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Comparative Design (comparative + design)
Selected AbstractsFalls risk assessment, multitargeted interventions and the impact on hospital fallsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING PRACTICE, Issue 5 2004Heather McFarlane-Kolb RN BN(Hons) There is an urgent need for inquiry to validate existing scales in the accurate assessment of falls risk. Moreover, where fall prevention projects have targeted specific risk factors of falling, such as cognitive impairment, few have measured the impact of their intervention on fall outcomes. A comparative design compared and described differences in falls data within and between two study cohorts before and after a multitargeted intervention was introduced. A cut-off score of , 50 using the Morse Scale was a good baseline indicator for accurate identification of fall risk and outcomes verify that the modified Morse Falls Scale, in combination with other risk factors, more accurately profiled fall risk among this population. Fall incidence among the intervention cohort did not increase significantly despite a rise in the number of hospital admissions and a significantly higher reported fall risk potential. [source] Socio-demographic factors related to functional limitations and care dependency among older EgyptiansJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 5 2010Thomas Boggatz boggatz t., farid t., mohammedin a., dijkstra a., lohrmann c. & dassen t. (2010) Socio-demographic factors related to functional limitations and care dependency among older Egyptians. Journal of Advanced Nursing,66(5), 1047,1058. Abstract Title.,Socio-demographic factors related to functional limitations and care dependency among older Egyptians. Aim., This paper is a report of a study determining the relationship of socio-demographic factors to functional limitations and care dependency among older care recipients and non-care recipients in Egypt. Background., The population is ageing in Egypt and age-related functional limitations are increasing. Age and gender influence this phenomenon, but its relationship to socio-economic status has not yet been demonstrated for Egypt. Functional limitations are an antecedent to care dependency, which also may be associated with these socio-demographic factors. Method., A cross-sectional study with a two-group comparative design was conducted in Greater Cairo. The sample was composed of 267 non-care recipients and 344 care recipients. Path analysis was used to determine the relationship between variables. Age, gender and acceptance of care were covariates in the multiple regressions. Analyses were conducted separately for care recipients and non-care recipients. Results., Among non-care recipients, lower socio-economic status was related to more functional limitations and higher care dependency. This relationship was not found among care recipients. Conclusion., Older persons from low income groups are more likely to become care dependent but are less able to pay for required care. Currently, untrained volunteer groups of religious organizations try to support these older people in the poorer strata of Egyptian society. Training in the basics of care might help to make their work more effective. [source] Quality of life in partners of people with congestive heart failure: gender and involvement in careJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 7 2009Marie Louise Luttik Abstract Title.,Quality of life in partners of people with congestive heart failure: gender and involvement in care. Aim., This paper is a report of a study conducted to investigate quality of life in partners of people with congestive heart failure in comparison to individuals living with a healthy partner. Background., Congestive heart failure is a chronic debilitating disease with severe symptoms and complex treatment. The support of partners is essential in the management of congestive heart failure. Living with a chronic illness generally affects the quality of life of patients and their partners. Method., Data were collected using a cross-sectional, comparative design between October 2002 and February 2005 with 303 partners of people with congestive heart failure. Reference data were collected in 304 age- and gender-matched individuals living with a healthy partner, drawn from the general population. All respondents completed questionnaires at home on quality of life and general well-being. Analysis of variance was used to analyse the data. Findings., Overall, differences in quality of life between partners of people with heart failure and matched controls were small. However, substantial variation in the quality of life of partners was found by exploring the role of gender and involvement in care. Quality of life scores varied strongly for male and female partners who had to perform caregiving tasks. The performance of these caregiving tasks was negatively associated with the quality of life of female partners but not with that of male partners. Conclusion., Female partners especially should not be overlooked when they become involved in personal care tasks. Nurses should not be reluctant to involve male partners in caring for women with heart failure. [source] Differences in health-related quality of life between older nursing home residents without cognitive impairment and the general population of NorwayJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 9 2008Jorunn Drageset RN Aim., To advance the understanding of health-related quality of life among older nursing home residents by assessing their health-related quality of life and comparing this with norms from the general population. Methods., The study used a two-group cross-sectional comparative design. The samples comprised 227 nursing home residents aged 65,102 years with at least six months' residence and a representative population sample of 1137 Norwegian citizens aged 65,102 years. All nursing home residents had a Clinical Dementia Rating Scale score ,0·5 and were capable of conversing. The respondents provided demographic information and were surveyed using the SF-36 Health Survey. We used univariate and multivariate linear models to identify possible differences in health-related quality of life between the nursing home residents and the general population, controlled for age, sex, marital status and education. Results., After adjustment for age, group, sex, marital status and education, the nursing home residents scored significantly higher on bodily pain and on physical and emotional role limitation and significantly lower on the other SF-36 subscales, except social functioning, with the largest differences for physical functioning (mean nursing home 23·2 and mean general population 62·9). The general population scores on all subscales generally increased with increasing education but not among the nursing home residents. Conclusions., The mean SF-36 scale scores differed markedly between the nursing home residents and the general population, with the nursing home residents generally scoring lower. The association with background variables known to be related to health-related quality of life differed between the groups. Healthcare professionals should increase attention to health-related quality of life among nursing home residents, periodically assess health-related quality of life and consider interventions that may improve health-related quality of life in older institutionalised populations. Relevance to clinical practice., This study highlights the role of nurses and other health professionals in ensuring that nursing home residents have opportunities to improve their health-related quality of life. [source] Gender and culture differences in the quality of life among Americans and Koreans with atrial fibrillationNURSING & HEALTH SCIENCES, Issue 3 2009Younhee Kang rn, msn-anp Abstract This study examined the gender and culture differences in relation to the quality of life among Americans and Koreans with atrial fibrillation. It employed secondary data analysis and a descriptive comparative design. The settings were the cardiology outpatient clinics and the outpatient clinic in two urban hospitals in the USA and one university hospital in Korea. The quality of life was measured by the Short-Form Health Survey. The data from 129 subjects were analyzed by two-way ANCOVA and a post-hoc test. In relation to physical function, there was a statistically significant effect shown by gender, but no significant differences were found by the main effect of culture and the interaction effect of gender and culture. The significant interaction effect of gender and culture on mental health was shown. In conclusion, gender differences in the quality of life perceived by patients with atrial fibrillation varied with their cultural background. Thus, patients' cultural background should be considered in nursing practice. [source] Maternal height and child mortality in 42 developing countriesAMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2009Christiaan W. S. Monden Previous research reports mixed results about the association between maternal height and child mortality. Some studies suggest that the negative association might be stronger in contexts with fewer resources. This hypothesis has yet not been tested in a cross-nationally comparative design. We use data on 307,223 children born to 194,835 women in 444 districts of 42 developing countries to estimate the association between maternal height and child mortality and test whether this association is modified by indicators at the level of the household (like sex, age and twin status of the child and socio-economic characteristics of the mother and her partner), district (regional level of development, public health facilities and female occupational attainment) and country (GDP per capita). We find a robust negative effect of logged maternal height on child mortality. The effect of maternal health is strongest for women with least education and is more important in the first year after birth and for twin births. The indicators of development at the district and country level do not modify the effect of maternal height. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Six-minute walk test in obese children and adolescents: Reproducibility and validity,PHYSIOTHERAPY RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2009Gunilla Morinder Abstract Background and Purpose.,The six-minute walk test (6MWT) is increasingly used in clinical practice. The aims of this study were to determine the reproducibility of the 6MWT in obese children and adolescents, to describe walking capacity in this population and compare the results with values from normal-weight children (known group validity), and, finally, to describe the correlation between distance walked and estimated maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max).,Methods.,Reproducibility was determined by a test,retest design and known group validity by a comparative design. The 6MWT was first test,retested in 49 obese children (30 boys, 19 girls, 8,16 years, body mass index [BMI] 24.9,52.1,kg?m,2). Then, for validation, 250 obese children (126 boys, 124 girls, 8,16 years, BMI 23.2,57,kg/m2) and 97 normal-weight children (48 boys, 49 girls, 8,16 years, BMI 13.3,23.2,kg·m,2) performed the 6MWT. The obese children also performed a sub-maximal bicycle ergometry test.,Results.,In the test,retest, the obese children walked 571,m the first test and 57,m the second (p = 0.578). The measurement error (Sw) was 24,m, coefficient of variation (CV): 4.3% and the intraclass correlation (ICC1:1): 0.84. Repeatability was 68,m, and limits of agreement were +71 and ,65,m. In comparison mean (standard deviation), six-minute walk distance (6MWD) in the obese children was 571,m (65.5), and in the normal-weight children, 663,m (61.1) (p < 0.001). The correlation between 6MWD and estimated VO2max (r = 0.34) was low.,Conclusions.,The 6MWT showed good reproducibility and known group validity, and can be recommended for use in clinical practice in the studied population. To evaluate individual outcomes after intervention, the 6MWD needs to change by >68,m to be statistically significant. The 6MWD performed by obese children averaged 86% of the distance normal-weight children walked. In obese children, the correlation between 6MWD and estimated VO2max was low, hence the 6MWT cannot substitute a bicycle ergometry test. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The six-minute walk test in outpatients with obesity: reproducibility and known group validityPHYSIOTHERAPY RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2008Ulla Evers Larsson Abstract Background and Purpose.,To assess the reproducibility and validity of the six-minute walk test (6MWT) in men and women with obesity in order to facilitate evaluation of treatment outcome.,Method.,A test,retest design was used to test reproducibility and a comparative design to test known group validity. Forty-three obese outpatients (16 male), mean age 47 (21,62) years, mean body mass index (BMI) 40 (3,62)kg-m,2 performed the 6MWT twice within one week. Intraclass correlation (ICC1.1) and measurement error (Sw) were calculated from the mean square values derived from a one-way repeated-measures ANOVA (fixed effect model). The reproducibility was also analysed by means of coefficient of variation (CV) and the Bland Altman method including 95% limits of agreement. The variance of the distance walked was analysed by means of regressions. The known group validity of the 6MWT (distance walked and the work of walking) in obese participants was shown by comparisons with 41 lean participants (18 male), mean age 47 (24,65) years, mean BMI 22.7kg-m,2 (19,25).,Results.,The obese group walked 534,m (confidence interval [CI] 508,560 the first and 552,m (CI 523,580) the second walk (p < 0.001). Sw was 25,m, CV 4.7%, ICC1.1 was 0.96. The limits of agreement were ,46,m+80,m. The validity tests showed that they walked 162,m shorter (p < 0.001) and performed much heavier work (p < 0.001) than the lean group. In the obese group, BMI alone explained 38% of the variance of the distance walked.,Conclusions.,The 6MWT showed good reproducibility and known group validity and can be recommended for evaluating walking ability in subjects with obesity. For individual evaluation, however, an improved walking distance of at least 80,m was required to make the difference clinically significant. Despite shorter walking distance the obese participants performed heavier work than the lean. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] An Evaluation of a Volunteer-Support Program for Families At RiskPUBLIC HEALTH NURSING, Issue 4 2004Larni Kelleher R.N., MHPEd, MSc. (Hons.) Abstract A descriptive comparative design was used to evaluate the Cottage Community Care Pilot Project, a family support/child protection initiative linking trained volunteers with "vulnerable" first-time parents. Fifty-eight eligible and consenting families enrolled in the program and formed the intervention group. A further 35 eligible families consented to participate in the evaluation and received assessments only and formed the comparison group. No differences were evident between the intervention and comparison groups on parenting readiness. For the intervention group (n = 25), improvements occurred in seven aspects of family functioning (items on the Scale of Family Functioning) when contrasted to the comparison group (n = 24). Two areas of family functioning were found to be statistically significant: access to social support (p = 0.02) and age appropriate expectations of infants (p < 0.001). Participants reported satisfaction with the program, and the study emphasized the need to include all families, not just those at risk. This evaluation supports the continued development of volunteer-support programs and the active role that public health nurses play in the growth and development of children in our communities. [source] Material wear of polymeric tracheostomy tubes: A six-month study,THE LARYNGOSCOPE, Issue 4 2009Sara Backman MSc Abstract Objectives: The objectives were to study long-term material wear of tracheostomy tubes made of silicone (Si), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polyurethane (PU) after 3 and 6 months of clinical use. Study Design: The study has a prospective and comparative design. Methods: Nineteen patients with long-term tracheostomy, attending the National Respiratory Center in Sweden, were included, n = 6 with Si tubes, n = 8 with PVC tubes, and n = 5 with PU tubes. The tubes were exposed to the local environment in the trachea for 3 and 6 months and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. Results: All tubes revealed severe surface changes. No significant differences were established after 3 or 6 months of exposure between the various materials. The changes had progressed significantly after this period, compared to previously reported changes after 30 days of exposure. The results from all analyzing techniques correlated well. Conclusions: All tubes, exposed in the trachea for 3,6 months, revealed major degradation and changes in the surface of the material. Polymeric tracheostomy tubes should be changed before the end of 3 months of clinical use. Laryngoscope, 2009 [source] Comparison of Laboratory Values Obtained by Phlebotomy versus Saline Lock DevicesACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 1 2007Jill Corbo MD Abstract Objectives To assess the utility of a peripheral saline lock device (SLD) as an alternative to a second venipuncture for obtaining selected blood samples. Methods This prospective study used a comparative design and was conducted in an urban emergency department (ED). Adult patients with an existing SLD in place who required serial phlebotomy were eligible for inclusion in the study. Each subject had blood samples obtained by venipuncture (control) with a Vacutainer adapter according to standard protocols. Within 5 minutes of obtaining the control samples, a sample was obtained from the patients' SLDs; a tourniquet was applied proximal to the intravenous line, a 5-mL waste portion was obtained, and a Vacutainer adapter was placed to draw specimens for testing. Each of the paired samples was analyzed for hematocrit, electrolytes, and cardiac enzymes. The Bland-Altman method was used to analyze the concordance between each pair of measurements. Paired t-tests for each of the eight laboratory tests were used to assess whether the values were statistically different from each other. The 95% limits of agreement around the mean differences were calculated. Differences between SLD aspirates and venipuncture aspirates also were compared with the federal regulatory standards that ensure reliable and accurate laboratory testing. Results Eighty-one patients were eligible for the study; in 73 (90.1%; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 81.5% to 95.6%) of the patients, the SLD could be aspirated for testing. The paired t-tests indicated that there were no statistically significant differences between the mean values of the two methods of testing. Of the 584 paired values analyzed, 35 (6.0%; 95% CI = 4.3% to 8.2%) exceeded the Bland-Altman limits of agreement, and 43 (7.4%; 95% CI = 5.4% to 9.8%) fell outside the acceptable range determined by the federal regulation of clinical laboratories. Of those values that exceeded the acceptable Bland-Altman limits of agreement, none would have resulted in clinical intervention. Conclusions Aspirating blood via an SLD is an acceptable method of obtaining serial laboratory values in a group of stable, consenting adult ED patients. [source] | ||||||||||