Development of the Sensory-Motor Dysfunction Questionnaire and Pilot Reliability Testing.

Both chronic and recurrent spinal pain alter sensorimotor integration (SMI), which is demonstrated using complex neurophysiological techniques. Currently, there is no patient-reported outcome measure that documents and/or assesses SMI in populations with spinal problems. The purpose of this study was to develop the Sensory-Motor Dysfunction Questionnaire (SMD-Q) and assess its test-retest reliability and internal consistency in individuals with recurrent spinal pain.

Our Health Counts: Examining associations between colonialism and ever being incarcerated among First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people in London, Thunder Bay, and Toronto, Canada.

Objectives: Indigenous peoples have a disproportionately high prevalence of incarceration in the Canadian justice system. However, there is limited Indigenous-driven research examining colonialism and the justice system, specifically associations between racism, externally imposed family disruptions, and history of ever being incarcerated. Therefore, this study examined the association between the proportion of previous incarceration and family disruption, experiences of racism, and victimization for Indigenous adults in London, Thunder Bay, and Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Modelling prevalent cardiovascular disease in an urban Indigenous population.

Objective: Studies have highlighted the inequities between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations with respect to the burden of cardiovascular disease and prevalence of predisposing risks resulting from historical and ongoing impacts of colonization. The objective of this study was to investigate factors associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) within and specific to the Indigenous peoples living in Toronto, Ontario, and to evaluate the reliability and validity of the resulting model in a similar population.

Methods: The Our Health Counts Toronto study measured the baseline health of Indigenous community members living in Toronto, Canada, using respondent-driven sampling.

A system-level study of initiation, engagement, and equity in outpatient substance use treatment.

Understanding the nature of variations in the quality of substance use treatment is critical to ensuring equity in service delivery and maximizing treatment effectiveness. We used adapted versions of the US Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) treatment initiation and engagement measures to assess care quality in specialized outpatient services for substance use in Ontario, Canada. Using administrative data, we calculated rates of outpatient treatment initiation and engagement (N = 120,394 episodes) and investigated variation by client characteristics and treatment mandates.

The effect of informal caregiver support on utilization of acute health services among home care clients: a prospective observational study.

Background: Emergency department visits and hospitalizations (EDVH) place a large burden on patients and the health care system. The presence of informal caregivers may be beneficial for reducing EDVH among patients with specific diagnoses. Our objective was to determine whether the presence of an informal caregiver was associated with the occurrence of an EDVH among clients 50 years of age or older.

Comparison of CAROC and FRAX in Fragility Fracture Patients: Agreement, Clinical Utility, and Implications for Clinical Practice.

Objective: To examine the level of agreement between 2 fracture risk assessment tools [Canadian Association of Radiologists and Osteoporosis Canada (CAROC) and Canadian Fracture Risk Assessment (FRAX)] when applied within the context of the Canadian guidelines, in a population of fragility fracture patients.

Methods: The sample consisted of 135 treatment-naive fragility fracture patients aged 50+ years and screened as part of an osteoporosis (OP) program at an urban hospital. Ten-year probabilities of future major osteoporotic fractures were calculated using the FRAX and CAROC.

Public opinions about supervised smoking facilities for crack cocaine and other stimulants.

Background: The purpose of this study was to estimate awareness and opinions about supervised smoking facilities (SSFs) for smoking crack cocaine and other stimulants and make comparisons with awareness and opinions about supervised injection facilities (SIFs) in Ontario, Canada.

Methods: We used data from a 2009 telephone survey of a representative adult sample. The survey asked about awareness of, and level of support for, the implementation of SSFs and SIFs.

Transition to injection drug use: the role of initiators.

Data are limited about the role of initiators in the transition to injection drug use. We examined the prevalence and predictors of giving someone their first injection using baseline data from a study involving 98 injection drug users (IDUs) in Toronto, Canada. Participants were recruited in 2011 using respondent-driven sampling.

Wait times for publicly funded addiction and problem gambling treatment agencies in Ontario, Canada.

Background: This study describes the definitions of wait times and intake processes used by drug and problem gambling treatment agencies in Ontario, Canada, as well as the various strategies employed to ameliorate client backlog.

Methods: An online survey was developed and distributed to 203 publicly-funded, provincial substance use and problem gambling treatment agencies from June to August, 2011. All aspects of the intake process were covered in the survey.

Nonprescribed hormone use and self-performed surgeries: "do-it-yourself" transitions in transgender communities in Ontario, Canada.

Objectives: We examined the extent of nonprescribed hormone use and self-performed surgeries among transgender or transsexual (trans) people in Ontario, Canada.

Methods: We present original survey research from the Trans PULSE Project. A total of 433 participants were recruited from 2009 to 2010 through respondent-driven sampling.

Monitoring Utilization of a Large Scale Addiction Treatment System: The Drug and Alcohol Treatment Information System (DATIS).

Client-based information systems can yield data to address issues of system accountability and planning, and contribute information related to changing patterns of substance use in treatment and, indirectly, general populations. The Drug and Alcohol Treatment Information System (DATIS) monitors the number/types of clients treated in approximately 170 publicly-funded addiction treatment agencies in Ontario. The purpose of this study was to estimate the caseload of addiction treatment agencies, and describe important characteristics of clients, their patterns of service utilization and trends over-time from 2005 to 2010.

Engaging stakeholders in review and recommendations for models of outcome monitoring for substance abuse treatment.

We present an example of a collaborative process designed to review models of outcome monitoring for substance abuse services, with a view to assessing the feasibility of different approaches in Ontario, Canada. A conceptual framework that describes the parameters of an outcome monitoring system and four models of outcome monitoring were identified. Consultations were held with stakeholders (managers, directors, researchers, clinicians, and governmental representatives) about the types of information they would like to obtain from an outcome monitoring system.