Unmet needs and depression among carers of people newly diagnosed with cancer.

Aims: The aims of this analysis were to examine levels of unmet needs and depression among carers of people newly diagnosed with cancer and to identify groups who may be at higher risk, by examining relationships with demographic characteristics.

Methods: One hundred and fifty dyads of people newly diagnosed with cancer and their carers, aged 18 years and older, were recruited from four Australian hospitals. People with cancer receiving adjuvant cancer treatment with curative intent, were eligible to participate.

Personal Perspectives on Enablers and Barriers to Accessing Care for Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis.

Background: Despite increasing demand for joint replacement surgery and other health services for hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA), barriers and enablers to individual access to care are not well understood. A comprehensive understanding of drivers at all levels is needed to inform efforts for improving access.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore perceived barriers and enablers to receiving conservative (nonsurgical) and surgical treatment for hip and knee OA.

Distribution of health literacy strengths and weaknesses across socio-demographic groups: a cross-sectional survey using the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ).

Background: Recent advances in the measurement of health literacy allow description of a broad range of personal and social dimensions of the concept. Identifying differences in patterns of health literacy between population sub-groups will increase understanding of how health literacy contributes to health inequities and inform intervention development. The aim of this study was to use a multi-dimensional measurement tool to describe the health literacy of adults in urban and rural Victoria, Australia.

Dynamic weight-bearing assessment of pain in knee osteoarthritis: a reliability and agreement study.

Purpose: To evaluate the reliability, agreement and smallest detectable change in a measurement instrument for pain and function in knee osteoarthritis; the Dynamic weight-bearing Assessment of Pain (DAP).

Methods: The sample size was set to 20 persons, recruited from the outpatient osteoarthritis clinic at Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen. Two physiotherapists tested all participants during two visits; at the first visit, one single DAP (including four scores) was conducted by rater one; at the second visit, DAP was conducted by both raters one and two in randomized order with concealed allocation.

The concept of physical limitations in knee osteoarthritis: as viewed by patients and health professionals.

Objective: To comprehensively identify components of the physical limitation concept in knee osteoarthritis (OA) and to rate the clinical importance of these using perspectives of both patients and health professionals.

Design: Concept mapping, a structured group process, was used to identify and organize data in focus groups (patients) and via a global web-based survey (professionals). Ideas were elicited through a nominal group technique and then organized using multidimensional scaling, cluster analysis, participant validation, rating of clinical importance, and thematic analyses to generate a conceptual model of physical limitations in knee OA.

Individual prevention courses for occupational skin diseases: changes in and relationships between proximal and distal outcomes.

Background: To treat people with occupational contact dermatitis, the German Accident Prevention and Insurance Association in the Health and Welfare Services offers 2-day individual prevention (IP) seminars.

Objectives: We investigated whether there are short-term and medium-term changes in proximal (e.g.

Measurement invariance of English and French Health Education Impact Questionnaire (heiQ) empowerment scales validated for cancer.

Purpose: If measurement invariance (MI) is demonstrated for a scale completed by respondents from two different language groups, it means that the scale measures the same construct in the same way in both groups. We assessed MI of the French- and English-language versions of the five Health Education Impact Questionnaire (heiQ) empowerment scales validated for the cancer setting.

Methods: Data came from two cross-sectional studies of Canadian cancer survivors (704 English, 520 French).

Vemurafenib-induced hyperkeratosis of the areola treated with topical adapelene.

We present a rare condition, hyperkeratosis of the areola, induced by vemurafenib. Only a few papers have described an association of BRAF inhibitors with hyperkeratosis of the areola and/or nipple. Vemurafenib is a selective BRAF inhibitor used in patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma who are positive for the V600 mutation.

Delinking resident duty hours from patient safety.

Patient safety is a powerful motivating force for change in modern medicine, and is often cited as a rationale for reducing resident duty hours. However, current data suggest that resident duty hours are not significantly linked to important patient outcomes. We performed a narrative review and identified four potential explanations for these findings.

Enhancing the Effectiveness of Consumer-Focused Health Information Technology Systems Through eHealth Literacy: A Framework for Understanding Users' Needs.

Background: eHealth systems and applications are increasingly focused on supporting consumers to directly engage with and use health care services. Involving end users in the design of these systems is critical to ensure a generation of usable and effective eHealth products and systems. Often the end users engaged for these participatory design processes are not actual representatives of the general population, and developers may have limited understanding about how well they might represent the full range of intended users of the eHealth products.

Associations between socioeconomic status and primary total knee joint replacements performed for osteoarthritis across Australia 2003-10: data from the Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry.

Background: Relatively little is known about the social distribution of total knee joint replacement (TKR) uptake in Australia. We examine associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and TKR performed for diagnosed osteoarthritis 2003-10 for all Australian males and females aged ≥ 30 yr.

Methods: Data of primary TKR (n=213,018, 57.

National indicators of health literacy: ability to understand health information and to engage actively with healthcare providers - a population-based survey among Danish adults.

Background: Health literacy is a multidimensional concept covering a range of cognitive and social skills necessary for participation in health care. Knowledge of health literacy levels in general populations and how health literacy levels impacts on social health inequity is lacking. The primary aim of this study was to perform a population-based assessment of dimensions of health literacy related to understanding health information and to engaging with healthcare providers.

Online health information seeking: how people with multiple sclerosis find, assess and integrate treatment information to manage their health.

Background And Objective: The Internet is increasingly prominent as a source of health information for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). But there has been little exploration of the needs, experiences and preferences of people with MS for integrating treatment information into decision making, in the context of searching on the Internet. This was the aim of our study.

Positive changes in self-management and disease severity following climate therapy in people with psoriasis.

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of climate therapy on self-management in people with psoriasis. This was a prospective study of 254 adults with chronic psoriasis who participated in a 3-week climate therapy (CT) programme. The 8-scale Health Education Impact Questionnaire (heiQ) was completed at baseline, after 3 weeks of CT, and 3 months later.

The OPtimising HEalth LIterAcy (Ophelia) process: study protocol for using health literacy profiling and community engagement to create and implement health reform.

Background: Health literacy is a multi-dimensional concept comprising a range of cognitive, affective, social, and personal skills and attributes. This paper describes the research and development protocol for a large communities-based collaborative project in Victoria, Australia that aims to identify and respond to health literacy issues for people with chronic conditions. The project, called Ophelia (OPtimising HEalth LIterAcy) Victoria, is a partnership between two universities, eight service organisations and the Victorian Government.

Health-related empowerment in cancer: validity of scales from the Health Education Impact Questionnaire.

Background: Empowerment refers to an individual's feelings of being able to manage the challenges of the cancer experience and of having a sense of control over one's life. However, empowerment questionnaires that have been validated for the cancer setting are lacking. The objective of this study was to validate scales from the Health Education Impact Questionnaire (heiQ), which assesses the effects of health education programs among individuals with chronic conditions.

Two-year results of a randomized placebo-controlled trial of vertebroplasty for acute osteoporotic vertebral fractures.

We previously reported the results of a randomized controlled trial that found no benefit of vertebroplasty over a sham procedure for acute osteoporotic vertebral fractures up to 6 months. We report here the 12-month and 24-month clinical outcomes of this trial. Eligible participants (n = 78) were randomly assigned to receive either vertebroplasty (n = 38) or a sham procedure (n = 40).

Use of thoracic spine thrust manipulation for neck pain and headache in a patient following multiple-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: a case report.

Study Design: Case report.

Background: Thoracic spine thrust manipulation has been shown to be an effective intervention for individuals experiencing mechanical neck pain.

Case Description: The patient was a 46-year-old woman referred to outpatient physical therapy 2 months following multiple-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.

Measurement of stable changes of self-management skills after rehabilitation: a latent state-trait analysis of the Health Education Impact Questionnaire (heiQ™).

Purpose: To assess stable effects of self-management programs, measurement instruments should primarily capture the attributes of interest, for example, the self-management skills of the measured persons. However, measurements of psychological constructs are always influenced by both aspects of the situation (states) and aspects of the person (traits). This study tests whether the Health Education Impact Questionnaire (heiQ™), an instrument assessing a wide range of proximal outcomes of self-management programs, is primarily influenced by person factors instead of situational factors.

Measurement invariance across chronic conditions: a systematic review and an empirical investigation of the Health Education Impact Questionnaire (heiQ™).

Background: To examine whether lack of measurement invariance (MI) influences mean comparisons among different disease groups, this paper provides (1) a systematic review of MI in generic constructs across chronic conditions and (2) an empirical analysis of MI in the Health Education Impact Questionnaire (heiQ™).

Methods: (1) We searched for studies of MI among different chronic conditions in online databases. (2) Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses were used to study MI among five chronic conditions (orthopedic condition, rheumatism, asthma, COPD, cancer) in the heiQ™ with N = 1404 rehabilitation inpatients.

Influenza symptoms and their impact on elderly adults: randomised trial of AS03-adjuvanted or non-adjuvanted inactivated trivalent seasonal influenza vaccines.

Background: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are particularly relevant in influenza vaccine trials in the elderly where reduction in symptom severity could prevent illness-related functional impairment.

Objectives: To evaluate PROs in people aged ≥ 65 years receiving two different vaccines.

Methods: This was a phase III, randomised, observer-blind study (NCT00753272) of the AS03-adjuvanted inactivated trivalent split-virion influenza vaccine (AS03-TIV) versus non-adjuvanted vaccine (TIV).

Recognition and management of BPPV for an elderly female patient referred for low back pain: a resident's case study.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is common among older adults and frequently misdiagnosed or unidentified. Undiagnosed BPPV has been associated with depression, falls and ADL limitations. This case study describes the diagnostic process and management of BPPV for a 65-year-old patient with a primary complaint of chronic low back pain (LBP) in an outpatient orthopedic physical therapy setting.

Prevalence of electrocardiographic anomalies in young individuals: relevance to a nationwide cardiac screening program.

Objectives: This study sought to investigate the prevalence of potentially abnormal electrocardiographic (ECG) patterns in young individuals to assess the implications for a nationwide screening program for conditions causing sudden cardiac death (SCD).

Background: The Italian experience suggests that pre-participation screening with ECG reduces the incidence of SCD in athletes. However, the majority of SCDs occur in nonathletes.