Rob Marc Orr

Soldier occupational load carriage: a narrative review of associated injuries

This narrative review examines injuries sustained by soldiers undertaking occupational load carriage tasks. Military soldiers are required to carry increasingly heavier occupational loads. These loads have been found to increase the physiological cost to the soldier and alter their gait mechanics. Aggregated research findings suggest that the lower limbs are the most frequent anatomical site of injury associated with load carriage. While foot blisters are common, other prevalent lower limb injuries include stress fractures, knee and foot pain, and neuropathies, like digitalgia and meralgia. Shoulder neuropathies (brachial plexus palsy) and lower back injuries are not uncommon. Soldier occupational load carriage has the potential to cause injuries that impact on force generation and force sustainment. Through understanding the nature of these injuries targeted interventions, like improved physical conditioning and support to specialised organisations, can be employed.

Do coursework summative assessments predict clinical performance? A systematic review

BackgroundTwo goals of summative assessment in health profession education programs are to ensure the robustness of high stakes decisions such as progression and licensing, and predict future performance. This systematic and critical review aims to investigate the ability of specific modes of summative assessment to predict the clinical performance of health profession education students.MethodsPubMed, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, ERIC and EMBASE databases were searched using key terms with articles collected subjected to dedicated inclusion criteria. Rigorous exclusion criteria were applied to ensure a consistent interpretation of ‘summative assessment’ and ‘clinical performance’. Data were extracted using a pre-determined format and papers were critically appraised by two independent reviewers using a modified Downs and Black checklist with level of agreement between reviewers determined through a Kappa analysis.ResultsOf the 4783 studies retrieved from the search strategy, 18 studies were included in the final review. Twelve were from the medical profession and there was one from each of physiotherapy, pharmacy, dietetics, speech pathology, dentistry and dental hygiene. Objective Structured Clinical Examinations featured in 15 papers, written assessments in four and problem based learning evaluations, case based learning evaluations and student portfolios each featured in one paper. Sixteen different measures of clinical performance were used. Two papers were identified as ‘poor’ quality and the remainder categorised as ‘fair’ with an almost perfect (k = 0.852) level of agreement between raters. Objective Structured Clinical Examination scores accounted for 1.4–39.7% of the variance in student performance; multiple choice/extended matching questions and short answer written examinations accounted for 3.2–29.2%; problem based or case based learning evaluations accounted for 4.4–16.6%; and student portfolios accounted for 12.1%.ConclusionsObjective structured clinical examinations and written examinations consisting of multiple choice/extended matching questions and short answer questions do have significant relationships with the clinical performance of health professional students. However, caution should be applied if using these assessments as predictive measures for clinical performance due to a small body of evidence and large variations in the predictive strength of the relationships identified. Based on the current evidence, the Objective Structured Clinical Examination may be the most appropriate summative assessment for educators to use to identify students that may be at risk of poor performance in a clinical workplace environment. Further research on this topic is needed to improve the strength of the predictive relationship.

The impact of hydrotherapy on a patient’s perceived well-being: A critical review of the literature

Background: Physiotherapists commonly use hydrotherapy as a treatment approach for various types of conditions. As hydrotherapy utilizes the hydrodynamic properties of water to promote relaxation and decrease pain perception, previous research has suggested that hydrotherapy may help to decrease the health burden of musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions. The aim of this review was to critically examine literature investigating (a) the benefits of hydrotherapy on reducing pain and disability associated with chronic MSK conditions, and (b) report on literature findings regarding the perceived benefit of hydrotherapy on the well-being of adults with chronic MSK conditions. Methods: Select electronic databases were searched to identify relevant articles. Studies meeting the inclusion criteria were critically analyzed using the Downs and Black protocol with agreement between raters assessed via Kappa analysis. Results: Nine original articles addressing the benefits of hydrotherapy on adult populations with chronic MSK conditions were analyzed. The mean critical appraisal score was 73% (κ = 0.87) with the evidence suggesting that hydrotherapy had a positive effect on pain, quality of life, condition-related disability and functional exercise capacity. It was also noted that following hydrotherapy, the perceived benefit of well-being was superior to land-based exercise protocols in cases where water temperature was within a thermoneutral range (33.5–35.5 °C). Conclusion: Hydrotherapy helps to reduce the health burden of MSK conditions. Improvements in the perception of well-being are likely to occur following hydrotherapy that is conducted in water within the thermoneutral range.

Physical activity and childhood academic achievement: a critical review

OBJECTIVES: Physical activity is thought to have a positive effect on a childs brain and their ability to learn. This review critically examines literature investigating physical activity and its effects on academic achievement. METHODS: Databases, search terms and reference lists were utilized to identify appropriate studies. Relevant studies were evaluated using the Downs and Black checklist. Inter-rater agreement was determined by Krippendorffs alpha. RESULTS: Ten research studies (mean score of 74%: KAlpha=0.86), including children aged from 6-12 years were retained for evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: The review identified that physical activity, delivered in different physical modalities, both during and out of school hours had a favorable effect on academic achievement and cognitive functioning and performance. Language: en

Comparing the Effects of Different Body Armor Systems on the Occupational Performance of Police Officers

Policing duties may inherently be dangerous due to stab, blunt trauma and ballistic threats. The addition of individual light armor vests (ILAVs) has been suggested as a means to protect officers. However, the addition of the extra load of the ILAV may affect officer ability to conduct occupational tasks. The purpose of this study was to determine if wearing any of three different ILAVs made by different companies with their preferred materials and designs (ILAV A, 4.68 percent body weight, ILAV B, 4.05 percent body weight, & ILAV C, 3.71 percent body weight) affected occupational task performance when compared to that in normal station wear. A prospective, within-subjects repeated measures design was employed, using a counterbalanced randomization in which each ILAV was worn for an entire day while officers completed a variety of occupationally relevant tasks. These tasks included a victim drag, car exit and 5-meter sprint, step down and marksmanship task. To compare the effects of the ILAVs on these tasks, a multivariate repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted, with post hoc pairwise comparisons using a Bonferroni adjustment. Results showed that performance in each task did not vary between any of the ILAV or normal station wear conditions. There was less variability in the marksmanship task with ILAV B, however. The results suggest that none of the ILAVs used in this study were heavy enough to significantly affect task performance in the assessed tasks when compared to wearing normal station wear.

Assessing differences in anthropometric and fitness characteristics between police academy cadets and incumbent officers

Abstract Orr, RM, Dawes, JJ, Pope, R, and Terry, J. Assessing differences in anthropometric and fitness characteristics between police academy cadets and incumbent officers. J Strength Cond Res 32(9): 2641–2650, 2018—The physical fitness of police officers must be developed in new cadets and sustained in incumbent officers. The aims of this study were to profile and compare the anthropometric and fitness characteristics of police academy cadets and incumbent officers of varying ages from a single police force. Retrospective data for 84 police academy cadets (♂ = 66, mean age = 27.96 ± 5.73 years; ♀ = 18, mean age = 30.50 ± 5.76 years) and 80 incumbent police officers (♂ = 73, mean age = 39.43 ± 8.28 years; ♀ = 7, mean age = 37.86 ± 3.67 years) were compiled. Data included participant age, anthropometric (body mass, lean mass, and fat mass), and fitness measurements (1-minute push-up, 1-minute sit-up, 1 repetition maximum bench press, vertical jump, 300-m, and 1.5-mile run). Male cadets exhibited significantly lower fat mass than male officers (12.4 vs. 15.1 kg, p = 0.003). These differences were fully explained by the age differences between these groups (p = 0.046). Male cadets were more aerobically fit with greater muscular endurance than male officers (p < 0.001 for all measures). This difference was not explained by age differences (p > 0.80 for all measures). Male cadets also exhibited higher anaerobic fitness than male officers (p < 0.001). Age differences only partially explained this difference (p = 0.01). Female cadets exhibited greater upper-body strength and muscular endurance than female officers (p < 0.004 for all measures), independent of age. Being a police officer, rather than age progression, may largely account for observed lower levels of fitness in incumbent officers when compared with cadets. Formalized physical training programs for incumbent police officers are needed if their fitness is to be maintained and risk of cardiovascular disease minimized.