Can children with spina bifida and muscular dystrophy participate in their own health status evaluations?

Background: The outcomes movement has emphasized the importance of the patient in evaluating treatment outcome. However, concern has been raised about the ability of children, particularly those with multisystem disease, to evaluate their disability.

Purpose: To determine whether children with spina bifida and muscular dystrophy and their parents agree when asked about the relative difficulty of daily activities and the severity of symptoms experienced by the child.

Patient preferences before and after total knee arthroplasty.

Objective: Patients before total joint arthroplasty vary in the spectrum and importance of their concerns. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Knee Patient-Specific Index (KPSI) and to determine the type and importance of patients' concerns before and after knee arthroplasty.

Study Design And Setting: A cohort of 119 patients scheduled for elective primary (or revision) total knee arthroplasty were interviewed at two tertiary care teaching hospitals.

Assessing functional outcomes of children with muscular dystrophy and scoliosis: the Muscular Dystrophy Spine Questionnaire.

Background: The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable scale to evaluate the symptoms and functional abilities important to children with scoliosis and muscular dystrophy and their parents.

Methods: Eighty-five items were generated from a review of the literature and interviews with clinicians, parents, and children with muscular dystrophy and scoliosis. Items were reviewed and rated in terms of "importance" and "severity" by the children and their parents.

Reliability of radiographic measurement of fracture angulation in children with femoral shaft fractures.

Introduction: Clinical decisions are based on x-ray measures of radiographs. However, the reliability of assessing the angular measurement of fractured femurs in children is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the intra- and interrater reliability of an x-ray assessment of femoral shaft fracture angulation in children.

Measuring physical function in children with spina bifida and dislocated hips: the Spina Bifida Hips Questionnaire.

The objective of this study was to develop a questionnaire to evaluate the activities of daily living that are important to children with spina bifida and dislocated hips and their families. Ninety-six items were generated from a review of the literature and interviews with clinicians, parents, and children with spina bifida and dislocated hips. Items were rated independently for "importance" and "severity" by the children and their parents.

Treatments for paediatric femoral fractures: a randomised trial.

Background: Treatments for femoral fractures in children vary widely and have been investigated only in case series. We did a multicentre randomised trial to compare malunion rates after external fixation and after early application of a hip spica cast for paediatric femoral shaft fractures.

Methods: All children aged 4-10 years with femoral fractures, admitted to four paediatric hospitals, were randomly assigned early application of hip spica or external fixation.