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2.
J Family Med Prim Care ; 7(2): 394-400, 2018.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30090783

RESUMO

INTRODUCTION: Timely, precise, and relevant communication between hospital-based clinicians and primary care physicians post-discharge (DC) ensures quality transitions, thereby reducing patient safety incidents and preventing readmission. At the present time there is limited knowledge of elements of quality or methods to score the quality criteria in the context of DC summaries. The Nova Scotia Health Authority, a provincial health system responsible for the delivery of services in a small Canadian province, embarked on a system-level approach to the standardization of DC summaries in an effort to improve quality and safety at care transitions from hospital to primary care. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comprehensive literature review to retrieve items relevant to quality in DC summaries, retrospective audit of charts, a consensus development process, and, finally, validation of a scoring tool were conducted in order to develop a quality scoring tool for DC summaries. RESULTS: Relevant items were identified through the literature review and consensus development process. Corresponding definitions that were established assisted the development of the quality criteria, which were subsequently used to score the quality of DC summaries in our organization. CONCLUSION: The scoring tool developed through this work will be applied to help us gain a more in-depth understanding of quality in DC summaries and support the development of suitable education and quality processes in the health authority that can best support safe care transitions for patients.

3.
J Am Geriatr Soc ; 65(3): 567-573, 2017 Mar.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27874185

RESUMO

OBJECTIVES: To compare the feasibility (adherence) and effectiveness (prevalence of delirium, length of stay, mortality, discharge site) of delirium-friendly preprinted postoperative orders (PPOs) for individuals with hip fracture, administered by regular orthopedic nurses, with routine postoperative orders. DESIGN: Pragmatic clinical trial to evaluate a quality improvement intervention. SETTING: Tertiary care hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals aged 65 and older admitted for hip fracture repair (N = 283). INTERVENTION: PPOs with delirium-friendly options and doses for nighttime sedation, analgesia, and nausea and attention to catheter removal and bowel movements. MEASUREMENTS: Adherence to PPO was compared with adherence to routine orders. Drug doses were recorded. Presence of delirium was documented using the Confusion Assessment Method and the Mini-Mental State Examination on postoperative Days 1, 3, and 5. Length of stay, discharge site, and in-hospital mortality were recorded. RESULTS: Orthopedic nurses adhered reasonably well with delirium-friendly PPOs. Of 283 participants, 42% developed postoperative delirium, with significantly less delirium in the intervention group (intervention 33%, control 51%, P = .001). The effect of the intervention was stronger in individuals with preexisting dementia (intervention 60%, control 97%, P < .001). Participants with postoperative delirium had longer hospital stays and were more likely to die or be discharged to a nursing home, but there was no significant between-group difference in these outcomes. CONCLUSION: It is possible to introduce delirium-friendly PPOs into routine post-hip fracture care in a representative elderly population including individuals with dementia. Delirium-friendly PPOs executed by regular nursing staff resulted in a significant reduction in postoperative delirium but no difference in other outcomes.


Assuntos
Delírio/prevenção & controle , Fraturas do Quadril/cirurgia , Cuidados Pós-Operatórios/enfermagem , Complicações Pós-Operatórias/prevenção & controle , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Analgésicos/uso terapêutico , Antidiscinéticos/uso terapêutico , Desidratação/prevenção & controle , Delírio/etiologia , Feminino , Haloperidol/uso terapêutico , Humanos , Laxantes/uso terapêutico , Tempo de Internação , Masculino , Enfermagem Ortopédica , Inibidores Seletivos de Recaptação de Serotonina/uso terapêutico , Trazodona/uso terapêutico , Cateterismo Urinário/enfermagem
4.
Gerontology ; 62(4): 396-400, 2016.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26667308

RESUMO

BACKGROUND: Delirium is a common complication of hip fracture and is associated with negative outcomes. Previous studies document risk factors for post-operative delirium but have frequently excluded patients with pre-operative delirium. OBJECTIVE: This study endeavours to document prevalence and risk factors for pre-operative delirium in hip fracture patients and compares risk factor profiles and outcomes between pre- and post-operative delirium. METHODS: 283 hip fracture patients were assessed pre-operatively with the Delirium Elderly At Risk (DEAR) instrument, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Confusion Assessment Method (CAM). They were followed on post-operative days 1, 3, and 5 for the presence of delirium. Doses of opioids were recorded. Wait time to surgery, length of stay, and discharge site were noted. RESULTS: Delirium was present in 57.6% patients pre-operatively and 41.7% post-surgery. Not all patients (62%) with pre-operative delirium also had post-operative delirium. There was a considerable overlap in risk factors, with some differences. Wait time to surgery, number of comorbidities, and total pre-operative opioid and lorazepam doses were associated with pre- but not post-operative delirium. Negative outcomes were more closely associated with post-operative delirium. CONCLUSION: Delirium is common in pre-hip fracture surgery patients, and not all patients with pre-operative delirium go on to have post-operative delirium. Risk factor profiles are not identical, raising the possibility of identifying and intervening in patients at high risk of delirium pre-operatively.


Assuntos
Delírio/epidemiologia , Delírio/etiologia , Fraturas do Quadril/complicações , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Nova Escócia/epidemiologia , Complicações Pós-Operatórias/epidemiologia , Complicações Pós-Operatórias/etiologia , Período Pré-Operatório , Prevalência , Fatores de Risco
5.
BMJ Open ; 5(4): e005501, 2015 Apr 13.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25869679

RESUMO

OBJECTIVES: Some medical patients are at greater risk of adverse outcomes than others and may benefit from higher observation hospital units. We constructed and validated a model predicting adverse hospital outcome for patients. Study results may be used to admit patients into planned tiered care units. Adverse outcome comprised death or cardiac arrest during the first 30 days of hospitalisation, or transfer to intensive care within the first 48 h of admission. SETTING: The study took place at two tertiary teaching hospitals and two community hospitals in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: We analysed data from 4883 consecutive admissions at a tertiary teaching hospital to construct the Early Prediction of Adverse Hospital Outcome for Medical Patients (ALERT) model using logistic regression. Robustness of the model was assessed through validation performed across four hospitals over two time periods, including 65,640 consecutive admissions. OUTCOME: Receiver-operating characteristic curves (ROC) and sensitivity and specificity analyses were used to assess the usefulness of the model. RESULTS: 9.3% of admitted patients experienced adverse outcomes. The final model included gender, age, Charlson Comorbidity Index, Activities of Daily Living Score, Glasgow Coma Score, systolic blood pressure, respiratory rate, heart rate and white cell count. The model was discriminative (ROC=0.83) in predicting adverse outcome. ALERT accurately predicted 75% of the adverse outcomes (sensitivity) and 75% of the non-adverse outcomes (specificity). Applying the same model to each validation hospital and time period produced similar accuracy and discrimination to that in the development hospital. CONCLUSIONS: Used during initial assessment of patients admitted to general medical wards, the ALERT scale may complement other assessment measures to better screen patients. Those considered as higher risk by the ALERT scale may then be provided more effective care from action such as planned tiered care units.


Assuntos
Parada Cardíaca/epidemiologia , Mortalidade Hospitalar , Avaliação de Resultados em Cuidados de Saúde/métodos , Adulto , Idoso , Canadá , Feminino , Hospitais Universitários/estatística & dados numéricos , Humanos , Unidades de Terapia Intensiva/estatística & dados numéricos , Modelos Logísticos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Transferência de Pacientes/estatística & dados numéricos , Curva ROC , Sensibilidade e Especificidade
6.
Can Geriatr J ; 18(4): 212-6, 2015 Dec.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26740829

RESUMO

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Delirium is common after hip fracture. Previous work has shown that a simple delirium risk factor tool, the Delirium Elderly At Risk instrument (DEAR), has a high inter-rater reliability in this population. Little research has looked at the ability of risk factor screening tools to identify patients at high risk of pre-operative delirium. This study investigates the ability of the DEAR to identify patients at high risk of pre-operative delirium, as well as reporting its performance in a post-operative validation sample. Associations between delirium risk factors and pre-operative delirium are explored. METHODS: This prospective cohort study took place on an orthopedic in-patient service at a University-affiliated tertiary care hospital. Patients aged 65 and older who were admitted for surgical repair of hip fracture (N = 283) were assessed pre-operatively for 5 delirium risk factors (cognitive impairment, sensory impairment, functional dependence, substance use, age) using the DEAR. Patients were assessed for delirium using the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Confusion Assessment Method pre-operatively and on post-operative days 1, 3 and 5. Characteristics of patients who developed delirium were compared with the characteristics of those who did not. RESULTS: Delirium was present in 58% (95% CI = 52-63%) of patients pre-operatively and 42% (95% CI = 36-48%) post-operatively. Individually, sensory impairment (χ(2) = 21.7, p = .0001), functional dependence (χ(2) = 24.1, p = .0001), cognitive impairment (χ(2) = 55.5, p = .0001) and substance use (χ(2) = 7.5, p = .007) were significantly associated with pre-operative delirium, as was wait-time for surgery (t = 3.1, p = .003) and length of stay (t = 2.8, p =.03). In multivariate modeling, the strongest association with pre-operative delirium was cognitive impairment. CONCLUSIONS: The DEAR, a simple, delirium risk factor screening tool, can be used to identify hip fracture patients at risk of both pre-operative and post-operative delirium, which may allow targeted implementation of delirium prevention strategies.

7.
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry ; 19(10): 881-90, 2011 Oct.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-21946804

RESUMO

OBJECTIVES: To assess whether the core symptoms of Alzheimer disease (AD) consistently predict patient self-rated quality of life (QOL) as assessed by a variety of QOL measures in a large national sample of AD patients. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Fifteen dementia and geriatric clinics across Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Community-living patients with AD (n = 370) with Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) scores greater than 10. MEASUREMENTS: Patients rated their QOL by using two utility indexes, the European QOL-5 Dimensions and the Quality of Well-Being Scale, a global QOL Visual Analog Scale, and the disease-specific QOL-AD instrument. Cognition was assessed with the AD Assessment Scale-Cognitive subscale and MMSE, function with the Disability Assessment for Dementia, and behavioral and psychological symptoms with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). One-way analysis of variance and fully adjusted multiple linear regression were used to assess the relationship between core dementia symptoms and QOL ratings. RESULTS: The QOL measures had only small-to-moderate correlations with each other. For all QOL measures, patient ratings were significantly lower among patients with more depressive symptoms. In multivariable analyses, the GDS score was the only significant independent predictor of patient self-ratings for all four QOL measures. CONCLUSIONS: Self-rated symptoms of depression were a consistent independent predictor of patient-rated QOL across diverse QOL measures, while performance-based measures of cognition and informant-based functional status were not. These findings confirm the importance of identifying and treating depression in patients with AD and endorse the use of measures of self-rated depressive symptoms and QOL as outcomes in AD clinical trials.


Assuntos
Doença de Alzheimer/psicologia , Valor Preditivo dos Testes , Qualidade de Vida/psicologia , Autorrelato , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Doença de Alzheimer/complicações , Doença de Alzheimer/diagnóstico , Canadá , Cognição , Estudos Transversais , Depressão/complicações , Depressão/psicologia , Feminino , Avaliação Geriátrica/métodos , Humanos , Masculino , Testes Neuropsicológicos , Escalas de Graduação Psiquiátrica/estatística & dados numéricos , Índice de Gravidade de Doença
8.
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry ; 19(10): 891-901, 2011 Oct.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-21946805

RESUMO

OBJECTIVES: To assess whether the core symptoms of Alzheimer disease (AD) and caregiver factors consistently predict family caregiver ratings of patient quality of life (QOL) as assessed by a variety of QOL measures in a large national sample. DESIGN: : Cross-sectional. SETTING: Fifteen dementia and geriatric clinics across Canada. PARTICIPANTS: : Family caregivers (n = 412) of community-living patients with AD of all severities. MEASUREMENTS: Caregiver ratings of patient QOL using three utility indexes, the European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions, Quality of Well-Being Scale and Health Utilities Index; a global QOL visual analogue scale; a disease-specific measure, the Quality of Life-Alzheimer's Disease; and a generic health status measure, the Short Form-36. Patient cognition was assessed with the cognitive subscale of the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale and Mini-Mental State Examination, function with the Disability Assessment for Dementia, and behavioral and psychological symptoms with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory and the Geriatric Depression Scale. Caregiver burden was assessed with the Zarit Burden Interview and caregiver depression with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. One-way analysis of variance and fully adjusted multiple linear regression were used to assess the relationship between patient dementia symptom and caregiver variables with QOL ratings. RESULTS: In multivariable analyses, caregiver ratings of patient function and depressive symptoms were the only consistent independent predictors of caregiver-rated QOL across the QOL measures. CONCLUSIONS: Caregiver ratings of patient function and depression were consistent independent predictors of caregiver-rated QOL, using a spectrum of QOL measures, while measures of patient cognition and caregiver burden and depression were not. These findings support the continued use of caregiver ratings as an important source of information about patient QOL and endorse the inclusion in AD clinical trials of caregiver-rated measures of patient function, depression, and QOL.


Assuntos
Doença de Alzheimer/psicologia , Cuidadores/psicologia , Valor Preditivo dos Testes , Qualidade de Vida/psicologia , Autorrelato , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Doença de Alzheimer/complicações , Doença de Alzheimer/diagnóstico , Doença de Alzheimer/enfermagem , Canadá , Cognição , Estudos Transversais , Depressão/complicações , Depressão/psicologia , Feminino , Avaliação Geriátrica/métodos , Humanos , Masculino , Testes Neuropsicológicos , Escalas de Graduação Psiquiátrica/estatística & dados numéricos , Índice de Gravidade de Doença
9.
Am J Gastroenterol ; 105(8): 1830-4, 2010 Aug.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-20216537

RESUMO

OBJECTIVES: Fecal incontinence is a growing problem in the aging population. Little is known about the association of fecal incontinence with institutionalization and mortality in community-dwelling older adults. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of fecal incontinence among older adults in Canada and whether it is associated with increased risk of institutionalization and mortality, independent of the effect of potential confounders. METHODS: This study consisted of a secondary analysis of data from 9,008 community-dwelling participants in the Canadian Study of Health and Aging, aged 65 years or older. The measures used in the study are age, gender, self-reported loss of bowel control, cognition, impairment in activities of daily living (ADL), and self-reported health. Outcomes were death or institutionalization over the 10 years of follow-up. RESULTS: Fecal incontinence was found in 354 (4%) of the 8,917 subjects. Those with incontinence were older, with a mean age of 75.5 years, compared with 72.9 years in the continent group (P<0.001). Fecal incontinence was more common among women (4.7%) than among men (3.0 %), and among people who were single at the time of the study (4.9%) compared with those who lived with partners (3.3%). The prevalence of fecal incontinence in the Canadian population aged 65 years and above at the time of data collection was estimated to be 4%. Although mortality was significantly higher among those with fecal incontinence, independent of age, sex, cognition, and functional independence (hazard ratio 1.19; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.00-1.41; P=0.05), this association was not statistically significant after adjusting for self-reported health. Although individuals with fecal incontinence had higher odds of institutionalization independent of age and sex (odds ratio 1.79, 95% CI: 1.00-3.20, P=0.05), this association was not statistically significant after adjusting for cognition, ADL dependence, and self-reported health. CONCLUSIONS: Although fecal incontinence was associated with increased mortality and institutionalization, independent of age and gender, these associations were largely explained by other potential confounders such as poor self-assessed health, cognitive impairment, and ADL dependence.


Assuntos
Incontinência Fecal/complicações , Incontinência Fecal/mortalidade , Institucionalização/estatística & dados numéricos , Atividades Cotidianas , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Canadá/epidemiologia , Demência/epidemiologia , Feminino , Humanos , Incidência , Estudos Longitudinais , Masculino , Prevalência , Fatores de Risco
10.
Can J Neurol Sci ; 34 Suppl 1: S19-22, 2007 Mar.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-17469676

RESUMO

A great deal of progress has been made in the management of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias over the past 25 years. Much remains to be achieved, however. This article discusses some of the issues surrounding study design. In the absence of an accepted biological marker of progression, it is unlikely that a novel study design, such as randomized start or withdrawal, in itself could provide convincing evidence of disease modification. Biological markers will also be crucial in the development of therapies aimed at specific processes, and of immunotherapies.


Assuntos
Protocolos Clínicos/normas , Ensaios Clínicos como Assunto/normas , Demência/tratamento farmacológico , Biomarcadores/análise , Canadá , Ensaios Clínicos como Assunto/tendências , Demência/fisiopatologia , Progressão da Doença , Aprovação de Drogas/legislação & jurisprudência , Humanos , Imunoterapia/normas , Imunoterapia/tendências , Avaliação de Processos e Resultados em Cuidados de Saúde/normas , Avaliação de Processos e Resultados em Cuidados de Saúde/tendências , Resultado do Tratamento
11.
Aging Clin Exp Res ; 19(2): 145-53, 2007 Apr.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-17446726

RESUMO

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Relatively little is known about how region of residence influences frailty of seniors. Frailty indexes can be used to investigate these effects. We constructed and validated a frailty index, to investigate the differences in health status between rural and urban seniors. METHODS: We studied rural (n=949) and urban (n=7598) older adults in the Canadian Study of Health and Aging, of whom 22% died over 72 months. The frailty index was generated from 40 self-reported health deficits (symptoms, diseases, disabilities, unfavourable living conditions). RESULTS: The average value of the frailty index increased exponentially with age in both groups (rural: r=0.94; urban: r=0.97, p<0.01) and was highly correlated with mortality (r=0.96 for rural, r=0.97 for urban, p<0.01). Up to age 80, there were few rural-urban differences in frailty. After age 80, the rural sample showed higher mortality than the urban sample. The hazard ratio for death for each increment in the frailty index was 1.38 (1.14-1.72) in rural participants vs 1.18 (1.11-1.26) in urban participants. Women lived longer than men at any index value. CONCLUSIONS: Frailty index analysis readily summarizes health and mortality differences between very old rural and urban dwellers, which reflect differences in deficit accumulation, and in the impact of gender on survival. The frailty index provides efficient dimensionality reduction for studying group differences in the health of older adults.


Assuntos
Idoso Fragilizado , População Rural , Sobrevida , População Urbana , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino
12.
J Neurol Sci ; 252(2): 106-12, 2007 Jan 31.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-17189642

RESUMO

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Empirical studies to clarify the outcomes in Vascular Cognitive Impairment (VCI) are needed. We compared cognitive, functional, and behavioural outcomes in patients with VCI to patients with no cognitive impairment (NCI), and Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: Secondary analysis of the Consortium to Investigate Vascular Impairment of Cognition (CIVIC), a multi-centre Canadian memory clinic 30-month cohort study. RESULTS: Of 1347 patients, 938 were eligible for follow-up, of whom 239 (24.5%) were lost and 29 (3%) had died. Of the remaining 697 patients, 125 had NCI, 229 had VCI, and 343 had AD at baseline. Compared to people with NCI, of whom 20-40% showed progression based on cognitive and functional measures, those with VCI were more likely to progress (50-65%), as were people with AD (50-80%) (p<0.01). More people with VCI showed progression of affective symptoms (30%) than those with NCI (12%) or AD (15% p<0.01). Progression of impaired judgment (rated clinically) in VCI (15%) was similar to AD (11%) but more common than in NCI (4%, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Most people with VCI show readily detectable progression by 30 months. Depressive symptoms were more common and more progressive in VCI than in Alzheimer's disease, whereas clinical evidence of progressive executive dysfunction was common in both AD and VCI.


Assuntos
Transtornos Cognitivos/epidemiologia , Transtornos Cognitivos/fisiopatologia , Cognição , Demência Vascular/epidemiologia , Demência Vascular/fisiopatologia , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Agressão , Doença de Alzheimer/epidemiologia , Doença de Alzheimer/fisiopatologia , Doença de Alzheimer/psicologia , Transtornos Cognitivos/psicologia , Estudos de Coortes , Delusões/epidemiologia , Demência Vascular/psicologia , Depressão/epidemiologia , Progressão da Doença , Seguimentos , Alucinações/epidemiologia , Humanos , Incidência , Pessoa de Meia-Idade
13.
Alzheimers Dement ; 3(4): 341-7, 2007 Oct.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-19595956

RESUMO

This review identifies and quantifies general (ie, nongenetic) risk factors for all-cause dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular dementia specifically.

14.
Alzheimers Dement ; 3(4): 348-54, 2007 Oct.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-19595957

RESUMO

The purpose of this article is to recommend strategies to practicing physicians for the prevention of dementia in people without preexisting cognitive deficits.

15.
CMAJ ; 174(8): 1099-105, 2006 Apr 11.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-16554498

RESUMO

BACKGROUND: Although cholinesterase inhibitors have produced statistically significant treatment effects, their clinical meaningfulness in Alzheimer's disease is disputed. An important aspect of clinical meaningfulness is the extent to which an intervention meets the goals of treatment. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease were treated with either galantamine or placebo for 4 months, followed by a 4-month open-label extension during which all patients received galantamine. The primary outcome measures were Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) scores from assessments by clinicians and by patients or caregivers of treatment goals set before treatment and evaluated every 2 months. Secondary outcome measures included the cognitive subscale of the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS-cog), the Clinician's Interview-based Impression of Change plus Caregiver Input (CIBIC-plus), the Disability Assessment for Dementia (DAD) and the Caregiving Burden Scale (CBS). To evaluate treatment effect, we calculated effect sizes (as standardized response means [SRMs]) and p values. RESULTS: Of 159 patients screened, 130 (mean age 77 [standard deviation (SD) 7.7]; 63% women) were enrolled in the study (64 in the galantamine group and 66 in the placebo group); 128 were included in the analysis because they had at least one post-baseline evaluation. In the intention-to-treat analysis, the clinician-rated GAS scores showed a significantly greater improvement in goal attainment among patients in the galantamine group than among those in the placebo group (change from baseline score 4.8 [SD 9.6]) v. 0.9 [SD 9.5] respectively; SRM = 0.41, p = 0.02). The patient- caregiver-rated GAS scores showed a similar improvement in the galantamine group (change from baseline score 4.2 [SD 10.6]); however, because of the improvement also seen in the placebo group (2.3 [SD 9.0]), the difference between groups was not statistically significant (SRM = 0.20, p = 0.27). Of the secondary outcome measures, the ADAS-cog scores differed significantly between groups (SRM = -0.36, p = 0.04), as did the CIBIC-plus scores (SRM = -0.40, p = 0.03); no significant differences were in either the DAD scores (SRM = 0.28, p = 0.13) or the CBS scores (SRM = -0.17, p = 0.38). INTERPRETATION: Clinicians, but not patients and caregivers, observed a significantly greater improvement in goal attainment among patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease who were taking galantamine than among those who were taking placebo.


Assuntos
Doença de Alzheimer/tratamento farmacológico , Inibidores da Colinesterase/uso terapêutico , Galantamina/uso terapêutico , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Cuidadores , Inibidores da Colinesterase/efeitos adversos , Transtornos Cognitivos/tratamento farmacológico , Transtornos Cognitivos/etiologia , Feminino , Galantamina/efeitos adversos , Humanos , Masculino , Placebos , Índice de Gravidade de Doença , Resultado do Tratamento
16.
J Neurol Sci ; 240(1-2): 7-14, 2006 Jan 15.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-16212979

RESUMO

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There is a need for empirical studies to define criteria for vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) subtypes. In this paper, we report the predictive validity of a subtype classification scheme based on clinical and radiographic features. METHODS: Nine Canadian memory clinics participated in the Consortium to Investigate Vascular Impairment of Cognition. This cohort consisted of 1347 patients, of whom 324 had VCI, and was followed for up to 30 months. RESULTS: Clinical and neuroimaging features defined three subtypes: vascular cognitive impairment, no dementia, (n=97), vascular dementia (n=101) and mixed neurodegenerative/vascular dementia (n=126). Any ischemic lesion on neuroimaging increased the odds (odds ratio=9.31; 95% confidence interval 6.46, 13.39) of a VCI diagnosis. No VCI subtype, however, was associated with a specific neuroimaging abnormality. Compared to those with no cognitive impairment, patients with each VCI subtype had higher rates of death and institutionalization (hazard ratio for combined adverse events=6.08, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Both clinical features and radiographic features help establish a diagnosis of VCI. The outcomes of VCI subtypes, however, are more strongly associated with clinical features than with radiographic ones.


Assuntos
Transtornos Cognitivos/classificação , Transtornos Cognitivos/diagnóstico por imagem , Demência Vascular/classificação , Demência Vascular/diagnóstico por imagem , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Encéfalo/diagnóstico por imagem , Encéfalo/patologia , Transtornos Cognitivos/fisiopatologia , Estudos de Coortes , Demência Vascular/fisiopatologia , Técnicas de Diagnóstico Neurológico , Feminino , Seguimentos , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Testes Neuropsicológicos/estatística & dados numéricos , Radiografia , Análise de Sobrevida , Fatores de Tempo
17.
CMAJ ; 173(5): 489-95, 2005 Aug 30.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-16129869

RESUMO

BACKGROUND: There is no single generally accepted clinical definition of frailty. Previously developed tools to assess frailty that have been shown to be predictive of death or need for entry into an institutional facility have not gained acceptance among practising clinicians. We aimed to develop a tool that would be both predictive and easy to use. METHODS: We developed the 7-point Clinical Frailty Scale and applied it and other established tools that measure frailty to 2305 elderly patients who participated in the second stage of the Canadian Study of Health and Aging (CSHA). We followed this cohort prospectively; after 5 years, we determined the ability of the Clinical Frailty Scale to predict death or need for institutional care, and correlated the results with those obtained from other established tools. RESULTS: The CSHA Clinical Frailty Scale was highly correlated (r = 0.80) with the Frailty Index. Each 1-category increment of our scale significantly increased the medium-term risks of death (21.2% within about 70 mo, 95% confidence interval [CI] 12.5%-30.6%) and entry into an institution (23.9%, 95% CI 8.8%-41.2%) in multivariable models that adjusted for age, sex and education. Analyses of receiver operating characteristic curves showed that our Clinical Frailty Scale performed better than measures of cognition, function or comorbidity in assessing risk for death (area under the curve 0.77 for 18-month and 0.70 for 70-month mortality). INTERPRETATION: Frailty is a valid and clinically important construct that is recognizable by physicians. Clinical judgments about frailty can yield useful predictive information.


Assuntos
Idoso Fragilizado , Avaliação Geriátrica/métodos , Aptidão Física , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Feminino , Nível de Saúde , Humanos , Institucionalização , Masculino , Mortalidade , Valor Preditivo dos Testes , Prognóstico , Estudos Prospectivos
19.
J Am Geriatr Soc ; 52(7): 1180-4, 2004 Jul.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-15209659

RESUMO

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the potential of an artificial neural network (ANN) in predicting survival in elderly Canadians, using self-report data. DESIGN: Cohort study with up to 72 months follow-up. SETTING: Forty self-reported characteristics were obtained from the community sample of the Canadian Study of Health and Aging. An individual frailty index score was calculated as the proportion of deficits experienced. For the ANN, randomly selected participants formed the training sample to derive relationships between the variables and survival and the validation sample to control overfitting. An ANN output was generated for each subject. A separate testing sample was used to evaluate the accuracy of prediction. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 8,547 Canadians aged 65 to 99, of whom 1,865 died during 72 months of follow-up. MEASUREMENTS: The output of an ANN model was compared with an unweighted frailty index in predicting survival patterns using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: The area under the ROC curve was 86% for the ANN and 62% for the frailty index. At the optimal ROC value, the accuracy of the frailty index was 70.0%. The ANN accuracy rate over 10 simulations in predicting the probability of individual survival mean+/-standard deviation was 79.2+/-0.8%. CONCLUSION: An ANN provided more accurate survival classification than an unweighted frailty index. The data suggest that the concept of biological redundancy might be operationalized from health survey data.


Assuntos
Idoso Fragilizado , Avaliação Geriátrica , Mortalidade/tendências , Redes Neurais de Computação , Medição de Risco , Autoavaliação (Psicologia) , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Canadá/epidemiologia , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Valor Preditivo dos Testes , Curva ROC
20.
J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci ; 59(12): 1310-7, 2004 Dec.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-15699531

RESUMO

BACKGROUND: Frailty and fitness are important attributes of older persons, but population samples of their prevalence, attributes, and outcomes are limited. METHODS: The authors report data from the community-dwelling sample (n = 9008) of the Canadian Study of Health and Aging, a representative, 5-year prospective cohort study. Fitness and frailty were determined by self-reported exercise and function level and testing of cognition. RESULTS: Among the community-dwelling elderly population, 171 per 1000 were very fit and 12 per 1000 were very frail. Frailty increased with age, so that by age 85 years and older, 44 per 1000 were very frail. The risk for adverse health outcomes increased markedly with frailty: Compared with older adults who exercise, those who were moderately or severely frail had a relative risk for institutionalization of 8.6 (95% confidence interval, 4.9 to 15.2) and for death of 7.3 (95% confidence interval, 4.7 to 11.4). These risks persist after adjustments for age, sex, comorbid conditions, and poor self-rated health. At all ages, men reported higher levels of exercise and less frailty compared with women. Decreased fitness and increased frailty were also associated with poor self-ratings of health (42% in the most frail vs 7% in the most fit), more comorbid illnesses (6 vs 3), and more social isolation (34% vs 29%). CONCLUSIONS: Fitness and frailty form a continuum and predict survival. Exercise influences survival, even in old age. Relative fitness and frailty can be determined quickly in a clinical setting, are potentially useful markers of the risk for adverse health outcomes, and add value to traditional medical assessments that focus on diagnoses.


Assuntos
Idoso Fragilizado/estatística & dados numéricos , Aptidão Física , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Canadá/epidemiologia , Estudos de Coortes , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Prevalência , Estudos Prospectivos
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