Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 47 in total

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  1. Engkasan JP
    NeuroRehabilitation, 2019;45(1):135-136.
    PMID: 31403951 DOI: 10.3233/NRE-189008
    The aim of this commentary is to discuss in a rehabilitation perspective the recently published Cochrane Review "Vitamin D for the management of multiple sclerosis" by Jagannath et al. (2018)1 under the direct supervision of Cochrane Multiple Sclerosis and rare diseases of the CNS Group. This Cochrane Corner is produced in agreement with NeuroRehabilitation by Cochrane Rehabilitation.
  2. Engkasan JP
    NeuroRehabilitation, 2023;52(1):149-151.
    PMID: 36617764 DOI: 10.3233/NRE-228028
    BACKGROUND: Pressure ulcers may develop in people with impaired mobility, sensation, or cognition. Alternating pressure (active) air beds, overlays and mattresses are commonly used to prevent pressure ulcers.

    OBJECTIVE: This Cochrane Review aimed to determine the effects of alternating pressure (active) air beds, overlays or mattresses compared with any support surface in preventing pressure ulcers.

    METHODS: The population addressed was people at risk of and with existing pressure ulcers. Studies comparing alternating pressure (active) air surfaces with any beds, overlays or mattresses were included. The outcomes studied were pressure ulcer incidence, patient support-surface-associated comfort, adverse events, health-related quality of life and cost-effectiveness.

    RESULTS: There were 32 studies with a total of 9058 participants. There is low certainty evidence that alternating pressure (active) air surfaces compared with foam surfaces may reduce the incidence of pressure ulcers. It is uncertain whether there is a difference in the proportion of people developing new pressure ulcers between alternating pressure (active) air surfaces and reactive water-filled, fibre, air, gel or standard hospital surfaces.

    CONCLUSION: The use of alternating pressure (active) air surfaces may reduce the incidence of pressure ulcers compared to foam surfaces. However, it is uncertain if it is superior to reactive air surfaces, water surfaces and fiber surfaces in preventing pressure ulcers.

  3. Sundrasegaran P, Engkasan JP
    Malays J Med Sci, 2023 Dec;30(6):79-90.
    PMID: 38239256 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2023.30.6.9
    BACKGROUND: Persons with tetraplegia rank improved upper extremity (UE) function as the most important rehabilitation outcome because it allows them greater independence in activities of daily living (ADL). The aim of this study was to describe UE status in patients with tetraplegia using the International Spinal Cord Injury Upper Extremity Basic Data Set version 1.1 (ISCI-UE 1.1) and to determine differences in UE status between tetraplegic individuals with traumatic and non-traumatic SCIs.

    METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with tetraplegia who attended the SCI rehabilitation clinic of a tertiary hospital from September 2021 to August 2022. Both upper limbs were assessed using ISCI-UE 1.1.

    RESULTS: One hundred patients were included in this study, of whom 80 were men. The mean (SD) age of the patients was 54.30 (16.95) years old. In these patients, most SCIs (62%) were of traumatic origin. Two hundred UEs were evaluated, of which 109 showed good hand function (level 5) and 10 had the poorest hand function (level 1). Meanwhile, 130 UEs showed good shoulder function (level D) and 10 had the poorest shoulder function (level A). A statistically significant association with UE status (reach-and-grasp ability and shoulder function) was found in both the non-traumatic and traumatic SCI groups, with better hand and shoulder functions in the non-traumatic SCI group (right-hand, P = 0.004 and left hand, P = 0.001; right shoulder, P < 0.001 and left shoulder, P = 0.002).

    CONCLUSION: ISCI-UE 1.1 is a feasible tool for documenting UE function in patients with tetraplegia. Compared with the individuals with traumatic SCI in this study, those with non-traumatic SCI demonstrated better upper extremity functionality.

  4. Suhaida SS, Engkasan JP
    Med J Malaysia, 2012 Dec;67(6):616-7.
    PMID: 23770957 MyJurnal
    A 48-year-old male with complete tetraplegia C6 presented with sweating and flushing of the right half of the face and neck that recurred when lying in supine and left lateral positions. The symptoms subsided immediately upon sitting upright or lying in a right lateral position. The symptoms were associated with occasional mild head discomfort rather than headache and were accompanied by marked elevation of blood pressure, which was 190-200/120-130 mmHg compared to his previous baseline blood pressure of 80-90/50-70 mmHg, and he had a heart rate of 60-70 beats per minute. We believe that post-traumatic syringomyelia, found upon further investigation, was the cause of the Autonomic dysreflexia (AD) in this patient. He was advised to avoid the positions causing the symptoms and the progression of symptoms was monitored regularly. AD might not have been diagnosed in this patient because of the atypical and unusual presentations. Therefore, knowledge and a heightened level of awareness of this possible complication are important when treating individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI).
  5. Engkasan JP, Sudin SS
    J Rehabil Med, 2013 Feb;45(2):141-4.
    PMID: 23053003 DOI: 10.2340/16501977-1074
    To describe the bowel programmes utilized by individuals with spinal cord injury; and to determine the association between the outcome of the bowel programmes and various interventions to facilitate defecation.
  6. Chan SC, Engkasan JP
    NeuroRehabilitation, 2024;54(1):167-169.
    PMID: 38277315 DOI: 10.3233/NRE-246001
    BACKGROUND: Stroke can lead to permanent and severe disability. Provision of information to stroke survivors and their carers could help them cope with consequences of stroke and aware of secondary prevention.

    OBJECTIVE: The aim of this Cochrane review was to assess the effects of active or passive information provision for stroke survivors or their carers.

    METHODS: The population addressed in this review included stroke survivors, their carers, or both. The intervention studied was provision of active or passive information compared to standard care or where information and another therapy were compared with the other therapy alone, or where the comparison was between active and passive information provision. The primary outcomes were knowledge about stroke and stroke services, and anxiety.

    CONCLUSIONS: The authors concluded that the active provision of information may improve stroke survivors stroke-related knowledge and quality of life. It may reduce the cases and symptoms of anxiety and probably depression. The effect of active information provision to carers and passive information provision is still unclear; however, passive information may worsen stroke patients' symptoms of anxiety and depression.

  7. Engkasan JP, Ng CJ, Low WY
    Spinal Cord, 2015 Feb;53(2):130-4.
    PMID: 25403504 DOI: 10.1038/sc.2014.199
    STUDY DESIGN: Qualitative study using individual in-depth interviews.

    OBJECTIVE: To explore the roles of patients, their caregivers and doctors when making decisions on the method of bladder drainage after spinal cord injury (SCI).

    SETTING: Five public hospitals in Malaysia.

    METHODS: Semistructured (one-to-one) interviews with 17 male patients with SCI, 4 caregivers and 10 rehabilitation professionals.

    RESULTS: Eight themes describing the respective decisional roles of patients, their caregivers and doctors emerged from the analysis: patient's right and responsibilities, patient as an informed decision maker, forced to accept decision; surrogate decision maker, silent partner; doctor knows best, over-ride patient's decision, or reluctant decision maker. Both patients and doctors acknowledged the importance of patient autonomy but not all patients had the chance to practice it. Some felt that they were forced to accept the doctor's decision and even alleged that the doctor refused to accept their decision. Doctors considered the caregiver as the decision maker in cases that involved minors, elderly and those with tetraplegia. Some patients considered bladder problems an embarrassing subject to discuss with their caregivers and did not want their involvement. Doctors were described as knowledgeable and were trusted by patients and their caregivers to make the most appropriate option. Some doctors were happy to assume this role whereas some others saw themselves only as information providers.

    CONCLUSIONS: A paternalistic model is prevalent in this decision-making process and there is a discrepancy between patients' preferred and actual decisional roles.
  8. Engkasan JP, Ng CJ, Low WY
    Spinal Cord, 2014 Feb;52(2):157-62.
    PMID: 24276416 DOI: 10.1038/sc.2013.145
    STUDY DESIGN: Qualitative study using individual in-depth interviews.
    OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to explore the factors influencing the choice of bladder management for male patients with spinal cord injury (SCI).
    SETTING: Public hospitals in Malaysia.
    METHODS: Semistructured (one-on-one) interviews of 17 patients with SCI; 7 were in-patients with a recent injury and 10 lived in the community. All had a neurogenic bladder and were on various methods of bladder drainage. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analyses.
    RESULTS: The choice of bladder management was influenced by treatment attributes, patients' physical and psychological attributes, health practitioners' influences and social attributes. Participants were more likely to choose a treatment option that was perceived to be convenient to execute and helped maintain continence. The influence of potential treatment complications on decision making was more variable. Health professionals' and peers' opinions on treatment options had a significant influence on participants' decision. In addition, patients' choices depended on their physical ability to carry out the task, the level of family support received and the anticipated level of social activities. Psychological factors such as embarrassment with using urine bags, confidence in self-catheterization and satisfaction with the current method also influenced the choice of bladder management method.
    CONCLUSION: The choice of bladder management in people with SCI is influenced by a variety of factors and must be individualized. Health professionals should consider these factors when supporting patients in making decisions about their treatment options.
    Study design: Qualitative study using individual in-depth interviews.
  9. Engkasan JP, Ehsan FM, Chung TY
    J Rehabil Med, 2012 Jan;44(1):19-23.
    PMID: 22124514 DOI: 10.2340/16501977-0904
    The aims of this study were to examine the ability of patients to return to driving cars and riding motorcycles after lower limb amputation, and to explore the factors that significantly affect such ability.
  10. Ramli MI, Hamzaid NA, Engkasan JP
    J Voice, 2019 Jul 09.
    PMID: 31300185 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2019.06.006
    OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the performance of mechanomyography (MMG) and electromyography (EMG) in monitoring the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) as accessory respiratory muscles when breathing during singing.

    METHODS: MMG and EMG were used to record the activity of the SCM in 32 untrained singers reciting a monotonous text and a standard folk song. Their voices were recorded and their pitch, or fundamental frequency (FF), and intensity were derived using Praat software. Instants of inhale and exhales were identified during singing from their voice recordings and the corresponding SCM MMG and EMG activities were analysed.

    RESULTS: The SCM MMG, and EMG signals during breathing while singing were significantly different than breathing at rest (p < 0.001). On the other hand, MMG was relatively better correlated to voice intensity in both reading and singing than EMG. EMG was better, but not significantly, correlated with FF in both reading and singing as compared to MMG.

    CONCLUSIONS: This study established MMG and EMG as the quantitative measurement tool to monitor breathing activities during singing. This is useful for applications related to singing therapy performance measure including potentially pathologically effected population. While the MMG and EMG could not distinguish FF and intensity significantly, it is useful to serve as a proxy of inhalation and exhalation levels throughout a particular singing session. Further studies are required to determine its efficacy in a therapeutic setting.

  11. Ahmedy F, Ahmad Fauzi A, Engkasan JP
    PMID: 29844926 DOI: 10.1038/s41394-018-0074-7
    Introduction: Tachycardia, or elevated heart rate is one of the important clinical parameters considered when diagnosing pulmonary embolism (PE) based on Wells' criteria. However, tachycardia is not highly specific and commonly presents in many other conditions.

    Case presentation: A 29-year-old female with incomplete paraplegia secondary to tuberculosis (TB) spondylodiscitis presented with asymptomatic sinus tachycardia. The related medical conditions, including anaemia, acute coronary syndrome, hyperthyroidism and other infective causes had been ruled out. Deep venous thrombosis was not on the list of differentials as she showed improvements in neurological and mobility functions with no clinical signs of calf pain or swelling. She had moderate risk of acute PE based on Wells' criteria with positive D-dimer testing and computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) showing thrombus formation in the left-ascending pulmonary artery.

    Discussion: Acute PE may present solely with asymptomatic sinus tachycardia in TB spondylodiscitis. This caveat should provide a high index of suspicion to prevent delay in diagnosis and prevention of more sinister complications. Early stratification based on Wells' criteria for a possible diagnosis of acute PE is proven to be a useful approach in conjunction with clinical features.

  12. Lee RCH, Hasnan N, Engkasan JP
    Spinal Cord, 2018 04;56(4):341-346.
    PMID: 29288252 DOI: 10.1038/s41393-017-0034-2
    STUDY DESIGN: Cross sectional study.

    OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence, characteristics of and barriers to driving among persons with a spinal cord injury (SCI).

    SETTING: SCI Rehabilitation Clinic, University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC).

    METHODS: This is a questionnaire-based study on persons with SCI who attended the UMMC SCI Rehabilitation Clinic between June 2015 and November 2016. The questionnaire comprised demographic data, clinical characteristics, driving variables, Spinal Cord Independence Measure III, WHOQOL-BREF, and Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique Short Form. Malaysians aged greater than 18 years old with any etiology and levels of SCI, had no other physical disabilities and not suffering from progressive illness were recruited. A single investigator administered the questionnaire via face-to-face interviews.

    RESULTS: A total of 160 participants were included in this study. Overall, 37% of persons with SCI drove and owned a modified vehicle. Almost half of persons with paraplegia (47%) drove, but only 12% of tetraplegia did. A majority (93%) of those who drove aged below 60 years, and had higher level of independence in activity of daily living. More drivers (81%) compared to non-drivers (24%) were employed; drivers also reported better community reintegration and quality of life. Three commonest barriers to driving included medical reasons (38%), fear and lack of confidence (17%), and inability to afford vehicle modifications (13%).

    CONCLUSIONS: The percentage of persons with SCI driving post injury is low. Based on the findings of this study, more efforts are needed to motivate and facilitate persons with SCI to drive.

    Study site: SCI Rehabilitation Clinic, University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC)
  13. Hashim NM, Engkasan JP, Hasnan N
    J Spinal Cord Med, 2022 Nov;45(6):898-906.
    PMID: 33465010 DOI: 10.1080/10790268.2020.1860868
    STUDY DESIGN: Pre- and post- trial.

    OBJECTIVES: To determine the changes of health belief levels after a pressure ulcer (PrU) prevention educational program based on the Health Belief Model (HBM).

    SETTING: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University Medical Centre, Malaysia.

    METHODS: This study was conducted between May 2016 and May 2018. We created a multidisciplinary structured PrU prevention education program based on the HBM, consisting of didactic lectures, open discussions and a practical session. The content of the program was based on several PrU prevention guidelines. The education program focused on a group of 6-10 participants, and was conducted by a multidisciplinary team; i.e. doctor, physiotherapist, occupational therapist and a nurse. The skin care belief scales (SCBS) questionnaire was administered pre, post and 8-week post intervention, which measured the 9 domains of HBM. The data from the study was analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA to assess the effectiveness of the program.

    RESULTS: Thirty spinal cord injured participants who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria completed this study. The results of the education program show statistically significant effects on Susceptibility; F (2,58) = 12.53, P < 0.05, Barriers to Skin Check Belief; F(2,58) = 5.74, P > 0.05, Benefits to Wheelchair Pressure Relief Belief; F(1.65,47.8) = 3.97, P < 0.05, Barriers to Turning and Positioning Belief; F(2,58) = 3.92, P 

  14. Engkasan JP, Shun CL, Rathore FA
    J Pak Med Assoc, 2023 Oct;73(10):2123-2125.
    PMID: 37876089 DOI: 10.47391/JPMA.23-77
    Neurogenic bladder is one of the negative consequences following a spinal cord injury (SCI). SCI patients who have neurogenic bladder depend on alternative methods to drain urine from their bladder. These include indwelling catheters, reflex voiding , suprapubic tapping and intermittent catheterisation. This review summarizes evidence from the literature of five selected complications (renal failure, urinary tract infections, calculi, urethral stricture, and bladder cancer) that could result from use of the different bladder drainage methods. There is inconsistent evidence to support the superiority of intermittent over indwelling catheterisation on risk of renal impairment, urethral stricture, and renal calculi. Indwelling catheterisations are associated with higher risk of bladder calculi and cancer. Caution needs to be taken when interpreting this review, as many of its findings are from retrospective studies, and more than a decade old. Clinicians need to communicate the evidence to their patients when making the decision on method of bladder drainage.
  15. Redzuan NS, Engkasan JP, Mazlan M, Freddy Abdullah SJ
    Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 2012 Dec;93(12):2177-83.
    PMID: 22789773 DOI: 10.1016/j.apmr.2012.06.025
    To evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention using video to deliver therapy at home for patients with stroke.
  16. Hejazi SM, Engkasan JP, Qomi MS
    J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil, 2012;25(4):231-4.
    PMID: 23220804 DOI: 10.3233/BMR-2012-0340
    BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Polymyositis (PM) is an idiopathic inflammatory myopathy manifested by proximal limb muscles weakness, elevated creatinin kinase, electromyography changes, and muscle inflammation in biopsy. We report an instance of intensive rehabilitation therapy in a patient with clinically active polymyositis.
    CASE REPORT: A 19-year-old female patient, diagnosed with 'electromyography and biopsy proven' polymyositis for 5 years, suffered from worsening limbs weakness and dysphagia. In her history, she had upper and lower limbs weakness accompanied by dysphagia which was further complicated by right bronchial aspiration 9 months ago. A four-week trial of intensive training and exercise rehabilitation, concurrently accompanied by medications was prescribed for this patient. At the end of therapy she achieved significant improvement in muscle strength, activities of daily living, and ambulation without any disease exacerbation.
    CONCLUSION: We concluded that short-term intensive training and exercise may lead to improvements in patients with PM, without causing a progress in the disease. Due to the rarity of PM and difficulty of conducting well-controlled studies to examine the risks and benefits of exercise in these patients, further research is necessary to investigate benefits of exercise training in active phase of disease.
  17. Stucki G, Pollock A, Engkasan JP, Selb M
    Eur J Phys Rehabil Med, 2019 Jun;55(3):384-394.
    PMID: 30990004 DOI: 10.23736/S1973-9087.19.05808-8
    Rehabilitation aims to optimize functioning of persons experiencing functioning limitations. As such the comparative evaluation of rehabilitation interventions relies on the analysis of the differences between the change in patient functioning after a specific rehabilitation intervention versus the change following another intervention. A robust health information reference system that can facilitate the comparative evaluation of changes in functioning in rehabilitation studies and the standardized reporting of rehabilitation interventions is the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The objective of this paper is to present recommendations that Cochrane Rehabilitation could adopt for using the ICF in rehabilitation studies by: 1) defining the functioning categories to be included in a rehabilitation study; 2) specifying selected functioning categories and selecting suitable data collection instruments; 3) examining aspects of functioning that have been documented in a study; 4) reporting functioning data collected with various data collection instruments; and 5) communicating results in an accessible, meaningful and easily understandable way. The authors provide examples of concrete studies that underscore these recommendations, whereby also emphasizing the need for future research on the implementation of specific recommendations, e.g. in meta-analysis in systematic literature reviews. Furthermore, the paper outlines how the ICF can complement or be integrated in established Cochrane and rehabilitation research structures and methods, e.g. use of standard mean difference to compare cross-study data collected using different measures, in developing core outcome sets for rehabilitation, and the use of the PICO model.
  18. Yong LN, Ahmedy F, Yin KN, Engkasan JP
    Asian Spine J, 2021 Jun;15(3):381-391.
    PMID: 32951405 DOI: 10.31616/asj.2020.0086
    Spinal tuberculosis often leads to neurological deficit and subsequent deterioration in functional outcomes. This review assesses the recent evidence on functional outcomes in spinal tuberculosis, highlighting functional recovery, assessment tools for functional measures, and associative factors for functional recovery. Using PubMed, a literature search was done using the terms "spinal tuberculosis," "tuberculous spondylitis," "tuberculous spondylodiscitis," and "functional outcome" for original articles published between January 2010 and December 2019. A total of 191 search results were found. Detailed screening showed that 19 articles met the eligibility criteria: 13 of these focused on surgical methods, four on conservative management, and two on rehabilitation approaches. The outcome measures used for functional assessment were the Oswestry Disability Index (11 articles), Japanese Orthopaedic Association score (n=3), modified Barthel Index (n=2), Functional Independence Measure (n=2), and 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (n=1). Functional outcome was mainly affected by pain, spinal cord compression, and inpatient rehabilitation. No significant difference in functional outcome was found between conservative management and surgery for cases with uncomplicated spinal tuberculosis. Most studies focused on surgery as the mode of treatment and used pain-related functional measures; however, these assessed functional limitations secondary to pain, and not neurological deficits. Further studies may consider examining functional outcomes in spinal tuberculosis by utilizing spinal cord-specific functional outcome measures, to evaluate outcome measures as a prognostic tool, and to measure functional outcomes from specific rehabilitation interventions.
  19. Engkasan JP, Hasnan N, Mohd Yusuf Y, Abdul Latif L
    Am J Phys Med Rehabil, 2017 02;96(2 Suppl 1):S90-S92.
    PMID: 28059888 DOI: 10.1097/PHM.0000000000000598
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