Search

While there is currently a steadily growing number of disabled students at universities in Taiwan, there has been as yet no research concerning the attitude towards inclusive education of university instructors. This study investigated differences in attitude towards inclusive education among instructors at universities in Taiwan using a 'University Instructor Attitude towards Inclusive Education' questionnaire to examine instructors' attitudes and the differences in inclusive education of instructors' attitudes in various background variables. The inclusive education attitude questionnaire contained three subscales respectively examining cognition, affection, and behavioural tendencies; 299 valid ones of the 400 distributed questionnaires were collected, the valid questionnaire response rate was 74.7%. The study revealed that while university instructors in Taiwan had an active, positive attitude towards inclusive education, there were significant differences in attitude towards inclusive education among instructors with different gender, special education backgrounds, school type, and teaching field. This study also makes recommendations based on our findings, hopes to provide a reference aiding the drafting of special education policies at the higher education level in Taiwan, and also seeks to provide Taiwan's experience to other countries as a reference.

• Erector spinae plane block (ESPB) administration at varying distances from the incision (ES distance) does not significantly affect postoperative pain scores within the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol for lumbar spine surgery. • Postoperative pain management with ESPB shows no significant difference in Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) pain scores between different ES distances immediately after surgery and up to 72 hours postoperatively within the ERAS group. • Patients in the ERAS group reported significantly lower pain scores and reduced morphine consumption compared to the non-ERAS group, indicating the effectiveness of the ERAS protocol. • ERAS protocols facilitated quicker resumption of diet and reduced the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting. • The study suggests that lumbar ESPB may be preferable due to difficulties with sonovisualization and to avoid the risk of pleural injury, establishing a safe and effective range for ESPB application. Postoperative pain control following spine surgery can be difficult. The Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programs use multimodal approaches to manage postoperative pain. While an erector spinae plane block (ESPB) is commonly utilized, the ideal distance for injection from the incision, referred to as the ES (ESPB to mid-surgical level) distance, remains undetermined. We evaluated the impact of varying ES distances for ESPB on Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) measures of postoperative pain within the ERAS protocol. Retrospective observational study. Adult patients who underwent elective lumbar spine fusion surgery. Primary outcome measures include the comparative postoperative NRS scores across groups at immediate (T1), 24 (T2), 48 (T3), and 72 (T4) hours postsurgery. For secondary outcomes, a propensity matching analysis compared these outcomes between the ERAS and non-ERAS groups, with opioid-related recovery metrics also assessed. All included patients were assigned to one of three ERAS groups according to the ES distance: Group 1 (G1, ES > 3 segments), Group 2 (G2, ES = 2–3 segments), and Group 3 (G3, ES<2 segments). Each patient underwent a bilateral ultrasound-guided ESPB with 60 mL of diluted ropivacaine or bupivacaine. Patients within the ERAS cohort reported mild pain (NRS < 3), with no significant NRS variation across G1 to G3 at any time. Sixty-five patients were matched across ERAS and non-ERAS groups. The ERAS group exhibited significantly lower NRS scores from T1 to T3 than the non-ERAS group. Total morphine consumption during hospitalization was 26.7 mg for ERAS and 41.5 mg for non-ERAS patients. The ERAS group resumed water and food intake sooner and had less postoperative nausea and vomiting. ESPBs can be effectively administered at or near the mid-surgical level to the low thoracic region for lumbar spine surgeries. Given challenges with sonovisualization, a lumbar ESPB may be preferred to minimize the risk of inadvertent pleural injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School resource room guidance personnel handle services to students with disabilities in institutions of higher education in Taiwan. This study conducted a survey of the kind of work performed by university and college resource room guidance personnel, and used a questionnaire to investigate 244 such personnel. This questionnaire contained 'background variables' and 'five major aspects of work' sections; the five major aspects of work were 'reporting diagnoses', 'recruiting and examination services', 'individualized support plans', 'barrier-free services' and 'assistance with activities'. The findings indicated that differences existed in the work situation of guidance personnel of different ages, years of service, school type, night shift, work evaluation and incentive mechanisms and handling services apart from special education. No significant differences were found in gender, marital status and educational attainment. Based on these findings, the researchers made recommendations about resource room guidance personnel and their work situation at universities and colleges in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Mineral and bone disorder (MBD) is common and associated with mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) Given that disarrays in serum phosphorus (P) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels and their changes over time are closely interrelated, modeling mortality-predictability of their combinations may help improve CKD patient management. METHODS: A historical cohort study was undertaken to evaluate the joint effect of serum P and PTH levels on mortality in 107,299 chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients. Changes in serum P and PTH levels over 6months, in particular discordant changes, were also modeled with mortality. RESULTS: HD patients were 64±15 (mean±SD)years old and included 45% women, 33% African-American, and 59% diabetic. Compared with serum P level ≥7.0mg/dL and PTH level ≥600pg/mL, adjusted hazard ratio (HR) tended to be lowest in patients with serum P level of 3.5-