Mary M. Krieger

Journal Publication Productivity in Academic Physical Therapy Programs in the United States and Puerto Rico From 1998 to 2002

Background and Purpose: The peer-reviewed journal article is the basic unit by which scholarship is defined. Few studies have examined peer-reviewed publication productivity in academic physical therapy programs. In this study, the publication productivity in academic physical therapy programs in the United States and Puerto Rico from 1998 to 2002 was documented, and publication productivity was examined in the context of selected program characteristics. Subjects and Methods: A total of 194 programs listed on the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) Web site in the spring of 2004 were examined. The databases were searched for bibliographic citations of journal articles attributed to particular programs. The program characteristics of faculty size, offering of a research doctorate, and listing in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education (Carnegie Classification) were compared with the number of citations. Results: A total of 169 programs had at least 1 attributed citation, 50.3% of the programs had fewer than 5 citations, and 3% had 44 or more citations. Rankings based on the number of citations changed when adjusted for faculty size. Of the 38 programs offering a research doctoral degree, 16 had 20 or more citations. Five programs with 44 or more citations were all categorized by the Carnegie Classification as doctoral intensive or extensive. Discussion and Conclusion: A few programs had a large number of attributed bibliographic citations, but the majority of programs had limited publication productivity in the 5 years studied. These results may provide a baseline for studying the effectiveness of the relatively new CAPTE standards mandating scholarship by physical therapy faculty over time and the impact of the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree on research in physical therapy.

The Mobile Reference Service: a case study of an onsite reference service program at the school of public health

The School of Public Health at Saint Louis University is located at a greater distance from the library than other programs on the main medical center campus. Physical distance diminishes the ease of access to direct reference services for public health users. To bridge the gap, the library developed the Mobile Reference Service to deliver on-site information assistance with regular office hours each week. Between September 2006 and April 2007, a total of 57 in-depth reference transactions took place over 25 weeks, averaging 2 transactions per week in a 2-hour period. Overall reference transactions from public health users went up 28%, while liaison contacts with public health users doubled compared to the same period the year before. The Mobile Reference Service program has improved library support for research and scholarship, cultivated and strengthened liaison relationships, and enhanced marketing and delivery of library resources and services to the Saint Louis University School of Public Health.

Desktop document delivery, online instruction, and electronic course reserves : Expanding electronic health sciences library services

Abstract Health sciences libraries are expanding services that use online technologies to support teaching, research, and clinical care needs. Saint Louis Universitys Health Sciences Center (SLU HSC) Library has developed strong, user-centered, online services in interlibrary loan, bibliographic instruction, and electronic reserves. The authors present their successful experiences in using electronic technologies to improve library services. Journal articles are provided, often the same day as requested through interlibrary loan, and delivered in electronic format using OCLCs ILLiad program. First-year SLU medical students now complete a self-paced, all online, Health Information Resources course that targets the most relevant biomedical resources, reduces student study time, and is viewed as a model for the entire curriculum. ERes, the electronic reserves program, allows faculty to provide course materials that are accessible at the convenience of students 24 hours a day. These online programs are examples of using electronic technologies to better support user needs for excellent library services.

Endurance exercise improves function in individuals with Parkinson’s disease: A meta-analysis

Current evidence has shown that exercise can reduce symptoms of Parkinsons disease (PD). However, previous studies indicated mixed results, possibly because of variability in terms of the nature of the exercise interventions. The purpose of this study was to perform a metaanalysis of current evidence from endurance exercise intervention studies for effects on the United Parkinsons Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) in individuals with PD. A systematic literature search in six electronic databases was performed and two independent reviewers screened the title and abstract of 1106 records captured by the initial search. Inclusion criteria for full-text review were (A) peer-reviewed English-language publications, (B) randomized controlled trials that compared an endurance exercise intervention group to a non-exercising control group, and (C) an outcome measure which included the UPDRS total score or section III (motor) subscore. From the title/abstract screening, the same independent reviewers assessed 245 full-text articles for eligibility. Of the fulltext articles reviewed 7 articles were included in our meta-analysis, 238 were excluded for the following reasons: 147 did not meet endurance exercise criteria, 53 were review/systematic reviews, 34 were conference abstracts or posters, 2 were editorial or commentary, 1 was a study protocol, and 1 was unpublished. The d index was used to calculate the difference between means of different groups within individual studies, and a weighting factor or w was used to calculate the effect size across studies. Overall, d index was found to be -0.32 with 95% confidence interval, CI (-0.09, -0.56) found to be statistically significant indicating a positive effect of endurance exercise in UPDRS scores. In conclusion, this meta-analysis supports integrating endurance exercise training, as defined by ACSM, into treatment of PD.

A model of risk reduction for older adults vulnerable to nursing home placement.

Because of the cost of nursing home care and desire of older adults to stay in their homes, it is important for health care providers to understand the factors that place older adults at risk for nursing home placement. This integrative review of 12 years of research, as published in 148 articles, explores the risk factors for nursing home placement of older adults. Using the framework of the vulnerable populations conceptual model developed by Flaskerud and Winslow (1998), we explored factors related to resource availability, relative risks, and health status. Important factors include socioeconomic status, having a caregiver, the availability and use of home- and community-based support services, race, acute illness particularly if hospitalization is required, medications, dementia, multiple chronic conditions, functional disability, and falls. Few intervention studies were identified. Development of evidence-based interventions and creation of policies to address modifiable risk factors are important next steps.

An exploratory analysis of PubMed's free full-text limit on citation retrieval for clinical questions.

OBJECTIVE The research sought to determine (1) how use of the PubMed free full-text (FFT) limit affects citation retrieval and (2) how use of the FFT limit impacts the types of articles and levels of evidence retrieved. METHODS Four clinical questions based on a research agenda for physical therapy were searched in PubMed both with and without the use of the FFT limit. Retrieved citations were examined for relevancy to each question. Abstracts of relevant citations were reviewed to determine the types of articles and levels of evidence. Descriptive analysis was used to compare the total number of citations, number of relevant citations, types of articles, and levels of evidence both with and without the use of the FFT limit. RESULTS Across all 4 questions, the FFT limit reduced the number of citations to 11.1% of the total number of citations retrieved without the FFT limit. Additionally, high-quality evidence such as systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials were missed when the FFT limit was used. CONCLUSIONS Health sciences librarians play a key role in educating users about the potential impact the FFT limit has on the number of citations, types of articles, and levels of evidence retrieved.

Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome in Active Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Risk Factors:

Context: Medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS) is a common condition in active individuals and presents as diffuse pain along the posteromedial border of the tibia. Objective: To use cross-sectional, case-control, and cohort studies to identify significant MTSS risk factors. Data Sources: Bibliographic databases (PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, EMBASE, EBM Reviews, PEDRo), grey literature, electronic search of full text of journals, manual review of reference lists, and automatically executed PubMed MTSS searches were utilized. All searches were conducted between 2011 and 2015. Study Selection: Inclusion criteria were determined a priori and included original research with participants’ pain diffuse, located in the posterior medial tibial region, and activity related. Study Design: Systematic review with meta-analysis. Level of evidence: Level 4. Data Extraction: Titles and abstracts were reviewed to eliminate citations that did not meet the criteria for inclusion. Study characteristics identified a priori were extracted for data analysis. Statistical heterogeneity was examined using the I2 index and Cochran Q test, and a random-effects model was used to calculate the meta-analysis when 2 or more studies examined a risk factor. Two authors independently assessed study quality. Results: Eighty-three articles met the inclusion criteria, and 22 articles included risk factor data. Of the 27 risk factors that were in 2 or more studies, 5 risk factors showed a significant pooled effect and low statistical heterogeneity, including female sex (odds ratio [OR], 2.35; CI, 1.58-3.50), increased weight (standardized mean difference [SMD], 0.24; CI, 0.03-0.45), higher navicular drop (SMD, 0.44; CI, 0.21-0.67), previous running injury (OR, 2.18; CI, 1.00-4.72), and greater hip external rotation with the hip in flexion (SMD, 0.44; CI, 0.23-0.65). The remaining risk factors had a nonsignificant pooled effect or significant pooled effect with high statistical heterogeneity. Conclusion: Female sex, increased weight, higher navicular drop, previous running injury, and greater hip external rotation with the hip in flexion are risk factors for the development of MTSS.

Survivor Notification of Post-Disaster Mental Health Services: An Integrative Review

ABSTRACT This integrative review identifies notification methods for psychiatric mental health services for adult survivors of natural disasters for articles published from 2011 through 2016. Databases searched included Scopus, Cochrane Library, CINAHL Plus, Ovid MEDLINE, and Ovid PsycINFO. The search was limited to English language. Initially, 273 titles/abstracts were reviewed, and 18 articles were retained for synthesis. Communication occurs through formal means of health care provider referrals and online programs (72%); informal supports are friends, family and clergy (28%). Mental health providers have significant impact on disaster recovery by developing plans for communication.

Motivational Interviewing and Fruit/Vegetable Consumption in Older Adults

Evidence supports the relationship between fruit and vegetable consumption (FVC) and risk reduction for several illness conditions, even for older adults. Thus, we examined the effects of motivational interviewing (MI) on FVC in adults with a mean age ≥60. We chose MI because of its growing popularity as an effective behavior change strategy and because the person-centered MI principles are a good fit for older adults. We searched 10 electronic databases, several journals, and unpublished and fugitive literature. We retrieved seven primary studies, providing nine comparisons, with 1,978 participants. The overall MI effect size (ES) was .221 (p = .002). When the percentage of women was greater, ES was lower; when interventionists had more training, ES was higher; and when sessions were longer, ES was stronger. Future researchers might test longer sessions with trained interventionists and examine gender differences. Practitioners should be well trained and offer sessions that are 30 to 40 min in length.

NLINKS: Online, Peer‐Reviewed Bibliographic References on Sleep

PURPOSE To develop a methodology for establishing an online (http://www.nlinks.org), peer-reviewed, annotated bibliography. Disturbed sleep patterns and sleep deprivation were the arbitrarily selected foci. METHODS Tasks included developing an annotated bibliographic form and collecting reviews, first from investigators and next from an online solicitation, and improving the annotated form as needed with the implementation of each of the following steps: (a) selecting MEDLINE and CINAHL search strategies for the years 1966–1982 and 1982–2001, respectively, (b) classifying an articles evidence base and its contribution to language development; (c) evaluating construct and content validity of the evidence base and the contribution to language development classifications, (d) determining interrater reliability in evaluating reviews, (e) publishing the results online, and (f) preparing for the deductive phase of the research and future research efforts. FINDINGS There was high interrater reliability within the contribution to language development scale but not within the evidence-based scale. This finding led to a discussion on the evidence base of nursing. Comparisons between evidence base of medicine and nursing were made. A three-tiered matrix was developed to allow for the cross-categorization of level of nursing evidence with diagnoses, defining characteristics, related factors, interventions or treatments, and outcomes. Access to literature within any one cell of the matrix required knowledge of filters used by MEDLINE and CINAHL and adapting these filters to capture subject headings consistent with language development subjects and terms. CONCLUSIONS Future searches are planned and the implications for nursing informatics, education, practice, and research have been articulated. The move toward evidence-based nursing is international in nature.