The Improvement of Trunk Muscle Endurance in Adolescents with Idiopathic Scoliosis Treated with ScoliBrace® and the ScoliBalance® Exercise Approach.

The impact of scoliosis bracing combined with physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercises (PSSE) on trunk muscle endurance in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis is unknown. ScoliBrace®, a rigid, three-dimensional, over-corrective thoraco-lumbar-sacral orthosis (TLSO), and ScoliBalance®, a PSSE program, were used to treat adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients. A retrospective study of the trunk muscle endurance of 33 AIS patients who received ScoliBrace® and ScoliBalance® was conducted. The patients were treated with ScoliBrace® and an individualized ScoliBalance® program. Trunk extensor muscle endurance (TE) and abdominal muscle endurance (AE) tests were performed at initial assessment and then at averages of 6.6 and 24.4 weeks of treatment. The data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Stata version 15.1. The participants were aged 13.24 years (SD = 1.64) with a mean Cobb angle of 38.97° (SD = 9.49°). TE improved significantly (p < 0.001) at both short- and medium-term intervals using ScoliBalance® and ScoliBrace® in the AIS patients. AE also showed significant improvement between baseline and short-term follow-up, with non-significant improvement at medium-term follow-up. Overall, trunk muscle endurance showed improvement in the AIS patients using ScoliBrace® and ScoliBalance®. Future research is required to determine the individual and combined effects of each treatment. However, it seems likely that trunk muscle endurance will not deteriorate in AIS patients with this combined treatment.

Factors Associated With Dimensions of Patients' Trust in Chiropractic Doctors in the International Medical University Healthcare Chiropractic Center: An Exploratory Study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between patients' sociodemographic factors (age, sex, ethnicity, and education background) and dimensions of patients' trust in chiropractic doctors in Malaysia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the International Medical University Healthcare Chiropractic Center with a total of 302 respondents. Self-administered questionnaires were enclosed in an envelope and passed to participants by the researchers. Descriptive statistics are presented in tables and figures. Each dimension of the patients' trust was compared against the sociodemographic factors. The variables included were sex, age, ethnicity, and education background, along with their dimensions of trust. Results: There were 106 male respondents (35.1%) and 196 female respondents (64.9%) between 21 and 40 years of age. In all of the trust dimensions, education background was the only statistically significant variable (P < .05). Conclusion: Several sociodemographic factors were associated highly with the trust dimensions explored. Patients' education background was the only sociodemographic factor to show a statistically significant relationship to all 10 trust dimensions. Sex, age, and ethnicity showed significant associations with some of the trust dimensions explored in this study.

The Value of Interprofessional Learning Through Patient Simulation in Developing Interprofessional Relationships: Medical Students' Perspectives.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the value of interprofessional learning in developing interprofessional relationships, as perceived by medical students participating as simulated patients for chiropractic students. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of university medical students, using an online survey and interview sessions, was conducted at the International Medical University, Malaysia, from July 2020 to October 2020. Only students who had previously participated as a simulated patient within a chiropractic examination setting were included; this involved interacting with chiropractic students in observed structured clinical examinations, including history taking, physical examination or motion palpation, and adjustment setups for end-of-semester examinations. Survey responses focused on themes of interprofessional learning, with values of reduction of prejudice, increase in understanding, and improved collaborative attitude. These responses were grouped as positive, neutral, or negative based on Likert scores. Interview responses were analyzed and categorized according to the survey themes. RESULTS: Fifteen male medical students aged 23 to 26 years completed the questionnaire and interview. Respondents perceived that their experience helped clarify doubts on the scope of chiropractic (66.7%), the role of a chiropractor (80%), and chiropractic professional practices (80%). A majority of respondents (80%) felt that being a simulated patient increased their willingness to learn collaboratively with chiropractic students. Most (93.3%) responded positively to being more willing to work with other health care professionals. CONCLUSION: This study showed an overall positive perception among medical students of developing interprofessional relationships with chiropractors and other health care professionals. The results suggest that opportunities for interprofessional learning between chiropractic and other health care programs may assist with the long-term goal of promoting patient-centered care.

Use of Radiography for New Patients Presenting to a Chiropractic Teaching Clinic: A Cross-sectional Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify the number and type of indications for radiographs ordered in a chiropractic teaching clinic in Malaysia. METHODS: A cross-sectional retrospective analysis was conducted using the medical health records of new patients who presented to the International Medical University Bukit Jalil teaching clinic for chiropractic care between August 2018 and July 2019. Data about sociodemographic characteristics, region of presenting complaint, radiography ordering rates, and referral indications were collected. We compared indications reported in the patient records with those listed in the International Medical University Chiropractic Clinical Manual. We conducted χ2 and logistic regression analysis to identify the association between radiography indications and the number of radiographs ordered. RESULTS: Data were collected for 1451 patients (741 [51.1%] women and 700 [48.9%] men). The most common body region for the presenting complaint was the lumbar/pelvic region (39.0%), and the overall radiograph use rate was 2.7%, with the highest number of radiographs for the lumbar spine. CONCLUSION: For the patient files sampled in this study, the overall radiograph order rate in the International Medical University Bukit Jalil Chiropractic teaching clinic was 2.7%.

Demographics and Clinical Profiles of Patients Visiting a Chiropractic Teaching Clinic in Malaysia.

Objective: The objective of this study was to describe the demographics and clinical profiles of patients visiting a chiropractic teaching clinic in Malaysia. Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted using existing medical records of all new patients who visited the International Medical University Bukit Jalil teaching clinic between August 2018 and July 2019. Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, information on location of presenting complaints, duration of complaint and referral sources were reviewed. Descriptive analyses including mean, mode, standard deviations (SDs), and frequencies were performed. Results: Of the 1451 patients included in this study, the mean age was (SD) 34.3 (16.1) with 51.1% female. Most of the patients were Chinese (76.0%), followed by Malay (11.6%), Indian (7.72%), and others such as Punjabi and Sabah and Sarawak native (5.0%). Comparing referral sources, the main referrals were self-referred (26.6%) followed by friends and family referrals (25.0%) and other forms of social media and advertising (10.0%). The most frequent location of complaint was the lumbar and pelvic regions, 562 (38.73%) followed by head and neck 400 (27.57%), lower limb 173 (11.92%), upper limb 154 (10.61%), thoracic 133 (9.17%), and full spine 29 (2%). Conclusion: This study provides important information that allows better understanding of patients presenting to a chiropractic teaching clinic in Malaysia. Such findings may contribute to the benchmark data for future strategic planning to ensure sufficient exposure on case mix among chiropractic interns in Malaysia.