Physioworks Health Group Exercise Physiologist Megan Jepson has recently had a research paper published by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) in the prestigious Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Journal.

Co-authored with four (4) other Australian allied health care professionals the research paper is titled “Chronic Heart Failure and Exercise Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”

As defined and referenced in the research paper, Chronic Heart Failure (CHF) is an abnormality of heart function or structure leading to reduced oxygen delivery throughout the body. It is considered a worldwide epidemic that is only increasing with the general aging of the population. And the prevalence of CHF in Australia is estimated to be as much as 2% of the population, with 30,000 new patients diagnosed each year.

The objective of the research was to identify the effect of specific exercise parameters on physical function and quality of life (QOL) in people with chronic heart failure living in the Australian community.

The outcomes shown in the paper are that Exercise significantly improves QOL and physical function. The current evidence suggests that engagement with exercise is a more important factor in achieving improvement than how the exercise is actually performed.

Physiotherapy and allied health-care team members at Physioworks Health Group are regularly involved in research and education within their chosen discipline with leading research institutions and universities. This helps to affirm and develop innovative evidence based treatment techniques which they may apply in clinical consultations and management of your program at Physioworks Health Group.

Please refer to the reference below for access to the research paper.

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

journal homepage: www.archives-pmr.org

META-ANALYSIS

Chronic Heart Failure and Exercise Rehabilitation:

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

a: Katie Palmer, BHSc; Michelle Paton, Mphysio:

b: Kelly-Ann Bowles, PhD; Megan Jepson, MclinExPhys;

c: Rebecca Lane, PhD

From the a School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Monash University, Monash Health, Melbourne, Australia; b School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; c School of Physiotherapy, Australian Catholic University, Ballarat, Australia.