Multidisciplinary Inpatient Community Rehabilitation Programmes for Frail Older People: A Scoping Review.

Aim: The aim of this review was to examine the evidence on multidisciplinary inpatient community rehabilitation intervention programmes for frail older people to establish what frailty rehabilitation programmes if any have been described within the literature and to identify gaps in knowledge and outcome measures used.

Design: A scoping review was conducted.

Methods: Using the Joanna Briggs Institute approach to scoping reviews, a comprehensive literature search was conducted accessing MEDLINE via PubMed, PsychINFO (via Proquest), CINAHL Complete (via EBSCO) and the Cochrane Library and a limited search of the grey literature was undertaken.

Associations between hearing loss, peripheral neuropathy, balance, and survival in older primary care patients.

Background: Both age-associated hearing loss (AAHL) and peripheral neuropathy (PN) are common in older patients, and both are associated with impaired balance, falls, and premature mortality. The objectives of this study were to document the prevalence and severity of AAHL in older primary care patients, and to explore associations between AAHL, PN, balance, falls, and mortality.

Methods: We analyzed information obtained in 1999 from 793 primary care patients recruited from practices participating in the Oklahoma Longitudinal Assessment of the Health Outcomes of Mature Adults (OKLAHOMA) Studies.

Cardiac dysfunction in solid tumours: scoping review.

Cardio-oncology is a dynamic field. Research has suggested that cancer itself can damage the heart, independent of cancer treatment-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD). The aim of this study was to establish the nature of cardiovascular abnormalities reported in cancer, excluding CTRCD.

Peripheral Neuropathy in Older People Is Associated with Reduced Life Expectancy.

Introduction: We analyzed data from a prospective cohort of older primary care patients to determine whether the presence of peripheral neuropathy (PN) was associated with premature mortality and to investigate potential mechanisms.

Methods: PN was defined as the presence of 1 or more bilateral lower extremity sensory deficits detectable by physical examination. Mortality was determined from key contacts and Internet sources.

Hospital-Based Palliative and End-of-Life Care in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review.

: To identify the nature of the evidence reporting hospital-based palliative and end-of-life care during the COVID-19 pandemic. : The COVID-19 pandemic has seen an increase in the numbers of seriously ill people being cared for across all health services worldwide. Due to the rapid progression of severe symptoms, the majority of staff working in hospitals and other healthcare centres were providing end-of-life care.

Assessing microplastic exposure of large marine filter-feeders.

Large filter-feeding animals are potential sentinels for understanding the extent of microplastic pollution, as their mode of foraging and prey mean they are continuously sampling the environment. However, there is considerable uncertainty about the total and mode of exposure (environmental vs trophic). Here, we explore microplastic exposure and ingestion by baleen whales feeding year-round in coastal Auckland waters, New Zealand.

Prospective Bundled Payments in a Changing Environment: The Experience of a Self-Funded, State-Sponsored Plan.

Background: Healthcare reimbursement, which has traditionally been based on the quantity of services delivered, is currently moving toward value-based reimbursement-a system that addresses the quantity, quality, and cost of services. One such arrangement has been the evolution of bundled payments for a specific procedure or for an episode of care, paid prospectively or through post-hoc reconciliation.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of instituting bundled payments that incorporate facility charges, physician fees, and all ancillary charges by the State of Oklahoma HealthChoice public employee insurance plan.

Delivering information skills training at a health professionals continuing professional development conference: an evaluation.

In this feature, guest writer Aoife Lawton discusses the outcomes of an information skills workshop delivered at a continuing professional development conference for health and social care professionals in Ireland. The primary aim of the study was to evaluate perceptions of the effectiveness of the workshop. The study provides details of how, through collaborative partnership, the workshop was developed and delivered.

Do older people benefit from having a confidant? An Oklahoma Physicians Resource/Research Network (OKPRN) study.

Objective: The objective was to determine whether having a confidant was associated with improved health-related quality of life (HRQoL) or survival in older, community-dwelling individuals.

Methods: This prospective cohort study included 23 family physician members of the Oklahoma Physicians Research/Resource Network in 9 practices and 852 community-dwelling adults 65 or older participating in the Oklahoma Longitudinal Assessment of Health Outcomes of Mature Adults Studies. Longitudinal models analyzed changes in self-administered Quality of Well-Being (QWB-SA) scores over an average (S.

Does patient assessment of the quality of the primary care they receive predict subsequent outcomes?: An Oklahoma Physicians Resource/Research Network (OKPRN) study.

Background: We analyzed data from a cohort of 782 older patients assembled in 1999 to 2000 to determine whether their baseline assessments of the quality of their primary care measured using the Components of Primary Care Index (CPCI) were associated with subsequent changes in health-related quality of life and/or survival.

Methods: Longitudinal growth curve models were used to analyze changes in Quality of Well-Being scores over an average of 2.07 years.

Does the African-American-white mortality gap persist after playing professional basketball? A 59-year historical cohort study.

Purpose: The African-American-white mortality gap for males in the United States is 6 years in favor of whites. Participation in professional sport may moderate this ethnic disparity. The historical cohort of professional basketball players, with nearly equal numbers of African-American and white players, can provide a natural experiment that may control for the classic confounders of income, education, socioeconomic status (SES), and physical factors related to mortality.

Left-handedness in professional basketball: prevalence, performance, and survival.

Performance and handedness data were examined for 3,647 professional basketball players who participated in at least five games during the period between 1946 and 2009. Left-handed players comprised 5.1% of all professional basketball players compared to the 11% prevalence in the general population.

Assessment of the clinical outcome of a symptom-based outpatient hyperglycemia protocol.

Introduction: Acute hyperglycemia (blood glucose [BG] ≥400 mg/dL) is common in primary care. An outpatient protocol was developed to streamline the treatment of acute hyperglycemia. The objective was to determine if an outpatient hyperglycemia protocol could achieve a BG level of <300 mg/dL within 4 hours.

Does patient assessment of the quality of the primary care they receive predict subsequent outcomes? An Oklahoma Physicians Resource/Research Network (OKPRN) study.

Introduction: We analyzed data from a cohort of 782 older patients assembled in 1999 to 2000 to determine whether baseline patient assessments of the quality of the primary care services they had received, measured using the Components of Primary Care Index (CPCI), were associated with subsequent changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and/or survival.

Methods: Longitudinal growth curve models were used to analyze changes in Quality of Well-Being (QWB-SA) scores over an average (S.D.

The prognostic implications of night sweats in two cohorts of older patients.

Background: When asked, a significant number of patients report having experienced night sweats. Those who do are more likely to report decreased physical health, mental health, and quality of life. In most cases the cause of night sweats is unknown.

The health consequences of peripheral neurological deficits in an elderly cohort: an Oklahoma Physicians Resource/Research Network Study.

Objectives: To determine whether the belief that loss of deep tendon reflexes and vibratory sensation in the ankles in older patients is of no great consequence is valid.

Design: Four-year longitudinal cohort study.

Setting: Primary care practice-based research network.

Childhood obesity onset in an urban American Indian health clinic.

Objectives: To determine the relationship between gender and the age of onset of overweight and obesity for American Indian children between the ages of 2 and 12 years old.

Methods: Using a retrospective study design, medical charts were reviewed, recording the body mass index (BMI) at different ages of 100 American Indian children (male and female) who were followed regularly (defined as having at least two visits within a 3 year period) at an urban Indian Clinic in Oklahoma City and seen at least once between the years 1995-2000.

Results: Males were associated with an earlier mean onset of overweight and obesity compared to females.

Utilization and value of personal digital assistants on an epidemiology final examination.

Background: The utility of personal digital assistants (PDAs) in basic science medical education is uncertain.

Description: Student outcomes on an epidemiology course final examination for academic years 2003 and 2004 were examined. Students were given permission to use PDAs on the final examination, and self-selected whether these instruments were used.

Lewis and Clark treat a case of paralysis: speculation on the etiology of the problem.

In their monumental journey across North America and back, the explorers Lewis and Clark encountered and treated a Native American Chief with flaccid paralysis of about five years duration. The etiology of the paralysis is unclear from the historical sources. Intracranial, spinal cord, neuropathic, neuromuscular and muscular diagnoses are possible.

Physician perceptions regarding competence of obstetrical providers and attitudes about other issues in obstetrical care.

Background: Access to obstetrical care in the United States is unevenly distributed and is limited by provider availability, geography, and finances. Obstetrical care is provided by three distinct groups: obstetricians, family physicians, and certified nurse midwives (CNMs). Outcomes among these groups have not been shown to differ, but the attitudes and perceptions of these groups may impact access to obstetrical care.

Screening for microalbuminuria to prevent nephropathy in patients with diabetes: a systematic review of the evidence.

Objective: Our goal was to evaluate whether screening patients with diabetes for microalbuminuria (MA) is effective according to the criteria developed by Frame and Carlson and those of the US Preventive Services Task Force.

Study Design: We searched the MEDLINE database (1966-present) and bibliographies of relevant articles.

Outcomes Measured: We evaluated the impact of MA screening using published criteria for periodic health screening tests.