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Objective The objective of this study is to determine whether physiotherapy and counselling students, who represent a future generation of two health professions, have differing views about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Methods In order to determine physiotherapy and counselling students' self‐rated knowledge and beliefs about CAM and the factors which influence that understanding, a modified 10‐item CAM Health Belief Questionnaire was administered across all year groups to physiotherapy students and counselling students at two universities in Perth, Western Australia. The self‐rated paper‐based survey measured knowledge of CAM among physiotherapy and counselling students, evaluation of their beliefs regarding the use of CAM, factors that influence their knowledge and beliefs, and their likelihood of recommending CAM to future patients. Results A response rate of 96.8% was achieved, with 387 physiotherapy students and 88 counselling students. Moderately positive beliefs about CAM were confirmed in both groups, with mean scores of 42.8/70 for physiotherapy students and 43.3/70 for counselling students. There were no significant differences between the student groups in overall self‐rated knowledge of CAM. The main factors that influenced the students' responses were personal experience for counselling students and scientific evidence for physiotherapy students. Other factors included university training, attitudes of lecturers, tutors and fellow students, cultural background, and opinions of external practitioners. Counselling students were more likely than physiotherapy students to recommend CAM therapies to their future patients. Conclusion The results from this study demonstrate minimal self‐rated knowledge but moderately positive attitudes towards CAM by both physiotherapy and counselling students.

Objective The objective of this study is to determine whether physiotherapy and counselling students, who represent a future generation of two health professions, have differing views about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Methods In order to determine physiotherapy and counselling students' self‐rated knowledge and beliefs about CAM and the factors which influence that understanding, a modified 10‐item CAM Health Belief Questionnaire was administered across all year groups to physiotherapy students and counselling students at two universities in Perth, Western Australia. The self‐rated paper‐based survey measured knowledge of CAM among physiotherapy and counselling students, evaluation of their beliefs regarding the use of CAM, factors that influence their knowledge and beliefs, and their likelihood of recommending CAM to future patients. Results A response rate of 96.8% was achieved, with 387 physiotherapy students and 88 counselling students. Moderately positive beliefs about CAM were confirmed in both groups, with mean scores of 42.8/70 for physiotherapy students and 43.3/70 for counselling students. There were no significant differences between the student groups in overall self‐rated knowledge of CAM. The main factors that influenced the students' responses were personal experience for counselling students and scientific evidence for physiotherapy students. Other factors included university training, attitudes of lecturers, tutors and fellow students, cultural background, and opinions of external practitioners. Counselling students were more likely than physiotherapy students to recommend CAM therapies to their future patients. Conclusion The results from this study demonstrate minimal self‐rated knowledge but moderately positive attitudes towards CAM by both physiotherapy and counselling students.

BACKGROUND: This study examined the acceptability and preliminary outcomes of an internet-delivered pain management program, the Pain Course, when offered by a specialist pain management clinic in a large public hospital. METHODS: A single-group feasibility open-trial design was used and 39 patients participated in the program, which ran for 8 weeks. Participants were supported through the program with weekly contact from a Clinical Psychologist at the clinic. RESULTS: All participants provided data at posttreatment and >90% of participants completed all 5 lessons of the course. High levels of satisfaction were observed and relatively little clinician time (M=71.99 min/participant; SD=32.82 min) was required to support patients through the program. Preliminary evidence of clinical improvements in depression symptoms (avg. improvement=38%; Cohen d=0.74), but not disability levels or anxiety symptoms, was observed in the overall sample. However, evidence of improvements was observed across all the primary outcomes among patients who had clinical levels of difficulties with disability (n=20; avg. improvement=11%; Cohen d=0.64), depression (n=17; avg. improvement=35%; Cohen d=1.24) and anxiety (n=8; avg. improvement=29%; Cohen d=0.57). CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the potential value of internet-delivered programs when provided by specialist pain management clinics as a part of their services and the value of larger scale studies in this area.

This study compared a remote-delivered pain management program, the Pain Course, when delivered in online and workbook formats. Participants (n = 178) were randomised into 2 groups: (1) an Internet Group (n = 84) who were provided with secure accounts to the program in an online format; or (2) a Workbook Group (n = 94) who were mailed workbook versions of the program. The content of both programs was identical and comprised 5 core lessons, which participants were encouraged to work through over an 8-week period, according to a prescribed timetable. All participants were provided with weekly contact with a clinical psychologist through email and telephone throughout the program. The overall findings suggest that the workbook format was no less effective or acceptable than the validated online format. Significant improvements (avg. improvement; Internet Group vs Workbook Group) in levels of disability (PDI: 16% vs 24%; RMDQ: 12% vs 15%), anxiety (GAD-7: 36% vs 26%), and depression (PHQ-9: 36% vs 36%) were observed in both groups immediately posttreatment. Further improvements were observed in disability levels to 3-month follow-up, and improvements across the other primary outcomes were maintained until 12-month follow-up. High treatment completion rates and levels of satisfaction were reported in both groups, and both groups required a similarly small amount of clinician contact per participant (M = 74.85 minutes; SD = 41.03). These results highlight the public health potential of remote-delivered pain management programs, delivered in either workbook or online formats, as methods of increasing access to pain management.

This study compared a remote-delivered pain management program, the Pain Course, when delivered in online and workbook formats. Participants (n = 178) were randomised into 2 groups: (1) an Internet Group (n = 84) who were provided with secure accounts to the program in an online format; or (2) a Workbook Group (n = 94) who were mailed workbook versions of the program. The content of both programs was identical and comprised 5 core lessons, which participants were encouraged to work through over an 8-week period, according to a prescribed timetable. All participants were provided with weekly contact with a clinical psychologist through email and telephone throughout the program. The overall findings suggest that the workbook format was no less effective or acceptable than the validated online format. Significant improvements (avg. improvement; Internet Group vs Workbook Group) in levels of disability (PDI: 16% vs 24%; RMDQ: 12% vs 15%), anxiety (GAD-7: 36% vs 26%), and depression (PHQ-9: 36% vs 36%) were observed in both groups immediately posttreatment. Further improvements were observed in disability levels to 3-month follow-up, and improvements across the other primary outcomes were maintained until 12-month follow-up. High treatment completion rates and levels of satisfaction were reported in both groups, and both groups required a similarly small amount of clinician contact per participant (M = 74.85 minutes; SD = 41.03). These results highlight the public health potential of remote-delivered pain management programs, delivered in either workbook or online formats, as methods of increasing access to pain management.

We introduce a multi-species chemotaxis type system admitting an arbitrarily large number of population species, all of which are attracted versus repelled by a single chemical substance. The production versus destruction rates of the chemotactic substance by the species is described by a probability measure. For such a model, we investigate the variational structures, in particular, we prove the existence of Lyapunov functionals, we establish duality properties as well as a logarithmic Hardy-Littlewood-Sobolev type inequality for the associated free energy. The latter inequality provides the optimal critical value for the conserved total population mass. © 2017 Cambridge University Press