Refine
Year of publication
Document Type
- Article (peer reviewed) (167) (remove)
Has Fulltext
- no (167)
Is part of the Bibliography
- no (167)
Keywords
- ICF (20)
- Rehabilitation (16)
- Disability and health (11)
- Vertigo (11)
- Dizziness (10)
- Aged (8)
- outcome assessment (8)
- Classification (7)
- International Classification of Functioning (7)
- Quality of life (6)
Institute
- Fakultät für Angewandte Gesundheits- und Sozialwissenschaften (167) (remove)
Objective: To examine the use of the term ‘metric’ in health and social sciences’ literature, focusing on the interval scale implication of the term in Modern Test Theory (MTT).
Materials and methods: A systematic search and review on MTT studies including ‘metric’ or ‘interval scale’ was performed in the health and social sciences literature. The search was restricted to 2001–2005 and 2011–2015. A Text Mining algorithm was employed to operationalize the eligibility criteria and to explore the uses of ‘metric’. The paradigm of each included article (Rasch Measurement Theory (RMT), Item Response Theory (IRT) or both), as well as its type (Theoretical, Methodological, Teaching, Application, Miscellaneous) were determined. An inductive thematic analysis on the first three types was performed.
Results: 70.6% of the 1337 included articles were allocated to RMT, and 68.4% were application papers. Among the number of uses of ‘metric’, it was predominantly a synonym of ‘scale’; as adjective, it referred to measurement or quantification. Three incompatible themes ‘only RMT/all MTT/no MTT models can provide interval measures’ were identified, but ‘interval scale’ was considerably more mentioned in RMT than in IRT.
Conclusion: ‘Metric’ is used in many different ways, and there is no consensus on which MTT metric has interval scale properties. Nevertheless, when using the term ‘metric’, the authors should specify the level of the metric being used (ordinal, ordered, interval, ratio), and justify why according to them the metric is at that level.
Background: Existing instruments measuring participation may vary with respect to various aspects. This study aimed to examine the comparability of existing instruments measuring participation based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) by considering aspects of content, the perspective adopted and the categorization of response options.
Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted to identify instruments that have been commonly used to measure participation. Concepts of identified instruments were then linked to the ICF following the refined ICF Linking Rules. Aspects of content, perspective adopted and categorization of response options were documented.
Results: Out of 315 instruments identified in the full-text screening, 41 instruments were included. Concepts of six instruments were linked entirely to the ICF component Activities and Participation; of 10 instruments still 80% of their concepts. A descriptive perspective was adopted in most items across instruments (75%), mostly in combination with an intensity rating. An appraisal perspective was found in 18% and questions from a need or dependency perspective were least frequent (7%).
Conclusion: Accounting for aspects of content, perspective and categorization of responses in the linking of instruments to the ICF provides detailed information for the comparison of instruments and guidance on narrowing down the choices of suitable instruments from a content point of view.
Implications for Rehabilitation
For clinicians and researchers who need to identify a specific instrument for a given purpose, the findings of this review can serve as a screening tool for instruments measuring participation in terms of the following:
• Their content covered based on the ICF.
• The perspective adopted in the instrument (e.g., descriptive, need/dependency or appraisal).
• The categorization of their response options (e.g., intensity or frequency).
Background: Joint contractures are a common health problem in older persons with significant impact on activities of daily living. We aimed to retrieve outcome measures applied in studies on older persons with joint contractures and to identify and categorise the concepts contained in these outcome measures using the ICF (International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health) as a reference.
Methods: Electronic searches of Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, Pedro and the Cochrane Library were conducted (1/2002-8/2012). We included studies in the geriatric rehabilitation and nursing home settings with participants aged ≥ 65 years and with acquired joint contractures. Two independent reviewers extracted the outcome measures and transferred them to concepts using predefined conceptual frameworks. Concepts were subsequently linked to the ICF categories.
Results: From the 1057 abstracts retrieved, 60 studies met the inclusion criteria. We identified 52 single outcome measures and 24 standardised assessment instruments. A total of 1353 concepts were revealed from the outcome measures; 96.2 % could be linked to 50 ICF categories in the 2nd level; 3.8 % were not categorised. Fourteen of the 50 categories (28 %) belonged to the component Body Functions, 4 (8 %) to the component Body Structures, 26 (52 %) to the component Activities and Participation, and 6 (12 %) to the component Environmental Factors.
Conclusions: The ICF is a valuable reference for identifying and quantifying the concepts of outcome measures on joint contractures in older people. The revealed ICF categories remain to be validated in populations with joint contractures in terms of clinical relevance and personal impact.
Introduction
Joint contractures are characterized as impairment of the physiological movement of joints due to deformity, disuse or pain and have major impact especially for older individuals in geriatric care. Some measures for the assessment of the impact of joint contractures exist. However, there is no consensus on which aspects should constantly be measured. Our objective was to develop a standard-set based on the ICF for describing functioning and disability in older individuals with joint contractures in geriatric care settings, giving special emphasis to activities and participation.
Methods
The ICF-based standard set was developed in a formal decision-making and consensus process and based on an adapted version of the protocol to develop ICF Core Sets. These are sets of categories from the ICF, serving as standards for the assessment, communication and reporting of functioning and health for clinical studies, clinical encounters and multi-professional comprehensive assessment and management.
Results
Twenty-three experts from Germany and Switzerland selected 105 categories of the ICF component Activities and Participation for the ICF-based standard set. The largest number of categories was selected from the chapter Mobility (50 categories, 47.6%).
Conclusions
The standard set for older individuals with joint contractures provides health professionals with a standard for describing patients’ activity limitations and participation restrictions. The standard set also provides a common basis for the development of patient-centered measures and intervention programs. The preliminary version of the ICF-based standard set will be tested in subsequent studies with regard to its psychometric properties.
Objective
To identify the most important and relevant concepts of daily functioning from the perspective of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
Methods
We conducted a consensus‐building, 3‐round, electronic mail survey with SLE patients using the Delphi technique. The Delphi technique is a structured communication process with 4 key characteristics: anonymity, iteration with controlled feedback, statistical group response, and informed input. The concepts contained in the answers of the patients were extracted and linked to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF).
Results
Of the total 225 participants, 194 (86.2%) completed the questionnaires from all 3 Delphi rounds. In total, after the third Delphi round, 307 concepts were identified. Ninety concepts (55 in the domain body functions and structures, 16 in activities and participation, and 19 in environmental factors) were considered relevant by at least 50% of the participants in the third round and linked to the ICF. Twelve concepts were considered important by at least 75% of the participants.
Conclusion
The high number of concepts resulting from this large‐scale patient Delphi approach underlines the great variety of SLE patients' problems in daily functioning. The results of this patient Delphi project supplement the findings of our focus‐group study in establishing a comprehensive overview of the patient perspective in SLE.
Predictive Modeling (PM) techniques are gaining importance in the worldwide health insurance business. Modern PM methods are used for customer relationship management, risk evaluation or medical management. This article illustrates a PM approach that enables the economic potential of (cost-)effective disease management programs (DMPs) to be fully exploited by optimized candidate selection as an example of successful data-driven business management. The approach is based on a Generalized Linear Model (GLM) that is easy to apply for health insurance companies. By means of a small portfolio from an emerging country, we show that our GLM approach is stable compared to more sophisticated regression techniques in spite of the difficult data environment. Additionally, we demonstrate for this example of a setting that our model can compete with the expensive solutions offered by professional PM vendors and outperforms non-predictive standard approaches for DMP selection commonly used in the market.
We examine the interaction in the market for physician services when the total budget for reimbursement is fixed. Physicians obtain points for the services they render. At the end of the period the budget is divided by the sum of all points submitted, which determines the price per point. We show that this retrospective payment system involves – compared to a fee-for-service remuneration system – a severe coordination problem, which potentially leads to the “treadmill effect”. We argue that when market entry is possible, a budget can be efficiency enhancing, if in addition a price floor is used.
BACKGROUND: Active performance is crucial for motor learning, and, together with motivation, is believed to be associated with a better rehabilitation outcome. Virtual reality (VR) is an innovative approach to engage and motivate patients during training. There is promising evidence for its efficiency in retraining upper limb function. However, there is insufficient proof for its effectiveness in gait training.
AIM: To evaluate the acceptability of robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) with and without VR and the feasibility of potential outcome measures to guide the planning of a larger randomized controlled trial (RCT).
DESIGN: Single-blind randomized controlled pilot trial with two parallel arms.
SETTING: Rehabilitation hospital.
POPULATION: Twenty subacute stroke patients (64±9 years) with a Functional Ambulation Classification (FAC) ≤2.
METHODS: Twelve sessions (over 4 weeks) of either VR-augmented RAGT (intervention group) or standard RAGT (control group). Acceptability of the interventions (drop-out rate, questionnaire), patients’ motivation (Intrinsic Motivation Inventory [IMI], individual mean walking time), and feasibility of potential outcome measures (completion rate and response to interventions) were determined.
RESULTS: We found high acceptability of repetitive VR-augmented RAGT. The drop-out rate was 1/11 in the intervention and 4/14 in the control group. Patients of the intervention group spent significantly more time walking in the robot than the control group (per session and total walking time; P<0.03). In both groups, motivation measured with the IMI was high over the entire intervention period. The felt pressure and tension significantly decreased in the intervention group (P<0.01) and was significantly lower than in the control group at the last therapy session (r=-0.66, P=0.005). The FAC is suggested as a potential primary outcome measure for a definitive RCT, as it could be assessed in all patients and showed significant response to interventions (P<0.01). We estimated a sample size of 44 for a future RCT.
CONCLUSIONS: VR-augmented RAGT resulted in high acceptability and motivation, and in a reduced drop-out rate and an extended training time compared to standard RAGT. This pilot trial provides guidance for a prospective RCT on the effectiveness of VR-augmented RAGT.
CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: VR might be a promising approach to enrich and improve gait rehabilitation after stroke.
Objective:
Patient reported outcomes (PROs) are relevant in rheumatology. Variable accessibility and validity of commonly used PROs are obstacles to homogeneity in evidence synthesis. The objective of this project was to provide a comprehensive library of “validated PROs”.
Methods:
A launch meeting with rheumatologists, PROs methodological experts, and patients, was held to define the library’s aims and scope, and basic requirements. To feed the library we performed systematic reviews on selected diseases and domains. Relevant information on PROs was collected using standardised data collection forms based on the COSMIN checklist.
Results:
The EULAR Outcomes Measures Library (OML), whose aims are to provide and to advise on PROs on a user-friendly manner albeit based on scientific grounds, has been launched and made accessible to all. PROs currently included cover any domain and, are generic or specifically target to the following diseases: rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, spondyloarthritis, low back pain, systemic lupus erythematosus, gout, osteoporosis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and fibromyalgia. Up to 236 instruments (106 generic and 130 specific) have been identified, evaluated, and included. The systematic review for SLE, which yielded 10 specific instruments, is presented here as an example.
The OML website includes, for each PRO, information on the construct being measured and the extent of validation, recommendations for use, and available versions; it also contains a glossary on common validation terms.
Conclusion:
The OML is an in progress library led by rheumatologists, related professionals and patients, that will help to better understand and apply PROs in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.
Purpose
The content of and methods for collecting health information often vary across settings and challenge the comparability of health information across time, individuals or populations. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) contains an exhaustive set of categories of information which constitutes a unified and consistent language of human functioning suitable as a reference for comparing health information.
Methods and results In two earlier papers, we have proposed rules for linking existing health information to the ICF. Further refinements to these existing ICF Linking Rules are presented in this paper to enhance the transparency of the linking process. The refinements involve preparing information for linking, perspectives from which information is collected and the categorization of response options. Issues regarding the linking of information not covered or unspecified within the ICF are also revisited in this paper.
Conclusion:
The ICF Linking Rules are valuable for enhancing comparability of health information to ensure that information is available in a consistent manner to serve as a foundation for evidence-based decision-making across all levels of health systems. The refinements presented in this paper enhance transparency in, and ultimately reliability of the process of, linking health information to the ICF.
Implications for Rehabilitation
The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) constitutes a unified and consistent language of human functioning suitable as a reference for comparing health information.
Comparability of information is essential to ensure that the widest range of information is available in a consistent manner for any decision-maker at all levels of the health system.
The refined ICF Linking Rules presented in this article outline the method to establish comparability of health information based on the ICF.
Making one's own choices is an important part of leading a fulfilling life within society. However, people with IDs often face significant obstacles when making their own decisions. Article 12 (Equal recognition before the law) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) aims to ensure firstly that people with IDs and others with compromised capacity are nonetheless recognized as legal individuals, and secondly that assistance is provided in the form of supported decision‐making in order to exercise this resulting legal capacity. It is unclear whether current national legislation in any country satisfies these requirements in practice. This study utilizes institutional ethnography to reveal how decision‐making is coordinated in practice for people with mild to moderate IDs living in supported residential environments in England, and to determine whether these processes are compliant with Article 12 of the CRPD. Data collection was based on observations, semi‐structured interviews, and documentary analysis, involving 29 participants including people with mild to moderate IDs. The results point to the complexity of supported decision‐making and identify three main categories of decision‐making: spontaneous decisions, mid‐term decisions, and strategic decisions. The data also show that people with mild to moderate IDs are able to exercise their legal capacity through support decision‐making in their everyday life. Immediate and informal supported decision‐making exists in daily practice for people with mild to moderate IDs living in supported residential environments. Although there are structures in place for implementing supported decision‐making, various barriers persist that limit the overall efficacy and consistency of the realization of supported decision‐making, for example, multiple use of mental capacity assessments. Such practices move away from the supported decision‐making model toward substituted decision‐making.
Quality issue
Responding to person's health and related needs requires the availability of health information that reflects relevant aspects of a health condition and how this health condition impacts on a person's daily life.
Initial assessment
Health information is routinely collected at different time points by diverse professionals, in different settings for various purposes with varying methods. Consequently, health information is not always comparable, posing a challenge to the regular monitoring of quality.
Choice of solution
The World Health Organization's (WHO) International Classification of Diseases (ICD), International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), and International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI; under development) are complementary and serve as meaningful reference classifications for comparing data on persons’ health and related interventions across health systems.
Implementation
We developed a systematic approach of translating routinely collected information into a standardized report based on the three WHO reference classifications and the Rehab-Cycle®. Subsequently, we have demonstrated its application using five random case records of individuals attending a rehabilitation program.
Evaluation
All identified concepts were able to be linked to WHO's reference classifications. The ICF served as a tool to standardize information on rehabilitation goals and their achievement. The ICHI served as the basis for reporting the interventions that were documented in the case records, including the intervention targets that were derived from the ICF codes.
Lessons learned
Our experience shows that, it is possible to translate routinely collected information into standardized reports by linking existing narrative records with WHO's reference classifications.
Living with spinal cord injury in Mongolia: A qualitative study on perceived environmental barriers
(2020)
Context: Environmental factors play a key role in the lives of individuals with a spinal cord injury (SCI). This study identifies environmental barriers and their impacts on daily lives as perceived by individuals living with SCI in Mongolia.
Design: A qualitative study with semi-structured interviews was conducted. A topic guide for the interviews was structured around the components of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health.
Setting: Urban and rural areas of Mongolia.
Participants: A purposive sample of 16 persons with traumatic SCI.
Interventions: Not applicable.
Outcome Measures: Not applicable.
Results: Seven categories of environmental barriers were mentioned, such as poor access to the physical environment, absence of wheelchair-friendly transportation, negative societal attitudes, inadequate health and rehabilitation services, lack of access to assistive devices and medicines, limited financial resources for healthcare, and inaccurate categorization of disabilities in laws. These barriers were claimed to have an impact on physical and psychological health, limit activities, and restrict participation in almost all areas of life.
Conclusion: This study contributes to the identification of targets for interventions aimed at improving the lived experience of persons with SCI in a low-resource context. The findings reveal that while the Mongolian government already has laws and policies in place to improve access to the physical environment, transportation, assistive devices and employment, much more has to be done in terms of enforcement. Specialized SCI care and rehabilitation services are highly demanded in Mongolia.
Background
Self-reported outcome instruments in health research have become increasingly important over the last decades. Occupational therapy interventions often focus on occupational balance. However, instruments to measure occupational balance are scarce. The aim of the study was therefore to develop a generic self-reported outcome instrument to assess occupational balance based on the experiences of patients and healthy people including an examination of its psychometric properties.
Methods
We conducted a qualitative analysis of the life stories of 90 people with and without chronic autoimmune diseases to identify components of occupational balance. Based on these components, the Occupational Balance-Questionnaire (OB-Quest) was developed. Construct validity and internal consistency of the OB-Quest were examined in quantitative data. We used Rasch analyses to determine overall fit of the items to the Rasch model, person separation index and potential differential item functioning. Dimensionality testing was conducted by the use of t-tests and Cronbach’s alpha.
Results
The following components emerged from the qualitative analyses: challenging and relaxing activities, activities with acknowledgement by the individual and by the sociocultural context, impact of health condition on activities, involvement in stressful activities and fewer stressing activities, rest and sleep, variety of activities, adaptation of activities according to changed living conditions and activities intended to care for oneself and for others. Based on these, the seven items of the questionnaire (OB-Quest) were developed. 251 people (132 with rheumatoid arthritis, 43 with systematic lupus erythematous and 76 healthy) filled in the OB-Quest. Dimensionality testing indicated multidimensionality of the questionnaire (t = 0.58, and 1.66 after item reduction, non-significant). The item on the component rest and sleep showed differential item functioning (health condition and age). Person separation index was 0.51. Cronbach’s alpha changed from 0.38 to 0.57 after deleting two items.
Conclusions
This questionnaire includes new items addressing components of occupational balance meaningful to patients and healthy people which have not been measured so far. The reduction of two items of the OB-Quest showed improved internal consistency. The multidimensionality of the questionnaire indicates the need for a summary of several components into subscales.
Growing evidence shows interrelations of psychological factors, neurological and immunological processes. Therefore, constructs like a balance of activities, the so called “occupational balance”, could also have biological correlates. The aim of this study was to investigate potential associations between occupational balance, functioning, cytokines and C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients suffering from a chronic inflammatory disease like rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and healthy people. Moreover, we wanted to explore potential differences in gender and employment status.
A descriptive study in patients with RA and healthy people was conducted using the Occupational Balance-Questionnaire (OB-Quest) and the Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36). Serum levels of cytokines, such as interleukin 6 (IL-6) and 8 (IL-8), interferon alpha (INFα), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), rheumatoid factor (RF) and of CRP were measured. Descriptive statistics, as well as Mann-Whitney U tests and Spearmen's rank correlation coefficients (rs) were calculated.
One-hundred-thirty-two patients with RA and 76 healthy people participated. Occupational balance was associated with functioning, cytokines and CRP. The strongest associations were identified in the unemployed healthy-people sample with cytokines and CRP being within the normal range. For example, the OB-Quest item challenging activities was associated with IL-8 (rs = − 0.63, p = 0.04) and the SF-36 sub-scale bodily pain was associated with IFNα (rs = − 0.69, p = 0.02). The items rest and sleep (rs = − 0.71, p = 0.01) and variety of different activities (rs = − 0.74, p < 0.01) correlated with the SF-36 sub-scale social functioning. Employed and unemployed people differed in their age and CRP levels. Additionally, gender differences were found in two OB-Quest items in that fewer women were able to adapt their activities to changing living conditions and fewer men were overstressed. In conclusion, we found preliminary biological evidence for the link between occupation and health in that the concepts encompassed in the construct of occupational balance were associated with functioning, cytokines and CRP.
Impact of spasticity on functioning in spinal cord injury: an application of graphical modelling
(2020)
Abstract
Objective: To identify the impact of moderate-to-severe spasticity on functioning in people living with spinal cord injury.
Design: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data using graphical modelling.
Subjects: Individuals (n = 1,436) with spinal cord injury aged over 16 years with reported spasticity problems.
Methods: Spasticity and 13 other impairments in body functions were assessed using the spinal cord injury Secondary Conditions Scale. Impairments in mental functions were assessed using the Mental Health subscale of the 36-item Short Form (SF-36). Independence in activities was measured with the Spinal Cord Injury Independence Measure Self-Report. Restrictions in participation were measured with the Utrecht Scale for Evaluation Rehabilitation – Participation.
Results: Fifty-one percent of participants reported moderate-to-severe spasticity. Graphical modelling showed that Chronic pain, Contractures, Tiredness, Doing housework, and Respiratory functions were associated with spasticity and were the top 5 potential targets for interventions to improve the experience of spasticity. The associations and intervention targets were dependent on the level and completeness of the lesion.
Conclusion: This is the first application of graphical modelling in studying spasticity in people living with spinal cord injury. The results can be used as a basis for studies aiming to optimize rehabilitation interventions in people with moderate-to-severe spasticity.
Lay Abstract
Spasticity is one of the most common complications of spinal cord injury. It influences limitations in functioning. Comprehensive evidence on the impact of spasticity on all domains of functioning may be beneficial to optimize rehabilitation interventions aimed at reducing the effects of spasticity. This is the first application of graphical modelling to study and visualize the impact of moderate-to-severe spasticity on functioning in people living with spinal cord injury. The results show that chronic pain, contractures, tiredness, doing housework, and respiratory functions were the functioning domains associated with spasticity. These are therefore the top 5 potential targets for interventions to improve the experience of spasticity. In addition, the level and completeness of lesions should be considered when studying spasticity in relation to all domains of functioning. These results should be used as a basis for studies aiming to optimize rehabilitation interventions in people with moderate-to-severe spasticity.
Objectives: To examine metric properties and responsiveness of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Generic Set when used in routine clinical practice to assess functioning.
Design: Prospective multicentre study.
Setting: 50 hospitals from 20 provinces of Mainland China.
Participants: 4510 adult inpatients admitted to the departments of Pulmonology, Cardiology, Neurology, Orthopaedics, Cerebral Surgery or Rehabilitation Medicine.
Main outcome measures: The ICF Generic Set (ICF Generic 6 Set) applied with an 11-point numeric rating scale (0-no problem to 10-complete problem) was fit to the Partial Credit Model (PCM) to create an interval score of functioning.
Results: PCM assumptions were found to be fulfilled after accounting for Differential Item Functioning. With an average improvement by 7.86 points of the metric ICF Generic 6 score (95% CI 7.53 to 8.19), the ICF Generic 6 Set proved sensitive to change (Cohen’s f2=0.41). Ceiling and floor effects on detecting change in functioning were cancelled or reduced by using the metric score.
Conclusion: The ICF Generic 6 Set can be used for the assessment of functioning in routine clinical practice and an interval score can be derived which is sensitive to change.
Objective: To describe functioning in people living with spinal cord injuries (SCI) in Switzerland.
Design: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data. Setting Community, Switzerland.
Participants: Individuals (N=1549) 16 years of age or older with a history of traumatic or nontraumatic SCI and permanently residing in Switzerland.
Interventions: Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures: Functioning was operationalized through 4 domains: (1) impairments in body functions; (2) impairments in mental functions; (3) independence in performing activities; and (4) performance problems in participation.
Results: Univariate analysis indicated a high prevalence of problems in 5 areas: (1) housework; (2) climbing stairs; (3) tiredness; (4) spasticity; and (5) chronic pain. Graphical modeling showed a strong association among the four domains of functioning. Moreover, we found that the differences in the dependence structures were significant between the paraplegia SCI population and the tetraplegia SCI population.
Conclusions: This study is a first study in the epidemiology of functioning of people living with SCI in Switzerland. Using univariate and graphical modeling approaches, we proposed an empirical foundation for developing hypotheses on functioning in each domain and category that could inform health systems on people’s health needs.
The International Spinal Cord Injury (InSCI) community survey has been developed to collect internationally comparable data on the lived experience of persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) in all 6 WHO regions.
The InSCI survey provides a crucial first step to generate evidence on functioning, health maintenance, and subjective well-being in persons with SCI globally.
A major challenge in setting up the InSCI community survey was to develop a data model and questionnaire that comprehensively captures what matters to people and, at the same time, is feasible and parsimonious in terms of participant’s burden.
This paper outlines the components of the InSCI data model and presents the question selection to operationalize the data model along the 4 guiding principles of efficiency, feasibility, comparability, and truth and discrimination.
The data model consists of 6 components operationalized with 125 questions including functioning (n = 28 body functions and structures; n = 42 activities and participation), contextual factors (n = 26 environmental; n = 19 personal factors), lesion characteristics (n = 2), and appraisal of health and well-being (n = 8).
The InSCI questionnaire presents an efficient and feasible solution with satisfying comparability to other populations; however, its validity and reliability still needs to be confirmed.
The Impact of Missing Values and Single Imputation upon Rasch Analysis Outcomes: A Simulation Study
(2018)
Imputation becomes common practice through availability of easy-to-use algorithms and software. This study aims to determine if different imputation strategies are robust to the extent and type of missingness, local item dependencies (LID), differential item functioning (DIF), and misfit when doing a Rasch analysis. Four samples were simulated and represented a sample with good metric properties, a sample with LID, a sample with DIF, and a sample with LID and DIF. Missing values were generated with increasing proportion and were either missing at random or completely at random. Four imputation techniques were applied before Rasch analysis and deviation of the results and the quality of fit compared. Imputation strategies showed good performance with less than 15% of missingness. The analysis with missing values performed best in recovering statistical estimates. The best strategy, when doing a Rasch analysis, is the analysis with missing values. If for some reason imputation is necessary, we recommend using the expectation-maximization algorithm.
Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify health-relevant aspects of functioning and disability of persons aged 65 years or older with joint contractures, to link the findings to corresponding ICF categories and to describe the patients’ perspective.
Methods: We conducted 43 qualitative, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with affected persons in two different locations (Witten, Munich) and in three different settings. Data were analyzed using the “meaning condensation procedure” and then linked to ICF categories.
Results: From all interviews a total of 2499 single meaning-concepts were extracted which were linked to 324 different ICF categories. The participants in all settings mainly reported problems related to “Mobility of a single joint (b710)”, “Sensation of pain (b280)” and problems related to “Walking (d450)”. Almost all participants reported “Products and technology for personal indoor and outdoor mobility and transportation (e120)” as a relevant environmental factor. Conclusions: From the patients’ perspective, joint contractures have an impact on multifaceted aspects of functioning and disability, mainly body functions, environmental factors and activities and participation. The results of this study will contribute to the development of a standard instrument for measuring functioning, disability and health-relevant aspects for patients with joint contractures.
Implications for Rehabilitation
Joint contractures are a major cause for the development of disability in older people.
Patients’ perspectives and their personal experiences have to be considered when assessing the impact of joint contractures.
The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) is an appropriate framework for describing the patients’ multifaceted experience of joint contractures.
Purpose
The aim of this study was to identify disease‐related aspects of functioning and disability in people with joint contractures from a health professionals' perspective and to describe the findings, using categories of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF).
Design
An Internet‐based expert survey.
Methods
We asked international health professionals for typical problems in functioning and important contextual factors of individuals with joint contractures using an Internet‐based open‐ended questionnaire. All answers were linked to the ICF according to established rules. Absolute and relative frequencies of the linked ICF categories were reported.
Findings
Eighty experts named 1785 meaning units which could be linked to 256 ICF categories. Among the categories, 24.2% belonged to the component Body Functions, 20.7% to Body Structures, 36.3% to Activities and Participation, and 18.8% to Environmental Factors.
Conclusion
Health professionals addressed a large variety of functional problems and multifaceted aspects due to the symptom joint contractures.
Clinical Relevance
International health professionals reported a large variety of aspects of functioning and health, which are related to joint contractures
Introduction: In Germany, all new, innovative medicines are subject to an early benefit assessment by the German Federal Joint Committee with subsequent price negotiation and optional arbitration. The purpose of this study was to identify drivers of negotiated (including arbitrated) prices of new, non-orphan innovative medicines in Germany.
Methods: The analysis considered all non-orphan drugs that underwent a benefit appraisal between January 2011 and June 2016, and displayed a reimbursement price in the German Drug Directory (Lauer-Taxe®) in November 2017. Negotiated annual treatment costs were analyzed with respect to 11 explanatory variables in regression models.
Results: The total sample included 106 non-orphan drugs. The analysis showed a significant and positive association of log-transformed negotiated annual treatment cost of new medicines with log-transformed annual treatment cost of its comparator(s), extent of added benefit, and log-transformed size of the target population. Analyzing the effects of specific endpoints instead of the overall added benefit revealed that the single endpoint with the largest impact on price is adverse events (AEs). Surprisingly, an increase in AEs significantly increased the price. Various subgroup and sensitivity analyses demonstrated the robustness of the results. The adjusted R squared for all models was above 80%.
Conclusions: The analysis was able to confirm that variables whose consideration is mandated by law are, in fact, the key drivers of negotiated prices. Somewhat puzzling, the analysis also found an increase in AEs to move prices significantly upward.
The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Generic- 30 Set (previously referred to as Rehabilitation Set) is a minimal set of ICF categories for reporting and assessing functioning and disability in clinical populations with different health conditions along the continuum of care. Recently, the Italian Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (SIMFER) developed an Italian modification of the simple and intuitive descriptions (SID) of these categories. This study was the first one to implement the use of the SID in practice.1)
To implement the use of the ICF in clinical practice and research among Italian Residents in PRM. 2) To verify if the SID made the application of ICF Generic 30 Set more user-friendly than the original descriptions. 3) To examine the prevalence of functioning problems of patients accessing Rehabilitation Services to serve as reference for the development of an ICF-based clinical data collection tool.Multicenter cross-sectional study.
Italian Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PRM) outpatient rehabilitation services. Patients referring to Italian PRM outpatient rehabilitation services and Italian Residents in PRM.Each School of Specialization involved, randomly, received the ICF Generic-30 Set with the original descriptions or with the SID.
Residents collected over a 4-month period (April-July 2016) patients data related to the ICF Generic-30 Set categories. Moreover, the residents self- assessed their difficulty in using the ICF Generic-30 Set with the original descriptions or with the SID, through a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS).Ninety-three residents collected functioning data of 864 patients (mean aged 57.7±19.3) with ICF Generic-30 Set: 304 with the original descriptions and 560 with SID. The difficulty in using the ICF Generic-30 Set with SID was rated as lower than using the original descriptions (NRS = 2.8±2.5 vs 3.5±3.1; p<0.001).
The most common disease was the back pain (9.6%) and the most common altered ICF categories were b280 (76.3%) and b710 (72.9%).This multicenter cross-sectional study shown that the ICF Generic-30 Set is a valuable instrument for reporting and assessing functioning and disability in clinical populations with different health conditions and along the continuum of care and that SID facilitate the understanding of the ICF categories and therefore their use in clinical practice.
This National survey, improving the knowledge of ICF among Italian PRM residents, represents an important step towards the system-wide implementation of ICF in the healthcare system.
This study investigates the impact of generative AI systems like ChatGPT on semi-structured decision-making, specifically in evaluating undergraduate dissertations. We propose using Davis’ technology acceptance model (TAM) and Schulz von Thun’s four-sides communication model to understand human–AI interaction and necessary adaptations for acceptance in dissertation grading. Utilizing an inductive research design, we conducted ten interviews with respondents having varying levels of AI and management expertise, employing four escalating-consequence scenarios mirroring higher education dissertation grading. In all scenarios, the AI functioned as a sender, based on the four-sides model. Findings reveal that technology acceptance for human–AI interaction is adaptive but requires modifications, particularly regarding AI’s transparency. Testing the four-sides model showed support for three sides, with the appeal side receiving negative feedback for AI acceptance as a sender. Respondents struggled to accept the idea of AI, suggesting a grading decision through an appeal. Consequently, transparency about AI’s role emerged as vital. When AI supports instructors transparently, acceptance levels are higher. These results encourage further research on AI as a receiver and the impartiality of AI decision-making without instructor influence. This study emphasizes communication modes in learning-ecosystems, especially in semi-structured decision-making situations with AI as a sender, while highlighting the potential to enhance AI-based decision-making acceptance.
Vertigo, dizziness and balance disorders have major impact on independence, employability, activities and participation. There are many measures for the assessment of the impact of vertigo, but no consensus exists on which aspects should be measured.
The objective of this study was to develop international standards (ICF Core Sets) for patients with vertigo and dizziness to describe functioning. The development of the ICF Core Sets involved a formal decision-making and consensus process, integrating evidence from preparatory studies including qualitative interviews with patients, a systematic review of the literature, a survey with health professionals, and empirical data collection from patients.
Twenty-seven experts selected 100 second level categories for the comprehensive Core Set and 29 second level categories for the Brief Core Set. The largest number of categories was selected from the ICF component Activities and Participation (40). Twenty-five categories were selected from the component Body Functions, six from Body Structures, and 29 from Environmental Factors.
The ICF Core Set for vertigo is designed for physicians, nurses, therapists and other health professionals working in inpatient or ambulatory settings. ICF Core Sets create patient-relevant outcomes that can be used as evidence for the success of treatments.
Symptom frequency and severity in vestibular disorders often do not correlate well with patients' restrictions of activities of daily living and limitations of participation.
Due to the lack of appropriate patient reported outcome measures (PRO), the extent of limitations and restrictions is mostly unknown. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) is a conceptual framework and classification to evaluate all aspects of health and disability. An ICF-based measure, the Vestibular and Participation Measure (VAP), was recently proposed.
Also, an ICF Core Set for vertigo, dizziness and balance disorders was developed to describe what aspects of functioning should be measured. This study protocol describes the development and cross-cultural validation of a new measure, the VAP-extended (VAP-e), based on VAP and ICF Core Set on three continents.
To determine objectivity and cross-cultural validity of the VAP and to find potentially redundant items, Rasch models will be used. The VAP-e will be created by modifying or adding items from the Activities and Participation and Environmental Factors component of the ICF Core Set. Reliability, objectivity and responsiveness of the VAP-e will be tested.
Objective: To identify candidate categories for brief International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Sets for the reporting and measurement of functioning in patients in the acute hospital.
Design: Prospective multi-centre cohort study.
Patients: Patients receiving rehabilitation interventions for musculoskeletal, neurological or cardiopulmonary injury or disease in acute hospitals.
Methods: Functioning and contextual factors were coded using the ICF. The criterion for selecting candidate categories for the brief ICF Core Sets was based on their ability to discriminate between patients with high or low functioning status. Discrimination was assessed using multivariable regression models, the independent variables being all of the ICF categories of the respective comprehensive ICF Core Set. Analogue ratings of overall functioning as reported by patients and health professionals were used as dependent variables.
Results: A total of 391 patients were included in the study (91 neurological, 109 cardiopulmonary, 191 musculoskeletal), mean age 63.4 years, 50.1% female. Selection yielded 33 categories for neurological, 31 for cardiopulmonary, and 30 for musculoskeletal.
Conclusion: The present selection of categories can be considered an initial proposal, serving to identify the ICF categories most relevant for the practical assessment and monitoring of functioning in patients with acute neurological, cardiopulmonary, and musculoskeletal conditions.
Objective: To identify candidate categories for International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Sets for the reporting and measurement of functioning in patients in early post-acute rehabilitation facilities.
Design: Prospective multi-centre cohort study.
Patients: Patients receiving rehabilitation interventions for musculoskeletal, neurological or cardiopulmonary injury or disease in early post-acute rehabilitation facilities.
Methods: Functioning was coded using the ICF. The criterion for selecting candidate categories for the ICF Core Sets was based on their ability to discriminate between patients with high or low functioning status. Discrimination was assessed using multivariable regression models, the independent variables being all of the ICF categories of the respective comprehensive ICF Core Set. Analogue ratings of overall functioning as reported by patients and health professionals were used as dependent variables.
Results: A total of 165 patients were included in the study (67 neurological, 37 cardiopulmonary, 61 musculoskeletal), mean age 67.5 years, 46.1% female. Selection yielded 38 categories for neurological, 32 for cardiopulmonary, and 31 for musculoskeletal.
Conclusion: The present selection of categories can be considered an initial proposal, serving to identify the issues most relevant for the assessment and monitoring of functioning in patients undergoing early post-acute rehabilitation for neurological, cardiopulmonary, and musculoskeletal conditions.
Health services utilization of patients with vertigo in primary care: a retrospective cohort study
(2014)
Vertigo and dizziness count among the most frequent symptoms in outpatient practices. Although most vestibular disorders are manageable, they are often under- and misdiagnosed in primary care. This may result in prolonged absence from work, increased resource use and, potentially, in chronification.
Reliable information on health services utilization of patients with vertigo in primary care is scarce. Retrospective cohort study in patients referred to a tertiary care balance clinic. Included patients had a confirmed diagnosis of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), Menière’s disease (MD), vestibular paroxysmia (VP), bilateral vestibulopathy (BVP), vestibular migraine (VM), or psychogenic vertigo (PSY).
All previous diagnostic and therapeutic measures prior to the first visit to the clinic were recorded. 2,374 patients were included (19.7 % BPPV, 12.7 % MD, 5.8 % VP, 7.2 % BVP, 14.1 % VM, 40.6 % PSY), 61.3 % with more than two consultations. Most frequent diagnostic measures were magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, 76.2 %, 71 % in BPPV) and electrocardiography (53.5 %). Most frequent therapies were medication (61.0 %) and physical therapy (41.3 %). 37.3 % had received homoeopathic medication (39 % in BPPV), and 25.9 % were treated with betahistine (20 % in BPPV).
Patients had undergone on average 3.2 (median 3.0, maximum 6) diagnostic measures, had received 1.8 (median 2.0, maximum 8) therapies and 1.8 (median 1.0, maximum 17) different drugs. Diagnostic subgroups differed significantly regarding number of diagnostic measures, therapies and drugs.
The results emphasize the need for establishing systematic training to improve oto-neurological skills in primary care services not specialized on the treatment of dizzy patients.
Health is a complex process with potentially interacting components from the molecular to the societal and environmental level. Adequate research designs and data analysis methods are needed to improve our understanding of this complexity, to ultimately derive high quality evidence to inform patients, health professionals, and health policy decision makers. Also, effective patient-centred health care has to address the complexity of health, functioning, and disability, not only by implementing interventions, but also by using information technologythatrepresentsthecomplexityofhealthcaretoinformallactors. Given this background, we developed the concept of our conference HEC2016 as an interdisciplinary European event in beautiful Bavaria, in the city of Mu ¨nchen. Quite ironically this is the place, where William of Ockham, whose ideas of parsimony are the very opposite of complexity, accused of heresy, spent 17 years under the protection of the Bavarian King Ludwig IV. Furthermore, our local public health hero Max von Pettenkofer (1818–1901) contributed a lot to the basic systemic understanding of health, especially the relevance of a healthy environment. Under the joint theme of health as a complex system we joined the activities of five scientific disciplines: Medical Informatics, Medical Biometry, Bioinformatics, Epidemiology and Health Data Management. The mission behind this interdisciplinary effort was to serve as an important scientific forum for the exchange of new ideas and applications to strengthen health sciences on a national and international level. The analysis of health as a complex system opens needed perspectives on a challenging reality: filtering current hypotheses, resolving controversies, and tailoring interventions to the need of the individual within a health system environment. The conference encouraged the dialogue of the disciplines in order to advance our understanding of health and to decrease burden of disease. HEC2016 brought together the annual conferences of the German Association for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology (GMDS), the German Society for Epidemiology (DGEpi), the International Epidemiological Association- European Region (IEA-EEF) and the European Federation for Medical Informatics Association
(EFMI, MIE 2016). HEC2016 took place in Mu ¨nchen, Germany, in the main building of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universita ¨t (LMU) from 28 August to 2 September 2016 under the auspices of the Institute for MedicalInformationProcessing,BiometryandEpidemiologyofLMU. The conference received 832 contributions for oral and poster presentation (Table 1). Fourteen percent of them were from outside Europe with the largest group of 10 % from Asia (Table 2). Scientific program committees and reviewers selected 408 submissions as oral contributions and 303 for poster presentations. The program was surrounded by twelve tutorials held by international renowned scientists and covered a broad spectrum from innovative biostatistical and epidemiological methods to tutorials in application of innovative software, scientific writing and data protection issues. Over 50 panel discussions and workshops allowed in-depth exchange of ideas on specific topics and underscored the interactive nature of HEC2016. A special focus of HEC2016 was on the promotion of young scientists from all disciplines whose participation was supported by numerous travel grants. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to all the colleagues who supported us as speakers, committee members and reviewers, lent us a hand before, during and after the conference, gave critical but friendly comments at all stages of the preparations, supported us by providing coffee, audience or Butterbrezen, and specifically to those who submitted contributions to the conference and attended the conference and its many tutorials, lectures and sessions. We extend our gratitude to the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft for generous financial support (grant no. GR 3608/4-1). Last not least we would like to thank our families who allowed us to spend most of our weekends with organizing this conference, to William of Ockham for lending us his razor (from time to time) and to Max von Pettenkofer for guidance.
Background
To date, targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors have been approved for FGFR2 and FGFR3 fusions (pemigatinib and erdafitinib, respectively), but the importance of FGFR2 mutations for transformation activity and as a druggable gene variant with response to different FGFR inhibitors is poorly understood. FGFR2 inhibitors present a mainstay of treatment for locally advanced or metastatic intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinoma (iCCA).
Methods
A 74-year-old male was diagnosed with iCCA in liver segments seven and eight with infiltration of the hepatic veins and inferior vena cava revealed a C382R mutation of the intramembrane domain of FGRR2 receptor. We performed an in-silico study to understand the potential mode-of-action of the mutant FGFR2 targets. Based on experimentally determined structures we then used a structure generated by AlphaFold2 as the variation in question is located at a position not determined well in the experiments. This revealed that the C382R mutation is located in the trans-membranal domain at a position crucial for signal transduction, both for activation and inhibition of downstream-signaling. The Molecular Tumor Board decided to start the treatment with 13.5 mg pemigatinib once daily for 14 days, followed by 7 days of free therapy interval resulting in a sustained partial response. The patient continues to be treated of 13.5 mg as described above.
Results
In our case report, we were able to show that the patient in whom an C382R mutation was detected responded to the therapy with pemigatinib. This shows that real-world scenarios differ from the data of the approval studies, thereby illustrating how complex data on patients with FGFR mutations is. One of the main problems of large approval studies is that the functionality of the respective alterations is often disregarded.
Conclusions
Our results suggest that respective mutation may be successfully targeted by FGFR-selective tyrosine-kinase inhibitors, demonstrating the importance of the functional characterization of mutations.
no conflicts of interest.
Point mutations of the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR)2 receptor in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCC) are mainly of unknown functional significance compared to FGFR2 fusions. Pemigatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is approved for the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma with FGFR2 fusion/rearrangement. Although it is hypothesized that FGFR2 mutations may cause uncontrolled activation of the signaling pathway, the data for targeted therapies for FGFR2 mutations remain unclear. In vitro analyses demonstrated the importance of the p.C382R mutation for ligand-independent constitutive activation of FGFR2 with transforming potential. The following report describes the clinical case of a patient diagnosed with an iCC carrying a FGFR2 p.C382R point mutation which was detected in liquid, as well as in tissue-based biopsies. The patient was treated with pemigatinib, resulting in a sustained complete functional remission in fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography over 10 months to date. The reported case is the first description of a complete functional remission under the treatment with pemigatinib in a patient with p.C383R mutation.
In the era of personalized medicine, the identification of driver mutations has paved the way towards targeted therapy. With the identification of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) as an oncogenic driver mutation, ALK rearrangements became druggable by tyrosine kinase inhibitors and, thus, have improved the prognosis for patients. Nevertheless, these approaches are limited by resistances occurring within the first or second year of administering ALK inhibitors. Among the different ALK resistant mutations, G1202R is the most common mutation, located in the kinase domain of the ALK protein resulting in resistance to treatment with the first- and second-generation kinase inhibitors (e.g., crizotinib, ceritinib, brigatenib and alectinib). Conflicting reports exist regarding the efficacy of lorlatinib, a next generation ALK inhibitor. The aim of this study is to access the potential impact of lorlatinib as a second-line treatment for a metastatic progressive NSCLC disease harboring genomic alteration of ALK G1202R, an AKLi-resistant mutation. The case of a patient with advanced lung cancer and the mentioned mutation is described.
Background:
Data on SARS-CoV-2 infections in oncological patients in the outpatient settings are scarce.
Methods:
During the spread of the delta variant between April 2021 and September 2021, a total of 10.677 patients were tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection by RT-qPCR in seven outpatient clinics in Bavaria, Germany.
Results:
Within the tested patient cohort, 4.960 patients (46.5%) suffered from a malignant disease (74% solid tumors and 26% malignant hematological diseases). This group was compared with 5.717 patients (53.5%) without a malignant disease (33.1% with other hematological diseases and 66.9% patients without a hematological or oncological disease). During the observation period, 119 (2.4%) patients with malignancies were tested positive (88 patients with solid tumors; 31 patients with malignant hematological diseases) compared to 115 positive patients (2.0%) in the control group. 32 of 119 positively tested patients (26.9%) suffering from malignant disease required hospitalization and 9/32 patients (28.1%) died during the clinical course.
Conclusions:
These observations are in clear contrast to data from patients we evaluated during the pre-delta variants period between 15 and 26 April 2020 in the same seven outpatient clinics. In this period, a total of 1.227 patients were tested for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-qPCR. 78/1227 patients (6.3%) were tested positive in RT-qPCR and most showed mild symptoms of infection. None of the SARS-CoV-2 infected patients died. These data were analyzed when no vaccination was available. These data were evaluated during a period where no vaccine was available. Vaccination of patients with malignancies with BiontechPfizer's mRNA vaccines was started in April 2021. The response to the vaccine was tested by an antibody assay (Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S-immunoassay, Roche) at the earliest four weeks after the second vaccination. To assess the response, we compared five patient cohorts: Patients who received (i) B cell depleting antibodies, (ii) checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), (iii) chemotherapy, or (iv) tyrosin kinase inhibitors (TKIs), and (v) healthy controls. The patients treated with ICI or TKI showed a comparable vaccination response to the healthy patients, while patients receiving Rituximab/Obinutuzumab showed no significant humoral vaccination response at all. The more severe disease course of patients infected by the SARS-CoV-2 delta variant compared to the initial waves of infections strongly underline the importance of vaccination in cancer patients.
After several years of negative phase III trials in gastric and esophageal cancer, a significant breakthrough in the treatment of metastatic adenocarcinomas of the gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) and stomach (GC) is now becoming evident with the emerging of precision oncology and implementation of molecular targets in tumor treatment. In addition, new generation studies such as umbrella and basket trials are focused on these molecular targets, which makes an early molecular diagnosis based on IHC/ISH and NGS necessary. The required companion diagnostics of Her2neu overamplification or PD-L1 expression is based on immunohistochemistry (IHC) or additionally in situ hybridization (ISH) in case of an IHC Her2neu score of 2+. However, there are investigator-dependent differences in the assessment of Her2neu amplification and different PD-L1 scoring systems obtained by IHC/ISH. The use of high-throughput technologies such as next-generation sequencing (NGS) holds the potential to standardize the analysis and thus make them more comparable. In the presented study, real-world multigene sequencing data of 72 Caucasian patients diagnosed with metastatic adenocarcinomas of GEJ and stomach were analyzed. In the clinical companion diagnostics, we found ESCAT level I molecular targets in one-third of our patients, which directly determined the therapy. In addition, we found potential targets in 14/72 patients (19.4%) who potentially qualify for precision therapies in corresponding molecular studies. The study highlights the importance of comprehensive molecular profiling for precision treatment of GEJ/GC and indicates that a biomarker evaluation should be performed for all patients with metastatic adenocarcinomas before the initiation of first-line treatment and during second-line or subsequent treatment.
Objective: To test subgroups of a community-based sample of individuals with spinal cord injury, categorized by the application of current recommendations by the International Spinal Cord Society.
Design: Community survey.
Participants: Individuals with traumatic and non-traumatic spinal cord injury residing in Switzerland.
Methods: Recommended subgroups of age, gender, years since injury, severity of injury and aetiology were tested against the following criteria: (i) distribution of participants across categories; (ii) within- and between-group variability with regard to selected outcomes of functioning and quality of life.
Results: Data-sets for 1,549 participants (28.5% women; mean age 52 ± 15 years) were available for analyses. There was a number of participants in every subgroup, yet numbers were relatively small in the group with the shortest time since injury (< 1 year; n = 23) and in the oldest age group (≥76; n = 94). A high variability in some outcomes was detected between categories. All variables were predictive for most of the endpoints investigated.
Conclusion: Recommended categorization could well fit the present sample. A minor concern was the low numbers of participants in some subgroups.
Objectives: To identify classes of functioning trajectories in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) undergoing initial rehabilitation after injury and to examine potential predictors of class membership to inform clinical planning of the rehabilitation process.
Design: Longitudinal analysis of the individual's rehabilitation stay using data from the Inception Cohort of the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study (SwiSCI).
Setting: Initial rehabilitation in specialized centers in Switzerland.
Participants: Individuals with newly acquired SCI (N=748; mean age, 54.66±18.38y) who completed initial rehabilitation between May 2013 and September 2019. The cohort was primarily composed of men (67.51%), persons with paraplegia (56.15%), incomplete injuries (67.51%), and traumatic etiologies (55.48%).
Interventions: Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures: Functioning was operationalized with the interval-based sum score of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure version III (SCIM III). For each individual, the SCIM III sum score was assessed at up to 4 time points during rehabilitation stay. The corresponding time of assessment was recorded by the difference in days between the SCIM III assessment and admission to the rehabilitation program.
Results: Latent process mixed model analysis revealed 4 classes of functioning trajectories within the present sample. Class-specific predicted mean functioning trajectories describe stable high functioning (n=307; 41.04%), early functioning improvement (n=39; 5.21%), moderate functioning improvement (n=287; 38.37%), and slow functioning improvement (n=115; 15.37%), respectively. Out of 12 tested factors, multinomial logistic regression showed that age, injury level, injury severity, and ventilator assistance were robust predictors that could distinguish between identified classes of functioning trajectories in the present sample.
Conclusions: The current study establishes a foundation for future research on the course of functioning of individuals with SCI in initial rehabilitation by identifying classes of functioning trajectories. This supports the development of specifically tailored rehabilitation programs and prediction models, which can be integrated into clinical rehabilitation planning.
Objective: The study aimed to explore existing prediction models of functioning in spinal cord injury (SCI).
Study design and setting: The databases PubMed, EBSCOhost CINAHL Complete, and IEEE Xplore were searched for relevant literature. The search strategy included published search filters for prediction model and impact studies, index terms and keywords for SCI, and relevant outcome measures able to assess functioning as reflected in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The search was completed in October 2020.
Results: We identified seven prediction model studies reporting twelve prediction models of functioning. The identified prediction models were mainly envisioned to be used for rehabilitation planning, however, also other possible applications were stated. The method predominantly used was regression analysis and the investigated predictors covered mainly the ICF components of body functions and activities and participation, next to characteristics of the health condition and health interventions.
Conclusion: Findings suggest that the development of prediction models of functioning for use in clinical practice remains to be fully exploited. By providing a comprehensive overview of what has been done, this review informs future research on prediction models of functioning in SCI and contributes to an efficient use of research evidence.