Perceptions of Assistive Technology Education From Occupational Therapists Certified as Assistive Technology Professionals.

Importance: Missing from the recent literature is information about specific categories of assistive technology (AT) education provided in entry-level occupational therapy curricula.

Objective: To examine occupational therapists' perceptions of the AT education received in occupational therapy entry-level programs, specifically the AT categories in which therapists received training.

Design: Quantitative survey study with Likert-scale, multiple-choice, or ordinal ranking-scale questions and three open-response questions.

The Multiple Sclerosis Surveillance Registry: A Novel Interactive Database Within the Veterans Health Administration.

Objective: To demonstrate the infrastructure and utility of an interactive health system database for multiple sclerosis (MS), we present the MS Surveillance Registry (MSSR) within the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Background: Disease specific databases can be helpful in the management of neurologic conditions but few are fully integrated into the electronic health record and linked to health system data. Creating a consistent information technology (IT) architecture and with ongoing support within disease specific registries has been a challenge.

Individuality of the plasma sodium concentration.

Older literature has suggested that the plasma sodium concentration is not individual, that it is neither intrinsic to an individual nor reproducible, longitudinally. We recently observed that the plasma sodium concentration is heritable. Because demonstrable heritability requires individuality of the relevant phenotype, we hypothesized that the plasma sodium concentration was substantially individual.

Comparison of health service use among veterans with methamphetamine versus alcohol use disorders.

Objectives: Methamphetamine use disorders (MUD) are associated with severe health effects and psychiatric comorbidities, but little is known about the health care utilization of patients with MUD. The goal of this study was to describe health service use among veterans with MUD relative to a group of veterans with an alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Methods: Using Veterans Affairs (VA) administrative data, we identified 718 patients who were diagnosed with MUD and had confirmatory drug testing.

Treatment receipt and outcomes among lung cancer patients with depression.

Aims: Among lung cancer patients, depression has been associated with increased mortality, although the mechanisms are unknown. We evaluated the association of depression with mortality and receipt of cancer therapies among depressed veterans with lung cancer.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective, cohort study of lung cancer patients in the Veterans Affairs-Northwest Health Network from 1995 to 2010.