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Background: There is little understanding of the reasons for the limited communication between patients and conventional healthcare professionals regarding patients' use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The purpose of this study is to explore the predictors of outpatients' decision to disclose their use of natural products to conventional healthcare professionals. Methods: A mixed method design was used. Quantitative data were obtained through a survey and qualitative data were obtained from semi-structured interviews. A total of 257 outpatients who fulfilled the criteria of having used natural products prior to the interview were recruited for this study. Subsequently, 39 patients of those who completed the survey were further selected to take part in an in-depth qualitative interview. Results: Predictors of the decision to disclose the use of natural products to conventional healthcare professionals included age, frequency of clinic visits, knowledge of the natural products and the attitude towards the benefits of CAM use. The themes that emerged from the qualitative data included safeness of the natural products, consulting alternative sources of information, apprehension regarding the development of negative relationships with healthcare professionals and reactions from the healthcare professionals. Conclusions: Understanding the factors and reasons affecting patients' decision as to whether to disclose their use of natural products provides an opportunity for conventional healthcare professionals to communicate better with patients. It is important to encourage patients to disclose their use of natural products in order to provide responsible health care as well as increasing patient safety regarding medication usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Increases in the aging population and in the number of accidents have resulted in more people suffering from physical impairments or disabilities. Rehabilitation therapy thus attracts greater attention as a means of helping patients recover and return to a normal life. With the extremely long and tedious nature of traditional rehabilitation, patients are reluctant to continue the entire process, thus the expected effects of the therapy cannot be obtained. Games are well known to help patients improve their concentration and shift their attention away from the discomfort of their injuries during rehabilitation. Thus, incorporating game technology into a rehabilitation program may be a promising approach. Methods: In this study, a gaming system used for shoulder rehabilitation was developed. The mechanical parts and electric circuits were integrated to mimic the functionalities of a shoulder wheel. Several games were also designed to suit the rehabilitation needs of the patients based on the age and gender differences among the individual users, enabling individuals to undergo the rehabilitation process by playing games. Two surveys were conducted to evaluate the satisfaction of the participants regarding the gaming system. Results: The results of the online survey among a larger population coincide with the responses of the hands-on participants through a paper-and-pencil survey. Statistical results suggest that the participants are willing to accept this novel approach. Conclusion: This gaming system can distract a patient from the sensation of pain or anxiety, and increase their motivation to participate in the therapeutic program. Advantages in terms of low-cost and easy setup increase the attractiveness of this new equipment for various potential users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integrative review method was used to explore the effects of Tai Chi on the impact of balance, lower extremity muscle strength, and the range of motion in order to examine the effect of fall prevention for community-dwelling elderly. This review method by searching databases has found nine clinical trials, including three randomized clinical trials, four controlled clinical trials and two uncontrolled clinical trial. The results showed that: (1) the training program for Tai Chi is at least 40 to 60 minutes a time, and 2 to 3 times a week for 8 to 12 weeks, (2) there is significant improvement on balance, lower extremity muscle strength, and joint mobility and flexibility for elderly through Tai Chi training program. It is suggested for the future that this exercise can be used as a quality physical movement to promote health in community health care organizations for elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compared the strength and endurance of shoulder internal rotators (IR) and external rotators (ER) among baseball pitchers of four age levels. Eighty baseball pitchers aged 10–23 years participated this study. Strength was assessed by the average peak torque of the middle 3 out of 5 repetitions. Endurance was assessed by thirty concentric internal and external contractions. Percentage of strength loss, initial and final torque ratio were used to assess endurance ability. The results showed that IR strength was greater than the ERs for all groups. The ER/IR ratio ranged 0.71–0.77. In endurance assessment, the players were found to have 70% strength loss in the IRs. Adolescent and pre-pubescent players had larger p<0.05) strength loss in the ERs. Compared with adult pitchers, adolescent and pre-pubescent baseball pitchers had relatively weaker shoulder ERs especially after high repetition muscle contraction. In order to prevent shoulder injury in adolescent and pre-adolescent baseball throwers, muscle endurance in ER should be emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]