The effect of Video Display Terminal (VDT) mouse use on muscle contractions in the neck and forearm

This study used surface electromyography (EMG) to examine the percent of maximum voluntary contraction (%MVC) of the upper trapezius, the flexors of the wrist/fingers and extensors of the wrist/fingers during Video Display Terminal (VDT) mouse use with the mouse positioned either next to the computer or on a lapdesk. Thirty participants, between the ages of 18 and 40, used a VDT mouse to follow a prescribed pattern for three trials at each location. Although there was a trend towards the lapdesk location producing lower %MVC than the computer location for the trapezius and wrist/finger flexors (lapdesk: trapezius M 4.71%, wrist/finger flexors M 3.53%; computer: trapezius M 5.74%, wrist/finger flexors M 3.94%) a two way ANOVA controlling for sequence and order found no significant difference between the means. There was no trend for the effects of location for the wrist/finger extensors. These results suggest that changing the position of the mouse may not significantly reduce muscle contractions.     

The nature of working in the United States: an occupational therapy perspective

Although working is considered by occupational therapy practitioners to be an important life role, there is very little information about the nature of working in the occupational therapy literature. This article reviews the construct of working in three ways: 1) The history of working and how it has shaped the modern beliefs about working; 2) The nature of working; and 3) The health promoting attributes of working. The paper will also discuss research done on how working is viewed by individuals with disabilities and will touch on some of the implications of the cultural bias in the workplace toward workers with disabilities. Through this increased knowledge of the nature of working, occupational therapy practitioners and other vocational rehabilitation professionals will be better equipped to break down the subtle cultural barriers, and help individuals with disabilities to participate in working.     

Attitudinal Militancy Among Teachers*

Recent research on teacher militancy report associations between various personal background and organizational variables and attitudinal militancy. These relationships are frequently interpreted by the post hoc application of social psychological concepts. A causal model is developed that incorporates relevant personal and organizational variables and the social psychological variables that presumably mediate the relationship between these and attitudinal militancy. Research designed to test the model shows the model is supported.     

The sense-of-coherence and the capability of performing daily occupations in persons with chronic pain

OBJECTIVES: It may be helpful for occupational therapists who promote enabling occupations among persons with chronic pain, to understand the relationship between the persons feelings of meaningfulness, comprehensibility and manageability in life and their capability to perform daily occupations. AIM: The aim of this study was to describe and investigate how these concepts of person and occupational performance of 27 daily occupations in terms of "effort", "inconvenience", "avoidance", "give up", "frequency" and "satisfaction" were related to each other. DESIGN: A prospective correlative study was conducted. METHOD: A consecutive series of eighty-four patients with chronic pain completed a structured interview and responded to the self-assessment instruments Sense-of-Coherence Scale (SOC-13) and Capability of Performing Daily Occupations (CPDO). RESULTS: Weak but significant correlation (p < 0.05) were found between the SOC-13 sub-scale "manageability" and the specific occupations "physical exercise / training" (r = - 0.24), "climb stairs" (r = - 0.27) "social activity" (r= - 0.25) and "wash the laundry" (r = - 0.30), as well as between the SOC-13 sub-scale "meaningfulness" and the CPDO occupations "grocery shopping" (r = -0.22), "performing meals" (r = - 0.24), and "wash the laundry" (r = - 0.31) and the CPDO question "frequency of performing occupations" r = -0.22). The participants' mean value (mean = 58) of SOC-13 was below the other populations represented in a literature review. The mean values for CPDO (3.4-4.3) (optimal score is zero) showed that the participants perceived themselves having activity limitations concerning performance of daily occupations, and the performance area of work productive activities were experienced as more disabling. The degree to which the participants perceived themselves having a strong sense of coherence or being disabled by pain varied greatly both for the results of SOC-13 ( range 32-90 points) and CPDO (range 1.1-7.8 points). CONCLUSION: The expected significant relationship between a person's sense of coherence and the performance of daily occupations was partly verified with weak significant correlations. In clinical practice the assessment instruments are suggested to be of value in rehabilitation clinics for occupational therapists who work with people with chronic pain.     

Implementation and results of the statewide ONHRSS

In response to increased consumer demand, state governments are publishing more detailed information about the quality of nursing homes. In 2002, Ohio legislation mandated the publication of a Long-Term Care Consumer Guide that included information on nursing home resident and family satisfaction surveys. Using the 2002 Ohio Nursing Home Resident Satisfaction Survey as an example, this article addresses two research questions: (1) how can statewide resident face-to-face satisfaction interviews be implemented to maximize participation of residents and facilities and produce reliable and valid results, and (2) how satisfied are residents with their nursing home experiences, overall and by level of cognitive function.