https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/39711 2026-04-23T11:52:27Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/40857 Title: A study evaluating elderly’s perceptions of an inpatient fall prevention programme and their knowledge on falls Abstract: This research study sought to explore the changes that a fall prevention programme has on elderly’s knowledge on falls when carried out with inpatients who were admitted for rehabilitation following a fall. It also aimed to gain participants’ feedback regarding their experience in participating in the programme. The programme was education-based and consisted of six sessions. Two one-hour sessions were held weekly for a period of three weeks, in which particular attention was paid to fall risk factors and fall prevention strategies. A quantitative method was used with some qualitative elements. It adopted a one-group pretest-posttest design. Participants answered some demographic questions before the start of the programme and a fall prevention knowledge questionnaire, through which participants’ knowledge on falls was measured. This questionnaire was filled in again after the termination of the programme. The participants also gave their feedback on the programme through six open-ended questions which they answered anonymously. Data gathered from the pre-programme and post-programme questionnaires was analysed numerically. This was presented graphically using bar-charts. Content analysis was carried out to analyse participants’ feedback and commonalities between the responses were identified. Results showed that the programme was somewhat effective since all participants showed an increase in their knowledge on falls and fall prevention strategies. Participants stated that participating in this programme was a highly positive learning experience. Such programmes are encouraged to be implemented with elderly people since research shows they are effective in decreasing the number of falls among the elderly population. More research is required regarding the effectiveness of fall prevention programmes to ensure evidence-based practice in this area. Description: B.SC.OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/40849 Title: Validating the DCDQ for use with children aged between five and fifteen in the Maltese context Abstract: The Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ) is one of the English parent questionnaires used in local paediatric centres to screen children for Developmental Coordination Disorder. The main aim of this study was, to translate and validate the original English DCDQ'07 (Wilson, 2007) to the Maltese language to mitigate any language barriers when administered to the Maltese speaking population. This involved a translation of the tool followed by administration through a quantitative cross sectional survey. This research study was set up to overcome the current limitations experienced when using solely the English version of the DCDQ within the Maltese context. This study started with the development of a valid and reliable Maltese version of the DCDQ following the forward-backward translation method. Two pairs of translators and a moderator formed part of the translation team whose main goal was to achieve a Maltese translation which respected the original version. Subsequently, the validity and reliability of the final Maltese questionnaire were determined by carrying out the bilingual test-retest technique using the split-half method. Throughout the data collection period, a total of 44 bilingual parents whose children were receiving Occupational Therapy intervention at the local paediatric centre completed both the Maltese and English versions at a seven day interval. Analysis of the results obtained compared the final scores achieved from the Maltese translation with those obtained from the original English questionnaire. The statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS statistical package. All tests carried out - namely the Kappa, Kendall Tau and Intraclass Correlation- yielded p values of 0.000 which indicates satisfactory intra-rater reliability. This implies that the Maltese questionnaire can be used as a basis for further research with confidence to obtain accreditation from the DCDQ body. This will thus add to the available resources in Occupational Therapy clinics, and will ensure that children's difficulties are detected. Acquiring more accurate results will be useful to plan Occupational Therapy treatment planning. This will enhance the outcome of therapy which will lead to an improvement in the child's overall development and performance. This study met the initial aims as it demonstrated that the Maltese version is a good basis that can be used with confidence in the clinical setting, as a true representation of the original English version. The research question underpinning this study was thus affirmed. However, some questions would benefit from modifications to make it more appropriate to the Maltese culture. Description: B.SC.OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z