Facilitating patients' involvement with 12-step self-help organizations, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA), is often a goal of substance abuse treatment. Twelve-step-facilitation (TSF) interventions have been found to be more effective than comparison treatments in increasing patients' 12-step group involvement and in promoting abstinence. Future TSF evaluation rese...

The wide spread of self-help groups (SHGs) in both urban and rural communities in Nigeria and the low empowerment of the members economically, socially, politically and psychologically raises a lot of questions about what exactly is happening, since the primary objective of forming the SHGs is to empower the members holistically. The overall aim of the paper is to identify and discuss the facto...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to describe, qualitatively the use of service dogs by persons with physical disabilities and the meaning of this experience. METHOD Five service dog owners were observed and interviewed on multiple occasions through an ethnographic approach. RESULTS Identified themes were increased community participation, "closer than family" increased social contact...

STUDY OBJECTIVE To determine if a self help intervention, delivered via written interactive materials (the "Walk in to Work Out" pack), could increase active commuting behaviour (walking and cycling). DESIGN Randomised controlled trial. The intervention group received the "Walk in to Work Out" pack, which contained written interactive materials based on the transtheoretical model of behaviour...

OBJECTIVES To examine variation in provision of assistive technology (AT) devices and the extent to which such variation may be explained by patient characteristics or Veterans Health Administration (VHA) administrative region. DESIGN Retrospective population-based study. SETTING VHA. PARTICIPANTS Veterans poststroke in fiscal years 2001 and 2002 (N=12,046). INTERVENTIONS Not applicable...

This study investigated the use of a word processor for enhancing the academic outcomes of three students with writing disabilities in a junior high school. A single-subject ABAB design was used to compare academic output produced during class time with and without a computer equipped with a word processor. The number of spelling errors, the number of reading errors, and the number of words use...

Assistive technology was once a specialised field of practice, involving products designed for populations with specific impairments or functional goals. In Australia, occupational therapists have, at times, functioned as gatekeepers to public funding, prescribing products from a predefined list. An expanding range of accessible mainstream products available via international and online markets...