Acceptability and effectiveness of a strategy for the communication of the diagnosis of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures.

Purpose: Communicating the diagnosis of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) is a challenging task. This study was carried out to assess the acceptability and effectiveness of a new communication procedure consisting of a patient information leaflet and a communication strategy for neurologists.

Methods: In a multicenter prospective study, 50 patients newly diagnosed with PNES were informed about the diagnosis by 10 different neurologists using the communication procedure.

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures and health-related quality of life: the relationship with psychological distress and other physical symptoms.

This study explores the relationship between the frequency of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), as well as the effect of psychological distress and other physical symptoms on this relationship. Data were collected on 96 patients with PNES. Correlations of seizure frequency with HRQoL, psychological distress, and physical symptoms were computed.

Comparison of two types of dissociation in epileptic and nonepileptic seizures.

Dissociation is regarded as a possible psychological mechanism in nonepileptic seizures (NES), although existing evidence for this is equivocal. It has been suggested that the contradictory findings in this area reflect the use of measures that conflate qualitatively distinct types of dissociation, and provide inadequate coverage of the aspects of dissociation most closely related to NES. The study described here addressed this shortcoming by measuring the occurrence of two different types of dissociation, "detachment" (measured using the Cambridge Depersonalisation Scale) and "compartmentalization" (measured using the Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire), in patients with NES (n=32) and epilepsy controls (n=37).

Quality of life in infants and children with atopic dermatitis: addressing issues of differential item functioning across countries in multinational clinical trials.

Background: A previous study had identified 45 items assessing the impact of atopic dermatitis (AD) on the whole family. From these it was intended to develop two separate scales, one assessing impact on carers and the other determining the effect on the child.

Methods: The 45 items were included in three clinical trials designed to test the efficacy of a new topical treatment (pimecrolimus, Elidel cream 1%) in the treatment of AD in infants and children and in validation studies in the UK, US, Germany, France and the Netherlands.

Cross-cultural validity of functional independence measure items in stroke: a study using Rasch analysis.

Objective: To analyse cross-cultural validity of the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) in patients with stroke using the Rasch model.

Settings: Thirty-one rehabilitation facilities within 6 different countries in Europe.

Participants: A total of 2546 in-patients at admission, median age 63 years.

Using item response theory to explore the psychometric properties of extended matching questions examination in undergraduate medical education.

Background: As assessment has been shown to direct learning, it is critical that the examinations developed to test clinical competence in medical undergraduates are valid and reliable. The use of extended matching questions (EMQ) has been advocated to overcome some of the criticisms of using multiple-choice questions to test factual and applied knowledge.

Methods: We analysed the results from the Extended Matching Questions Examination taken by 4th year undergraduate medical students in the academic year 2001 to 2002.

Assessing and adjusting for cross-cultural validity of impairment and activity limitation scales through differential item functioning within the framework of the Rasch model: the PRO-ESOR project.

Introduction: In Europe it is common for outcome measures to be translated for use in other languages. This adaptation may be complicated by culturally specific approaches to certain tasks; for example, bathing. In this context the issue of cross-cultural validity becomes paramount.