The association of resting state heart rate variability and 24-hour blood pressure variability in spinal cord injury.

Patients with high cervical complete spinal cord injuries (tetraplegia) sustain damage to the autonomic neural pathways that influence cardiovascular functioning and produce variability in the heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP). In non-injured individuals, an inverse relationship exists between resting autonomic control of the heart (as evidenced by HR variability (HRV)) and BP variability (BPV). This study examined the relationship between HRV, BP and BPV in individuals with tetraplegic (n=10) and paraplegic (n=10) spinal cord injuries, and a group of healthy controls (n=14).

Brain injury and health policy: twenty-five years of progress.

Legislative advocacy is a prerequisite for the development of research and community services benefiting individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Dr Mitchell Rosenthal and other leaders in rehabilitation began the process of advocating for TBI services more than 25 years ago, before many in the field fully appreciated the necessity of these efforts. Since that time, substantial gains have been made through advocacy efforts on behalf of individuals with TBI and their families.

Testosterone replacement therapy and motor function in men with spinal cord injury: a retrospective analysis.

Objective: To evaluate motor function in men with spinal cord injury (SCI) given testosterone replacement therapy (TRT).

Design: American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) rehabilitation discharge motor index scores were compared between men with SCI given TRT (testosterone cypionate, 200 mg, monthly; n = 50) and a comparison group (n = 480) in a retrospective study. Covariates included admission motor and FIM scores, level of injury (paraplegia/tetraplegia), days since injury, and age.

A longitudinal comparison of consumer-directed and agency-directed personal assistance service programmes among persons with physical disabilities.

Purpose: To compare outcomes for persons who were enrolled in an agency-directed personal assistance services (PAS) programme and then changed to a consumer-directed PAS programme.

Method: A convenience sample was used for this longitudinal study. In-home interviews were conducted by a trained data collector from April 2000 to December 2001.

Evaluation of a consumer-personal assistant training project.

Purpose: This study evaluated a personal assistance services (PAS) training programme that aimed to improve the consumer and personal assistant relationship and increase consumer and personal assistant knowledge on health and wellness issues.

Method: A total of 87 consumers and 53 personal assistants were enrolled in this longitudinal intervention study. Consumers and personal assistants in the intervention group participated in a six-hour in-person PAS training programme.

Testosterone levels among men with spinal cord injury admitted to inpatient rehabilitation.

Objective: Although previous research has shown an association between spinal cord injury (SCI) and testosterone production, these studies have yielded inconsistent results. The present study documented the prevalence of low testosterone among men with SCI.

Design: Participants were 92 men with SCI participating in inpatient rehabilitation.

Access to healthcare services among persons with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: Persons with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis frequently require access to a broad range of healthcare services. The purpose of the current study was to examine the healthcare access experiences of these two populations.

Design: Mail surveys were completed by 409 adults with self-reported osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis who were recruited through a variety of recruitment strategies such as advertisements placed in arthritis publications, internet sources, and physician referrals.

Job experiences of personal assistants employed in a consumer-directed personal assistance services programs.

The demand for personal assistants for persons with disabilities is outpacing the supply. The objective of this pilot project was to describe the training and supervision needs of personal assistants, the nature of the assistant-consumer relationship, and the job satisfaction associated with being employed as a personal assistant. Telephone interviews were conducted with 24 personal assistants.

A comparison of consumer-directed and agency-directed personal assistance services programmes.

Purpose: To compare a consumer-directed personal assistance services (PAS) programme with an agency-directed PAS programme.

Method: A convenience sample was used for this cross-sectional study with one data collection point. Outcomes were compared for consumer-directed and agency-directed PAS.

The current state of personal assistance services: implications for policy and future research.

Personal assistant services (PAS) are designed to support persons with disabilities in their routine performance of activities of daily living (ADLs) and to provide individuals with disability the opportunity to go to school, volunteer, obtain active employment, and participate in social and recreational activities. PAS are primary and essential to the realization of societal inclusion and personal freedom among persons with severe, disabling conditions. This paper reviews the personal assistance literature for persons with spinal cord injury and other disabilities.

Access to health care services among people with chronic or disabling conditions: patterns and predictors.

Objective: To examine patterns of access to a variety of specific health care services among people with chronic or disabling conditions, focusing on factors that predict access to services.

Design: National survey of 800 adults with cerebral palsy (CP), multiple sclerosis (MS), spinal cord injury (SCI), or arthritis.

Setting: Respondents were surveyed in the general community.

A view of the future Model Spinal Cord Injury System through the prism of past achievements and current challenges.

Objective: To examine the contributions of the Model Spinal Cord Injury System (MSCIS) program to the evaluation and care of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) and to acknowledge today's challenges to chart the future course of the MSCIS.

Methods: Retrospective review of the literature and prospective development of consensus by task force members and consultants. Integration of recent reported findings from panel presentations and publications regarding the MSCIS 2000 through 2005.

Removing service barriers for women with physical disabilities: promoting accessibility in the gynecologic care setting.

Although women with disabilities constitute a substantial segment of the population, their gynecologic health care needs often go unrecognized or untreated. Women with disabilities encounter a variety of obstacles to receiving health services including attitudinal, environmental, economic, and informational barriers. Standard screening and preventive services, such as pelvic examinations and mammograms, can be especially difficult to obtain, potentially placing women with disabilities at greater risk for diseases such as breast cancer and cervical cancer.