Publications by authors named "Katherine Schomer"

Objective: This study sought to better understand the prevalence and the severity of secondary health conditions in individuals with postpolio syndrome (PPS) as well as the association between these conditions and aging.

Design: A scoping literature review was conducted searching electronic databases for studies published from 1986 to 2011. The scoping review provided information regarding the prevalence and associations of secondary health conditions in PPS with age or other duration-related variables.

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Background: Lipid optimization comprises a therapeutic cornerstone of primary and secondary cardiovascular disease prevention. This systematic review and meta-analysis sought to clarify patterns of lipid profiles in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients compared to able-bodied individuals as well as among subgroups of SCI patients stratified by sex, activity level, race, and level of injury.

Methods: Searches were conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and EMBASE.

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Context: There are anecdotal reports of adverse events (AEs) associated with exercise in people with spinal cord injury (SCI) and consequent concern by people with SCI and their providers about potential risks of exercise. Enumeration of specific events has never been performed and the extent of risk of exercise to people with SCI is not understood.

Objective: To systematically review published evidence to identify and enumerate reports of adverse events or AEs associated with training in persons with SCI.

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A systematic review (SR) is an essential component of evidence-based practice, because it synthesizes information on a particular topic that is necessary to inform health-related decision making. The purpose of this article is to document the process of producing a high-quality SR within the field of rehabilitation in contrast to other fields (eg, pharmaceutic research). We describe the notable methodologic challenges to producing high-quality SRs for rehabilitation researchers.

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Objective: Headache is one of the most common physical symptoms after traumatic brain injury (TBI). The specific goals of this review include (1) determination of effective interventions for post-traumatic headache (PTHA), (2) development of treatment recommendations, (3) identification of gaps in the current medical literature regarding PTHA treatment, and (4) suggestions for future directions in research to improve outcome for persons with PTHA.

Data Sources: Peer-reviewed studies in PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ProQuest, Web of Science, and Google Scholar: (1) including adult and child samples with mild, moderate, or severe TBI, whiplash, and postconcussion syndrome; (2) with clearly described interventions; (3) with headache treatment as a primary or secondary outcome; (4) published since 1985; and (5) written in English.

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Purpose: There is no consensus on the appropriate urological followup of individuals after spinal cord injury but it is well known that they are at risk for renal deterioration, bladder cancer and stones. We systematically reviewed the literature to evaluate evidence of urological screening in this population.

Materials And Methods: We reviewed 385 abstracts, of which 50 met study inclusion criteria.

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The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review of the existing literature on the incidence of hypertrophic scarring and the psychosocial impact of burn scars. In a comprehensive literature review, the authors identified 48 articles published since 1965 and written in English which reported the incidence and risk factors for hypertrophic scarring or assessed outcomes related to scarring. Most studies had important methodological limitations limiting the generalizability of the findings.

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Consequences of major burn injuries often include losing the ability to engage in basic life functions such as work or employment. As this is a developing area of importance in burn care, the goal of this study was to perform a systematic review of the burn literature to ascertain a comprehensive view of the literature and identify return to work (RTW) factors where possible. A search was conducted and peer-reviewed studies that investigated predictors and barriers of returning to work of those with burn injuries, published since 1970 and written in English, were examined.

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Background: Research on screening and brief interventions (SBI) for substance misuse has demonstrated efficacy in a variety of medical settings including emergency departments and trauma centers. However, SBI has not yet been evaluated for persons who incur traumatic brain injury (TBI)-a substantial patient subpopulation for whom substance-related problems are frequent. To examine whether research on SBI efficacy and effectiveness can be generalized to persons with TBI, a systematic review of the literature was conducted to analyze how TBI populations were included in previous studies and whether there was evidence of differential outcomes.

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Background/objective: To determine the information needs, level of Internet access, and current and preferred formats and sources of information of adults with spinal cord injuries (SCIs). Individuals with SCIs have a high lifetime risk for medical complications and other health conditions secondary to their injury. Many secondary conditions can be prevented or mitigated through appropriate self-care and/or self-management.

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The aim of this systematic review was to critically evaluate the evidence on interventions for depression following traumatic brain injury (TBI) and provide recommendations for clinical practice and future research. We reviewed pharmacological, other biological, psychotherapeutic, and rehabilitation interventions for depression following TBI from the following data sources: PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ProQuest, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. We included studies written in English published since 1980 investigating depression and depressive symptomatology in adults with TBI; 658 articles were identified.

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Background/objective: Depression has been studied extensively among people with spinal cord injury (SCI). However, basic questions persist regarding the reliability and validity of depression measurement in the context of SCI. The objective of this study was to evaluate the state of knowledge of depression measurement in persons with SCI.

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