Little is known about how students in rehabilitation sciences accept and use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in their educational endeavors. We explored student perceptions, acceptance, and utilization of GenAI in school and their beliefs about its usefulness and ease of use. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted of adult students enrolled in rehabilitation sciences programs within a private urban academic university. The survey was based on the Technology Acceptance Model with questions specific to the use of GenAI in school. A total of 196 responses were included in the analysis (32.9% response rate), with responses received across all rehabilitation sciences programs. Half the respondents (50%) reported using GenAI “some of the time” in school, and 6.1% indicated frequent usage of “most of” or “all” the time. Users reported using GenAI to explain and review concepts (n = 49), to generate content or ideas (n = 20), and for grammatical support (n = 21). Users perceived GenAI as more useful and easier to use than non-users. Over half of rehabilitation sciences students use GenAI for school; however, only 6.1% report routine usage. Given the expected growth and potential of GenAI, faculty should explore strategies to facilitate the acceptance and appropriate use of this innovative technology.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited, multi-system, life-limiting disease characterized by a progressive decline in lung function, which accounts for the majority of CF-related morbidity and mortality. Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) has been proposed as a rehabilitative strategy to treat respiratory impairments associated with CF. However, despite evidence of therapeutic benefits in healthy and other clinical populations, the routine application of IMT in CF can neither be supported nor refuted due to the paucity of methodologically rigorous research. Specifically, the interpretation of available studies regarding the efficacy of IMT in CF is hampered by methodological threats to internal and external validity. As such, it is important to highlight the inherent risk of bias that differences in patient characteristics, IMT protocols, and outcome measurements present when synthesizing this literature prior to making final clinical judgments. Future studies are required to identify the characteristics of individuals who may respond to IMT and determine whether the controlled application of IMT can elicit meaningful improvements in physiological and patient-centered clinical outcomes. Given the equivocal evidence regarding its efficacy, IMT should be utilized on a case-by-case basis with sound clinical reasoning, rather than simply dismissed, until a rigorous evidence-based consensus has been reached.

Purpose: Inspiratory muscle strength (IMS) ranges from below normal to supernormal levels in adults with cystic fibrosis (CF). An understanding of disease-related factors contributing to this variability may identify adults with CF at greater risk of respiratory pump dysfunction. The purpose of this study was to explore the ability of clinical measures to predict IMS in adults with CF. Methods: Maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) was assessed in 58 adults with stable CF across a range of disease severity (forced expiratory volume in 1-second [FEV₁] = 20% to 130% of the predicted) using a cross-sectional design. The ability of clinical factors to predict IMS was evaluated through multivariable regression analysis. Results: The linear combination of percent of predicted FEV₁, percent of predicted residual volume (%RV), lean body mass index, and age explained 43% of the variance in MIP expressed in cm H₂O. The linear combination of percent of predicted inspiratory capacity, %RV, and body mass index explained 52% of the variance in MIP expressed as percent of the predicted. Conclusions: A combination of pulmonary, nutritional, and demographic clinical factors explained approximately half of the variance in IMS in adults with CF. Nutritional status and hyperinflation seem to have the greatest influence on the inspiratory muscles.

Purpose: Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) can optimize Long COVID rehabilitation outcomes; however, an understanding of the target condition and available resources influence the adoption of CPGs. This study explored rehabilitation provider's awareness of Long COVID and their use of associated CPGs within the United States. Methods: A cross-sectional sample of 300 rehabilitation providers (100 physical therapists, 100 occupational therapists, 100 speech-language pathologists) were randomly selected from the state with the highest prevalence of Long COVID within each of the 9 U.S. geographic divisions. A total of 2700 participants were invited to complete a survey exploring their awareness of Long COVID and use of CPGs. Results: Surveys were received from 299 providers (11.6% response rate) across all identified states and disciplines. Most (70.2%) reported awareness of Long COVID symptomatology. Few were aware of relevant CPGs (12.7%) or used them (7.4%) in practice. Although 39.8% reported awareness of symptom exacerbation triggers, only 8.3% knew of associated screening tools. Similar trends were noted when responses were limited to those who treat Long COVID. Nearly all respondents (88.2%) believed that Long COVID will persist in the rehabilitation community. Conclusion: Rehabilitation providers perceive that they are aware of Long COVID symptomatology, although there is a lack of awareness and application of relevant CPGs across disciplines. Discrepancies between providers' perceived and actual understanding of Long COVID rehabilitation likely exist that can impede outcomes if evidence-based resources are underused. Interdisciplinary initiatives to enhance evidence translation to rehabilitation are needed to optimize Long COVID practice.