes open and closed. In standing on two legs with the eyes closed all the measured body parts moved more than in standing with the eyes open (P < 0.001). It was concluded that healthy men and women seem to control their steady standing position with quite similar ranges of body adjustment. Standing balance control should also possibly be evaluated and trained in more difficult circumstances, because some changes do not necessarily appear in easier balance tasks or performance.

No abstract

Context:Balance evaluation and training are typically included in rehabilitation after sport injuries.Objective:To evaluate and compare the maximal velocities and accelerations of balancing movements during 2-leg stance with eyes open and closed. The effect of age on the measured values was also evaluated.Design:Cross-sectional study.Participants:100 healthy, randomly selected subjects (50 men, 50 women; age 31–80 years).Setting:Body-movement values were measured with the Mac Reflex motion-analysis system.Intervention:Subjects stood barefoot.Main Outcome Measures:ANOVAs were used to explain the body movements. The location of measurement, presence or absence of vision, and subjects’ age and gender were used as explanatory variables.Results:With eyes closed, all measured body parts had significantly higher maximal velocity and acceleration values than with eyes open. Age seemed to affect the acceleration values.Conclusion:Visual information was found to significantly influence movement values. Exercises should be done under various conditions to improve standing balance abilities.