Outcome Categories (outcome + category)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Long-term stability of eating disorder diagnoses

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EATING DISORDERS, Issue S3 2007
Manfred M. Fichter MD
Abstract Objective: Data on the stability of eating disorder (ED) diagnoses (DSM-IV) over 12 years are presented for a large sample (N = 311) of female eating disordered patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED). Method: Assessments were made at the beginning of therapy and 2-, 6-, and 12-year follow-ups. Diagnoses were derived from the Structured Inventory for Anorexic and Bulimic Eating Disorders. Possible diagnostic outcome categories were AN, BN, BED, NOS, no ED, and deceased. Results: At all follow-ups, more patients changed from AN or BED to BN than vice versa. No diagnostic crossover from AN to BED or vice versa occurred. BED showed the greatest variability and AN had the greatest stability over time. While the long-term outcome of BN and BED is similar, AN had a considerably worse long-term outcome than either BN or BED. Conclusion: Of the ED diagnoses, AN was most stable and BED most variable. The considerable diagnostic flux between BN and BED and similarities in course and outcome of BN and BED point to common biological and psychological maintaining processes. AN and BED are nosologically quite distant. © 2007 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2007 [source]


Effectiveness of interventions that assist caregivers to support people with dementia living in the community: a systematic review

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EVIDENCE BASED HEALTHCARE, Issue 2 2008
Deborah Parker BA, MSocSci
Executive summary Objectives, The objective of this review was to assess the effectiveness of interventions that assist caregivers to provide support for people living with dementia in the community. Inclusion criteria, Types of participants, Adult caregivers who provide support for people with dementia living in the community (non-institutional care). Types of interventions, Interventions designed to support caregivers in their role such as skills training, education to assist in caring for a person living with dementia and support groups/programs. Interventions of formal approaches to care designed to support caregivers in their role, care planning, case management and specially designated members of the healthcare team , for example dementia nurse specialist or volunteers trained in caring for someone with dementia. Types of studies, This review considered any meta-analyses, systematic reviews, randomised control trials, quasi-experimental studies, cohort studies, case control studies and observational studies without control groups that addressed the effectiveness of interventions that assist caregivers to provide support for people living with dementia in the community. Search strategy, The search sought to identify published studies from 2000 to 2005 through the use of electronic databases. Only studies in English were considered for inclusion. The initial search was conducted of the databases, CINAHL, MEDLINE and PsychINFO using search strategies adapted from the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group. A second more extensive search was then conducted using the appropriate Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and keywords for other available databases. Finally, hand searching of reference lists of articles retrieved and of core dementia, geriatric and psycho geriatric journals was undertaken. Assessment of quality, Methodological quality of each of the articles was assessed by two independent reviewers using appraisal checklist developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute and based on the work of the Cochrane Collaboration and Centre for Reviews and Dissemination. Data collection and analysis, Standardised mean differences or weighted mean differences and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated for each included study reported in the meta-analysis. Results from comparable groups of studies were pooled in statistical meta-analysis using Review Manager Software from the Cochrane Collaboration. Heterogeneity between combined studies was tested using standard chi-square test. Where statistical pooling was not appropriate or possible, the findings are summarised in narrative form. Results, A comprehensive search of relevant databases, hand searching and cross referencing found 685 articles that were assessed for relevance to the review. Eighty-five papers appeared to meet the inclusion criteria based on title and abstract, and the full paper was retrieved. Of the 85 full papers reviewed, 40 were accepted for inclusion, three were systematic reviews, three were meta-analysis, and the remaining 34 were randomised controlled trials. For the randomised controlled trials that were able to be included in a meta-analysis, standardised mean differences or weighted mean differences and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated for each. Results from comparable groups of studies were pooled in statistical meta-analysis using Review Manager Software and heterogeneity between combined studies was assessed by using the chi-square test. Where statistical pooling was not appropriate or possible, the findings are summarised in narrative form. The results are discussed in two main sections. Firstly it was possible to assess the effectiveness of different types of caregiver interventions on the outcome categories of depression, health, subjective well-being, self-efficacy and burden. Secondly, results are reported by main outcome category. For each of these sections, meta-analysis was conducted where it was possible; otherwise, a narrative summary describes the findings. Effectiveness of intervention type, Four categories of intervention were included in the review , psycho-educational, support, multi-component and other. Psycho-educational Thirteen studies used psycho-educational interventions, and all but one showed positive results across a range of outcomes. Eight studies were entered in a meta-analysis. No significant impact of psycho-educational interventions was found for the outcome categories of subjective well-being, self-efficacy or health. However, small but significant results were found for the categories of depression and burden. Support Seven studies discussed support only interventions and two of these showed significant results. These two studies were suitable for meta-analysis and demonstrated a small but significant improvement on caregiver burden. Multi-component Twelve of the studies report multi-component interventions and 10 of these report significant outcomes across a broad range of outcome measures including self-efficacy, depression, subjective well-being and burden. Unfortunately because of the heterogeneity of study designs and outcome measures, no meta-analysis was possible. Other interventions Other interventions included the use of exercise or nutrition which resulted in improvements in psychological distress and health benefits. Case management and a computer aided support intervention provided mixed results. One cognitive behavioural therapy study reported a reduction in anxiety and positive impacts on patient behaviour. Effectiveness of interventions using specific outcome categories, In addition to analysis by type of intervention it was possible to analyse results based on some outcome categories that were used across the studies. In particular the impact of interventions on caregiver depression was available for meta-analysis from eight studies. This indicated that multi-component and psycho-educational interventions showed a small but significant positive effect on caregiver depression. Five studies using the outcome category of caregiver burden were entered into a meta-analysis and findings indicated that there were no significant effects of any of interventions. No meta-analysis was possible for the outcome categories of health, self-efficacy or subjective well-being. Implications for practice, From this review there is evidence to support the use of well-designed psycho-educational or multi-component interventions for caregivers of people with dementia who live in the community. Factors that appear to positively contribute to effective interventions are those which: ,,Provide opportunities within the intervention for the person with dementia as well as the caregiver to be involved ,,Encourage active participation in educational interventions for caregivers ,,Offer individualised programs rather than group sessions ,,Provide information on an ongoing basis, with specific information about services and coaching regarding their new role ,,Target the care recipient particularly by reduction in behaviours Factors which do not appear to have benefit in interventions are those which: ,,Simply refer caregivers to support groups ,,Only provide self help materials ,,Only offer peer support [source]


The effects of team training on team outcomes: A meta-analysis

PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2010
Lisa A. Delise
A meta-analysis was conducted to determine relationships between team training and team effectiveness. Results from the 21 studies provided evidence that training is positively related to team effectiveness and effectiveness in five outcome categories: affective, cognitive, subjective task-based skill, objective task-based skill, and teamwork skill. [source]


Strategies for identifying pregnancies in the automated medical records of the General Practice Research Database,,

PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 11 2004
Janet R. Hardy
Abstract Purpose To develop a method for identifying the beginning and ending records of pregnancies in the automated medical records of the General Practice Research Database (GPRD). Methods Women's records from 1991 to 1999 were searched for codes from 17 pregnancy marker and 7 pregnancy outcome categories. Using the retrieved records, all possible pregnancy marker-outcome combinations were formed per woman. For each combination, the difference in days between record event dates was calculated. Restrictions were applied to select the combination with the earliest pregnancy marker mapped to the first outcome for each pregnancy. Iterations of the algorithm identified multiple pregnancies per woman when present. The algorithm was evaluated by analyzing time between marker and outcome event dates of mapped pregnancies and by analyzing unmapped pregnancy markers and outcomes. Results A total of 297,082 pregnancies were identified: 80% by general practitioner (GP) visit codes as the earliest pregnancy marker and 14% by laboratory or procedure codes. Limiting pregnancies to one per woman aged 15,44 years yielded 209,266 pregnancies. Pregnancy mapping success was greater than 80%. Plotting the pregnancies by weeks from earliest pregnancy marker to outcome and by pregnancy marker category showed two peaks in the distribution: 2,3 weeks and 33 weeks. Conclusions Arranging codes and time into algorithms provides a useful tool for pregnancy identification in databases whose size prohibits the audit of printed records. Evaluation of our algorithm confirmed a high degree of mapping success and a sensible time distribution from pregnancy marker to outcome. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Gender differences in the psychosocial experience of parents of children with cancer: a review of the literature

PSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 9 2009
Naomi E. Clarke
Abstract Objective: To build a descriptive literature base of investigated and identified gender differences in the psychosocial experience of parents of children with cancer, in order to guide future research in this area. Methods: An extensive literature search was conducted using Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL and EMBASE databases. Thirty papers were included in the review. Themes from these papers were identified, and on this basis, the review findings were grouped according to five main outcome categories: role perceptions, illness beliefs, psychological distress, coping strategies and perceptions of marital, family and child functioning. Results: Few gender differences were found in perceptions of marital, family and child functioning. There was a tendency toward traditional gender roles in the division of parental tasks. Findings in relation to parent psychological distress and preferred coping strategies were mixed, with trends toward increased distress, more emotion-focused coping and greater social support-seeking in mothers. Conclusions: Further studies using longitudinal designs with solid theoretical groundings will provide valuable information on the unique psychosocial experiences of mothers and fathers throughout the child's illness, which may in turn guide the development of evidence-based interventions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Breast Cancer Incidence in a Cohort of Women with Benign Breast Disease from a Multiethnic, Primary Health Care Population

THE BREAST JOURNAL, Issue 2 2007
Maria J. Worsham PhD
Abstract:, Women with benign breast diseases (BBD), particularly those with lesions classified as proliferative, have previously been reported to be at increased risk for subsequent development of breast cancer (BC). A cohort of 4970 women with biopsy-proven BBD, identified after histopathology review of BBD biopsies, was studied for determination of subsequent development of BC. We report on 4537 eligible women, 28% of whom are African-American, whose BBD mass was evaluable for pathologic assessment of breast tissue. Ascertainment of subsequent progression to BC from BBD was accomplished through examination of the tumor registries of the Henry Ford Health system, the Detroit SEER registry, and the State of Michigan cancer registry. Incidence rates (IR) are reported per 100,000 person years at risk (100 k pyr). Poisson regression models were used to evaluate the association of demographic and lesion characteristics with BC incidence, using person years at the time of BBD diagnosis as the offset variable. The estimated overall BC IR for this cohort is 452 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 394,519) per 100 k pyr. Incidence for women age 50 and older is 80% greater than for younger women (p = 0.007, IRR = 1.8, 95% CI = 1.36,2.36). Neither marital status (p = 0.91, IRR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.73,1.29) nor race (p = 0.67, IRR = 0.9, 95% CI = 0.54,1.48) is associated with differences in BC IR. Compared with women having nonproliferative lesions, the risk for BC is greater for women with atypical ductal hyperplasia of (IRR = 5.0; 95%CI = 2.26,11.0; p < 0.001) and other proliferative lesions (IR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.02,2.95; p = 0.04). BC risk for woman with atypical lesions is significantly higher than for women with proliferative lesions without atypia (IRR = 2.58, 95% CI = 1.35,4.90; p = 0.0039). Neither race nor marital status was a factor for BC incidence from BBD in this cohort. Age retained its importance as a predictor of risk. BBD lesion histopathology in the outcome categories of either proliferative without atypia or proliferative with atypia are significant risk factors for BC, even when adjusted for the influence of demographic characteristics. The risks associated with BBD histological classifications were not different across races. [source]


Migraine-Related Vertigo: Diagnostic Criteria and Prophylactic Treatment

THE LARYNGOSCOPE, Issue 10 2006
Arturo Maione MD
Abstract Objective/Hypothesis: The objective of this prospective, observational study was to evaluate the efficacy of migraine pharmacologic prophylaxis on a group of vertiginous patients considered affected by migraine-related vertigo on the basis of precise criteria of inclusion. Methods: Fifty-three patients affected by migraine-related vertigo were selected from a cohort of 652 vertiginous patients referred to our Dizziness Unit from March 2001 to June 2005. Inclusion criteria were at least five vertigo attacks occurred in any period of time or dizziness and/or positional vertigo for at least 6 months; migraine, past or present, and/or a family history of migraine and/or motion intolerance; and exclusion of other causes. Patients were submitted to migraine pharmacologic prophylaxis selected on the basis of the characteristics of the patients and of the drug side effects. The efficacy of the treatment was evaluated after 6 months by questionnaire divided into five outcome categories (resolution, substantial control, moderate control, minimal control, no improvement or worsening) and, for the patients with recurrent vertiginous attacks, also reporting the percentage reduction of the attack frequency. Results: Thirty-six patients completed the study and were submitted to analysis of the results: 10 reported complete resolution of symptoms, 15 substantial control, 7 moderate control, one minimum control and 3 no improvement. Thirty-three of them had recurrent vertigo: 19 reported complete disappearance of the attacks, 8 reduction of the frequency >50%, 5 reduction <50%, and one no reduction. Conclusions: Migraine prophylactic treatment shows encouraging results in patients with migraine-related vertigo selected with our criteria of inclusion: 69.3% reported satisfactory control of symptoms (sum of complete resolutions and substantial controls) and 81.8% had at least a 50% reduction of the vertiginous episodes frequency. [source]


A Goodness-of-Fit Test for Multinomial Logistic Regression

BIOMETRICS, Issue 4 2006
Jelle J. Goeman
Summary This article presents a score test to check the fit of a logistic regression model with two or more outcome categories. The null hypothesis that the model fits well is tested against the alternative that residuals of samples close to each other in covariate space tend to deviate from the model in the same direction. We propose a test statistic that is a sum of squared smoothed residuals, and show that it can be interpreted as a score test in a random effects model. By specifying the distance metric in covariate space, users can choose the alternative against which the test is directed, making it either an omnibus goodness-of-fit test or a test for lack of fit of specific model variables or outcome categories. [source]


Drinking goal selection and treatment outcome in out-patients with mild-moderate alcohol dependence

DRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 4 2001
SIMON J. ADAMSON
Abstract Selection of drinking goal is examined at baseline, post-treatment and at 6 months follow-up for a sample of mild-moderate alcohol-dependent out-patients. Drinking goal is identified as abstinent or controlled drinking, with the latter group being asked to further specify per session and per week drinking limits. Group comparisons for drinking goal post-treatment show those who were not assigned motivational enhancement therapy, had more drinking days and lower scores on the Alcohol Problems Questionnaire and Internal Motivation were more likely to choose controlled drinking. The only variable to predict independently whether or not the controlled drinking goal was within the promoted drinking guidelines was age, with younger participants more likely to choose a goal above this limit. Goal selection was significantly related to drinking outcome, with those aiming to drink within guidelines having better outcome than those aiming for higher limits. There was no significant difference in drinking outcome category when those aiming for within limits were compared to those aiming for abstinence. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed. [source]


Effectiveness of interventions that assist caregivers to support people with dementia living in the community: a systematic review

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EVIDENCE BASED HEALTHCARE, Issue 2 2008
Deborah Parker BA, MSocSci
Executive summary Objectives, The objective of this review was to assess the effectiveness of interventions that assist caregivers to provide support for people living with dementia in the community. Inclusion criteria, Types of participants, Adult caregivers who provide support for people with dementia living in the community (non-institutional care). Types of interventions, Interventions designed to support caregivers in their role such as skills training, education to assist in caring for a person living with dementia and support groups/programs. Interventions of formal approaches to care designed to support caregivers in their role, care planning, case management and specially designated members of the healthcare team , for example dementia nurse specialist or volunteers trained in caring for someone with dementia. Types of studies, This review considered any meta-analyses, systematic reviews, randomised control trials, quasi-experimental studies, cohort studies, case control studies and observational studies without control groups that addressed the effectiveness of interventions that assist caregivers to provide support for people living with dementia in the community. Search strategy, The search sought to identify published studies from 2000 to 2005 through the use of electronic databases. Only studies in English were considered for inclusion. The initial search was conducted of the databases, CINAHL, MEDLINE and PsychINFO using search strategies adapted from the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group. A second more extensive search was then conducted using the appropriate Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and keywords for other available databases. Finally, hand searching of reference lists of articles retrieved and of core dementia, geriatric and psycho geriatric journals was undertaken. Assessment of quality, Methodological quality of each of the articles was assessed by two independent reviewers using appraisal checklist developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute and based on the work of the Cochrane Collaboration and Centre for Reviews and Dissemination. Data collection and analysis, Standardised mean differences or weighted mean differences and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated for each included study reported in the meta-analysis. Results from comparable groups of studies were pooled in statistical meta-analysis using Review Manager Software from the Cochrane Collaboration. Heterogeneity between combined studies was tested using standard chi-square test. Where statistical pooling was not appropriate or possible, the findings are summarised in narrative form. Results, A comprehensive search of relevant databases, hand searching and cross referencing found 685 articles that were assessed for relevance to the review. Eighty-five papers appeared to meet the inclusion criteria based on title and abstract, and the full paper was retrieved. Of the 85 full papers reviewed, 40 were accepted for inclusion, three were systematic reviews, three were meta-analysis, and the remaining 34 were randomised controlled trials. For the randomised controlled trials that were able to be included in a meta-analysis, standardised mean differences or weighted mean differences and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated for each. Results from comparable groups of studies were pooled in statistical meta-analysis using Review Manager Software and heterogeneity between combined studies was assessed by using the chi-square test. Where statistical pooling was not appropriate or possible, the findings are summarised in narrative form. The results are discussed in two main sections. Firstly it was possible to assess the effectiveness of different types of caregiver interventions on the outcome categories of depression, health, subjective well-being, self-efficacy and burden. Secondly, results are reported by main outcome category. For each of these sections, meta-analysis was conducted where it was possible; otherwise, a narrative summary describes the findings. Effectiveness of intervention type, Four categories of intervention were included in the review , psycho-educational, support, multi-component and other. Psycho-educational Thirteen studies used psycho-educational interventions, and all but one showed positive results across a range of outcomes. Eight studies were entered in a meta-analysis. No significant impact of psycho-educational interventions was found for the outcome categories of subjective well-being, self-efficacy or health. However, small but significant results were found for the categories of depression and burden. Support Seven studies discussed support only interventions and two of these showed significant results. These two studies were suitable for meta-analysis and demonstrated a small but significant improvement on caregiver burden. Multi-component Twelve of the studies report multi-component interventions and 10 of these report significant outcomes across a broad range of outcome measures including self-efficacy, depression, subjective well-being and burden. Unfortunately because of the heterogeneity of study designs and outcome measures, no meta-analysis was possible. Other interventions Other interventions included the use of exercise or nutrition which resulted in improvements in psychological distress and health benefits. Case management and a computer aided support intervention provided mixed results. One cognitive behavioural therapy study reported a reduction in anxiety and positive impacts on patient behaviour. Effectiveness of interventions using specific outcome categories, In addition to analysis by type of intervention it was possible to analyse results based on some outcome categories that were used across the studies. In particular the impact of interventions on caregiver depression was available for meta-analysis from eight studies. This indicated that multi-component and psycho-educational interventions showed a small but significant positive effect on caregiver depression. Five studies using the outcome category of caregiver burden were entered into a meta-analysis and findings indicated that there were no significant effects of any of interventions. No meta-analysis was possible for the outcome categories of health, self-efficacy or subjective well-being. Implications for practice, From this review there is evidence to support the use of well-designed psycho-educational or multi-component interventions for caregivers of people with dementia who live in the community. Factors that appear to positively contribute to effective interventions are those which: ,,Provide opportunities within the intervention for the person with dementia as well as the caregiver to be involved ,,Encourage active participation in educational interventions for caregivers ,,Offer individualised programs rather than group sessions ,,Provide information on an ongoing basis, with specific information about services and coaching regarding their new role ,,Target the care recipient particularly by reduction in behaviours Factors which do not appear to have benefit in interventions are those which: ,,Simply refer caregivers to support groups ,,Only provide self help materials ,,Only offer peer support [source]


Pediatric Laryngotracheal Obstruction: Current Perspectives on Stridor

THE LARYNGOSCOPE, Issue 7 2006
John Bent MD
Abstract Objectives/Hypothesis: To assess how medical advances have impacted the diagnosis, management, and outcomes of pediatric laryngotracheal obstruction, and to describe the advantages of audio-video documentation of stridorous children. Study Design and Methods: Retrospective. Methods and Materials: 268 patients were referred for suspected laryngotracheal obstruction during the 30 months between September 1, 1995 and March 1, 1998: 173 had 206 flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopies, and 160 had 273 direct laryngoscopies. One hundred and forty-one children were identified with laryngotracheal obstruction, yielding 40 different diagnoses that could be classified into 9 major categories. Thirty-six children (25.5%) had multiple sites of upper airway obstruction. Results: 138 children had follow-up >1 month. Twelve children died (8.7%), leaving 126 survivors (mean follow-up = 21.1 months). Outcomes were classified as resolved (44.2%), improved (37.0%), stable (9.4%), failed (0.7%), or death (8.7%). Better outcomes were seen in more readily treated diagnostic categories, such as tracheobronchial foreign body, chronic laryngitis, and suprastomal granulation tissue; laryngeal stenosis, tracheomalacia, and recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, had less favorable outcomes (P <.001). The former group also showed superior outcome compared to laryngomalacia (P <.001) and vocal cord mobility disorders (P = .004). Ninety-four patients (68.1%) had comorbidities complicating their management. Comorbid conditions were universal among deceased patients and least common in the resolved outcomes category (56.7%), supporting the premise that patients with poor outcomes are more likely to have comorbidities than patients with resolution of laryngotracheal symptoms (P = .034). Conclusions: Audio-video recording of pediatric laryngotracheal obstruction offers numerous advantages. Children classified into an array of diagnostic categories usually have favorable outcomes, but opportunities for continued advances exist, particularly regarding management of comorbidity and chronic obstruction. [source]