Biomedical subjects

T B Hafsteinsdóttir

Publications and source records attributed to T B Hafsteinsdóttir.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Neurodevelopmental treatment after stroke: a comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT) is a rehabilitation approach increasingly used in the care of stroke patients, although no evidence has been provided for its efficacy. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of NDT on the functional status and quality of life (QoL) of patients with stroke during one year after stroke onset. METHODS: 324 consecutive patients with stroke from 12 Dutch hospitals were included in a prospective, non-randomised, parallel group study. In the experimental group (n = 223), nurses and physiotherapists from six neurological wards used the NDT approach, while conventional treatment was used in six control wards (n = 101). Functional status was assessed by the Barthel index. Primary outcome was "poor outcome", defined as Barthel index <12 or death after one year. QoL was assessed with the 30 item version of the sickness impact profile (SA-SIP30) and the visual analogue scale. RESULTS: At 12 months, 59 patients (27%) in the NDT group and 24 (24%) in the non-NDT group had poor outcome (corresponding adjusted odds ratio = 1.7 (95% confidence interval, 0.8 to 3.5)). At discharge the adjusted odds ratio was 0.8 (0.4 to 1.5) and after six months it was 1.6 (0.8 to 3.2). Adjusted mean differences in the two QoL measures showed no significant differences between the study groups at six or 12 months after stroke onset. CONCLUSIONS: The NDT approach was not found effective in the care of stroke patients in the hospital setting. Health care professionals need to reconsider the use of this approach.

Aged↗

PubMed1997

Being a stroke patient: a review of the literature.

The purpose of this paper is to review the research literature on the patient's experience of stroke. Four qualitative studies on how patients experience stroke were identified. The findings of these studies show that the stroke patient often has clear goals for himself in relation to functional abilities, against which he measures all success and forward progress in his rehabilitation. Even though the stroke patient accepts a lower level of functional ability, he is not willing to accept the rehabilitation professionals' prediction of his ultimate functional level if it is lower than his own goal. Furthermore, stroke patients see recovery as a return to the existence they had lived before the stroke, which is different from the health care providers' view. To the health care provider, recovery is measured in terms of isolated and discrete return of movement, whereas in the eyes of the patients, recovery is a return to previously valued activities. Further, studies on psychosocial function after stroke were reviewed. Recent studies show that the psychological impact of the stroke experience is immense and that stroke patients experience stress on a variety of levels. Also, depression exists in a large portion of the stroke population. The impact of stroke also influences the patient's social existence, as studies have shown that stroke patients do manifest diminished social function. However, the reviewed studies are not without limitations. Further studies, with a qualitative design, are needed to throw light on the patient's experience of being ill with stroke, and the process of his recovery.

Aphasia↗

PubMed1996

Neurodevelopmental treatment: application to nursing and effects on the hemiplegic stroke patient.

Nursing care of the hemiplegic stroke patient is based on a traditional approach, using compensatory rehabilitative principles. However, during recent years, the neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT) approach, based on the noncompensatory rehabilitative principles and focused on activating the affected side of the hemiplegic stroke patient, is increasingly begin applied to neuroscience nursing. Until recently, little evidence existed to support the superiority of the NDT approach. The NDT approach requires considerable investment in education and training. Therefore, benefit of the NDT approach in comparison to the traditional approach must be assessed and interventions applied accordingly.

Activities of Daily Living↗