Objective: To compare the effectiveness of mobile video-guided home exercise program and standard paper-based home exercise program. Methods: Eligible participants were randomly assigned to either experimental group with mobile video-guided home exercise program or control group with home exercise program in a standard pamphlet for three months. The primary outcome was exercise adherence. The secondary outcomes were self-efficacy for exercise by Self-Efficacy for Exercise (SEE) Scale; and functional outcomes including mobility level by Modified Functional Ambulatory Category (MFAC) and basic activities of daily living (ADL) by Modified Barthel Index (MBI). All outcomes were captured by phone interviews at 1 day, 1 month and 3 months after the participants were discharged from the hospitals. Results: A total of 56 participants were allocated to the experimental group [Formula: see text] and control group [Formula: see text]. There were a significant between-group differences in 3-months exercise adherence (experimental group: 75.6%; control group: 55.2%); significant between-group differences in 1-month SEE (experimental group: 58.4; control group: 43.3) and 3-month SEE (experimental group: 62.2; control group: 45.6). For functional outcomes, there were significant between-group differences in 3-month MFAC gain (experimental group: 1.7; control group: 1.0). There were no between-group differences in MBI gain. Conclusion: The use of mobile video-guided home exercise program was superior to standard paper-based home exercise program in exercise adherence, SEE and mobility gain but not basic ADL gain for patients recovering from stroke.

Background. Exercise has been suggested to be a viable treatment for depression. This study investigates the effect of supervised aerobic exercise training on depressive symptoms and physical performance among Chinese patients with mild to moderate depression in early in-patient phase. Methods. A randomized repeated measure and assessor-blinded study design was used. Subjects in aerobic exercise group received 30 minutes of aerobic training, five days a week for 3 weeks. Depressive symptoms (MADRS and C-BDI) and domains in physical performance were assessed at baseline and program end. Results. Subjects in aerobic exercise group showed a more significant reduction in depressive scores (MADRS) as compared to control (between-group mean difference = 10.08 ± 9.41; P = 0.026) after 3 weeks training. The exercise group also demonstrated a significant improvement in flexibility (between-group mean difference = 4.4 ± 6.13; P = 0.02). Limitations. There was lack of longitudinal followup to examine the long-term effect of aerobic exercise on patients with depression. Conclusions. Aerobic exercise in addition to pharmacological intervention can have a synergistic effect in reducing depressive symptoms and increasing flexibility among Chinese population with mild to moderate depression. Early introduction of exercise training in in-patient phase can help to bridge the gap of therapeutic latency of antidepressants during its nonresponse period.

Title. Multifaceted ergonomic intervention programme for community nurses: pilot study. Aim. This paper is a report of a pilot study conducted to investigate the effect of a tailor-made ergonomic intervention programme for community nurses. Background. The nursing profession is known to be a high risk group for workrelated musculoskeletal disorders. Community nurses are at risk as they have to travel to patients' homes and work in varied environments daily. Their occupational risk factors are unique and intervention strategies need to be specially designed to address these issues. Method. The study was conducted from August 2007 to September 2008 in Hong Kong with community nurses from three hospitals. The intervention group (n = 14) received a multi-faceted ergonomic intervention programme over an 8-week period, with group training, onsite individual training, equipment modification, exercise programme, typing and computer workstation advice. The control group (n = 12) received no interventions. Both groups had baseline and follow-up assessments, which included musculoskeletal symptoms, perceived risk factors and functional outcome and physical mobility measures. Results. The intervention group showed statistically significantly improved symptom scores and neck and upper limb functional outcomes at postintervention. The control group showed no change in symptom or functional outcomes. Conclusion. A multifaceted intervention programme may be more effective than interventions that mainly focus on ergonomic training and could be considered by community or home care nursing groups in other countries. The programme was based on risk assessment and may be a useful reference for other nursing groups in other countries.

Background: A clinical quality improvement programme named Accelerated Stroke Ambulation Programme (ASAP) was piloted in Physiotherapy Department of Tai Po Hospital from 1st October 2019 to 30th September 2020 and executed as a standard practice afterwards. The goal of ASAP was to facilitate early maximal walking ability of stroke patients in early rehabilitation phase. ASAP featured (1) proactive outcome monitoring and standardised process compliance monitoring by a patient database — Stroke Registry; (2) standardised mobility prediction by Reference Modified Rivermead Mobility Index (MRMI) Gain and (3) standardised intervention database — Stroke Treatment Library. Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of ASAP in an inpatient rehabilitation setting for stroke patients in terms of functional outcomes. Methods: The design was a retrospective comparative study to analyse the difference in functional outcomes of Pre-ASAP Group (1st October 2018 - 30th September 2019) and Post-ASAP Group (1st October 2020–30th September 2021). The primary outcome measures were MRMI, Berg’s Balance Scale (BBS), Modified Barthel Index (MBI), MRMI Gain, BBS Gain, MBI Gain, MRMI Efficiency, BBS Efficiency and MBI Efficiency. Results: There 348 subjects in Pre-ASAP Group and 281 subjects in Post-ASAP Group. Both groups had highly significant within-group improvement in MRMI, BBS and MBI ([Formula: see text]). The MRMI Gain of Pre-ASAP Group and Post-ASAP Group was 6.32 and 7.42, respectively; and the difference was significant ([Formula: see text]). The BBS Gain of Pre-ASAP Group and Post-ASAP Group was 8.17 and 9.70, respectively; and the difference was in margin of significance ([Formula: see text]). The MBI Gain of Pre-ASAP Group and Post-ASAP Group was 10.69 and 11.96, respectively; but the difference was non-significant ([Formula: see text]). The MRMI Efficiency, BBS Efficiency and MBI Efficiency of Post-ASAP Group were higher than Pre-ASAP Group but the difference was non-significant. The results of this study reflected that stroke rehabilitation programme with proactive outcome monitoring, standardised process compliance monitoring, standardised mobility prediction and standardised intervention database was practical in real clinical practice with better functional outcomes than traditional physiotherapy practice which were dominated by personal preference and experience of therapists. Conclusion: Proactive outcome monitoring, standardised process compliance monitoring, standardised mobility prediction and standardised intervention database may enhance the effectiveness in terms of functional outcomes of stroke rehabilitation programme.

and prolonged exposure can lead to musculoskeletal symptoms. The present study aimed: (1) to examine the muscle activity in the neck and upper limb during EG playing and (2) to compare with handheld game device and active game device. Methods: Fourteen children (9 females and 5 males) participated in this study (mean age Z 12.29 AE 1.38). Surface electromyography (sEMG) was used to measure bilateral cervical erector spinae (CES), upper trapezius (UT), extensor carpi radialis (ECR), flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU) and abductor pollicis brevis (APB), while the subjects played with handheld and active game devices for 20 minutes each. Muscle activities were normalised to maximum voluntary contraction (%MVC) and average muscle activities in each muscle were compared between two types of game devices. Results: Significantly higher activities were found in ECR, APB and UT muscles (T12Z2.607 -4.036, p<0.05), when subjects played with active game devices which involved more vigorous arm movements. In contrast CES muscles showed trends for higher activity in playing handheld game compared to active game. Conclusion: These results showed that playing active game device was associated with higher muscular effort in the upper limb while higher neck muscle activity was elicited with small handheld game devices. Therefore, prolonged static posture in playing electronic game devices may contribute to strain in musculoskeletal system.