Politici en feministes grijpen naar wetenschappelijke waarheden om hun politieke standpunten over emancipatie en ouderschap te onderbouwen. De één kiest voor traditioneel moederschap en verwijst naar de genen, de ander idealiseert de vrije keuze van mannen en vrouwen en vertrouwt op de maakbaarheid van de hersenen.
Dit Profiel Informele Zorg is een handreiking voor sociale professionals die werken met mensen die leven met een niet-aangeboren hersenletsel en hun naasten. Onder NAH verstaan we de mensen die ergens in hun leven een beschadiging aan hun hersenen hebben opgelopen zoals door een hersentumor, een ongeluk, een beroerte, een zuurstoftekort of door een vergiftiging. Ook progressieve ziekten zoals Dementie of Parkinson worden onder hersenletsel gerekend. Er zijn in Nederland 500.000 mensen die met hersenletsel leven.
Background and objective: Serious pathologies of the neck can potentially result in cranial nerve palsy. Knowledge about cranial nerve examination (CNE) seems sparse, and its use is still unknown. We aim to investigate the knowledge, skills, and utilization of CNE of Italian physiotherapists. Materials and Methods: An online cross-sectional survey. Results: 396 completed the survey, reaching the required sample size. Although Italian physiotherapists consider CNE relevant (mean ± SD = 7.6/10 ± 2.0), over half of all responders (n = 229 (57.8%)) were not trained in the fundamentals and around a third did not use it in their daily practice (n = 138 (34.8%)). Additionally, participants were unconfident and insecure in conducting (n = 152 (38.4%) and n = 147 (37.1%)), interpreting (n = 140 (35.4%) and n = 164 (41.4%)), and managing the CNE (n = 141 (35.6%) and n = 154 (38.9%)). Possessing a musculoskeletal specialization was associated with an increased value attributed to clinical practice guidelines and reduced the lack of confidence in conducting, interpreting, and managing the CNE (respectively, n = 35 (25.5%), p = 0.0001; n = 32 (23.4%) p = 0.0002; n = 32 (23.4%) p = 0.0002). Working in a direct access setting significantly increased the considered relevance of guidelines and the concerns about arterial (p = 0.004) and other serious pathologies (p = 0.021). Pain and visual disturbances were considered the main indicators to CNE, demonstrating limited knowledge of signs and symptoms’ indicating CNE. Participants considered specific training in CNE as relevant (mean ± SD = 7.6/10 = 2.1). Conclusions: a substantial proportion of Italian physiotherapists are not schooled in the fundamentals of cranial nerve examination. Given the number of physiotherapists who work in first contact roles, this is a professional concern.
