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Prospective Longitudinal Cohort Study (prospective + longitudinal_cohort_study)
Selected AbstractsAgreement Between Patient and Proxy Responses of Health-Related Quality of Life After Hip FractureJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 7 2005C. Allyson Jones PT Objectives: To examine agreement between patient and proxy respondents on health-related quality of life (HRQL) over time during the 6-month recovery after hip fracture. Design: Prospective longitudinal cohort study. Setting: A healthcare region serving Edmonton, Alberta, and the surrounding area. Participants: Two hundred forty-five patients aged 65 and older, were treated for hip fracture, and had Mini-Mental State Examination scores greater than 17; 245 family caregivers participated as proxy respondents. Measurements: Primary outcome was HRQL (Health Utilities Mark 2 and Mark 3). Interviews were completed within 5 days after surgery and at 1, 3, and 6 months. Agreement was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Results: Agreement was considered moderate to excellent for HRQL. ICC values ranged from 0.50 to 0.85 (P<.001) for physically based observable dimensions of health status and from 0.32 to 0.66 (P<.01) for less-observable dimensions. Agreement improved with time. Time and the number of days between patient and proxy interviews were significant factors in accounting for patient,proxy differences. Conclusion: Although proxy and patient responses are not interchangeable, proxy responses provide an option for assessing function and health status in patients who are unable to respond on their own behalf. [source] Stability and decline in gross motor function among children and youth with cerebral palsy aged 2 to 21 yearsDEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY, Issue 4 2009STEVEN E HANNA PHD This paper reports the construction of gross motor development curves for children and youth with cerebral palsy (CP) in order to assess whether function is lost during adolescence. We followed children previously enrolled in a prospective longitudinal cohort study for an additional 4 years, as they entered adolescence and young adulthood. The resulting longitudinal dataset comprised 3455 observations of 657 children with CP (369 males, 288 females), assessed up to 10 times, at ages ranging from 16 months to 21 years. Motor function was assessed using the 66-item Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-66). Participants were classified using the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS). We assessed the loss of function in adolescence by contrasting a model of function that assumes no loss with a model that allows for a peak and subsequent decline. We found no evidence of functional decline, on average, for children in GMFCS Levels I and II. However, in Levels III, IV, and V, average GMFM-66 was estimated to peak at ages 7 years 11 months, 6 years 11 months, and 6 years 11 months respectively, before declining by 4.7, 7.8, and 6.4 GMFM-66 points, in Levels III, IV, and V respectively, as these adolescents became young adults. We show that these declines are clinically significant. [source] Effects of Provider Practice on Functional Independence in Older AdultsJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 8 2004Elizabeth A. Phelan MD Objectives: To examine provider determinants of new-onset disability in basic activities of daily living (ADLs) in community-dwelling elderly. Design: Observational study. Setting: King County, Washington. Participants: A random sample of 800 health maintenance organization (HMO) enrollees aged 65 and older participating in a prospective longitudinal cohort study of dementia and normal aging and their 56 primary care providers formed the study population. Measurements: Incident ADL disability, defined as any new onset of difficulty performing any of the basic ADLs at follow-up assessments, was examined in relation to provider characteristics and practice style using logistic regression and adjusting for case-mix, patient and provider factors associated with ADL disability, and clustering by provider. Results: Neither provider experience taking care of large numbers of elderly patients nor having a certificate of added qualifications in geriatrics was associated with patient ADL disability at 2 or 4 years of follow-up (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for experience=1.29, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.81,2.05; AOR for added qualifications=0.72, 95% CI=0.38,1.39; results at 4 years analogous). A practice style embodying traditional geriatric principles of care was not associated with a reduced likelihood of ADL disability over 4 years of follow-up (AOR for prescribing no high-risk medications=0.56, 95% CI=0.16,1.94; AOR for managing geriatric syndromes=0.94, 95% CI=0.40,2.19; AOR for a team care approach=1.35, 95% CI=0.66,2.75). Conclusion: Taking care of a large number of elderly patients, obtaining a certificate of added qualifications in geriatrics, and practicing with a traditional geriatric orientation do not appear to influence the development of ADL disability in elder, community dwelling HMO enrollees. [source] Remote Sensing and Malaria Risk for Military Personnel in AfricaJOURNAL OF TRAVEL MEDICINE, Issue 4 2008Vanessa Machault MSc Background Nonimmune travelers in malaria-endemic areas are exposed to transmission and may experience clinical malaria attacks during or after their travel despite using antivectorial devices or chemoprophylaxis. Environment plays an essential role in the epidemiology of this disease. Remote-sensed environmental information had not yet been tested as an indicator of malaria risk among nonimmune travelers. Methods A total of 1,189 personnel from 10 French military companies traveling for a short-duration mission (about 4 mo) in sub-Saharan Africa from February 2004 to February 2006 were enrolled in a prospective longitudinal cohort study. Incidence rate of clinical malaria attacks occurring during or after the mission was analyzed according to individual characteristics, compliance with antimalaria prophylactic measures, and environmental information obtained from earth observation satellites for all the locations visited during the missions. Results Age, the lack of compliance with the chemoprophylaxis, and staying in areas with an average Normalized Difference Vegetation Index higher than 0.35 were risk factors for clinical malaria. Conclusions Remotely sensed environmental data can provide important planning information on the likely level of malaria risk among nonimmune travelers who could be briefly exposed to malaria transmission and could be used to standardize for the risk of malaria transmission when evaluating the efficacy of antimalaria prophylactic measures. [source] Prenatal diagnosis of congenital malformations and parental psychological distress,a prospective longitudinal cohort studyPRENATAL DIAGNOSIS, Issue 11 2006H. Skari Abstract Objective To test whether postnatal psychological distress in parents of babies with congenital malformations is reduced by prenatal diagnosis. Methods A prospective observational longitudinal cohort study was conducted at two Norwegian hospitals. We included 293 parents of babies with congenital malformations (prenatal detection rate: 36.5%) referred for neonatal surgery and 249 parents of healthy babies (comparison group). Parental psychological responses were assessed on three postnatal occasions by psychometric instruments (GHQ-28, STAI-X1, and IES). Results Significantly increased psychological distress (GHQ-28) was reported by parents who received prenatal diagnosis as compared to postnatal diagnosis; acutely 28.9 versus 24.4, P = 0.006 (comparison group: 19.6); at 6 weeks 26.8 versus 21.5, P < 0.001 (comparison group: 17.7); and at 6 months 22.6 versus 18.7, P = 0.015 (comparison group: 16.6). Mothers consistently reported higher levels of distress than fathers. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that prenatal diagnosis and being a mother significantly predicted severity of acute psychological distress. At 6 weeks and 6 months, mortality and associated anomalies were significant independent predictors of psychological distress. Conclusion Controlling for other covariates, we found that prenatal diagnosis of congenital malformations was a significant independent predictor of acute parental psychological distress after birth. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Occupational status and social adjustment six months after hospitalization early in the course of bipolar disorder: a prospective studyBIPOLAR DISORDERS, Issue 1 2010Faith Dickerson Dickerson F, Origoni A, Stallings C, Khushalani S, Dickinson D, Medoff D. Occupational status and social adjustment six months after hospitalization early in the course of bipolar disorder: a prospective study. Bipolar Disord 2010: 12: 10,20. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Objectives:, Bipolar disorder is often accompanied by poor functional outcomes, the determinants of which are not fully understood. We assessed patients with bipolar disorder undergoing a hospital admission early in the illness course and identified predictors of occupational status, overall social adjustment, and work adjustment six months later. Methods:, This was a prospective longitudinal cohort study. During hospitalization patients were evaluated with a cognitive battery; symptoms, occupational history, and other clinical factors were also assessed. At six-month follow-up, patients' symptom remission status was assessed; they were also evaluated as to their occupational status, overall social adjustment, and work adjustment. Multivariate analyses were used to identify predictors of these outcomes. Results:, Among the 52 participants, the average rating of overall social adjustment at follow-up was between mild and moderate maladjustment. While 51 had a history of working full time, only 28 (54%) worked full time at follow-up. A total of 24 (46%) had symptoms that met criteria for a full depression or mania syndrome. In multivariate analyses, full-time occupational status at follow-up was predicted by the absence of baseline substance abuse. Better overall social adjustment was predicted by better performance on cognitive tasks of processing speed and by symptom remission; the latter variable also predicted work adjustment. Conclusions:, Persons with bipolar disorder have limited occupational recovery and overall social adjustment six months after a hospital admission early in the illness course. Predictors vary among outcomes; performance on tasks of processing speed and the extent of symptom remission are independently associated with functional outcomes. [source] |