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Individual Items (individual + item)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	65%
Psychology	20%
Engineering	10%

Selected Abstracts

Programme-related stressors among part-time undergraduate nursing students

JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 1 2005
Honor Nicholl BSc MEd RN RSCN RM RCT RNT PGDipG&C AdDip Teaching Studies
Aim., The aim of this paper is to report a study exploring the perceived stressors identified by a group of 70 students who undertook a part-time degree at one Irish university. Background., In the literature on stress, part-time nursing students who are undertaking continuing education programmes appear to have received little attention. Stress amongst nurses is evident within the nursing literature but little information is available on the specific stressors that affect Registered Nurses who undertake further academic study. Anecdotally, students attending part-time programmes while working full-time report high levels of stress. Method., Quantitative methods were used. While many instruments exist to measure overall stress, this study aimed to explore student's perceptions of specific stressors associated with academic study. We used a questionnaire developed from the literature on the topic. Results., Factors related to writing assignments at degree level, fulfilling personal needs and academic demands, were perceived as major stressors by these students. Factors of little concern were financial issues and attendance on the programme. Individual items receiving highest mean scores were: trying to balance work commitments and the required study (mean 3·89, sd = 1) and the prospect of the final examination (mean 3·86, sd = 1). This study was limited by the use of convenience sampling and self-report methods. Larger studies are required to support the findings. In addition, student stress was not observed or measured. Conclusion., Those involved in the delivery of nurse education programmes to part-time students need to consider the impact of the workload on student welfare, and to prepare students for demands of the programme. [source]

Three sides of the same coin: measuring global cognitive impairment with the MMSE, ADAS-cog and CAMCOG

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 8 2010
Hans Wouters
Abstract Objective The total scores of the ADAS-cog, MMSE and CAMCOG, comprising various cognitive tasks, are widely used to measure a dimension of global cognitive impairment. It is unknown, however, whether this dimension is common to these instruments. This hampers comparisons when either of these instruments is used. The extent to which these instruments share a common dimension of global cognitive impairment and how their scores relate was examined. Methods Rasch analysis of CAMCOG and MMSE data of participants from a population based study and two memory clinics pooled with ADAS-cog and MMSE data of participants from three RCTs (overall N,=,1566) to estimate a common dimension of global cognitive impairment and to examine the goodness of fit of the individual items to this dimension. Results Using the estimated common dimension of global cognitive impairment, the total scores of the instruments could be related, e.g. a mean level of global cognitive impairment corresponded to a predicted score of 11.4 (ADAS-cog), 72.6 (CAMCOG) and 22.2 (MMSE). When revised according to The Rasch validity analyses, every individual item could be fitted to the dimension. Conclusions The MMSE, ADAS-cog and CAMCOG reflect a valid common dimension of global cognitive impairment, which enables comparisons of RCTs that use the ADAS-cog and observational studies that use the CAMCOG and MMSE. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Prevalence of responsible hospitality policies in licensed premises that are associated with alcohol-related harm

DRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 2 2002
JUSTINE B. DALY
Abstract This study aimed to determine the prevalence of responsible hospitality policies in a group of licensed premises associated with alcohol-related harm. During March 1999, 108 licensed premises with one or more police-identified alcohol-related incidents in the previous 3 months received a visit from a police officer. A 30-item audit checklist was used to determine the responsible hospitality policies being undertaken by each premises within eight policy domains: display required signage (three items); responsible host practices to prevent intoxication and under-age drinking (five items); written policies and guidelines for responsible service (three items); discouraging inappropriate promotions (three items); safe transport (two items); responsible management issues (seven items); physical environment (three items) and entry conditions (four items). No premises were undertaking all 30 items. Eighty per cent of the premises were undertaking 20 of the 30 items. All premises were undertaking at least 17 of the items. The proportion of premises undertaking individual items ranged from 16% to 100%. Premises were less likely to report having and providing written responsible hospitality documentation to staff, using door charges and having entry/re-entry rules. Significant differences between rural and urban premises were evident for four policies. Clubs were significantly more likely than hotels to have a written responsible service of alcohol policy and to clearly display codes of dress and conditions of entry. This study provides an indication of the extent and nature of responsible hospitality policies in a sample of licensed premises that are associated with a broad range of alcohol related harms. The finding that a large majority of such premises appear to adopt responsible hospitality policies suggests a need to assess the validity and reliability of tools used in the routine assessment of such policies, and of the potential for harm from licensed premises. [source]

A neurological examination score for the assessment of spinocerebellar ataxia 3 (SCA3)

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 4 2008
C. Kieling
Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are characterized by a heterogeneous set of clinical manifestations. Our aims were to assess the neurological features of SCA3, and to describe and test the feasibility, reliability, and validity of a comprehensive Neurological Examination Score for Spinocerebellar Ataxia (NESSCA). The NESSCA was administered to molecularly diagnosed SCA3 patients at an outpatient neurogenetics clinic. The scale, based on the standardized neurological examination, consisted of 18 items that yielded a total score ranging from 0 to 40. The score's interrater reliability and internal consistency were investigated, and a principal components analysis and a correlation with external measures were performed. Ninety-nine individuals were evaluated. Interrater reliability ranged from 0.8 to 1 across individual items (P < 0.001); internal consistency, indicated by Cronbach's alpha, was 0.77. NESSCA scores were significantly correlated with measures of disease severity: disease stage (rho = 0.76, P < 0.001), duration (rho = 0.56, P < 0.001), and length of CAG repeat (rho = 0.30, P < 0.05). NESSCA was a reliable measure for the assessment of distinct neurological deficits in SCA3 patients. Global scores correlated with all external variables tested, showing NESSCA to be a comprehensive measure of disease severity that is both clinically useful and scientifically valid. [source]

Evaluation of risk of falls in patients at a memory impairment outpatient clinic

GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2009
Reiko Kikuchi
Aim: We investigated the usefulness of the fall-predicting score, a simple screening test to identify patients at high risk of falls in outpatients with cognitive impairment. Methods: This was a 1-year prospective study. Seventy-nine patients (28 men and 51 women, 78.1 ± 5.9 years old) in the Memory Impairment Outpatient Clinic of Kyorin University Hospital. History of falls in the past year, record of falls in the follow-up period (1 year), fall-predicting score, time of standing on one foot, timed Up & Go test, tandem gait, functional reach, grip strength, maximum circumference of the legs and blood laboratory tests were measured. Results: Of the 79 subjects, 38 (48.1%) had experienced falls in the past year, and 29 (36.7%) experienced falls during the follow-up period. Comparing the two groups with and without a history of falls during the follow-up period, a significant difference was observed in fall-predicting score, timed Up & Go test, tandem gait and functional reach. Logistic regression analysis revealed that fall-predicting score was the only significant determinant for predicting future falls. Furthermore, fall-predicting score correlated with timed Up & Go, duration of standing on one foot, functional reach, grip strength and tandem gait. When the ,2 -test was performed to investigate the correlation between individual items of the fall-predicting questions and falls during the follow-up period, "Do you use a stick when you walk?" and "Are there any obstacles in your house?" showed a significant difference (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Fall-predicting score is useful as a screening test to predict future falls in patients with cognitive decline. [source]

Measurement of antipsychotic-induced side effects: Support for the validity of a self-report (LUNSERS) versus structured interview (UKU) approach to measurement

HUMAN PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY: CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL, Issue 5 2003
T. J. R. Lambert
Abstract A self-report measure of antipsychotic side effects (LUNSERS) was compared with that of an established semi-structured interview (UKU side effect rating scale). The validity and the ability of the LUNSERS to determine false positives by use of an internal ,red herring' subscale were assessed. ,Red herring' items are those which do not directly relate to known antipsychotic side effects. In an open study, 29 patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder from inpatient and outpatient settings within an Australian metropolitan mental health service were assessed for antipsychotic-induced side effects using both the LUNSERS and UKU. The LUNSERS and UKU were similar in their overall assessment of antipsychotic side effects (total score correlation of 0.58) and were correlated on a wide array of individual side effect items. Correlations between total scores and individual items were higher for those patients scoring low on the LUNSERS ,red herring' items compared with both those with high ,red herring' scores and the sample as a whole. Several LUNSERS items were identified as potentially problematic, requiring further explanation or supplementation with direct questioning. The ,red herring' scale appears to enable detection of patients that may be over-reporting symptomatology. The LUNSERS is a valuable self-report measure of antipsychotic side effects, particularly in cases where red herring scores are low. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Profile of depression in adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease: Implications for treatment

INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES, Issue 1 2009
Eva Szigethy MD
Abstract Background: The purpose was to determine the utility of including neurovegetative symptoms in assessments of depression in youth with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Methods: Forty-one youth with IBD and concurrent depressive symptomatology were enrolled in an intervention trial and received either 9 modules of cognitive-behavioral therapy (PASCET-PI) or treatment as usual (TAU). Youth and their primary caregivers completed the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) at pre- (T1) and posttreatment (T2). Disease severity measures and current steroid dosage were obtained at each timepoint. Change in the individual items of the CDI was compared across groups and examined in association with change in physical illness course. Results: Paired sample t -tests revealed significant changes in CDI item scores from T1 to T2 for a majority of the depressive symptoms assessed in the PASCET-PI group, but not for the TAU group. These changes did not appear to be linked to changes in disease severity and/or steroid dosage across these same timepoints. Conclusions: The inclusion of somatic items in the assessment of depression in physically ill youth is important, as these symptoms seem to respond to psychotherapeutic intervention. The present results would suggest that improvements in depressive symptomatology are not solely related to improvements in the course of IBD and that these items do reflect an important part of the profile of depressive symptoms in youth with IBD. Future research is warranted to replicate present findings and explore the generalizability of these results to other pediatric illness populations. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2008) [source]

Assessment of patients with anorexia nervosa: Interview versus self-report

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EATING DISORDERS, Issue 2 2005
Sara L. Wolk PhD
Abstract Objective The current study compared the agreement between the Eating Disorders Examination (EDE) and the Eating Disorders Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q) in the diagnosis and assessment of eating disorder pathology in a sample of women with anorexia nervosa. Method First, a physician administered a clinical interview to each patient. Then, before hospital admission, all subjects were given the EDE-Q and the EDE interview. Results Results indicate that agreement between the EDE and the EDE-Q on the individual items informing the overall diagnosis of anorexia nervosa ranges from low to moderate. Agreement for the overall diagnosis of anorexia nervosa and for the binge/purge subtype was more impressive. Although correlations between subscale scores as well as eating disorder behaviors were strong, higher levels of disturbance were consistently reported on the EDE-Q than on the EDE interview. Discussion The pattern of findings suggests that the EDE-Q may be used in place of the interviewer-based measure when assessing overall diagnosis and subtype, as well as specific, well-defined features (vomiting/laxative use). However, there was a low level of agreement with respect to less-defined features, like binge eating, for which significantly higher frequencies were generated by the self-report questionnaire. © 2005 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]

Three sides of the same coin: measuring global cognitive impairment with the MMSE, ADAS-cog and CAMCOG

Repetitive and ritualistic behaviour in children with Prader,Willi syndrome and children with autism

JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH, Issue 2 2006
N. Greaves
Abstract Background Recent research has shown that the range of repetitive behaviour seen in individuals with Prader,Willi syndrome (PWS) extends beyond food-related behaviour. Methods The presence and intensity of repetitive, rigid and routinized behaviour in children with PWS was compared with that seen in children with another neurodevelopmental condition in which repetitive behaviour is common: children with autism. Parents completed the Childhood Routines Inventory (CRI). Results Contrary to our predictions, controlling for developmental level, children with PWS and children with autism showed similar levels of repetitive and ritualistic behaviour overall and on the two CRI factors measuring ,just right' and ,repetitive' behaviour. Indeed, the majority of the sample of parents of children with PWS endorsed most items on the CRI. However there was some specificity at the level of individual items with parents of children with PWS more frequently endorsing an item on ,collecting and storing objects' and parents of children with autism more frequently endorsing ,lining up objects', ,has a strong preference for certain foods' and ,seems aware of detail at home'. Conclusions These findings confirm the range of repetitive behaviours that form part of the behavioural phenotype of PWS, including insistence on sameness and ,just right' behaviours, and uncover a surprising overlap with those seen in children with autism. Clinical management for children with PWS should include advice and education regarding management of repetitive and rigid behaviour. Future research should investigate whether the repetitive behaviours that form part of the behavioural phenotype of both PWS and autism are associated with a common neuropsychological, neurotransmitter or genetic origin. [source]

Water-Yield Reduction After Afforestation and Related Processes in the Semiarid Liupan Mountains, Northwest China,

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION, Issue 5 2008
Yanhui Wang
Abstract:, The increase of coverage of forest/vegetation is imperative to improve the environment in dry-land areas of China, especially for protecting soil against serious erosion and sandstorms. However, inherent severe water shortages, drought stresses, and increasing water use competition greatly restrict the reforestation. Notably, the water-yield reduction after afforestation generates intense debate about the correct approach to afforestation and forest management in dry-land areas. However, most studies on water-yield reduction of forests have been at catchment scales, and there are few studies of the response of total evapotranspiration (ET) and its partitioning to vegetation structure change. This motivates us to learn the linkage between hydrological processes and vegetation structure in slope ecosystems. Therefore, an ecohydrological study was carried out by measuring the individual items of water balance on sloping plots covered by different vegetation types in the semiarid Liupan Mountains of northwest China. The ratio of precipitation consumed as ET was about 60% for grassland, 93% for shrubs, and >95% for forestland. Thus, the water yield was very low, site-specific, and sensitive to vegetation change. Conversion of grassland to forest decreased the annual water yield from slope by 50-100 mm. In certain periods, the plantations at lower slopes even consumed the runon from upper slopes. Reducing the density of forests and shrubs by thinning was not an efficient approach to minimize water use. Leaf area index was a better indicator than plant density to relate ET to vegetation structure and to evaluate the soil water carrying capacity for vegetation (i.e., the maximum amount of vegetation that can be supported by the available soil water for an extended time). Selecting proper vegetation types and plant species, based on site soil water condition, may be more effective than the forest density regulation to minimize water-yield reduction by vegetation coverage increase and notably by reforestation. Finally, the focuses in future research to improve the forest-water relations in dry-land areas are recommended as follows: vegetation growth dynamics driven by environment especially water conditions, coupling of ecological and hydrological processes, further development of distributed ecohydrological models, quantitative relation of eco-water quota of ecosystems with vegetation structures, multi-scaled evaluation of soil water carrying capacity for vegetation, and the development of widely applicable decision support tools. [source]

Comparison of ambulatory versus conventional urodynamics in females with urinary incontinence,,

NEUROUROLOGY AND URODYNAMICS, Issue 4 2010
Fulya Dokmeci
Abstract Aims We planned to compare the diagnostic accuracy of conventional urodynamics (UD) and ambulatory UD for the detection of detrusor over activity (DOA) and/or urodynamic stress incontinence (USI) in women presenting with urinary incontinence. Methods We prospectively enrolled 44 women with urinary incontinence and performed both urodynamic (UD) studies after they completed the UDI-6 questionnaire. During ambulatory UD one micturition cycle was recorded. According to responses for individual items on the UDI-6, patients were divided into three groups to define incontinence type irrespective of scoring. Results Mean age was 52.2 and mean duration of the symptoms was 4.94 years. The ambulatory UD detected an underlying pathophysiology of urinary incontinence (77.3%) in significantly more women than the conventional UD (6.8%) (P,=,0.001). Among women with stress incontinence, 56% had USI on the ambulatory UD and none had abnormalities on the conventional UD (P,=,0.002). Seventy-two percent of women with mixed symptoms had abnormal findings (USI and/or DOA) on the ambulatory UD and 9% had abnormal findings on the conventional UD (P,=,0.001). Conclusions Our findings suggest that ambulatory UD done in a clinical setting during one micturition cycle with unstandardized provocative activities detects an underlying pathophysiology (urge incontinence, stress incontinence, mixed incontinence) more often than conventional UD in supine position Conventional UD has a higher false-negative rate in diagnosis of DOA and/or USI compared to ambulatory UD. Neurourol. Urodynam. 29:518,521, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Inter-rater and test,retest reliability of the Taiwanese rehabilitation functional scale

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2001
Ay-Woan Pan
Abstract The need of a standardized evaluation tool for clinical practice is acknowledged by occupational therapists worldwide. The purpose of this study was to examine the inter-rater and test,retest reliabilities of the Taiwanese Rehabilitation Functional Scale (TaRFS) developed in Taiwan. Seventy-five subjects with varying diagnoses were recruited to participate in the study. They came from an inpatient rehabilitation unit within a university-affiliated hospital. All participants were tested on a functional measure of their independence on activities of daily living and cognitive,social tasks, and of their sense of well-being. The Activity of Daily Living (ADL) and Cognitive-Social Skills (CSS) subscales of the TaRFS were found to be reliable across raters and times. But individual items on the Subjective Well Being subscale were not stable across time. The results indicated that the ADL subscale as well as most items in the CSS subscale of the TaRFS can be utilized reliably in clinical practice. The SWB subscale of the TaRFS may need further revision in order to be used stably across time. The development of the TaRFS and future revision of the scale can be beneficial for occupational therapists in Taiwan to provide evidence of their intervention efficacy. Copyright © 2001 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source]

On E-Auctions for Procurement Operations

PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2007
Michael H. Rothkopf
Electronic auctions have revolutionized procurement in the last decade. In many situations, they have replaced negotiations for supplier selection and price setting. While they have often greatly reduced transaction costs and increased competition, they have also encountered problems and resistance from suppliers resenting their intrusion on cooperative supplier/buyer relationships. In response to these issues, procurement auctions have evolved in radical new directions. Buyers use business rules to limit adverse changes. Some procurement auctions allow bidders to offer variants in the specifications of products to be supplied. Most important, some suppliers are allowing bidders to bid on packages of items, not just individual items. This tends to change procurement auctions from zero-sum fights over supplier profit margins to win-win searches for synergies. These changes have opened up many new research areas. Researchers are trying to improve how to deal with the computational issues involved in package auctions and to analyze the new auctions forms that are evolving. In general, equilibrium incentives are not known, and dealing with ties in package auctions is an issue. Computer scientists are analyzing the use of computerized bidding agents. Mechanisms that combine auctions with fixed buy prices or with negotiations need to be analyzed. [source]

Short-term Impact of Tension-free Vaginal Tape Obturator Procedure on Sexual Function in Women with Stress Urinary Incontinence

THE JOURNAL OF SEXUAL MEDICINE, Issue 4pt1 2010
Hui-Hsuan Lau MD
ABSTRACT Introduction., The tension-free vaginal tape obturator (TVT-O) procedure is one of the most commonly used anti-incontinence surgeries, but little is known about its impact on sexual function. Aim., To evaluate sexual function after the TVT-O procedure at 6 months postoperatively. Methods., Fifty-six sexually active women who underwent the TVT-O procedure for severe stress urinary incontinence (SUI) were evaluated using the short form of the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire (PISQ-12) before and 6 months after surgery. The perception of incontinence-related quality-of-life were also evaluated by the short form of the Urogenital Distress Inventory (UDI-6) and the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ-7) to assess the effect of surgery on incontinence. Main Outcome Measures., Total score and score for each PISQ-12 item. Results., The mean total PISQ-12 score did not differ significantly before (24.0 ± 12.2) and after (23.0 ± 13.2) (P = 0.194) the TVT-O procedure. Scores for individual items on the PISQ-12 varied, with incontinence-related items improving but others, such as the frequency of achieving orgasm deteriorating for some women. The scores of UDI-6 and IIQ-7 were significantly improved by 6-month follow-up, indicating that the operation successfully resolved the incontinence. Conclusion., Despite successful amelioration of SUI by the TVT-O procedure, sexual function does not necessarily improve in the first 6 months after surgery. Lau H-H, Su T-H, Su C-H, Lee M-Y, and Sun FJ. Short-term Impact of tension-free vaginal tape obturator procedure on sexual function in women with stress urinary incontinence. J Sex Med 2010;7:1578,1584. [source]

Imagery encoding effects on memory in the DRM paradigm: A test of competing predictions

APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2009
Mary Ann Foley
In three experiments the effects of imagery encoding and test format on false memory rates in the Deese,Roediger,McDermott (DRM) paradigm were examined. After generating images of individual items (Experiment 1) or integrated subsets (Experiment 2), all of which were embedded in thematically related lists, participants were surprised by a recognition memory test or one of three kinds of source tests. As predicted by a distinctive encoding hypothesis, generating individual images led to better accuracy on presented items, and better monitoring of critical lures, than generating integrated images (Experiments 1 and 2). However, both kinds of imagery encoding led to fewer endorsements of critical lures compared to a non-imagery encoding condition (Experiment 3). Imagery encoding effects were also independent of test format. The implications of these findings for the use of DRM-false memory rates in debates about the use of guided imagery techniques are discussed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Validation of the WHOQOL-BREF among women following childbirth

AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 2 2010
Joan WEBSTER
Background:, There is increasing interest in measuring quality of life (QOL) in clinical settings and in clinical trials. None of the commonly used QOL instruments has been validated for use postnatally. Aim:, To assess the psychometric properties of the 26-item WHOQOL-BREF (short version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life assessment) among women following childbirth. Methods:, Using a prospective cohort design, we recruited 320 women within the first few days of childbirth. At six weeks postpartum, participants were asked to complete the WHOQOL-BREF, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Index and the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index. Validation of the WHOQOL-BREF included an analysis of internal consistency, discriminate validity, convergent validity and an examination of the domain structure. Results:, In all, 221 (69.1%) women returned their six-week questionnaire. All domains of the WHOQOL-BREF met reliability standards (alpha coefficient exceeding 0.70). The questionnaire discriminated well between known groups (depressed women and non-depressed women. P , 0.000) and demonstrated satisfactory correlations with the Australian Unity Wellbeing index (r , 0.45). The domain structure of the WHOQOL-BREF was also valid in this population of new mothers, with moderate-to-high correlation between individual items and the domain structure to which the items were originally assigned. Conclusion:, The WHOQOL-BRF is a well-accepted and valid instrument in this population and may be used in postnatal clinical settings or for assessing intervention effects in research studies. [source]

Restricted and repetitive behaviors in toddlers and preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders based on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS),

AUTISM RESEARCH, Issue 4 2010
So Hyun Kim
Abstract Restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) observed during the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule [ADOS: Lord et al., 2000] were examined in a longitudinal data set of 455 toddlers and preschoolers (age 8,56 months) with clinical diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD; autism, n=121 and pervasive developmental disorders,not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), n=71), a nonspectrum disorder (NS; n=90), or typical development (TD; n=173). Even in the relatively brief semi-structured observations, GEE analyses of the severity and prevalence of RRBs differentiated children with ASD from those with NS and TD across all ages. RRB total scores on the ADOS were stable over time for children with ASD and NS; however, typically developing preschoolers showed lower RRB scores than typically developing toddlers. Nonverbal IQ (NVIQ) was more strongly related to the prevalence of RRBs in older children with PDD-NOS, NS, and TD than younger children under 2 years and those with autism. Item analyses revealed different relationships between individual items and NVIQ, age, diagnosis, and gender. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the etiology and treatment of RRBs as well as for the framework of ASD diagnostic criteria in future diagnostic systems. [source]

Evaluation of the Clinical Anatomy Program in the Medical School of Porto by two cohorts of students

CLINICAL ANATOMY, Issue 1 2002
M.A.F. Tavares
Abstract The discipline of Clinical Anatomy, as introduced in the Medical School of Porto in academic year 1995/96, involved major changes in the way we teach anatomy to medical students, by adopting a clinically oriented approach. A questionnaire was designed to evaluate the opinion of second-year medical students enrolled in the program concerning main aspects of the discipline in two consecutive years; 84% of the students returned the questionnaire in 1996/97, and 70% in 1997/98. Students were asked about the level of their approval of the organization of the discipline, the role of the teaching staff, lectures, practical sessions, educational media, and continuous and summative assessments. For items replicated in both academic years, the means of the sum of scores in each year were compared (Student's t -distribution). Whenever a significant difference was found, changes in individual items were tested (chi-square distribution). The evaluation of the discipline in each of the two years was highly favorable for most of the parameters analyzed. Clin. Anat. 15:56,61, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Exploring therapeutic alliance in brief inpatient psychotherapy: a preliminary study

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOTHERAPY (AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THEORY & PRACTICE), Issue 5 2010
Mark A. Blais
Abstract Background: Therapeutic alliance is one of the most widely investigated variables in psychotherapy research but few studies have explored its role in inpatient psychotherapy. Many factors likely contribute to the lack of inpatient alliance research including the short length of hospital stays, complexity of patient psychopathology and the burdensome quality of most alliance scales. This paper reports on the development and initial application of two comparable brief scales designed to capture patient and therapist alliance ratings. Method: Participants were 20 patients receiving supportive,expressive inpatient psychotherapy. The patients were predominantly depressed women. Baseline measures of distress, symptom severity and functioning were obtained at the first and third sessions. Measures of alliance were obtained at the second session. Results: The brief alliance scales demonstrated adequate internal consistency and the individual items had good adjusted item-to-scale correlations. Consistent with the broad alliance literature, we found that patients rated alliance higher than therapists, patient and therapist alliance ratings were not significantly correlated, and level of functioning was significantly associated with both patients and therapists' alliance ratings. The perceived depth of psychotherapy was also significantly associated with alliance. Unexpectedly, alliance ratings were also negatively associated with improvement during hospitalization. Conclusions: Overall, the study demonstrates both the feasibility and potential benefit of conducting inpatient psychotherapy research.,Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Message: This paper shows that inpatient psychotherapy can be studied and potentially improved through the application of brief targeted instruments. [source]