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Sports Health 2021 Apr 9:19417381211004107. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Background: The time elapsed since surgery is the primary criterion for allowing athletes to return to sport after shoulder stabilization surgery using the Latarjet procedure. The objective assessment of shoulder functional status through the return-to-sport continuum demands a scoring instrument that includes psychological and physical dimensions. This study aimed to statistically validate the Shoulder-SanTy Athletic Return To Sport (S-STARTS) score in patients who have undergone primary shoulder stabilization surgery. Read More

J Med Syst 2021 Apr 7;45(5):59. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Health systems are struggling to manage a fluctuating volume of critically ill patients with COVID-19 while continuing to provide basic surgical services and expand capacity to address operative cases delayed by the pandemic. As we move forward through the next phases of the pandemic, we will need a decision-making system that allows us to remain nimble as clinicians to meet our patient's needs while also working with a new framework of healthcare operations. Here, we present our quality improvement process for the adaptation and application of the Medically Necessary Time-Sensitive (MeNTS) toolto gynecologic surgical services beyond the initial COVID response and into recovery of surgical services; with analysis of the reliability of the modified-MeNTS tool in our multi-site safety net hospital network. Read More

PLoS One 2021 7;16(4):e0249722. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Kyushu University, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, Japan.

The purpose is to experimentally examine the effect of disclosing the risk probability of each unit in a production system on human behavior and the resulting system reliability. We used an economic experiment based on the theoretical model of Hausken (2002) to evaluate the effect of disclosing the relation between effort and unit reliability. We conducted first the non-disclosed-risk experiment and then the disclosed-risk experiment within subjects in both series and parallel systems. Read More

J Pediatr Orthop 2021 Apr 8. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY.

Background: Radiographic markers of skeletal maturity are vital to the prediction and interpretation of skeletal growth patterns. Accurate predictions of skeletal maturity factor into the management of common musculoskeletal disorders. Bone age is conventionally measured using hand and wrist radiographs. Read More

GMS J Med Educ 2021 15;38(3):Doc71. Epub 2021 Mar 15.

Institut für medizinische und pharmazeutische Prüfungsfragen (IMPP), Mainz, Germany.

As doctors often fail to explain diagnoses and therapies to patients in an understandable and appropriate way, the improvement of doctor-patient communication is essential. The current medical training and examinations are focused on verbal rather than on written communication. Following the premise of "assessment drives learning", the final medical licensing examination in Germany has been further developed by the German National Institute for state examinations in Medicine, Pharmacy and Psychotherapy (IMPP). Read More

Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol 2021 Apr 6:1-12. Epub 2021 Apr 6.

Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, Canada.

Purpose: Children with severe, multiple disabilities often need to use switches to control their assistive technology. We developed the Switch Access Measure (SAM) to address the lack of validated functional activity-based measures to evaluate children's success using their prescribed switch(es). This goal-based performance measure evaluates switching ability on 16 skills items (6 motor, 2 visual, and 8 process). Read More

J Caring Sci 2021 Mar 1;10(1):29-36. Epub 2021 Mar 1.

Department Nursing and Midwifery, Nursing Care Research Center in Chronic Diseases, Nursing and Midwifery School, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are one of the most common chronic illnesses and the leading cause of mortality worldwide. This study aimed to design and assess the psychometric properties of questionnaire to examine the care needs of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) in phase 1 of cardiac rehabilitation (CR). This sequential exploratory study used a mixed method with two phases. Read More

Front Hum Neurosci 2021 17;15:624660. Epub 2021 Mar 17.

Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States.

We investigated spectral resting-state EEG in persons with chronic stroke-induced aphasia to determine its reliability, sensitivity, and relationship to functional behaviors. Resting-state EEG has not yet been characterized in this population and was selected given the demonstrated potential of resting-state investigations using other neuroimaging techniques to guide clinical decision-making. Controls and persons with chronic stroke-induced aphasia completed two EEG recording sessions, separated by approximately 1 month, as well as behavioral assessments of language, sensorimotor, and cognitive domains. Read More

Clin Colon Rectal Surg 2021 May 29;34(3):131-135. Epub 2021 Mar 29.

Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brasil.

Nontechnical skills are of increasing importance in surgery and surgical training. The main studies on its impact on the safety and effectiveness of surgical interventions were mainly published in the first decade of the 2000s. Due to the significant technical complexity and great diversity of instruments for nontechnical skills evaluation, the interest in training and in measuring the impact on surgical safety has relatively decreased. Read More

Neural Process Lett 2021 Mar 27:1-17. Epub 2021 Mar 27.

Department of Computer Engineering, Islamshahr Branch, Islamic Azad University, Islamshahr, Iran.

Artificial intelligence is a future and valuable tool for early disease recognition and support in patient condition monitoring. It can increase the reliability of the cure and decision making by developing useful systems and algorithms. Healthcare workers, especially nurses and physicians, are overworked due to a massive and unexpected increase in the number of patients during the coronavirus pandemic. Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2021 Mar 26;13(7). Epub 2021 Mar 26.

Department of Gastroenterology/Internal Medicine, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu 501-1194, Japan.

We investigated the factors affecting recurrence-free survival in patients with non-B non-C hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who received curative treatment. Decision-tree analysis was performed in 72 curative cases of non-B non-C HCC to extract the risk factors for recurrence. The reliability of the extracted risk factors was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox proportional hazards model. Read More

Healthcare (Basel) 2021 Mar 22;9(3). Epub 2021 Mar 22.

Department of Sociology, Faculty of Education and Sport Science, University of Granada, 52005 Melilla, Spain.

The aim of this study was to analyze the differences within education-related degrees with respect to participation in volunteering. Volunteering motivation promotes and encourages emotional and social well-being and a sense of belonging in university students. This study was based on a total sample of 985 students undertaking Degrees in Early Childhood Education, Primary Education, and Social Education who attended higher education institutions in Northern Africa (Spain) and Eastern Spain. Read More

Polymers (Basel) 2021 Mar 19;13(6). Epub 2021 Mar 19.

Department of Manufacturing Engineering, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), 28040 Madrid, Spain.

The degradation of polymeric components is of considerable interest to the nuclear industry and its regulatory bodies. The objective of this work was the development of a methodology to determine the useful life-based on the storage temperature-of acrylonitrile O-rings used as mechanical sealing elements to prevent leakages in nuclear equipment. To this aim, a reliability-based approach that allows prediction of the use-suitability of different storage scenarios (that involve different storage times and temperatures) considering the further required in-service performance, is presented. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021 Mar 1;18(5). Epub 2021 Mar 1.

Physiotherapy in Women's Health Research Group, Physiotherapy Department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, 28871 Madrid, Spain.

Therapeutic patient education programs must assess the competences that patients achieve. Evaluation in the pedagogical domain ensures that learning has taken place among patients. The Prolapse and Incontinence Knowledge Questionnaire (PIKQ) is a tool for assessing patient knowledge about urinary (UI) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) conditions. Read More

J Patient Saf 2021 Mar 31. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

From the Brigham and Women's Hospital Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah Partners Healthcare, Boston, Massachusetts Pascal Metrics, Washington, DC.

Objectives: There is considerable evidence that providing patients with access to their health information is beneficial, but there is limited evidence regarding the effect of providing real-time patient safety-related information on health outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between use of an electronic patient safety dashboard (Safety Advisor) and health outcomes.

Methods: The Safety Advisor was implemented in 6 adult medicine units at one hospital in the United States. Read More

Dig Dis 2021 Apr 1. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

Background: Barrett's esophagus (BE) requires surveillance to identify potential neoplasia at early stage. Standard surveillance regimen includes random four-quadrant biopsies by Seattle protocol. Main limitations of random biopsies are high risk of sampling error, difficulties in histology interpretation, common inadequate classification of pathohistological changes, increased risk of bleeding and time necessary to acquire the final diagnosis. Read More

Clin Interv Aging 2021 25;16:537-547. Epub 2021 Mar 25.

Department of Geriatric Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

Background: Frailty is a major challenge for healthcare systems in ageing societies. This dynamic state of health is a reflection of reduced reserve in various organ systems and enhanced vulnerability to stressors. Research in this area of geriatrics and gerontology is limited in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) like India. Read More

Am J Hosp Palliat Care 2021 Mar 31:10499091211005735. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

16121University of Michigan School of Nursing, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

Purpose: We describe the development and the psychometric properties of an instrument to assess self-perceived EOL care competencies for healthcare professionals: The End-of-Life Care Questionnaire (EOL-Q).

Methods: The EOL-Q consists of 28 questions assessing knowledge, attitudes and behaviors with subscale items addressing seven domains of care: decision-making, communication, continuity of care, emotional support for patients/families, symptom management, spiritual support for patients/families, and support for clinicians. The EOL-Q was used to assess competencies of 1,197 healthcare professionals from multiple work units at a large medical center. Read More

J Gen Intern Med 2021 Mar 29. Epub 2021 Mar 29.

Patient Centered Population Health Research, Berkshire Health Systems, Pittsfield, MA, USA.

Background: Patient care ownership improves accountability, clinical skills, and quality of patient care among resident physicians, but appears to be gradually eroding. Research is limited by the lack of a reliable, objective measure of ownership.

Objective: To validate the Patient Care Ownership Scale, an instrument that measures decision ownership among internal medicine residents. Read More

J Psychopharmacol 2021 Mar 28:269881121996890. Epub 2021 Mar 28.

Psychosis Research Unit, Aarhus University Hospital - Psychiatry, Aarhus, Denmark.

Background: The six-item version of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS-6) has shown promise as a brief measure of the severity of core symptoms of schizophrenia. However, since all prior analyses of the PANSS-6 were based on data extracted from studies using the full 30-item PANSS (PANSS-30), it remains unknown whether it is possible to obtain valid information for the PANSS-6 ratings via a brief interview, such as the Simplified Negative and Positive Symptoms Interview (SNAPSI).

Aims: We aimed to validate the PANSS-6 ratings obtained via the SNAPSI using the PANSS-6 scores extracted from the PANSS-30 ratings obtained via the comprehensive Structured Clinical Interview for PANSS (SCI-PANSS) as the gold-standard reference. Read More

Radiol Imaging Cancer 2020 Jan 17;2(1):e190071. Epub 2020 Jan 17.

Departments of Radiology (L.A.R.R., A.L., J.M., M.B.), Pathology (O.J.H., K.G., L.A.A.), and Urology (C.B., A.H.), Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; Department of Clinical Medicine (L.A.R.R., C.B., A.L., M.B.) and Centre for Cancer Biomarkers CCBIO (O.J.H., L.A.A.), University of Bergen, Jonas Liesvei 65, N-5021 Bergen, Norway.

Purpose: To validate the MRI grading system proposed by Mehralivand et al in 2019 (the "extraprostatic extension [EPE] grade") in an independent cohort and to compare the Mehralivand EPE grading system with EPE interpretation on the basis of a five-point Likert score ("EPE Likert").

Materials And Methods: A total of 310 consecutive patients underwent multiparametric MRI according to a standardized institutional protocol before radical prostatectomy was performed by using the same 1.5-T MRI unit at a single institution between 2010 and 2012. Read More

Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci 2021 May 29;379(2197):20200072. Epub 2021 Mar 29.

Computational Science Lab, Informatics Institute, Faculty of Science, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Uncertainty quantification (UQ) is a key component when using computational models that involve uncertainties, e.g. in decision-making scenarios. Read More

J Manag Care Spec Pharm 2021 Apr;27(4):488-496

RxRevu, Denver, CO.

The value assessment framework (VAF) is one approach to assessing the evidence and value of medications. VAFs are a way to measure and communicate the value of medications and other health care technologies for decision-making purposes. Given the increasing number of high-cost medications, challenging formulary inquiries, and critiques of currently available tools, health systems need to explore a standardized way to incorporate value assessment into formulary decision making. Read More

JMIR Med Inform 2021 Mar 26;9(3):e27767. Epub 2021 Mar 26.

Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States.

Background: Screening patients for eligibility for clinical trials is labor intensive. It requires abstraction of data elements from multiple components of the longitudinal health record and matching them to inclusion and exclusion criteria for each trial. Artificial intelligence (AI) systems have been developed to improve the efficiency and accuracy of this process. Read More

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2021 Mar 26;9(3):e19310. Epub 2021 Mar 26.

Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine and Health Science, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.

Background: Information in health care is rapidly expanding and is updated very regularly, especially with the increasing use of technology in the sector. Due to this, health care providers require timely access to the latest scientific evidence anywhere. Smartphone medical apps are tools to access the latest reputable scientific evidence in the discipline. Read More

Elife 2021 Mar 26;10. Epub 2021 Mar 26.

Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States.

Traditional accumulation-to-bound decision-making models assume that all choice options are processed with equal attention. In real life decisions, however, humans alternate their visual fixation between individual items to efficiently gather relevant information (Yang et al., 2016). Read More

Environ Monit Assess 2021 Mar 25;193(4):223. Epub 2021 Mar 25.

School of Business, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, People's Republic of China.

To monitor and manage water environments, China developed a centralized multi-level administrative system where governments and agencies at each level are responsible for water quality within their regions. In this case, regional water quality assessment has become a critical issue. However, as a complex multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) problem, it faces many challenges such as diverse implement indicator framework, complicated indicator interrelations, and lack of reliable assessment methods. Read More

Diabetes Technol Ther 2021 Mar 24. Epub 2021 Mar 24.

University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 14640, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.

Background: Racial-ethnic disparities in diabetes technology use are well documented in young adults (YA) with type 1 diabetes (T1D), but modifiable targets for intervention still need to be identified. Our objective was to explore YA perspectives on technology access and support in routine clinical care.

Materials And Methods: Participants were YA with T1D of Hispanic or non-Hispanic Black race-ethnicity from pediatric and adult endocrinology clinics in the Bronx, NY. Read More

Medwave 2021 Jan 5;21(1):e8090. Epub 2021 Jan 5.

Centro Interdisciplinario de Estudios en Salud (CIESAL), Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile. Email: Address:Angamos 655, Viña del Mar, Chile. Código Postal: 2540064. ORCID: 0000-0003-3816-9533.

This article is the first in a collaborative methodological series of narrative reviews on biostatistics and clinical epidemiology. This review aims to present rapid reviews, compare them with systematic reviews, and mention how they can be used. Rapid reviews use a methodology like systematic reviews, but through shortcuts applied, they can attain answers in less than six months and with fewer resources. Read More

Orthop J Sports Med 2021 Feb 26;9(2):2325967120983827. Epub 2021 Feb 26.

Pediatric Orthopedics & Scoliosis Center, Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego, California, USA.

Background: Few studies have validated when an athlete can safely return to sports, and even fewer have identified when he or she no longer requires physical therapy after surgery. Discontinuing physical therapy is often dictated by insurance restrictions, but most studies have suggested that the decision should be multifactorial, stemming from patient-derived subjective outcome questionnaires, clinical examination, and isokinetic and functional testing.

Purpose/hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to establish discriminant validity and reliability of an objective physical therapy clearance (PTC) test in a clinical setting. Read More