PubMed · 12434753
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Ian Mansell. 2002-10-23. Learning aides.. https://doi.org/10.7748/ns2002.10.17.6.112.c3285
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OBJECTIVES: We compared four health status measures for the evaluation of quality of life after hip fracture. METHODS: Two hundred and eight elderly hip fracture patients were followed up to 4 months after hospital admission. We used two interviewer-administered instruments (the Rehabilitation Activities Profile (RAP) and the Barthel Index (BI)) that focus on functional status, and two self-assessment instruments (the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) and the COOP/WONCA charts) that additionally include psychological and social health domains. The score distribution, internal consistency, construct validity, and sensitivity to change were investigated. RESULTS: At 4 months only 18% of surviving patients had reached the same level of functioning as before the fracture and, compared with reference values, lower scores of health status were found in the areas of physical mobility and emotional reactions. The number of comorbidities at hospital admission was the most important prognostic factor for recovery of health status at 4 months. The RAP and the BI both performed well in the assessment of functional status in regard to score distribution, internal consistency and construct validity. In contrast to the BI, the RAP also assessed instrumental activities of daily living and perceived problems with existing disabilities. The generic health status measures produced no added value in the assessment of functional status. The NHP covered a wider range of psychological health dimensions (emotion, pain, energy, and sleep) and had better psychometric properties than COOP/WONCA. None of the four instruments performed well in assessing social functioning. CONCLUSIONS: To assess health status after hip fracture, we recommend the RAP for functional status and the NHP for changes in emotion, pain, and energy. These instruments detected poor recovery in functional and emotional status at 4 months after fracture.
We studied the effects of 0.2 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) successively performed 6 times for 2 weeks in 12 patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). Ten patients received rTMS to the bilateral frontal cortex (frontal rTMS) and six patients received rTMS to the bilateral occipital cortex (occipital rTMS). Before and after rTMS, we evaluated regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) using 99m-Tc-ECD single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and clinical tests. In an analysis with statistic parametric mapping, both frontal and occipital rTMS reduced rCBF in the cortical areas around the stimulated site. The activities of daily living (ADL) and motor scores of Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), pronation-supination movements, and buttoning up significantly improved after frontal rTMS than before it, while occipital rTMS had no significant effects in clinical tests.The findings of the present study suggest that successive 0.2 Hz rTMS has outlasting inhibitory effects on neuronal activity around the stimulated cortical areas. Because there were no significant relations between improved clinical tests and reduced rCBF, we speculate that the indirect effects of 0.2 Hz rTMS on subcortical structures are related to improved parkinsonian symptoms. Further studies recruiting large numbers of subjects are required to confirm the efficacy of 0.2 Hz rTMS on PD.
PURPOSE: Little data is available regarding the impact of epilepsy on the functional status of people with epilepsy (PWE) in developing countries. In sub-Saharan Africa, limited medical services and social stigmatization subject PWE to substantial physical, psychological and social deprivation. To better delineate the overall burden and distribution of epilepsy-associated disability in sub-Saharan Africa, we assessed the functional status of PWE in a rural, population-based sample and made comparisons to published reports from urban Zimbabwe. METHODS: A population-based survey of PWE with epilepsy in rural Zambia utilizing WHO questionnaires. RESULTS: Among 86 PWE in 3 rural Zambian communities, 67% participated in the interviews. Only 62% of PWE were receiving treatment. Five to seven percent of rural PWE reported problems with basic hygiene and 9-14% were unable to fulfill work demands, attend social events or enjoy leisure activities. In contrast, 95% of urban PWE denied any problems with social functioning, work performance or relationships. Compared to the urban population, rural PWE had a greater seizure burden (2.3/month vs. 1/month, p=0.007) and reported more difficulties with activities of daily living, including problem solving (70% vs. 54%, p=0.02), speed of thinking (70% vs. 59%, p=0.02) and relationships with co-workers (68% vs. 26%, p< or =0.005). CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of PWE in rural sub-Saharan Africa report problems fulfilling both social and professional functions. These results also suggest that rural PWE may have poorer functional status than their urban counterparts.