Papers by Andrea Bialocerkowski
Journal of Allied Health, Feb 1, 2004
Bmc Musculoskeletal Disorders, 2008
The current investigation examined the inter-and intra-tester reliability of knee joint angle mea... more The current investigation examined the inter-and intra-tester reliability of knee joint angle measurements using a flexible Penny and Giles Biometric ® electrogoniometer. The clinical utility of electrogoniometry was also addressed.
Journal of Hand Therapy, Jan 10, 2012
Playing Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (PRMDs) are a recognised problem in pianists 1,2 and th... more Playing Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (PRMDs) are a recognised problem in pianists 1,2 and the field of performing arts medicine has grown rapidly in the last 10 -15 years. Authors in this field have identified a need for more piano-specific research into PRMDs 3 . This study explores two elements related to PRMDs: piano teachers' perceptions of risk factors associated with PRMDs in elite (university and professional-level) pianists and pianists' reactions to PRMDs. Method: Data for this study was derived from the qualitative phase of a larger project 4 . Piano teachers with awareness of PRMDs were recruited from The University of Melbourne Faculty of Music and The Victorian College of the Arts (Melbourne, Australia). One-on-one interviews were conducted, recorded and transcribed. Questioning elicited information regarding piano teachers' perceptions of risk factors and emotional/physical reactions associated with PRMDs in elite pianists. Methodological rigor was enhanced by participant checks and triangulation of data with the literature and data from interviews with pianists and health practitioners. Transcripts were analysed using grounded theory and qualitative content analysis. Results: Risk factors most strongly associated by piano teachers with PRMDs in elite pianists were: Technique, Relaxation/muscle tension, Teacher, Seat height and Repertoire. Many of these factors have been identified in the musicians' injury literature. Other risk factors in this literature, such as Joint laxity and Number of years playing, were rarely Bragge P_appc_2005_abs.doc 2 associated with PRMDs in pianists by piano teachers. Reduced playing capacity and feelings of stress, anxiety and loss of confidence in pianists experiencing PRMDs were described.
Medical problems of performing artists
The Journal of Hand Surgery, 2015
Journal of allied health, 2004
This paper reviews the nature of physiotherapy intervention studies published in core physiothera... more This paper reviews the nature of physiotherapy intervention studies published in core physiotherapy journals (Australian Journal of Physiotherapy, Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, Physical Therapy, Physiotherapy, and Physiotherapy Canada) between October 2001 and September 2002. The clinical applicability of their evidence was considered in light of the clinical relevance of diagnostic criteria used for subject recruitment, the nature of the interventions tested, and the outcome measures used to determine effectiveness of the intervention. Most studies investigated a "package of care" and used clinician-oriented measures of outcomes to determine the effectiveness of an intervention. This mirrors current clinical practice. However, few studies used tissue-based diagnostic criteria for subject recruitment, tested interventions within an episode-of-care model, or measured outcome from multiple stakeholders' perspectives. These findings highlight potential barriers for c...
Journal of rehabilitation medicine, Jan 6, 2015
To identify the range of activities limited following adult traumatic brachial plexus injury and ... more To identify the range of activities limited following adult traumatic brachial plexus injury and triangulate these with existing patient-reported outcome measures identified from the literature. A qualitative cross-sectional design. Adults with traumatic brachial plexus injury and expert clinicians. Using an International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework, participants identified day-to-day activities that are limited following traumatic brachial plexus injury. Two independent reviewers classified all reported activities into the Comprehensive ICF Core Set of Hand Conditions (CCS-HC) activity domains. Reported activities were triangulated with patient-reported outcome measures identified from the brachial plexus injury literature. Fifty-one participants (21 adults with brachial plexus injury, 30 expert clinicians) generated a total of 522 items. The inter-rater reliability for classification to CCS-HC domains was excellent (k = 0.94, 95% confidence...
Physiotherapy Canada, 2003
International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, 2014
BMC medical research methodology, Jan 16, 2004
Consumers of research (researchers, administrators, educators and clinicians) frequently use stan... more Consumers of research (researchers, administrators, educators and clinicians) frequently use standard critical appraisal tools to evaluate the quality of published research reports. However, there is no consensus regarding the most appropriate critical appraisal tool for allied health research. We summarized the content, intent, construction and psychometric properties of published, currently available critical appraisal tools to identify common elements and their relevance to allied health research. A systematic review was undertaken of 121 published critical appraisal tools sourced from 108 papers located on electronic databases and the Internet. The tools were classified according to the study design for which they were intended. Their items were then classified into one of 12 criteria based on their intent. Commonly occurring items were identified. The empirical basis for construction of the tool, the method by which overall quality of the study was established, the psychometric...
International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, 2010
International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, 2008
World Journal of Surgery, 2013
Short-term recovery after colorectal surgery has been traditionally investigated through length o... more Short-term recovery after colorectal surgery has been traditionally investigated through length of stay (LOS). However, this measure is influenced by several confounding factors. This study aimed to investigate the construct validity and reliability of assessing the time to achieve standardized discharge criteria (time to readiness for discharge, or TRD) as a measure of short-term recovery. In a secondary analysis, we compared sample size requirements for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using TRD or LOS as outcome measures. Seventy patients participated in the construct validity study and 21 patients participated in the reliability study. TRD was defined as the number of days to achieve discharge criteria previously defined by consensus. Construct validity was investigated by testing six hypothesis based on the assumption that TRD measures short-term recovery. Reliability was calculated by comparing measures of TRD by two independent assessors. Variability estimates (standard deviations) of LOS and TRD were used for sample size calculations. Five of the six hypotheses were supported by the data (p < 0.05). Interobserver reliability was excellent (ICC2.1 = 0.99). Sample size estimations showed that RCTs using TRD as an outcome measure require approximately 23 % less participants compared to RCTs using LOS. The results of this research support the construct-validity and reliability of TRD as a measure of short-term recovery. Using TRD as an alternative to LOS may reduce sample size requirements in future RCTs.
Physiotherapy, 2004
Evidence-based practice involves the application of the best available evidence, often from resea... more Evidence-based practice involves the application of the best available evidence, often from research findings, into the clinical setting to ensure best practice. This paper discusses some of the issues faced by allied health therapists when attempting to integrate research evidence into their ...
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Papers by Andrea Bialocerkowski