The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the impact of an amputation and of phantom pain on the subjective well-being of amputees. Sixteen lower-limb amputees were interviewed. A semi-structured interview and two Visual Analogue Scales were used. To interpret the results, a new socio-medical …

Aims and objectives: To determine a valid, reliable and clinical userfriendly instrument, based on predictors of functional decline, to identify older patients at risk for functional decline. The predictors of functional decline are initially considered and, subsequently, the characteristics and psychometric …

INTRODUCTION: A stay in the intensive care unit (ICU), although potentially life-saving, may cause considerable discomfort to patients. However, retrospective assessment of discomfort is difficult because recollection of stressful events may be impaired by sedation and severe illness during the ICU stay. …

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were (i) To establish whether it is possible to assess by means of a check-list in a reliable way errors which violated biomechanical and ergonomical principles during nursing tasks, and (ii) to study the effectiveness of an ergonomic-educational course by using …

A study was conducted to investigate the physical work load and the prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints of nurses in nursing homes. Thirty-six female subjects selected from three nursing homes in the Netherlands participated in an observational study. In addition, the total nursing staff (n = 668) …

The working postures of Dutch nurses (n = 18) in an orthopaedic ward and a urology ward were observed using the Ovako Working posture Analysis System (OWAS). During observation, both working postures and activities were recorded. A specially developed computer program was used for data analysis. By means …