Understanding patient preferences for student clinician attire: a cross-sectional study of a student chiropractic clinic in Australia.

Objectives: Previous studies have investigated the role of clinical attire in establishing patient-held perceptions of professionalism and knowledgeability across various healthcare settings. This study aimed to understand patients' preferences for chiropractic student attire. Methods: Three hundred and twenty patients were recruited from a university chiropractic clinic and asked to complete an online questionnaire. The patients' preferences for five different attires were rated and calculated as the composite score of five domains (knowledgeable, trustworthy, caring, professional, and comfortable). Results: While 71.9% of participants indicated that how students dress was important to them, most (63.4%) disagreed that wearing a white coat was essential for chiropractic student clinicians. The most preferred form of attire was the current clinic shirt. Conclusion: The attire worn by chiropractic student clinicians at a single institution was found to be an influential attribute. Student chiropractic clinicians should dress professionally to make a good first impression. This study provided some guidance with the ongoing debate around students' dress code.

Objectif: Des études antérieures ont examiné le rôle de la tenue vestimentaire en clinique dans l'établissement des perceptions des patients quant au professionnalisme et à la compétence dans divers environnements de soins de santé. Cette étude visait à comprendre les préférences des patients en matière de tenue vestimentaire des étudiants en chiropratique. Méthodologie: Trois cent vingt patients ont été recrutés dans une clinique chiropratique universitaire et invités à remplir un questionnaire en ligne. Les préférences des patients pour cinq tenues différentes ont été évaluées et calculées en tant que score composite de cinq domaines (bien informé, digne de confiance, attentionné, professionnel et confortable). Résultats: Si 71,9 % des participants ont indiqué que la tenue vestimentaire des étudiants était importante pour eux, la plupart (63,4 %) n'étaient pas d'accord avec le fait que le port d'une blouse blanche était essentiel pour les étudiants cliniciens en chiropratique. La tenue vestimentaire la plus appréciée était la chemise de clinique actuelle. Conclusion: La tenue vestimentaire des étudiants cliniciens en chiropratique d'un même établissement s'est révélée être un attribut influent. Les étudiants en chiropratique doivent s'habiller de manière professionnelle pour faire une bonne première impression. Cette étude a permis d'éclairer le débat en cours sur le code vestimentaire des étudiants.

Healthcare Monitoring Using Low-Cost Sensors to Supplement and Replace Human Sensation: Does It Have Potential to Increase Independent Living and Prevent Disease?

Continuous monitoring of health status has the potential to enhance the quality of life and life expectancy of people suffering from chronic illness and of the elderly. However, such systems can only come into widespread use if the cost of manufacturing is low. Advancements in material science and engineering technology have led to a significant decrease in the expense of developing healthcare monitoring devices. This review aims to investigate the progress of the use of low-cost sensors in healthcare monitoring and discusses the challenges faced when accomplishing continuous and real-time monitoring tasks. The major findings include (1) only a small number of publications (N = 50) have addressed the issue of healthcare monitoring applications using low-cost sensors over the past two decades; (2) the top three algorithms used to process sensor data include SA (Statistical Analysis, 30%), SVM (Support Vector Machine, 18%), and KNN (K-Nearest Neighbour, 12%); and (3) wireless communication techniques (Zigbee, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and RF) serve as the major data transmission tools (77%) followed by cable connection (13%) and SD card data storage (10%). Due to the small fraction (N = 50) of low-cost sensor-based studies among thousands of published articles about healthcare monitoring, this review not only summarises the progress of related research but calls for researchers to devote more effort to the consideration of cost reduction as well as the size of these components.

A Single Subject, Feasibility Study of Using a Non-Contact Measurement to "Visualize" Temperature at Body-Seat Interface.

Measuring temperature changes at the body-seat interface has been drawing increased attention from both industrial and scientific fields, due to the increasingly sedentary nature from daily leisure activity to routine work. Although contact measurement is considered the gold standard, it can affect the local micro-environment and the perception of sitting comfort. A non-contact temperature measurement system was developed to determine the interface temperature using data gathered unobtrusively and continuously from an infrared sensor (IRs). System performance was evaluated regarding linearity, hysteresis, reliability and accuracy. Then a healthy participant sat for an hour on low/intermediate density foams with thickness varying from 0.5−8 cm while body-seat interface temperature was measured simultaneously using a temperature sensor (contact) and an IRs (non-contact). IRs data were filtered with empirical mode decomposition and fractal scaling indices before a data-driven artificial neural network was utilized to estimate the contact surface temperature. A strong correlation existed between non-contact and contact temperature measurement (ρ > 0.85) and the estimation results showed a low root mean square error (RMSE) (<0.07 for low density foam and <0.16 for intermediate density foam) and high Nash-Sutcliff efficiency (NSE) values (≈1 for both types of foam materials).

Review of Measuring Microenvironmental Changes at the Body-Seat Interface and the Relationship between Object Measurement and Subjective Evaluation.

Being seated has increasingly pervaded both working and leisure lifestyles, with development of more comfortable seating surfaces dependent on feedback from subjective questionnaires and design aesthetics. As a consequence, research has become focused on how to objectively resolve factors that might underpin comfort and discomfort. This review summarizes objective methods of measuring the microenvironmental changes at the body-seat interface and examines the relationship between objective measurement and subjective sensation. From the perspective of physical parameters, pressure detection accounted for nearly two thirds (37/54) of the publications, followed by microclimatic information (temperature and relative humidity: 18/54): it is to be noted that one article included both microclimate and pressure measurements and was placed into both categories. In fact, accumulated temperature and relative humidity at the body-seat interface have similarly negative effects on prolonged sitting to that of unrelieved pressure. Another interesting finding was the correlation between objective measurement and subjective evaluation; however, the validity of this may be called into question because of the differences in experiment design between studies.

In-Depth Investigation into the Transient Humidity Response at the Body-Seat Interface on Initial Contact Using a Dual Temperature and Humidity Sensor.

Relative humidity (RH) at the body-seat interface is considered an important factor in both sitting comfort and generation of health concerns such as skin lesions. Technical difficulties appear to have limited research aimed at the detailed and simultaneous exploration of RH and temperature changes at the body-seat interface; using RH sensors without the capability to record temperature where RH is recorded. To explore the causes of a spike in RH consistently produced on first contact between body and seat surface, we report data from the first use of dual temperature and RH (HTU21D) sensors in this interface. Following evaluation of sensor performance, the effect of local thermal changes on RH was investigated. The expected strong negative correlation between temperature and RH (R² = -0.94) supported the importance of considering both parameters when studying impact of sitting on skin health. The influence of sensor movement speed (higher velocity approach: 0.32 cm/s ± 0.01 cm/s; lower velocity approach: 0.17 cm/s ± 0.01 cm/s) into a static RH region associated with a higher local temperature were compared with data gathered by altering the rate of a person sitting. In all cases, the faster sitting down (or equivalent) generated larger RH outcomes: e.g., in human sitting 53.7% ± 3.3% RH (left mid-thigh), 56.4% ± 5.1% RH (right mid-thigh) and 53.2% ± 2.7% RH (Coccyx). Differences in size of RH change were seen across the measurement locations used to study the body-seat interface. The initial sitting contact induces a transient RH response (duration ≤ 40 s) that does not accurately reflect the microenvironment at the body-seat interface. It is likely that any movement during sitting would result in similar artefact formation. As a result, caution should be taken when investigating RH performance at any enclosed interface when the surfaces may have different temperatures and movement may occur.

The use of nutritional guidance within chiropractic patient management: a survey of 333 chiropractors from the ACORN practice-based research network.

Background: Food consumption and nutritional status affect an individual's health throughout their life-course and an unhealthy diet is a major risk factor for the current global burden of chronic disease. The promotion of health and good nutrition through healthy eating requires the active involvement of all health professionals including chiropractors. This paper reports findings from the first nationally representative examination of the use of nutritional guidance within chiropractic patient management in Australia. Methods: A sample of 1000 practising chiropractors was randomly selected from the Australian Chiropractic Research Network (ACORN) practice-based research network database for a cross-sectional study and 33% participated in the online survey in November 2016. The questionnaire, based on previous designs used in similar surveys and nutrition resources developed by the National Health and Medical Research Council, was pretested prior to the survey. Pearson's Chi square and bivariate logistic regression were undertaken to explore relationships with variables of interest. Results: The demographic details of the respondents are similar to those of the chiropractic workforce registered in Australia. Most chiropractors provided nutritional advice as part of their patient care and around a quarter provided specific dietary advice to their patients, including the use of nutrition supplements. Nutrition-related conditions most commonly encountered by the chiropractors were musculoskeletal, usually inflammatory in origin. Common nutritional assessment methods used included questioning patients to assess their nutritional and health status and physical appearance. Most of the participants provided nutritional resources to their patients in their clinics. However, the Australian Dietary Guidelines and the accompanying Australian Guide to Healthy Eating were not well utilised by the respondents. Australian chiropractors often referred patients with nutrition issues to qualified dietitians and other health professionals when deemed necessary. Conclusions: Australian chiropractors regularly provide nutritional advice and appear to acknowledge the importance of nutrition in their clinical practice especially for patients presenting with chronic disease. If chiropractors are to fulfil their potential in providing such wider public health and preventative health advice to patients, further research examining the utilisation of evidence-based nutrition resources within chiropractic patient management is recommended.

Performance Assessment of a Humidity Measurement System and Its Use to Evaluate Moisture Characteristics of Wheelchair Cushions at the User-Seat Interface.

Little is known about the changes in moisture that occur at the body-seat interface during sitting. However, as increased moisture can add to the risk of skin damage, we have developed an array of MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) humidity sensors to measure at this interface. Sensors were first evaluated against traceable standards, followed by use in a cross-over field test (n = 11; 20 min duration) using different wheelchair cushions (foam and gel). Relative humidity (RH) was measured at the left mid-thigh, right mid-thigh and coccyx. Sensors were shown to be unaffected by loading and showed highly reliable responses to measured changes in humidity, varying little from the traceable standard (<5%). Field-test data, smoothed through a moving average filter, revealed significant differences between the three chosen locations and between the gel and foam cushions. Maximum RH was attained in less than five minutes regardless of cushion material (foam or gel). Importantly, RH does not appear to distribute uniformly over the body-seat interface; suggesting multiple sensor positions would appear essential for effectively monitoring moisture in this interface. Material properties of the cushions appear to have a significant effect on RH characteristics (profile) at the body-seat interface, but not necessarily the time to peak moisture.

A methodology using in-chair movements as an objective measure of discomfort for the purpose of statistically distinguishing between similar seat surfaces.

This study presents a method for objectively measuring in-chair movement (ICM) that shows correlation with subjective ratings of comfort and discomfort. Employing a cross-over controlled, single blind design, healthy young subjects (n = 21) sat for 18 min on each of the following surfaces: contoured foam, straight foam and wood. Force sensitive resistors attached to the sitting interface measured the relative movements of the subjects during sitting. The purpose of this study was to determine whether ICM could statistically distinguish between each seat material, including two with subtle design differences. In addition, this study investigated methodological considerations, in particular appropriate threshold selection and sitting duration, when analysing objective movement data. ICM appears to be able to statistically distinguish between similar foam surfaces, as long as appropriate ICM thresholds and sufficient sitting durations are present. A relationship between greater ICM and increased discomfort, and lesser ICM and increased comfort was also found.

Microenvironment temperature prediction between body and seat interface using autoregressive data-driven model.

There is a need to develop a greater understanding of temperature at the skin-seat interface during prolonged seating from the perspectives of both industrial design (comfort/discomfort) and medical care (skin ulcer formation). Here we test the concept of predicting temperature at the seat surface and skin interface during prolonged sitting (such as required from wheelchair users). As caregivers are usually busy, such a method would give them warning ahead of a problem. This paper describes a data-driven model capable of predicting thermal changes and thus having the potential to provide an early warning (15- to 25-min ahead prediction) of an impending temperature that may increase the risk for potential skin damages for those subject to enforced sitting and who have little or no sensory feedback from this area. Initially, the oscillations of the original signal are suppressed using the reconstruction strategy of empirical mode decomposition (EMD). Consequentially, the autoregressive data-driven model can be used to predict future thermal trends based on a shorter period of acquisition, which reduces the possibility of introducing human errors and artefacts associated with longer duration "enforced" sitting by volunteers. In this study, the method had a maximum predictive error of <0.4 °C when used to predict the temperature at the seat and skin interface 15 min ahead, but required 45 min data prior to give this accuracy. Although the 45 min front loading of data appears large (in proportion to the 15 min prediction), a relative strength derives from the fact that the same algorithm could be used on the other 4 sitting datasets created by the same individual, suggesting that the period of 45 min required to train the algorithm is transferable to other data from the same individual. This approach might be developed (along with incorporation of other measures such as movement and humidity) into a system that can give caregivers prior warning to help avoid exacerbating the skin disorders of patients who suffer from low body insensitivity and disability requiring them to be immobile in seats for prolonged periods.

Settling down time following initial sitting and its relationship with comfort and discomfort.

This study examined the subjective rating of wheelchair comfort and discomfort (numerical rating scale questionnaire) and the duration of objective in-chair movement reduction "settling down time" following initial contact with the seating surface. Healthy young subjects (n = 22) sat for 5 min on contoured foam or wood cushion surfaces fitted to otherwise identical wheelchairs. Force sensing resistors attached to each quadrant of the sitting interface measured the relative movements of the subjects over time. A significant correlation was found between settling down time (SDT) and reported leg/feet discomfort (p = 0.003; correlation co-efficient = 0.44); and a significant negative correlation was found between SDT and overall comfort (p = 0.015; correlation co-efficient = -0.36). When comparing cushion surfaces: SDT was significantly longer (p < 0.0001) for subjects sitting on wood (5.8 s) compared to contoured foam (3.9 s); Leg/feet discomfort was significant higher (p = 0.007) for subjects sitting on wood (1.1 out of 10) compared to contoured foam (0.3 out of 10); Overall discomfort was significant higher (p = 0.009) for subjects sitting on wood (1.3 out of 10) compared to contoured foam (0.5 out of 10); Comfort was significantly lower (p = 0.001) for subjects sitting on wood (6.5 out of 10) compared to contoured foam (8.3 out of 10); Support was significantly lower (p = 0.001) for subjects sitting on wood (6.4 out of 10) compared to contoured foam (8 out of 10). The results of this study suggest that the shape and firmness of the surface at the buttock-wheelchair interface can affect a subject's SDT following initial contact with the seat as well as their perception of comfort and discomfort. In addition, there appears to be a relationship between longer SDT's and increased discomfort ratings, and shorter SDT's and increased comfort ratings. Therefore, testing for SDT's may be useful in the indirect objective assessment of wheelchair cushions and possibly other types of seating surfaces with design differences that aim to improve comfort and minimize discomfort.

Studying thermal characteristics of seating materials by recording temperature from 3 positions at the seat-subject interface.

AIM OF THE STUDY: To determine whether 3 fixed positions of seat-subject interface temperature measurement offer more information than a single point of measurement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Temperature data was simultaneously acquired (sampling frequency 1 Hz/sensor) from each of three sensor positions (right & left mid-thigh and coccyx), from the subject-seat interface. The data was acquired whilst subjects (6 males, 5 females: 21-40 yrs: BMI 19.3-26.4) sat for 20 min on each of three types of seat material (foam, gel mould and solid wood). Data collection was performed at the same time of day for each subject: ambient temperature between 21.1 and 21.2 °C, ambient relative humidity 50.9%. RESULTS: Analysis of data from the sensors, post mathematical smoothing, for each subject (n = 11; ANOVA, followed by post-hoc t-tests) revealed each of the measurement positions to have a significantly different recorded temperature (p < 0.01). However, profile of temperature change at the same measurement position using the same seating material during the 20 min sitting period, was highly correlated (r > 0.99) between subjects, a consistent finding across all 11 subjects regardless of seat material selected. CONCLUSION: Use of 3 positions of measurement (3 sensors) appears necessary when performing detailed studies of temperature change at the seat-subject interface. The high level of comparability of results between subjects supports potential of this method to resolve quantitative components of qualitative measurements, e.g., thermal comfort.

An investigation into the production of intra-articular gas bubbles and increase in joint space in the zygapophyseal joints of the cervical spine in asymptomatic subjects after spinal manipulation.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the size and density of cervical zygapophyseal joint spaces in asymptomatic subjects using computed tomography (CT) and plain film radiography. The joint spaces were analyzed before manipulation without traction, before manipulation with manual traction, after manipulation without traction, and after manipulation with manual traction. The data obtained before the manipulation were compared with data obtained after the manipulation to determine if significant alterations occurred. DESIGN: Twenty-two asymptomatic subjects were placed into 1 or more of 6 possible experimental groups. In all experimental groups, except for experiment 1, the subjects underwent: (step 1) a premanipulation radiograph and/or CT scan, (step 2) a premanipulation plus traction radiograph and/or CT scan, (step 3) a postmanipulation radiograph and/or CT scan, and (step 4) a postmanipulation plus traction radiograph and/or CT scan. RESULTS: Except for experiment 2, there was no significant change in the width, area, and density values of the zygapophyseal joint spaces immediately after the manipulation in either the traction or traction-free positions of the neck, and no visible radiolucent cavities were demonstrated in any view. CONCLUSION: No evidence of gas in the joint space or obvious increase in zygapophyseal joint space width immediately after the manipulation was found. This was evident in both the traction and traction-free postmanipulation scans and plain film images. This is not consistent with the current understanding of cavitation in joints, in particular, the refractory period.