Therapeutic and Economic Benefits of Service Dogs Versus Emotional Support Dogs for Veterans With PTSD.

Objective: This work aimed to assess the therapeutic and economic benefits of service dogs versus emotional support dogs for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Methods: Veterans with PTSD (N=227) participating in a multicenter trial were randomly assigned to receive a service or emotional support dog; 181 veterans received a dog and were followed up for 18 months. Primary outcomes included overall functioning (assessed with World Health Organization Disability Assessment Scale II [WHODAS 2.

Design and challenges for a randomized, multi-site clinical trial comparing the use of service dogs and emotional support dogs in Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a leading cause of impairments in quality of life and functioning among Veterans. Service dogs have been promoted as an effective adjunctive intervention for PTSD, however published research is limited and design and implementation flaws in published studies limit validated conclusions. This paper describes the rationale for the study design, a detailed methodological description, and implementation challenges of a multisite randomized clinical trial examining the impact of service dogs on the on the functioning and quality of life of Veterans with PTSD.

Initial developmental process of a VA semistructured clinical interview for TBI identification.

Identification of a remote traumatic brain injury (TBI), particularly mild TBI, is a challenge. The acknowledged standard for determining a history of prior TBI is self-report elicited through a structured or in-depth clinical interview. In April 2007, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) mandated that the four-section TBI Clinical Reminder screening instrument be completed on all individuals returning from deployment in the Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom theaters of operation (VHA Directive 2007-013).

Activity and participation after spinal cord injury: state-of-the-art report.

The importance of activities and community participation for persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) has been recognized for decades and yet theoretical and empirical advances have been limited. This report summarizes the recommendations for researchers on the topic of measuring activity and participation among persons with SCI formulated by the Spinal Cord Injury workgroup at the State-of-the-Art Conference on Outcome Measures in Rehabilitation held in January 2010. Activity and participation were defined as independent constructs ideally measured in reference to personal values and environmental influences.

Validity of the Veterans Health Administration's traumatic brain injury screen.

Objective: To compare the results of Veterans Affairs' (VA's) initial traumatic brain injury (TBI) Clinical Reminder Screen with the more extensive second-level Comprehensive TBI Evaluation in a national sample.

Design: Criterion-standard.

Setting: Veterans Health Administration system of polytrauma care.

Medical utilization and cost outcomes for poststroke veterans who receive assistive technology devices from the Veterans Health Administration.

The study objectives were to (1) advance understanding of the relationship between provision of assistive technology devices (ATDs) and healthcare consumption and outcomes in a system that does not limit provision of ATDs to in-home use and (2) determine how the provision of ATDs relates to inpatient/outpatient utilization and costs of services for veterans 12 months poststroke when controlling for case-mix. This was a retrospective study using Department of Veterans Affairs administrative/workload databases to identify 12,046 veterans with stroke during fiscal years 2001 and 2002. Measures were functional gain, inpatient days, outpatient visits, and inpatient and outpatient costs during the first year poststroke.

Safety, energy efficiency, and cost efficacy of the C-Leg for transfemoral amputees: A review of the literature.

The purpose of this paper was to review the literature through a structured literature review and provide a grade of recommendation for patient safety, gait energy efficiency, and cost effectiveness of the C-Leg microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee for transfemoral amputees. Medline (Ovid) and CINAHL (EBSCO) data bases were searched to identify potentially pertinent studies within the 1995-2009 time range. Studies were screened and sorted.

Wheelchair-related falls in veterans with spinal cord injury residing in the community: a prospective cohort study.

Objectives: (1) To determine the incidence of wheelchair falls and fall-related injuries in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) living in the community. (2) To predict wheelchair-related falls and associated injuries from specific parameters including characteristics of the wheelchair user, wheelchair type and features, health care practices, wheelchair activities, and physical environment.

Design: This prospective cohort study followed participants monthly over 1 year; data were collected through surveys, interviews, performance testing, observation, and medical records.