Rehabilitation
for Fibromyalgia Syndrome: Comparison of Holistic and
Complementary Alternative Medicine Therapy
Effectiveness.
Kieren Faull, Research Department, QE Health, Rotorua
Abstract
Aim: To measure within-person change
scores on the Short-Form 36 General Health Survey (SF-36) to
compare the holistic effectiveness of Watsu therapy to
AIX therapy as a rehabilitation intervention for people with
Fibromyaliga Syndrome (FMS). Holistic therapy
was defined as any treatment or combination of treatments
that claimed to address the physical, psychological, social and
spiritual components of health.
Design: the two treatments
(Watus and AIX) and time of data collection (start and end of
treatment) were the factors in the two-conditions, within-subjects
with reverse order counterbalancing design.
Setting: A specialist rehabilitation
service provider, QE Health, Rotorua
Participants: 13 females diagnosed
with FMS
Outcome
Measure: The eight subscales
of the SF-36
Results: Significant change
differences with large effect sizes were found for Watsu on the
SF-36 subscales of physical functioning, bodily pain, vitality and
social functioning for both treatment and interaction
effects.
Conclusions: Results indicate that
Watsu therapy provided an effective holistic intervention for
theis sample. Further research is required to understnad the
dynamics of Watsu therapy and the extent to which these resluts
are generalisable.
Investigating
the effectiveness and reliability of screening techniques for deep
vein thrombosis following total knee or hip surgery.
Teena Swift
Organisational
Culture: The Dynamics of Culture on Organisational Change within a
Rehabilitation Centre.
Kieren Faull, Dr Tom Kalliath, Dale
Smith
Abstract:
The study investigated present day culture
in a New Zealand rehabilitation service organisation and compared
this data with the culture developed by the founder 60 years
ago. Schein's theory of organisation culture and change
provided the rationale. Archival interviews, photographs and
documents were analysed to identify the original culture.
Observational, interview and documental present-day data was
analysed to identify the two present cultures, which were termed
market forces and clinical cultures. Theme comparison
highlighted commonalities and differences between present day and
original cultrues and tested the hypotheses. The findings
supported predicition that foundational concepts and worldviews
still are retained in current day culture. Underlying
beliefs, values and worldview of an organisation were resistant to
change, specifically to the emergence of behaviours not
congruent with the original values and beliefs. The present
day cultures were found to have numerous words in common but with
different meanings, which effectively has resulted in two cultural
languages. The existence of two cultures may, in part,
explain the confusion, tension and misunderstandings that were
evident, which appeared to be associated with resistance to
change.
To assess "The Potential of the
Medical Records of the Last 50 Years for Producing Data for
Medical, Sociological, and Historical Research
Projects"
Of interest to historians, sociologists and
medical researchers: Access is offered to an extensive database
containing information of over 1500 patients who visited the
hospital between 1948-1955. funded by the Community Trust
and compiled by hisotrian Antje Braren, the information could
be used in conjuction with secured sets of patients case
files and punch cards from the same period. Hostorians,
sociologiests or others researching specialist hosital treatments,
medical conditions, pain management, social and cultural trends in
New Zealand could find the resource useful.
Access to the records is subject to
approval by the Community
Trust.
Study to develop an improved method for
monitoring the effects of second-line
therapy in people with rheumatoid arthritis.
