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Biomedical subjects

Stephen M Haley

Publications and source records attributed to Stephen M Haley.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Score comparability of short forms and computerized adaptive testing: Simulation study with the activity measure for post-acute care.

OBJECTIVE: To compare simulated short-form and computerized adaptive testing (CAT) scores to scores obtained from complete item sets for each of the 3 domains of the Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care (AM-PAC). DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Six postacute health care networks in the greater Boston metropolitan area, including inpatient acute rehabilitation, transitional care units, home care, and outpatient services. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 485 adult volunteers who were receiving skilled rehabilitation services. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Inpatient and community-based short forms and CAT applications were developed for each of 3 activity domains (physical & mobility, personal care & instrumental, applied cognition) using item pools constructed from new items and items from existing postacute care instruments. RESULTS: Simulated CAT scores correlated highly with score estimates from the total item pool in each domain (4- and 6-item CAT r range,.90-.95; 10-item CAT r range,.96-.98). Scores on the 10-item short forms constructed for inpatient and community settings also provided good estimates of the AM-PAC item pool scores for the physical & movement and personal care & instrumental domains, but were less consistent in the applied cognition domain. Confidence intervals around individual scores were greater in the short forms than for the CATs. CONCLUSIONS: Accurate scoring estimates for AM-PAC domains can be obtained with either the setting-specific short forms or the CATs. The strong relationship between CAT and item pool scores can be attributed to the CAT's ability to select specific items to match individual responses. The CAT may have additional advantages over short forms in practicality, efficiency, and the potential for providing more precise scoring estimates for individuals.

Boston↗

Short-form activity measure for post-acute care.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a comprehensive set of short forms using item response theory (IRT) and item pooling procedures for the purpose of monitoring postacute care functional recovery. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Six postacute health care networks in the greater Boston area, including inpatient acute rehabilitation, transitional care units, home care, and outpatient services. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 485 adult volunteers who were currently receiving skilled rehabilitation services. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We developed a set of 6 short forms across 3 activity domains from new items and items from existing postacute care instruments. RESULTS: Inpatient- and community-based short forms were developed for each of 3 activity domains: physical & movement, applied cognition, and personal care & instrumental. Items were selected for inclusion on the short forms to maximize content coverage and information value of items across the range of content and to minimize ceiling and floor effects. We were able to match the distribution of sample scores with very good item precision for 1 of the constructs (physical & movement); the other 2 domains (personal care & instrumental, applied cognition) were more challenging because of the variability in patient recovery and ceiling effects. CONCLUSIONS: ITR methods and item pooling procedures were valuable in developing paired sets of short-form instruments for inpatient and community rehabilitation that provided estimates of functioning along a common metric for use across postacute care settings.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Development of an applied cognition scale to measure rehabilitation outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the structure and content coverage of an item pool of new items based on the Activity categories from the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health and items from existing instruments to measure the applied cognition dimension of function. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Four postacute care rehabilitation settings (inpatient, transitional care, home care, outpatient) in an urban-suburban area of northeast United States. PARTICIPANTS: Convenience sample of 477 patients (mean age, 62.7 y) receiving rehabilitation services for neurologic, orthopedic, or complex medical conditions. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants were administered applied cognition items from the new Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care, the Medical Outcomes Study 8-Item Short-Form Health Survey, and an additional setting-specific measure: the FIM instrument (inpatient rehabilitation); the Minimum Data Set (skilled nursing facility); the Minimum Data Set-Post Acute Care (postacute settings); or the Outcome Assessment and Information Set (home care). Rasch (partial-credit model) analyses were conducted to examine item fit, item coverage, scale unidimensionality, and category difficulty estimates. RESULTS: The majority of items (46/59) could be located along a single continuum. Relatively few people were performing at the lower end of the difficulty scale, and about 25% were at ceiling. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed definition of applied cognition dimension provides a useful guide for item development to measure this dimension. Further work is needed to determine how best to measure function in this domain for people at the upper and lower ends of the continuum.

Adult↗

Pediatric physical functioning reference curves.

We developed normative profiles of physical functioning (mobility and self-care) in infancy up through 14 years of age with an expanded version of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory. Mobility and self-care reference curves were based on the original Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory standardization data (n = 412) and data from an additional cross-sectional, convenience sample (n = 373) via web-based survey, telephone or in-person interviews of parents. This new sample, which included children up through 14 years-of-age, was stratified for race, age, and sex, but was primarily limited geographically to the Northeast region of the United States. Goodness of fit of male, female, and combined sex (male and female) reference curves was examined. The mobility and self-care reference curves produced efficient and well-fitting estimates of conventional percentiles (3rd, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 97th). Differences between males' and females' reference curves were negligible. This study highlights the use of these reference curves for determining the functional impact of Pompe disease, a lysosomal storage disorder that affects skeletal and cardiac muscle, restricting normal expression of mobility and self-care activities. This physical functioning instrument could also be used to evaluate the impact of muscle weakness in other neuromuscular disorders.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Assessing disability in older adults: the effects of asking questions with and without health attribution.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of using questions with and without health attribution on scores derived from a self-report disability instrument. METHODS: We administered the disability component of the Late Life Function and Disability Instrument to 75 community-dwelling older adults. Then, we administered the same 16 questions with attribution to specific health conditions. We used a series of analytic methods including weighted Kappa coefficient, Bowker's Test of Symmetry and Rasch analysis to assess the effects of attribution formats. RESULTS: A higher prevalence of disability was reported in the non-health attributed compared with the health attributed questions (t = 5.76; p < 0.001, 95% CI 3.8-7.8). Item analyses indicated that participants were significantly more likely to report disability on the non-health attributed version on 4 of the 16 questions. CONCLUSION: For community-dwelling older adults, the use of a non-health attribution format may be preferable in instruments designed to assess prevalence of disability from contributing factors other than just health.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Activity outcome measurement for postacute care.

BACKGROUND: Efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of a broad range of postacute care services have been hindered by the lack of conceptually sound and comprehensive measures of outcomes. It is critical to determine a common underlying structure before employing current methods of item equating across outcome instruments for future item banking and computer-adaptive testing applications. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the factor structure, reliability, and scale properties of items underlying the Activity domains of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) for use in postacute care outcome measurement. METHODS: We developed a 41-item Activity Measure for Postacute Care (AM-PAC) that assessed an individual's execution of discrete daily tasks in his or her own environment across major content domains as defined by the ICF. We evaluated the reliability and discriminant validity of the prototype AM-PAC in 477 individuals in active rehabilitation programs across 4 rehabilitation settings using factor analyses, tests of item scaling, internal consistency reliability analyses, Rasch item response theory modeling, residual component analysis, and modified parallel analysis. RESULTS: Results from an initial exploratory factor analysis produced 3 distinct, interpretable factors that accounted for 72% of the variance: Applied Cognition (44%), Personal Care & Instrumental Activities (19%), and Physical & Movement Activities (9%); these 3 activity factors were verified by a confirmatory factor analysis. Scaling assumptions were met for each factor in the total sample and across diagnostic groups. Internal consistency reliability was high for the total sample (Cronbach alpha = 0.92 to 0.94), and for specific diagnostic groups (Cronbach alpha = 0.90 to 0.95). Rasch scaling, residual factor, differential item functioning, and modified parallel analyses supported the unidimensionality and goodness of fit of each unique activity domain. CONCLUSIONS: This 3-factor model of the AM-PAC can form the conceptual basis for common-item equating and computer-adaptive applications, leading to a comprehensive system of outcome instruments for postacute care settings.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Refining the conceptual basis for rehabilitation outcome measurement: personal care and instrumental activities domain.

BACKGROUND: Rehabilitation outcome measures routinely include content on performance of daily activities; however, the conceptual basis for item selection is rarely specified. These instruments differ significantly in format, number, and specificity of daily activity items and in the measurement dimensions and type of scale used to specify levels of performance. We propose that a requirement for upper limb and hand skills underlies many activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) items in current instruments, and that items selected based on this definition can be placed along a single functional continuum. OBJECTIVE: To examine the dimensional structure and content coverage of a Personal Care and Instrumental Activities item set and to examine the comparability of items from existing instruments and a set of new items as measures of this domain. METHODS: Participants (N = 477) from 3 different disability groups and 4 settings representing the continuum of postacute rehabilitation care were administered the newly developed Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care (AM-PAC), the SF-8, and an additional setting-specific measure: FIM (in-patient rehabilitation); MDS (skilled nursing facility); MDS-PAC (postacute settings); OASIS (home care); or PF-10 (outpatient clinic). Rasch (partial-credit model) analyses were conducted on a set of 62 items covering the Personal Care and Instrumental domain to examine item fit, item functioning, and category difficulty estimates and unidimensionality. RESULTS: After removing 6 misfitting items, the remaining 56 items fit acceptably along the hypothesized continuum. Analyses yielded different difficulty estimates for the maximum score (eg, "Independent performance") for items with comparable content from different instruments. Items showed little differential item functioning across age, diagnosis, or severity groups, and 92% of the participants fit the model. CONCLUSIONS: ADL and IADL items from existing rehabilitation outcomes instruments that depend on skilled upper limb and hand use can be located along a single continuum, along with the new personal care and instrumental items of the AM-PAC addressing gaps in content. Results support the validity of the proposed definition of the Personal Care and Instrumental Activities dimension of function as a guide for future development of rehabilitation outcome instruments, such as linked, setting-specific short forms and computerized adaptive testing approaches.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Evaluating the planned substitution of the minimum data set-post acute care for use in the rehabilitation hospital prospective payment system.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the payment implications of substituting the Minimum Data Set-Post Acute Care (MDS-PAC) for the FIM trade mark instrument for use in the planned prospective payment system (PPS) for inpatient rehabilitation hospitals. FIM trade mark is a trademark of the Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation, a division of UB Foundation Activites, Inc. RESEARCH DESIGN: We used a prospective cross-sectional design using consecutive sampling. SUBJECTS: We studied all Medicare admissions with stays of 3 days or more over a 2-month period to 50 inpatient rehabilitation hospitals in 22 states. MEASUREMENTS AND METHODS: Each participating institution completed both the FIM and the MDS-PAC assessments on all participants. Items from the MDS-PAC were combined and translated to create "FIM-like" items. We assessed agreement of classification into prospective payment cells using FIM assessment data and also using MDS-PAC data. Statistical adjustments were applied to improve the level of agreement. RESULTS: The mean differences between the FIM motor and cognitive scales and their MDS-PAC translations were 2.4 (mean = 45) and 0.0 (mean = 28), respectively, with scale correlations of.85 and.84. Weighted kappas on individual items ranged from.32 to.64. There were substantial hospital-specific differences in scoring. Payment cell classification using FIM data agreed with that using MDS-PAC data only 56% of the time. Twenty percent of the facilities experienced revenue shifts larger than 10%. CONCLUSION: Despite better item-level agreement than previously observed, poor payment cell agreement and substantial revenue shifts indicated that the MDS-PAC should not be substituted for the FIM trade mark instrument in the rehabilitation hospital PPS.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗

The relationship between functional mobility and the intensity of physical therapy intervention in children with traumatic brain injury.

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to describe the types of physical therapy (PT) procedural interventions used during inpatient rehabilitation for children and adolescents with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to examine the relationship between intensity of intervention and mobility changes. METHODS: We examined a consecutive series of 80 records of children and adolescents (mean age = 10.3 years) with TBI. Intensity of PT was calculated as the number of 15-minute PT units of service per day/length of stay. We used the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) to calculate mobility change scores between admission and discharge and the achievement of a minimal clinically important difference (MCID) consisting of an 11-point change. We used a series of hierarchical and logistic regression analyses to identify the relationship of PT intensity to mobility changes, while controlling for potential confounding variables. RESULTS: Therapeutic exercise was the most frequently recorded intervention. On average, PT intensity was provided at a level of 3.1 units (46.5 minutes) per day. After controlling for severity and age, intensity was significantly related to change in PEDI mobility scores; this effect was removed when controlling for admission scores. The MCID was related to PT intensity, even when controlling for initial status. CONCLUSIONS: Although the magnitude of the correspondence is small, the intensity of PT intervention in an inpatient rehabilitation hospital is related to positive changes in functional mobility scores and the achievement of an MCID. However, initial mobility status is an essential factor in the interpretation of change scores. Future studies are needed to determine whether controlled variations of PT service intensity have a differential effect on mobility recovery during inpatient rehabilitation.

Journal Article↗

Validation of the Late-Life Function and Disability Instrument.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the concurrent and predictive validity of the Late-Life Function and Disability Instrument (LLFDI). DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: University-based human physiology laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred one men and women aged 80.8 +/- 0.4. MEASUREMENTS: A short physical performance battery (SPPB) and a self-paced 400-m walk (400-m W) were used as performance tests of lower extremity function. The LLFDI was used to assess self-reported function and physical disability. Partial correlations adjusted for age and body mass index were used to determine the concurrent and predictive validity of the LLFDI. Statistical significance was accepted at P<.004 using a testwise correction. RESULTS: LLFDI Overall Function scores were moderately associated with the SPPB (r=0.65, P<.001), 400-m W gait speed (r=0.69, P<.001), and measures of lower extremity function. Correlations of the two lower extremity subscores of the LLFDI (correlation coefficient (r)=0.63-0.73, P<.001) were greater than for the LLFDI upper extremity subscores (r=0.19-0.26, P>.004). Performance measures of function predicted disability limitations in the range of r=0.37-0.44 (P<.001) and disability frequency in the range of r=0.16-0.20 (P>.004). CONCLUSION: These findings support the concurrent and predictive validity of the LLFDI. Results support the use of the LLFDI scales as a substitute for physical performance tests when self-report is a preferred data-collection format.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Computer adaptive testing: a strategy for monitoring stroke rehabilitation across settings.

Current functional assessment instruments in stroke rehabilitation are often setting-specific and lack precision, breadth, and/or feasibility. Computer adaptive testing (CAT) offers a promising potential solution by providing a quick, yet precise, measure of function that can be used across a broad range of patient abilities and in multiple settings. CAT technology yields a precise score by selecting very few relevant items from a large and diverse item pool based on each individual's responses. We demonstrate the potential usefulness of a CAT assessment model with a cross-sectional sample of persons with stroke from multiple rehabilitation settings.

Adult↗

Recovery of ambulation during inpatient rehabilitation: physical therapist prognosis for children and adolescents with traumatic brain injury.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Evidence to guide physical therapist prognosis for recovery of the ability to ambulate in children and adolescents with traumatic brain injury (TBI) is limited. The aim of this study was to delineate a predictive model and determine the value of key demographic and clinical variables in establishing a prognosis for ambulation without the assistance of a device or person over 15.24 m on a flat, level surface following inpatient rehabilitation. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: For this retrospective study, a consecutive series of 95 children and adolescents with TBI (aged 2-18 years) admitted to an inpatient rehabilitation program was assessed using information from medical records. A multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify predictors for ambulation at the time of discharge from the rehabilitation setting. RESULTS: Fifty-six percent of the children achieved ambulation at discharge. Lower-extremity hypertonicity (measured on physical therapist examination as resistance to passive stretch), brain injury severity, and lower-extremity injury together were predictors of the ability to ambulate. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Impairment and injury-related variables were important in predicting a minimal level of unassisted ambulation after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation. Awareness of predictors of recovery of the ability to ambulate that are gathered as part of a physical therapist's examination may assist in developing a prognosis for ambulation and in establishment of an appropriate plan of care.

Adolescent↗

Lower extremity spasticity as an early marker of ambulatory recovery following traumatic brain injury.

METHODS: A consecutive series of 107 children and young persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI) admitted to a hospital-based inpatient rehabilitation program was assessed to determine whether lower extremity spasticity could be utilized as an early clinical marker for recovery of ambulation. Presence of spasticity was determined by clinical examination at admission, and the ability to ambulate safely indoors (15.24 m) was evaluated at discharge. Sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values for spasticity were calculated. RESULTS: Lower extremity spasticity is a sensitive (71.4%) and specific (81.5%) predictor of the inability to ambulate at discharge. The absence of lower extremity spasticity, however, was a better predictor of ambulation recovery than the presence of spasticity was a predictor of nonambulatory status at hospital discharge. DISCUSSION: Implications for spasticity assessment and prognosis in terms of ambulation and recovery are discussed.

Adolescent↗

Oxygen and ventilator weaning during inpatient pediatric pulmonary rehabilitation.

Rates of oxygen and ventilator weaning, and factors related to successful weaning in inpatient pediatric pulmonary programs for infants and young children, have not been frequently reported in the literature. A retrospective review was conducted of 34 infants and toddlers with either a diagnostic condition of prematurity (PM) or congenital anomalies/neuromuscular disease (CA/NM) discharged from an inpatient pulmonary program. These cases represent 67 hospital admission-discharge episodes over a 6-year period. The rate of successful oxygen weaning (decrease to 0 hr per day) and ventilator weaning (decrease to <12 hr per day) and predictive factors related to successful ventilator weaning per admission-discharge episode were examined. Successful oxygen weaning was achieved during 24% and successful ventilator weaning was achieved during 30% of the admission-discharge episodes. No significant relationships were found between the selected demographic and clinical factors and oxygen weaning. Using a logistic regression model, the major variable associated with successful ventilator weaning per admission-discharge episode was diagnostic condition. Age at admission and the presence of comorbidities added slightly to the prediction model. The overall model yielded 86% accuracy for predicting a decrease in ventilator hours. However, projecting in which episodes children will not be weaned (negative predictive value = 88.9%) was more accurate than projecting in which episodes children will be weaned (positive predictive value = 73.3%). Although the program achieved a relatively low rate of successful ventilator weaning, children with a diagnostic condition of prematurity were more likely to be successfully weaned during inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation.

Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia↗

Pompe disease and physical disability.

This study describes the physical disability of 30 children and adolescents with Pompe disease (23 males, 7 females; mean age 7 years 7 months, SD 5 years 6 months; range 6 months to 22 years 1 month) using a disease-specific functional instrument. Data were collected by telephone interview with parents using a modified version of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory. The sample included mostly males of Caucasian origin, recruited from several countries. Disability profiles in mobility and self-care skills were heterogeneous because functional status was not related to chronological age. Most children had severe functional deficits: nearly two-thirds of the sample was non-ambulatory and could not perform age-expected self-care skills. Three-quarters of the children used a ventilator. Two children were able to participate in age-appropriate sports and peer activities. Although the mean chronological age of the sample was 7 years 7 months, the mean age-performance for self-care skills was under 2 years 6 months and under 1 year 6 months for mobility. Implications of physical disability findings for individuals with Pompe disease are discussed.

Adolescent↗

Early recovery of walking in children and youths after traumatic brain injury.

A consecutive series of 106 children and adolescents (mean age 10 years, 6 months; SD 4 years, 8 months) with recent traumatic brain injury admitted to a regional hospital-based rehabilitation program was assessed to determine the rate of walking recovery, and characteristics that distinguish between independent walkers, non-walkers, and device-assisted walkers at hospital discharge. Data were collected through a retrospective medical record review of patients admitted between 1994 and 2001. Mean hospital stays were 66.7 days (SD 88.5, range 7 to 140 days). All children (72 male, 34 female) had recent injuries (from 1 to 8 weeks after onset of traumatic brain injury) and were independent walkers before injury. Sixty-four children (60.4%) were discharged as independent walkers, 13 (12.3%) walked with the assistance of a device, and 29 (27.3%) were non-walkers. Non-walkers had a higher proportion of prolonged loss of consciousness, lower-extremity injury, impaired responsiveness, and lower-extremity spasticity than independent walkers. In addition, non-walkers had poorer discharge mobility and social function scores, longer average hospital stays, and a greater proportion of non-community discharges. Device-only walkers were older, more likely to be male, and had a higher proportion of lower-extremity injuries than independent walkers. Results highlight several demographic, clinical, and outcome variables that distinguish independent walkers from device-assisted walkers and non-walkers. These variables might help to determine the prognosis for ambulation, resource needs, and discharge plans for children and adolescents with traumatic brain injury after episodes of inpatient rehabilitation.

Adolescent↗

Are the ICF Activity and Participation dimensions distinct?

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that distinct Activity and Participation dimensions of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health could be identified using physical functioning items drawn from the Late Life Function and Disability Instrument. DESIGN: A cross-sectional, survey design was employed. SUBJECTS: The sample comprised 150 community-dwelling adults aged 60 years and older. METHODS: Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify interpretable dimensions underlying 48 physical functioning questionnaire items. RESULTS: Findings revealed that one conceptual dimension underlying these physical functioning items was not sufficient to adequately explain the data (X2 = 2383; p < 0.0001). A subsequent solution produced 3 distinct, interpretable factors that accounted for 61.1% of the variance; they were labeled: Mobility Activities (24.4%), Daily Activities (24.3%), and Social/Participation (12.4%). All 3 factors achieved high internal consistency with coefficient alphas of 0.90 or above. CONCLUSION: Within physical functioning, distinct concepts were identified that conformed to the dimensions of Activity and Participation as proposed in the ICF. We believe this is the first empirical evidence of separate Activity and Participation dimensions within the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health classification.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Knowledge dissemination and utilization in gerontology: an organizing framework.

PURPOSE: Enabling valuable research findings to be used by the field requires a strategic approach to dissemination and utilization rather than simply making constituencies aware of the information. This article describes a conceptual framework for the dissemination and utilization of information, along with examples of its use by the Boston University Roybal Center for Enhancement of Late Life Function. DESIGN AND METHODS: The framework identifies dissemination/utilization goals of exposure, experience, expertise, and embedding ("4 E") and relates each goal to strategies targeted for specific users. RESULTS AND IMPLICATIONS: The Boston University center exposed the field to information through presentations, print- and Web-based information, provided consumers and family members with new findings through motivational videotapes, developed expertise-level training programs, and embedded the new findings within organizations and systems. The 4 E framework can translate critical research outcomes into useful information to assist the field to better care and support available for individuals in late life.

Aged↗