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Diagnostic Measures (diagnostic + measure)
Selected AbstractsPsychiatric disorders and the use of mental health services among children involved in bullyingAGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR, Issue 2 2001Kirsti Kumpulainen Abstract This study had two aims: to evaluate the relationship between bullying and psychiatric disorders and to study the probability of using mental health services among children involved in bully/victim problems. The data consisted of interviews with 423 parents and 420 children. Diagnostic measures were based on the Isle of Wight Interview. Children involved in bullying as bullies, bully-victims, and victims were compared with other children. Children involved in bully/victim problems were more prone to have psychiatric disorders than noninvolved children. The probability of being disturbed was highest among male bullies, followed by male bully-victims and female victims (9.5-fold, 7.9-fold, and 4.3-fold, respectively) compared with noninvolved same-sex children. The most common diagnoses among children involved in bully/victim problems were attention deficit disorder, oppositional/conduct disorder, and depression. Furthermore, children involved in bully/victim problems were more likely to have used mental health services at some time during their lives and also during the previous 3 months. Special attention should be paid to children's mental health when dealing with bullying problems at school. Referral pathways to mental health services and factors affecting the referral processes among children should be further studied. Aggr. Behav. 27:102,110, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Delirium Severity and Psychomotor Types: Their Relationship with Outcomes after Hip Fracture RepairJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 5 2002Edward Marcantonio MD OBJECTIVES: To validate the Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale (MDAS) as a measure of delirium severity in a cohort of patients aged 65 and older; to examine the association between severity of delirium and patient outcomes; and to examine the association between psychomotor variants of delirium and each of those outcomes. DESIGN: Prospective assessment of sample. SETTING: Hospital. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred twenty-two older patients (mean age ± standard deviation = 79 ± 8) who had undergone acute hip fracture surgery. MEASUREMENTS: We used standardized instruments to assess prefracture activities of daily living (ADLs), ambulatory status, cognition, and living situation. Postoperatively, each patient was interviewed daily. Delirium was diagnosed using the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM), and delirium severity was measured using the MDAS. The MDAS was also used to categorize the psychomotor types of delirium into "purely hypoactive" or "any hyperactivity." Telephone or face-to-face interviews were conducted at 1 and 6 months to assess survival, ADL function, ambulatory status, and living situation. RESULTS: Of 122 patients, 40% developed CAM-defined delirium. Delirious patients had higher average MDAS scores than nondelirious patients (11.7 vs 2.4, P <.0001). We used the median of the average MDAS score to classify patients into mild or severe delirium. Severe delirium was generally associated with worse outcomes than was mild delirium, and the associations reached statistical significance for nursing home placement or death at 6 months (52% vs 17%, P = .009). Additionally, patients who did not meet full CAM criteria for delirium experienced worse outcomes if they had some symptoms of delirium than if they had no or few symptoms (nursing home placement or death at 6 months: 27% vs 0%, P = .001). Surprisingly, these patients with subsyndromal delirium who did not fulfill CAM criteria for delirium but demonstrated significant delirium symptoms, had outcomes similar to or worse than those with mild CAM-defined delirium. Pure hypoactive delirium accounted for 71% (34/48) of cases and was less severe than was delirium with any hyperactivity (average MDAS score 10.6 vs 14.8, P = .007). In our cohort, patients with pure hypoactive delirium had better outcomes than did those with any hyperactivity (nursing home placement or death at 1 month: 32% vs 79%, P = .003); this difference persisted after adjusting for severity. CONCLUSION: In this study of delirium in older hip fracture patients, the MDAS, a continuous severity measure, was a useful adjunct to the CAM, a dichotomous diagnostic measure. In patients with CAM-defined delirium, severe delirium was generally associated with worse outcomes than was mild delirium. In patients who did not fulfill CAM criteria, subsyndromal delirium was associated with worse outcomes than having few or no symptoms of delirium. Patients with subsyndromal delirium had outcomes similar to patients with mild delirium, suggesting that a dichotomous approach to diagnosis and management may be inappropriate. Pure hypoactive delirium was more common than delirium with any hyperactive features, tended to be milder, and was associated with better outcomes even after adjusting for severity. Future studies should confirm our preliminary associations and examine whether treatment to reduce the severity of delirium symptoms can improve outcomes after hip fracture repair. [source] Bayes' Theorem to estimate population prevalence from Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scoresADDICTION, Issue 7 2009David R. Foxcroft ABSTRACT Aim The aim in this methodological paper is to demonstrate, using Bayes' Theorem, an approach to estimating the difference in prevalence of a disorder in two groups whose test scores are obtained, illustrated with data from a college student trial where 12-month outcomes are reported for the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Method Using known population prevalence as a background probability and diagnostic accuracy information for the AUDIT scale, we calculated the post-test probability of alcohol abuse or dependence for study participants. The difference in post-test probability between the study intervention and control groups indicates the effectiveness of the intervention to reduce alcohol use disorder rates. Findings In the illustrative analysis, at 12-month follow-up there was a mean AUDIT score difference of 2.2 points between the intervention and control groups: an effect size of unclear policy relevance. Using Bayes' Theorem, the post-test probability mean difference between the two groups was 9% (95% confidence interval 3,14%). Interpreted as a prevalence reduction, this is evaluated more easily by policy makers and clinicians. Conclusion Important information on the probable differences in real world prevalence and impact of prevention and treatment programmes can be produced by applying Bayes' Theorem to studies where diagnostic outcome measures are used. However, the usefulness of this approach relies upon good information on the accuracy of such diagnostic measures for target conditions. [source] EFNS guideline on diagnosis and management of limb girdle muscular dystrophiesEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 12 2007F. Norwood The limb girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMD) are termed as such as they share the characteristic feature of muscle weakness predominantly affecting the shoulder and pelvic girdles; their classification has been completely revised in recent years because of elucidation of many of the underlying genetic and protein alterations in the various subtypes. An array of diagnostic measures is possible but with varying ease of use and availability. Several aspects of muscle cell function appear to be involved in the causation of muscle pathology. These cellular variations may confer some specific clinical features thus permitting recognition of the LGMD subtype and hence directing appropriate levels of monitoring and intervention. Despite an extensive literature on the individual limb girdle dystrophies, these publications may be impenetrable for the general neurologist in this increasingly complex field. The proposed guidelines suggest an approach to the diagnosis and monitoring of the limb girdle dystrophies in a manner accessible to general neurologists. [source] The impact of health on individual retirement plans: self-reported versus diagnostic measuresHEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 7 2010Nabanita Datta Gupta Abstract We reassess the impact of health on retirement plans of older workers using a unique survey-register match-up which allows comparing the retirement effects of potentially biased survey self-reports of health to those of unbiased register-based diagnostic measures. The aim is to investigate whether even for narrowly defined health measures a divergence exists in the impacts of health on retirement between self-reported health and objective physician-reported health. Our sample consists of older workers and retirees drawn from a Danish panel survey from 1997 and 2002, merged to longitudinal register data. Estimation of measurement error-reduced and selection-corrected pooled OLS and fixed effects models of retirement show that receiving a medical diagnosis is an important determinant of retirement planning for both men and women, in fact more important than economic factors. The type of diagnosis matters, however. For men, the largest reduction in planned retirement age occurs for a diagnosis of lung disease while for women it occurs for musculo-skeletal disease. Except for cardiovascular disease, diagnosed disease is more influential in men's retirement planning than in women's. Our study provides evidence that men's self-report of myalgia and back problems and women's self-report of osteoarthritis possibly yield biased estimates of the impact on planned retirement age, and that this bias ranges between 1.5 and 2 years, suggesting that users of survey data should be wary of applying self-reports of health conditions with diffuse symptoms to the study of labor market outcomes. On the other hand, self-reported cardiovascular disease such as high blood pressure does not appear to bias the estimated impact on planned retirement. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Recalibration methods to enhance information on prevalence rates from large mental health surveysINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF METHODS IN PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH, Issue 1 2005N. A. Taub Abstract Comparisons between self-report and clinical psychiatric measures have revealed considerable disagreement. It is unsafe to consider these measures as directly equivalent, so it would be valuable to have a reliable recalibration of one measure in terms of the other. We evaluated multiple imputation incorporating a Bayesian approach, and a fully Bayesian method, to recalibrate diagnoses from a self-report survey interview in terms of those from a clinical interview with data from a two-phase national household survey for a practical application, and artificial data for simulation studies. The most important factors in obtaining a precise and accurate ,clinical' prevalence estimate from self-report data were (a) good agreement between the two diagnostic measures and (b) a sufficiently large set of calibration data with diagnoses based on both kinds of interview from the same group of subjects. From the case study, calibration data on 612 subjects were sufficient to yield estimates of the total prevalence of anxiety, depression or neurosis with a precision in the region of ±2%. The limitations of the calibration method demonstrate the need to increase agreement between survey and reference measures by improving lay interviews and their diagnostic algorithms. Copyright © 2005 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source] Adverse drug reactions to biologicsJOURNAL DER DEUTSCHEN DERMATOLOGISCHEN GESELLSCHAFT, Issue 6 2010Kathrin Scherer Summary The use of biologics has rapidly expanded since the introduction of the first diagnostic antibodies; they are now widely employed in oncology, autoimmune disorders, inflammatory diseases and transplantation medicine. Their widespread use has resulted in an increase in adverse drug reactions. Adverse effects result from both direct pharmacological actions and immunological actions, as well as through induction of a specific immune response. The nomenclature, particularly of the monoclonal antibodies, identifies the target structure and organ as well as the species of origin, which then helps predict their effects and antigenic properties. Depending on the extent of foreign protein, anti-allotypic or anti-idiotypic antibodies with or without neutralizing properties may be induced. Adverse drug reactions from biologics often depend on the target and may be explained by activation or inhibition of particular cytokine pathways. Adverse drug reactions are classified by their pathomechanism, which enhances understanding of the pathogenesis and facilitates both allergologic diagnostic measures and planning of premedication in future treatments. This review emphasizes immunostimulatory and hypersensitivity reactions. [source] Severe drug-induced skin reactions: clinical pattern, diagnostics and therapyJOURNAL DER DEUTSCHEN DERMATOLOGISCHEN GESELLSCHAFT, Issue 2 2009Maja Mockenhaupt Summary The spectrum of severe drug-induced skin reactions includes not only Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) but also generalized bullous fixed drug eruption (GBFDE), acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) and hypersensitivity syndrome (HSS), also called drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS). These reactions differ in clinical presentation as well as prognosis, causative agents and therapy. Therefore, the appropriate diagnostic measures should be undertaken rapidly, in order to prove the diagnosis. In addition to a thorough clinical examination, a skin biopsy should be taken and specific laboratory investigations should be done if AGEP or HSS/DRESS is suspected. Since these reactions are drug-induced, the causative agent should be rapidly identified and withdrawn. Besides adequate supportive therapy, systemic immunomodulatory treatments may be considered. Despite intensive care management, the prognosis in SJS and TEN is often poor and influenced by the amount of skin detachment as well as the age of the patients and the pre-existing underlying conditions. Severe sequelae may develop in survivors and affect especially mucosal sites. The prognosis of GBFDE is better but recurrent events may lead to more severe involvement. In HSS/DRESS sequelae have been also described as well as long lasting and recurrent courses, whereas AGEP usually heals without problems. [source] Magnetic resonance imaging of cartilage glycosaminoglycan: Basic principles, imaging technique, and clinical applications,JOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC RESEARCH, Issue 3 2008Martha L. Gray Abstract Many new therapeutic strategies have been and are being developed to prevent, correct, or slow the progression of osteoarthritis. Our ability to evaluate the efficacy of these techniques, or to determine the situations for which they might provide the most benefit, critically depends on diagnostic measures that can serve as proxies for the present or predicted state of the cartilage. We focus here on a body of work surrounding the development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to noninvasively image the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) concentration of articular cartilage. These techniques are based on the concept of fixed charge in cartilage resulting from the glycosaminoglycans. Starting with sodium MRI, and the subsequent development of delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) based on proton MRI, these techniques permit "visualization" of the charged GAG distribution in cartilage in vitro or in vivo. The dGEMRIC technique has been used in preliminary clinical studies to understand treatment strategies and to monitor disease, and as such is allowing studies that a decade ago would have been impossible. This new technical capability offers the promises of speeding development of effective therapies and focusing their use in areas where they can be most successful. © 2007 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 26:281,291, 2008 [source] The Impact of a Multidisciplinary, Integrated Approach on Improving the Health and Quality of Care for Individuals Dealing With Multiple Chronic ConditionsAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 1 2006Christina M. Krause PhD This study examined the effects of using a multidisciplinary, integrated, whole,person, team advocate approach to educate and empower participants with multiple chronic illnesses and coordinate, monitor, and support their health care process. Individuals (N = 39) from Midwest hospitals participated and completed self,report instruments. Changes in participants' functioning were also measured with diagnostic measures completed by the team advocates. The results indicate that the participants' perceptions of physical functioning, physical well,being, control, self,efficacy, and life satisfaction increased. Additionally, health,related behavior changes were reported, and short,term costs were significantly lower than projected costs. Finally, the participants rated their health care services in the program as more effective than previous health care services. [source] Desmoid Tumor: A Case of Mistaken IdentityTHE BREAST JOURNAL, Issue 1 2005Alicia Privette BS Abstract: Desmoid tumors are rare tumors accounting for only 0.03% of all neoplasms. Mainly occurring in the fourth and fifth decades of life, these tumors originate in musculoaponeurotic tissues of the limbs, neck, trunk, abdominal wall, and mesentery. We present a rare case of a chest wall desmoid tumor that was mistaken for breast cancer on both physical examination and mammography, which highlights the unique risk these tumors present for confusion with other malignant processes. Although past literature contains numerous reports of other misdiagnoses, this case is unique in reporting the potential for misdiagnosis between chest wall desmoid tumors and breast cancer. In cases where suspicious breast findings do not correlate to usual diagnostic measures, such as fine-needle aspiration or core needle biopsy, the possibility of another pathology such as a chest wall desmoid tumor mimicking breast cancer should be considered in the differential diagnosis. [source] Bayesian Case Influence Diagnostics for Survival ModelsBIOMETRICS, Issue 1 2009Hyunsoon Cho Summary We propose Bayesian case influence diagnostics for complex survival models. We develop case deletion influence diagnostics for both the joint and marginal posterior distributions based on the Kullback,Leibler divergence (K,L divergence). We present a simplified expression for computing the K,L divergence between the posterior with the full data and the posterior based on single case deletion, as well as investigate its relationships to the conditional predictive ordinate. All the computations for the proposed diagnostic measures can be easily done using Markov chain Monte Carlo samples from the full data posterior distribution. We consider the Cox model with a gamma process prior on the cumulative baseline hazard. We also present a theoretical relationship between our case-deletion diagnostics and diagnostics based on Cox's partial likelihood. A simulated data example and two real data examples are given to demonstrate the methodology. [source] A Follow-up Study of Characteristics of Young People that Dropout and Continue Psychotherapy: Service Implications for a Clinic in the CommunityCHILD AND ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 2 2009Geoffrey Baruch Background:, The paper reports the findings from a follow-up study of the factors that contribute to whether young people dropout or continue once-weekly psychotherapy at a voluntary sector psychotherapy service for young people aged 12 to 21 years. Method:, The study uses data from an ongoing audit of the psychotherapy service that started in 1993; 882 young people were included in the study. Premature termination of treatment was defined as dropping out before the 21st session. Continuation in treatment was defined as remaining in therapy after 20 sessions. Measures and areas of interest used in the study include diagnostic measures, the Youth Self Report Form and Young Adult Self Report Form, demographic characteristics and treatment related information. Results:, Young people who continued in treatment were more likely to be older, have anxieties about sexual and relationship issues and have higher scores on self-reported anxiety-depression. Young people who dropped out of treatment were more likely to be younger, have higher self-reported delinquency scores, have a diagnosis of hyperactivity-conduct disorder and be homeless. Conclusions:, The study of treatment termination has demonstrated the value of service audit and has led to a significant change in clinical practice. [source] | |||||||||||||