Preoperative assessment in the elderly: evaluation of a new clinical service.

Older people represent the fastest growing sector of society and a growing proportion of those undergoing elective surgery. Older people are at the highest risk of increased length of stay and postoperative complications. We evaluated the development of a nurse-led multidimensional preoperative assessment for older people.

The use of multidisciplinary assessment and scientific measurement in advanced juvenile idiopathic arthritis can categorise gait deviations to guide treatment.

Background: It is difficult to identify the range of gait deviations associated with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) using simple clinical observations.

Aims: To use objective gait analysis to accurately describe biomechanical gait abnormalities in JIA and to search for common patterns, which may subsequently serve as a basis for therapeutic intervention.

Methods: Children with persistent polyarticular arthritis and symmetrical joint involvement were referred to the Gait Analysis Laboratory and independently assessed by a multidisciplinary team.

A prototype system for testing force platform dynamic performance.

Previous work on in-situ calibration of force platforms has focused primarily on behaviour under static loading conditions. The prototype described in this paper is a dynamic system, designed to approximate the loading profile generated during human gait. The design, construction and performance of an oscillating lead pendulum assembly is described; including three-dimensional visual performance assessment and rigorous multi-component force analysis.