Physiotherapy

The Caulfield Physiotherapy department research program focuses on improving physical and functional outcomes across a broad range of patient groups in subacute care and neuro-rehabilitation.

The department has developed a very strong research profile related to the management of spasticitiy and dystonia, physical activity and strength training in a variety of populations including stroke and hospitalised elderly populations. Staff are also collaborating with researchers from Monash University, La Trobe University and Griffith University in the areas of clinical education, Parkinson’s disease, safety climate and traumatic brachial plexus injury

Current research projects include

  • A longitudinal study into physical activity and cardiovascular risk in people following stroke. Natalie Fini, Anne Holland, Julie Bernhardt, Rebecca Roose
  • Optimal duration of physical activity monitoring in people following stroke. Natalie Fini, Anne Holland, Angela Burge, Julie Bernhardt
  • How physically active are people following stroke? A systematic review and quantitative synthesis. Natalie Fini, Julie Bernhardt, Anne Holland, Jenny Keating, Jacinta Simek
  • The inter-rater reliability, construct validity and responsiveness of the Modified Iowa Level of Assistance (mILOA) in hospitalised elderly patients in subacute care. Sze-Ee Soh, Laura Stuart, Lara Kimmel, Anne Holland
  • Improving patient safety program implementation and outcomes. Sze-Ee Soh, Peter Hunter, Andrew Perta, Anna Barker, Darshini Ayton, Natasha Lannin, Dina Watterson
  • Development of a competency framework: physiotherapists’ perceptions of workplace knowledge and skills. Rodney Sturt, Paula Harding, James Sayer, Angela Burge
  • Measuring safety climate in acute hospitals: Rasch analysis of the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire. Sze-Ee Soh, Anna Barker, Renata Morello, Megan Dalton, Caroline Brand
  • Nurse perceptions of safety climate and impact of organisational factors in acute Australian hospitals. Sze-Ee Soh, Renata Morello, Sheral Rifat, Caroline Brand, Mari Botti, Anna Barker
  • Does a high intensity functional exercise group program improve clinical outcomes in older inpatients? Melissa Raymond, Adele Winter, Kim Jeffs, Sze-Ee Soh, Peter Hunter, Anne Holland
  • Perspectives of older inpatients on group physiotherapy. Melissa Raymond, Sze-Ee Soh, Adele Winter, Kim Jeffs, Anne Holland
  • Activity levels of older inpatients undergoing slow stream rehabilitation: does high intensity strength training make a difference? Melissa Raymond, Sze-Ee Soh, Adele Winter, Kim Jeffs, Anne Holland
  • Ballistic strength training in stroke: a randomised controlled assessor-blinded pilot study. Genevieve Tole, Anne Holland, Gavin Williams, Ross Clark Brian Anthonisz
  • Do trials of resistance training to improve mobility after stroke adhere to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines? a systematic review. Genevieve Tole, Anne Holland, Gavin Williams, Ross Clark, Benjamin Mentiplay
  • Psychometric evaluation of the Brachial Assessment Tool for the assessment of activity following adult traumatic brachial plexus injury. Bridget Hill, Andrea Bialocerkowski, Gavin Williams, Julie Pallant
  • Application of a clinical prediction rule for ambulation outcome after non-traumatic spinal cord injury. Rodney Sturt, Julio Fiore, Anne Holland
  • It’s not easy being green: Clinical educator’s perceptions of student fitness to practise. Heather Curtis, Kristin Lo, Jenny Keating, Margaret Bearman
  • Teaching students to fish: a student centric model for fitness to practice. Heather Curtis, Kristin Lo, Stephen Maloney, Alison Francis-Cracknell, Wendy Nickson, Jenny Keating
  • The relationship between changes in GAS scores, Tardieu measurements and physical measurements following Botulinum Toxin injection. Ashleigh Mooney, Cath Brooks, Anne Holland, Adele Winter, Ettie Ben-Shabat
  • Feasibility of telerehabilitation following upper limb reconstructive surgery for spinal cord injury. Catherine Cooper, Bridget Hill, Jodie Hahn, Natasha Van Zyl, Andrew Nunn
  • Botulinum toxin A injections for treatment of lower limb dystonia. Ettie Ben-Shabat, Mithu Palit, Barry Rawicki, Anna Murphy, John Olver, Adele Winter, Ashleigh, Anne Holland
  • Comparisons of the gait patterns of people with lower leg dystonia and spasticity. Ettie Ben-Shabat, Mithu Palit, Barry Rawicki, Anna Murphy, John Olver, Adele Winter, Ashleigh, Anne Holland
  • Distribution of spasticity in both lower limbs of people with unilateral strokes, and the muscles selected for Botulinum Toxin A injections. Ettie Ben-Shabat, Lucy Bell, Mithu Palit, Adele Winter, Rodney Sturt, Anne Holland
  • Practices in hypertonicity assessment. Ettie Ben-Shabat, Karen Roberts, Mithu Palit, Rodney Sturt, Catherine Brooks, Adele Winter, Natalie Fini, Anne Holland
  • Prospective observational study using the ‘Consensus recommendations on safety criteria for active mobilization of mechanically ventilated critically ill adults’. Elizabeth Capell, Carol Hodgson