Just Need Some Satisfaction: Examining the Relationship between Passion for Exercise and the Basic Psychological Needs

Individuals often pursue activities for which they are passionate about, and this passion is operationalized as being harmonious (an autonomous desireto engage in the activity) or obsessive (a controlled desire to engage in the activity) in nature (Vallerand et al., 2003). With regard to harmonious passion, Vallerand et al. (2003) suggests that it is fostered in environments that nurture innate needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The purpose of the present study was to explore the nature of the passion-basic psychological needs (competence, autonomy, relatedness) relationship. Kinesiology students (N = 917; Mage = 18.54 SD = 1.66) completed the Passion Scale (Vallerand et al., 2003) and the Psychological Need Satisfaction in Exercise Scale (Wilson et al., 2006). Results from the SEM path analysis indicated that harmonious passion was positively related to competence (SPE = .43) and relatedness (SPE = .43) and obsessive passion was negatively related to autonomy (SPE = -.18)(CFI = .90, RMSEA = .07, SRMR = .07). Implications for exercise participation/enjoyment are discussed.

HOME-BASED REHABILITATION AND ITS IMPACT ON HOSPITAL UTILIZATION

There is compelling evidence for the effectiveness of home-based occupational therapy and physiotherapy rehabilitation for community dwelling elderly who may struggle with basic activities and the functions of daily living and mobility. Nonetheless, an estimated 2% of home care’s elderly clients receive these therapies. Ontario’s home care data indicates that 78% of clients that could benefit from these specific therapies are not receiving them. The study examined a subset of elderly clients receiving home care following a hospital discharge during 2009-2010. The aim of this study was to: understand the difference between those home care clients who received occupational therapy or physiotherapy and those who did not; and determine if receiving these therapies impacted the utilization of hospital emergency departments and inpatient admissions. A retrospective cohort design and multivariate and survival analysis of hospital and home care administrative data structured the study. Results suggest that home-based rehabilitation is offered to a minority of the home care population. Distinct client characteristics and process variables significantly associated with the increased likelihood of receiving home-based occupational and physical therapies included: clients who were older, females, admitted to home care from hospital inpatient units, assessed as non-acute for clinical and service needs and required more home making support and assistance with activities of daily living. Almost one quarter of the total sample returned to hospital. Visits to emergency departments accounted for the greater part of hospital utilization and primarily for sub-acute general symptoms and signs, post-procedural complications, infections or acute episodes from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and renal failure. Slightly over half of the clients returning to hospital did not receive home-based rehabilitation. Clients who received occupational therapy returned to the hospital sooner following their home care admission whereas clients receiving physiotherapy spent the longest time before rehospitalizing. The majority of the clients receiving occupational therapy were admitted to home care having just resolved sub-acute conditions or symptoms, many of which are known to influence functional and physical decline. Moreover, analysis of process variables indicated that the wait time for a referral to occupational therapy was two times longer compared to physiotherapy. These same clients also waited, on average, over one month before an occupational therapist’s first visit. The need to discriminate who receives home-based rehabilitation is essential to understanding how specific therapies contribute to improving systems outcomes. This study is the first examination that focuses specifically on home-based occupational therapy and physiotherapy rehabilitation and the client characteristics and process variables associated with receiving/not receiving these therapies and the impact these factors have on the time-to-rehospitalization.

Actionable Nuggets: Knowledge Translation Tool for the Needs of Patients with Spinal Cord Injury

OBJECTIVE: To present the results of a pilot study of an innovative methodology for translating best evidence about spinal cord injury (SCI) for family practice.

Meeting the Needs of Adult Learners in a Faculty of Education Careers Curriculum

Adult learners are a discrete population with specific needs and characteristics. The context of this project is a Career Services office in a Faculty of Education at a Local University [pseudonym]. The office serves a population of students from various programs within the Faculty, with the majority of students enrolled in the Bachelor of Education program. As a result of the current job market for teachers in Ontario and Canada, it is important to be able to communicate effectively with students to support them in their job searches. The purpose of this project was to identify the needs and characteristics of adult learners, and to identify ways that the current Career Services curriculum could be improved to better support adult learners. In order to engage this population of students, it is important to ensure that the content of the course addresses and meets their needs. To provide a more personalized learning environment, online resources were considered to allow students to participate more, providing a more convenient and suitable method of delivery for our intended audience, and a sample website was created to host the online resources. In addition, the entire Career Services curriculum was formalized by producing a curriculum document to outline the goals and outcomes of the program to ensure that the content will facilitate the achievement of those goals. What resulted is a hybrid, online and in-person program for Career Services, and a more robust curriculum that considers the needs of our adult learners.