Validation of the Physician Attitudes toward Cardiac Rehabilitation and Referral (PACRR) Scale.

Background: One of the key drivers of cardiac rehabilitation under-utilisation is physician referral failure. The Physician Attitudes toward Cardiac Rehabilitation & Referral (PACRR) scale was developed to understand factors that impact their referral practices, so they can be ultimately reliably be identified and mitigated. The objectives of this study were to assess the reliability, factor structure, and validity of the PACRR.

'The healthcare system is not designed around my needs': How healthcare consumers self-integrate conventional and complementary healthcare services.

Objective: To explore healthcare consumers' experiences of healthcare service integration.

Methods: This phenomenological study comprised three focus groups of 13 participants who were purposively invited to span three broad generations: young adults, middle-aged adults and seniors. Transcripts of focus group recordings were analysed thematically.

Workplace violence prevention standardization using lean principles across a healthcare network.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the process used to standardize a Workplace Violence Prevention Program (WVPP) within a five-hospital healthcare system in Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Design/methodology/approach A description of the lean process improvement principles, used to bring the WVPP into compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other agencies through streamlining/standardizing processes. Findings There was significant standardization in both the threat assessment and education arms of the WVPP.

Sociology of the professions: what it means for podiatry.

Background: The health professions have progressed and evolved considerably over the last few decades in response to demographic, technological, societal and political changes. They continue to do so as the volume and complexity of population health needs steadily increase. Role boundary expansion is among the key changes to the health professions, including podiatry to meet demand.

Oxytocin and brain activity in humans: A systematic review and coordinate-based meta-analysis of functional MRI studies.

Oxytocin (OXT) is a neuropeptide which has a critical role in human social behaviour and cognition. Research investigating the role of OXT on functional brain changes in humans has often used task paradigms that probe socioemotional processes. Preliminary evidence suggests a central role of the amygdala in the social cognitive effects of intranasal OXT (IN-OXT), however, inconsistencies in task-design and analysis methods have led to inconclusive findings regarding a cohesive model of the neural mechanisms underlying OXT's actions.

Experiences of pregnant women receiving osteopathic care.

Unlabelled: The state of women's health during pregnancy and in the post-natal period can have profound and long-term effects on their own health and that of their children. Women are increasingly seeking complementary and alternative therapies during pregnancy. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of women who received osteopathic treatment during pregnancy.

Amount and Socio-Ecological Correlates of Exercise in Men and Women at Cardiac Rehabilitation Completion.

Objective: The aim of the study was to describe (1) the amount of physical activity (PA) in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) graduates by sex, and (2) the correlates of their PA.

Design: Secondary analysis of baseline data from a randomized trial was undertaken. Graduates were recruited from three CR programs.

Feasibility and Outcomes in a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of a Psychosocial Intervention for Adults With Congenital Heart Disease.

Background: North American adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) are known to be at elevated risk of mood and anxiety disorders. This was the first trial of a group psychosocial intervention targeting this patient population.

Methods: Within this feasibility study, we conducted a 2-arm pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) in which patients were randomized to Usual Care or an 8-session group psychosocial intervention (Adult Congenital Heart Disease-Coping and Resilience [ACHD-CARE]).

Psychosocial well-being over the two years following cardiac rehabilitation initiation & association with heart-health behaviors.

Objective: To track psychosocial well-being over 2 years following cardiac rehabilitation (CR) initiation, and its' association with heart-health behaviors.

Methods: Patients from 3 CR programs were approached at their first visit, and consenters completed a survey. Participants were emailed surveys again 6 months, 1 and 2 years later.

Exercise rehabilitation in ventricular assist device recipients: a meta-analysis of effects on physiological and clinical outcomes.

Exercise rehabilitation in heart failure patients has been shown to improve quality of life (QoL) and survival. It is also recommended in clinical practice guidelines for ventricular assist device (VAD) recipients. However, there have only been two meta-analyses on the effects of exercise rehabilitation in VAD patients, on only two outcomes.

The first 142 amino acids of glutamate decarboxylase do not contribute to epitopes recognized by autoantibodies associated with Type 1 diabetes.

Aims: Glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) antibodies are the most widely used predictive marker for Type 1 diabetes, but many individuals currently found to be GAD antibody-positive are unlikely to develop diabetes. We have shown previously that radioimmunoassays using N-terminally truncated S-GAD (96-585) offer better disease specificity with similar sensitivity to full-length S-GAD (1-585). To determine whether assay performance could be improved further, we evaluated a more radically truncated S-GAD (143-585) radiolabel.

Themes Underlying Australian General Practitioner Views towards Chiropractic and Osteopathy: An Assessment of Free Text Data from a Cross-Sectional Survey.

The Australian chiropractic and osteopathic professions underwent a period of significant transformation between 1960 and 2000. This resulted in an improvement in the views held by the medical profession towards the two professions. However, a recent survey of Australian general practitioners (GPs) reported that a number of GPs still hold negative views towards chiropractors and osteopaths.

Antidepressant Use by Class: Association with Major Adverse Cardiac Events in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease.

Background: To assess use of antidepressants by class in relation to cardiology practice recommendations, and the association of antidepressant use with the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) including death.

Methods: This is a historical cohort study of all patients who completed cardiac rehabilitation (CR) between 2002 and 2012 in a major CR center. Participants completed the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) at the start and end of the program.

A Mokken scale analysis of the peer physical examination questionnaire.

Background: Peer physical examination (PPE) is a teaching and learning strategy utilised in most health profession education programs. Perceptions of participating in PPE have been described in the literature, focusing on areas of the body students are willing, or unwilling, to examine. A small number of questionnaires exist to evaluate these perceptions, however none have described the measurement properties that may allow them to be used longitudinally.

Retinal pigment epithelium changes in pediatric patients with glaucoma drainage devices.

Purpose: Retinal changes secondary to hypotony are usually described as wrinkling or folding of the inner portion of the choroid, the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), and the outer retinal layers in the macular area due to scleral wall collapse. We describe a new retinal finding in children with suspected hypotony after implantation of Baerveldt Glaucoma Implant (BGI).

Observations: Four patients in our series developed significant RPE defects after BGI implant.

Morganella as a cause of ophthalmia neonatorum.

A 2 day-old-girl with a complicated birth history, including prolonged rupture of membranes and Caesarian section delivery, presented with a purulent bacterial conjunctivitis of the left eye despite standard prophylaxis. Bacterial cultures yielded 1+ Morganella morganii, a facultative anaerobe and a rare cause of ocular pathology. The patient was treated with topical tobramycin four times daily for 7 days, resulting in resolution of her conjunctivitis.

Successful outcome following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in adults with primary immunodeficiency.

The primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs), rare inherited diseases characterized by severe dysfunction of immunity, have been successfully treated by allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Allo-HSCT) in childhood. Controversy exists regarding optimal timing and use of Allo-HSCT in adults, due to lack of experience and previous poor outcomes. Twenty-nine consecutive adult patients, with a mean age at transplant of 24 years (range, 17-50 years), underwent Allo-HSCT.

Health Care Use and Associated Time and Out of Pocket Expenditures for Patients With Cardiovascular Disease in a Publicly Funded Health Care System.

Background: The objectives of this study were to describe (1) health care use and associated patient time and out of pocket (OOP) costs over 2 years after a cardiac diagnosis, (2) the sociodemographic and clinical drivers of these costs, and (3) patient costs related to cardiac rehabilitation (CR) participation.

Methods: Secondary analysis was conducted in an observational prospective CR program evaluation cohort in Ontario, which has a publicly funded health care system. A convenience sample of patients from 1 of 3 CR programs was approached at the first visit, and consenting participants completed a survey.

Translation, Cross-cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Validation of the Korean-Language Cardiac Rehabilitation Barriers Scale (CRBS-K).

Objective: To perform a translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Barriers Scale (CRBS) for use in Korea, followed by psychometric validation. The CRBS was developed to assess patients' perception of the degree to which patient, provider and health system-level barriers affect their cardiac rehabilitation (CR) participation.

Methods: The CRBS consists of 21 items (barriers to adherence) rated on a 5-point Likert scale.

Traditional Versus Hybrid Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation: A COMPARISON OF PATIENT OUTCOMES.

Purpose: Due to the suboptimal uptake of cardiac rehabilitation (CR), alternative models have been proposed. This study compared the effectiveness of a traditional supervised program in a medical setting versus a hybrid CR model, where patients transition to unsupervised programming.

Methods: This was a prospective, 2-arm, nonrandomized study.

Tone as a health concept: An analysis.

Study Design: Concept analysis.

Introduction: This paper is a report on the analysis of the concept of tone in chiropractic.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to clarify the concept of tone as originally understood by Daniel David Palmer from 1895 to 1914 and to monitor its evolution over time.