A Systematic Review of Cognitive Functioning and its Relationship to Outcomes Following Amputation Secondary to Vascular Etiology.

Amputation is a major life event, impacting on all aspects of daily living, and has the goal of achieving maximal patient mobility and independence. The level of cognitive function of those patients who are assigned a prosthesis is an important consideration in the rehabilitation process. Therefore we set out to understand the relationship between cognitive functioning and functional and/or health outcomes following amputation secondary to a vascular condition.

Neuropsychological assessment of fitness to drive following acquired cognitive impairment.

Primary Objective: The study evaluated a neuropsychological assessment battery used to assess fitness to drive in cognitively impaired individuals and hypothesized that the battery would be associated with on-road outcome measures. A secondary aim was to explore the relationships between individual neuropsychological tests and driving performance.

Research Design: The study used a cross-sectional design in which a sample of individuals with various types of cognitive impairment completed the test battery and an on-road driving test.

Anxiety in driving assessment of individuals with cognitive impairment.

Purpose: This study explores the effects of anxiety on driving performance in a sample of 35 individuals with cognitive impairment who underwent driving reassessment 2 weeks after neuropsychological assessment.

Method: Participants completed measures of test, state and driving anxiety prior to the neuropsychological assessment. Measures of state anxiety were re-administered immediately before and after the on-road driving test.

Does systematic graded exposure in vivo enhance outcomes in multidisciplinary chronic pain management groups?

Objectives: Graded exposure in vivo (GEXP) treatment has been successfully used to reduce levels of pain-related fear and disability in some chronic pain patients, but its effectiveness has not been evaluated in general clinical settings using group-design studies. The purpose of this study was to determine if the systematic incorporation of GEXP into a multidisciplinary chronic pain management group (PMG) treatment program would result in better treatment outcomes than usual PMG treatment.

Methods: One hundred forty-three chronic pain patients who were assessed as suitable for an outpatient multidisciplinary chronic PMG program were randomly allocated to 3 experimental conditions; usual PMG, PMG incorporating systematic graded exposure, and wait-list control.