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Lee S Simon

Publications and source records attributed to Lee S Simon.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

The use of rheumatoid arthritis health-related quality of life patient questionnaires in clinical practice: lessons learned.

OBJECTIVE: The utilization of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) patient questionnaires by clinical rheumatologists is limited. Yet, considerable literature exists defining the value of such data. In an effort to understand this apparent paradox, we performed a literature review and conducted a survey to describe what has been learned over the past 2 decades concerning the use of these measures in clinical care and explore the reasons for their underutilization. METHODS: A panel of rheumatologists with extensive clinical experience was convened to review the relevant literature pertaining to the use of HRQOL patient instruments in clinical practice. Additionally, a survey of all American College of Rheumatology practicing clinicians was conducted to assess the use of and beliefs about these measures. RESULTS: The literature provided evidence to support the use of HRQOL patient measures in clinical practice. Forty-seven percent of the responding rheumatologists stated that none of their patients complete HRQOL patient questionnaires. The majority of respondents (63%) reported that such information is "somewhat valuable." The most frequently reported reason for the underutilization was that such instruments "require too much staff time." CONCLUSIONS: The literature supports the potential value of HRQOL patient questionnaires in clinical practice. Few rheumatologists routinely gather such information as part of patient care. Reasons for this discrepancy between utility and use are given along with recommendations intended to help increase their utilization in clinical care.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed2003

Chronic pain and fibromyalgia: the regulatory perspective.

Chronic pain is an important clinical entity that represents a currently unmet medical need. Relief of pain is an important public health goal for patients of all ages, from perinatal to geriatric. This article will describe some of the current regulatory issues in developing and approving drugs to treat chronic pain. It will also begin to familiarize the reader with the importance of the so-called 'label' and some of its roles to enable the best 'risk-benefit' decisions be made for, and by, patients with chronic pain.

Analgesics↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Double-blind placebo-controlled trial of static magnets for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee: results of a pilot study.

CONTEXT: Outpatient clinical studies of magnet therapy, a complementary therapy commonly used to treat osteoarthritis (OA), have been limited by the absence of a credible placebo control. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to assess the feasibility and promise of studying static magnetic therapy for knee OA and determine the ability of a new placebo-magnet device to provide concealment of group assignment. DESIGN: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. SETTING: Academic teaching hospital in Boston. PARTICIPANTS: We enrolled 29 subjects with idiopathic or post-traumatic OA of the knee. INTERVENTIONS: Subjects received either high-strength magnetic (active) or placebo-magnetic (placebo) knee sleeve treatment for 4 hours in a monitored setting and self-treatment 6 hours daily for 6 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes were change in knee pain as measured by the WOMAC Osteoarthritis Index Pain Subscale at 6 weeks and extent of group concealment at study end. RESULTS: At 4 hours, VAS pain scores (+/- SE) on a 5-item scale (0-500, 500 worst) decreased 79 +/- 18 mm in the active group and 10 +/- 21 mm in the placebo group (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in any primary or secondary measure of efficacy between the treatment groups at 6 weeks. Despite widespread testing for magnetic properties, at study end, 69% of the active group and 77% of the placebo group (P > 0.2) believed that they had been assigned to the active treatment group. CONCLUSION: Despite our small sample size, magnets showed statistically significant efficacy compared to placebo after 4 hours under rigorously controlled conditions. The sustained efficacy of magnetic therapy for knee osteoarthritis could be assessed in an adequately powered trial utilizing an appropriate control such our new placebo-magnet device.

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