Nicholas Taylor

La Trobe University and Eastern Health · Allied Health

Introduction Clinical supervision supports patient care and health worker wellbeing. However, access to effective clinical supervision is not equitable. We aimed to explore the access and effectiveness of clinical supervision in allied health workers. Methods A cross-sectional survey design using the Manchester Clinical Supervision Scale (MCSS-26)...

Retention of care support workers in residential aged care facilities and home-based, domiciliary aged care is a global challenge, with rapid turnover, low job satisfaction, and poorly defined career pathways. A mixed-methods systematic review of the workforce literature was conducted to understand the factors that attract and retain care staff acr...

Purpose: To determine if a consumer co-designed infographic increased knowledge of physical activity and self-efficacy for exercise after total knee joint replacement surgery. Methods: Forty-four adults with primary knee joint replacement surgery were recruited from a public and a private hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Participants were rando...

Background Delayed access to outpatient care may negatively impact on health outcomes. We aimed to evaluate implementation of the Specific Timely Appointments for Triage (STAT) model of access in an epilepsy clinic to reduce a long waitlist and waiting time. Methods This study is an intervention study using pre-post comparison and an interrupted t...

SYNOPSIS: In parts 1 and 2 of this series, we highlighted the dominant impairment way of talking about osteoarthritis: talking that frames osteoarthritis as a disease of cartilage worsened by physical activity that can only be "cured" by replacing the joint. An alternative understanding that counters common misconceptions about osteoarthritis, and...

Objectives: Guideline adherence for hip and knee osteoarthritis management is often poor, possibly related to the quality and/or inconsistent recommendations. This systematic review of hip and knee osteoarthritis guidelines aimed to appraise the quality and consistency in recommendations across higher-quality guidelines. Methods: Eight databases...

Introduction: Motivational interviewing (MI) proficiency may erode quickly, limiting its effectiveness. We examined whether health professionals completing a 2-day workshop, with 3 to 5 hours of personalized coaching, and twice-yearly group reflections sustained proficiency for the duration of a hip fracture rehabilitation trial and whether interv...

Background: Self-directed therapy activities are not currently part of routine care during inpatient rehabilitation. Understanding patient and clinician perspectives on self-directed therapy is key to increasing implementation. The aim of this study was to investigate barriers and facilitators to implementing a self-directed therapy programme ("My...

SYNOPSIS: How people talk about osteoarthritis may impact outcomes, including uptake of guideline recommendations related to activity-based lifestyles and interventions. In this editorial, we describe 2 key ways of talking, based on findings from our systematic review of 62 qualitative studies exploring the perceptions of people with knee osteoarth...

Objective Nursing workplace injuries related to staff-assisted patient/resident movement occur frequently, however, little is known about the programs that aim to prevent these injuries. The objectives of this study were to: (i) describe how Australian hospitals and residential aged care services provide manual handling training to staff and the im...

SYNOPSIS: This editorial series raises awareness among clinicians about how ways of talking about orthopaedic conditions can influence what people who are seeking health care (1) think about their health and (2) what they do to manage their health. In part 1, we introduce you to ways of talking about health, using osteoarthritis as a case study. In...

Background: Autologous stem cell transplant is a common procedure for people with haematological malignancies. While effective at improving survival, autologous stem cell transplant recipients may have a lengthy hospital admission and experience debilitating side-effects such as fatigue, pain and deconditioning that may prolong recovery. Prehabili...

Purpose To investigate if a 12-week community-based exercise program (FitSkills) fostered positive attitudes towards disability among university student mentors. Methods A stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial was completed with 4 clusters. Students were eligible to be a mentor if enrolled in an entry-level health degree (any discipline, any year...

Background The Risk Assessment for moving Individuals SafEly (RAISE) program is a hospital-based manual handling nursing training program. RAISE involves upskilling on continual risk assessment during patient-assisted movements. RAISE aims to optimise staff and patient safety while providing the patient with movement and rehabilitation opportunitie...

There is a need to ensure that healthcare organisations enable their workforces to use digital methods in service delivery. This study aimed to evaluate the current level of digital understanding and ability in nursing, midwifery, and allied health workforces and identify some of the training requirements to improve digital literacy in these health...

Purpose To quantify a perceived barrier to physical activity participation (proximity to exercise facilities) by investigating the distance a population-based cohort of young people with cerebral palsy aged 13–30 years lived from community gyms. Method We developed a web-based application using open-access software that could be used to complete a...

Rationale: Wait lists are common in the provision of publicly funded services in outpatient and community settings. Aims and objectives: We aimed to explore the experiences of consumers on wait lists across a broad range of services and to understand the impact of delays in access to services on people's lives. Methods: Consumers with experien...

Background: Diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscle (DRAM) commonly occurs in pregnancy and postnatally. Physiotherapists routinely guide women in its management, although the effectiveness of these treatments is unknown. Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of conservative interventions to reduce the presence and width of DRAM in pregnan...

Background: Exercise and physical activity interventions improve short-term outcomes for people with metabolic syndrome, but long-term improvements are reliant on sustained adherence to lifestyle change for effective management of the syndrome. Effective ways of improving adherence to physical activity and exercise recommendations in this populati...

Background: Long-term adherence to exercise or physical activity (EPA) is necessary for effective first-line management of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Little is known about the determinants of adherence in this population. This systematic review aims to identify the determinants of adherence to EPA in people with MetS. Methods: Six databases (MED...

Introduction Preliminary evidence suggests that progressive resistance training may be beneficial for people with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS), a rare genetic condition that results in muscle weakness and low muscle tone.To establish whether community-based progressive resistance training is effective in improving the muscle strength of people with...

Objective: To understand the barriers and enablers to participation in family-assisted therapy for older people in Transition Care. Methods: A qualitative study, underpinned by interpretive description, was conducted at two public health services in Melbourne, Australia. Participants included patients in Transition Care, or their family members,...

Purpose: Music listening is widely used during exercise, but effects on physical activity are unknown. This review aimed to examine the effectiveness of music listening on physical activity of adults. Materials and methods: Searches were conducted until September 2022. Eligible randomised controlled trials examined intentional music listening to...

Background Outsourcing health care services has become popular globally, provided by both profit and non-for-profit organisations with varying degrees of quality. To date, few published studies have evaluated the quality of care in health services using outsourcing. The purpose of this study was to determine if there were differences in quality of...

Aim: The aim of this systematic review was to compare the benefits and harms of nasogastric and oral-based refeeding on the quality of care, including effectiveness, safety, and patient experience, for patients hospitalised with an eating disorder. Methods: A systematic search for studies measuring comparative data between nasogastric and oral r...

Background Increasing participation in physical activity has the potential to improve outcomes for children and adolescents with cancer during treatment and into survivorship. The aim of this study is to outline the theoretical process behind development of CanMOVE, a behavior change intervention designed to increase physical activity for children...

Objective: To explore the effects that impaired ability to sit-to-stand has on upright mobility and self-care in children with cerebral palsy and how this in turn may affect their caregivers. Methods: A mixed methods research design was conducted with 25 children who had cerebral palsy with moderate to high mobility limitations (GMFCS levels III...

Objective: To test the feasibility of a walking programme for community-dwelling adults recovering from hip fracture. Design: A randomized controlled trial with embedded qualitative analysis. Setting: Community. Participants: Aged at least 60 years and living in the community after hip fracture. Interventions: In addition to standard care,...

Introduction The aim of this randomised feasibility trial is to determine the feasibility of conducting an adequately powered randomised controlled trial (RCT) investigating the efficacy of prefabricated contoured foot orthoses in people with hip osteoarthritis (OA). The secondary aims of the trial are to compare the effect of prefabricated contour...

Objective To explore how older adults perceive motivational interviewing influences their walking and physical activity after hip fracture. Methods Qualitative study using an interpretive description framework. Twenty-four participants aged ≥65 years living in the community after hip fracture were interviewed. Participants had received at least 8...

Background Access to rehabilitation to support cancer survivors to exercise is poor. Group exercise–based rehabilitation may be delivered remotely, but no trials have currently evaluated their efficacy. Objective We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a group exercise–based cancer rehabilitation program delivered via telehealth compared to usual car...

Despite well‐documented benefits of rehabilitation and therapy services for children with disabilities, long waiting lists to access these services are common. There is a growing body of evidence, primarily from mixed or adult services, demonstrating that waiting times can be reduced through strategies that target wasteful processes and support ser...

Purpose To investigate the association between implementation of clinical governance and patient safety. Design/methodology/approach A pre-post study was conducted in an Australian health service following the implementation of clinical governance systems (CGS) in the inpatient wards in 2016. Health service audit data from 2017 on CGS implementati...

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patients attending outpatient community rehabilitation in Melbourne, Australia and to compare health literacy, physical activity, and dietary intake of people with and without metabolic syndrome. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional, multi-centre, observational study of adults (n...

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of increasing allied health staffing levels on patient and health service outcomes across 1) all Geriatric Evaluation and Management patients, and 2) Geriatric Evaluation and Management patients discharged to home in the community. Design Quasi-experimental, pre-post intervention study....

Objective: Hip and knee osteoarthritis guidelines internationally provide consistent first-line care recommendations. However, uptake of these recommendations remains suboptimal. This qualitative study explores factors influencing guideline-based care from the perspectives of physiotherapists working in specialised osteoarthritis services across d...

BACKGROUND Access to rehabilitation to support cancer survivors to exercise is poor. Group exercise–based rehabilitation may be delivered remotely, but no trials have currently evaluated their efficacy. OBJECTIVE We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a group exercise–based cancer rehabilitation program delivered via telehealth compared to usual car...

Little is known about the extent of cultural and linguistic diversity among people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Australia and if ethno‐cultural factors influence engagement in pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). We conducted a prospective cohort study to evaluate the extent of cultural and linguistic diversity among people with C...

Aims: To explore caregiver perceptions about the outcomes and feasibility of a high repetition sit-to-stand home-based exercise program on themselves and their children with cerebral palsy who have mobility limitations. Methods: Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 caregivers (17 women, mean age 39 y 6 mo (SD 8 y 4 mo)...

Purpose: To determine if a patient manual handling training program focused on dynamic manual handling risk assessment for staff and patient safety, together with the patient's need for physical rehabilitation, can be transferred and sustained in clinical practice. Materials and methods: Using a pre-post design, nurses (n = 72) from acute and re...

Objective: To explore older persons' perceptions of the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on participating in community activities after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation. Methods: Mixed-methods study design. Participants were older adults who were discharged home following inpatient rehabilitation. Interviews were conducted with 70 particip...

Background/aims Factors that influence functional ability in older adults after rehabilitation are not well understood. The aim of this study was to investigate how older people function in their community after being discharged from inpatient rehabilitation. Methods A cross-sectional study was undertaken of community-dwelling older adults (n=86,...

Objective: To test the feasibility, safety and effectiveness of the My Therapy programme for inpatients with mild-moderate cognitive impairment. Design: Observational pilot study. Patients: Rehabilitation inpatients with mild-moderate cognitive impairment. Methods: During their inpatient admission, participants received My Therapy, a program...

Background Osteoporotic vertebral fractures affect a large number of older adults Objectives Systematically review evidence of the benefits and harms of non-surgical and non-pharmacological management of people with osteoporotic vertebral fractures compared with standard care (control); and evaluate the benefits and harms of non-surgical and non-p...

Purpose The authors explored clinical staff perceptions of their interactions with middle management and their experiences of the uncongeniality of their working environment. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews of clinical staff from an Australian public health service's Emergency, Surgery and Psychiatry departments. Volunteer i...

BACKGROUND Access to rehabilitation to support cancer survivors to exercise is poor. Exercise-based rehabilitation may be delivered remotely but it is unknown how it compares to in-person cancer rehabilitation. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of an exercise-based cancer rehabilitation program delivered via telehealth compared to a traditio...

BACKGROUND Access to exercise therapy for cancer survivors is poor. Professional development to support exercise professionals to deliver these interventions is needed. Few online resources exist for exercise professionals to address this issue. OBJECTIVE To develop and evaluate a freely available online toolkit to support exercise professionals w...

Background Access to exercise therapy for cancer survivors is poor. Professional development to support exercise professionals in delivering these interventions is needed. Few online resources exist for exercise professionals to address this issue. Objective To develop and evaluate a freely available online toolkit to support exercise professional...

Introduction Guidelines for hip fracture care state that patients with hip fracture should be mobilised on the day after surgery and at least once a day thereafter. However, compliance with these guidelines is poor. One approach that would assist physiotherapists to meet mobility guidelines after hip fracture is to delegate the provision of daily m...

Background Implementing evidence into clinical practice is a key focus of healthcare improvements to reduce unwarranted variation. Dissemination of evidence-based recommendations and knowledge brokering have emerged as potential strategies to achieve evidence implementation by influencing resource allocation decisions. The aim of this study was to...

Purpose To assess whether meeting criteria for community ambulation and ambulatory self-confidence on discharge from inpatient rehabilitation are associated with participation in community activities. Methods Prospective longitudinal observational study design. Participants were assessed within 48-hours of discharge on ability to complete tasks re...

Objective To determine the association between delays in access to specialist epilepsy care and patient outcomes. Methods Three databases were searched using eligibility criteria related to the concepts of timely access, epilepsy, and clinical outcome. Comparative data on patient outcomes by time to treatment was required for inclusion. Studies we...

We aimed to explore consumer experiences of ambulatory telehealth services and whether consumer experiences differed according to whether they received their consultation using telephone or video technology. We conducted structured telephone interviews with patient consumers who had received a recent remote consultation by telephone or video call,...

Background: Access to exercise for cancer survivors is poor despite global recognition about its benefits. Telerehabilitation may overcome barriers to exercise for cancer survivors but is not routinely offered. Objective: Following rapid implementation of an exercise-based telerehabilitation program in response to COVID-19, a process evaluation...

Background Process evaluations have been recommended alongside clinical and economic evaluations to enable an in-depth understanding of factors impacting results. My Therapy is a self-management program designed to augment usual care inpatient rehabilitation through the provision of additional occupational therapy and physiotherapy exercises and ac...

Background Ensuring patients receive an effective dose of therapeutic exercises and activities is a significant challenge for inpatient rehabilitation. My Therapy is a self-management program which encourages independent practice of occupational therapy and physiotherapy exercises and activities, outside of supervised therapy sessions. Methods Thi...

Objective To explore how process evaluations were conducted alongside randomised controlled trials (RCTs) involving motivational interviewing (MI) as an intervention to manage health conditions. Methods A scoping review was conducted. We searched 7 databases (to May 2021) for studies that incorporated at least one aspect of process evaluation of R...

Background Low physical activity levels are a major problem for people in hospital and are associated with adverse outcomes. Objective This systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression aimed to determine the effect of behaviour change interventions on physical activity levels in hospitalised patients. Methods Randomised controlled trials...

Objectives: Timely access to outpatient services is a major issue for public health systems. To address this issue, we aimed to establish the return on investment to the health system of the implementation of an alternative model for access and triage (Specific Timely Appointments for Triage: STAT) compared with a traditional waitlist model. Desi...

Background: Metabolic syndrome has been associated with poorer outcomes in the immediate postoperative period following joint replacement surgery for osteoarthritis. The aim of this study was to determine whether a multidisciplinary, preoperative intervention would minimize postoperative differences between people with and without metabolic syndrom...

Aim To investigate if a sit-to-stand exercise programme for children with cerebral palsy (CP) would improve self-care and mobility. Method Thirty-eight children with CP (19 males, 19 females; mean age 8y 0mo, SD 2y 4mo, age range 4y 0mo–12y 4mo) classified in Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels III and IV and their caregivers...

Introduction: A range of activities are conducted in health care settings aiming to improve health care processes and outcomes. In many settings, these activities are classified into two broad domains of "quality improvement" and "health services research" each with its own methods, continuing education, support structures, and governance systems....

Introduction Community-dwelling people recovering from hip fracture have the physical capacity to walk in their community but lack the confidence to do so. The primary aim of this trial is to determine whether motivational interviewing increases time spent walking at 12 months in community-dwelling people after hip fracture compared with an attenti...

Objective The study aimed to explore patient perceptions of and motivations for physical activity after total knee joint replacement. Methods Participants were purposively sampled after completing a public outpatient rehabilitation exercise group. Semi-structured interviews were completed with 22 participants (mean age 70 years, 45% women) 6 to 12...

Purpose To evaluate feasibility of scaling up a 12-week community-based exercise program (FitSkills) in which young people with disability exercise with a student mentor. Method Within a stepped wedge cluster randomised trial, seven domains of feasibility were assessed: demand, implementation, acceptability, practicality, adaptation, integration,...

Background: Waiting lists are often thought to be inevitable in healthcare, but strategies that address patient flow by reducing complexity, combining triage with initial management, and/or actively managing the relationship between supply and demand can work. One such model, Specific Timely Appointments for Triage (STAT), brings these elements tog...

Objective: The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review to evaluate clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for the physical therapist management of patellofemoral pain. Methods: Five electronic databases (CINAHL, Embase, Medline, Psychinfo, Cochrane Library) were searched from January 2013 to October 2019. Additional search methods...

Objective To explore the ways in which people talk about knee osteoarthritis and how this may influence engagement in physical activity and activity-based interventions as recommended by clinical practice guidelines. Design A qualitative synthesis using discourse analysis methods. Methods Systematic review methods were used to identify qualitativ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Fractures of the proximal humerus are characterised by slow recovery and ongoing disability. We aimed to describe the recovery of patients referred to community physiotherapy after proximal humeral fracture and determine if activity thresholds based on the Shoulder Function Index (SFInX) could inform physiotherapist decision...

Purpose Prompt access to specialist assessment is critical after a first suspected seizure. We aimed to test the feasibility of providing this service via telehealth, compared with usual care (face-to-face appointment) in patients referred to a first seizure clinic. Method This feasibility study was a prospective mixed-methods non-randomised contr...

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate change in the effectiveness of clinical supervision of physiotherapists who took part in a clinical supervision training programme. Method: Our pre–post study design used both quantitative and qualitative methods. The programme consisted of three interactive sessions held with physiotherapists from...

Purpose Long waitlists in outpatient clinics are a widely recognised problem. The purpose of this paper is to describe and report the impact of a waitlist reduction strategy for an epilepsy clinic. Design/methodology/approach This observational study described the local impact of a methodical approach to tackling a long waiting list, using targete...

Objectives To determine if three short daily sessions of physiotherapy for rehabilitation inpatients after hip fracture is more effective than providing one long daily session in improving mobility. Design A single-blinded randomised controlled trial. Setting Two inpatient rehabilitation wards at a hospital in X. Participants Seventy-six rehabil...

Question What is the effect of multidisciplinary, exercise-based, group oncology rehabilitation programs on healthcare service outcomes and patient-level outcomes, including quality of life and physical and psychosocial function? Design Systematic review with meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Participants Adults diagnosed with cancer...

Objective To determine the feasibility of conducting a single videoconferencing session (telerehabilitation) instead of a face‐to‐face home visit for a review appointment in a community rehabilitation program. Design A feasibility study based on Bowen's framework was used to determine demand, acceptability, limited efficacy and practicality of tel...

Purpose To determine if hip movement precautions reduce hip prosthesis dislocation rates post hip arthroplasty using a posterior surgical approach compared to minimal or no movement restrictions. Materials and methods This review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines a...

BACKGROUND The number of total joint arthroplasty being performed is increasing worldwide. To match this increasing demand, there has been focus on hastening patients’ recovery of function. This effort has culminated in formulation of enhanced recovery for surgery (ERAS) strategies. However, with evolving ERAS programs and new recommendations, a re...

Background The number of total joint arthroplasties (TJAs) being performed is increasing worldwide. To match this increasing demand, there has been focus on hastening patients’ recovery of function. This effort has culminated in the formulation of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) strategies. However, with evolving ERAS programs and new recomm...

PurposeTo compare cardiometabolic responses to five consecutive days of daily postprandial exercise accumulated in three 10-min bouts or a single 30-min bout to a no-exercise control.Methods Ten insufficiently active adults completed three trials in a randomised order. Each trial comprised five consecutive days of 30 min of exercise either accumula...