Is Physical Rehabilitation Need Associated With the Rehabilitation Workforce Supply? An Ecological Study Across 35 High-Income Countries.

BACKGROUND: To determine whether population-adjusted rates of physical rehabilitation need (ie, disability-related epidemiological data) are associated with the workforce supply (ie, combined rates of practicing physical therapists (PTs) and occupational therapists (OTs) per 10 000 population) across high-income countries (HICs), adjusted for socio-demographic and economic covariates. METHODS: This is a cross-national ecological study. Hierarchical, multiple linear regressions analyzed current international data across 35 HICs using: current PTs and OTs supply data obtained from the international professional federations (outcome variable); needs data obtained from the Global Burden of Disease 2017 (GBD 2017); and finally relevant socio-demographic variables and supply-side covariates extracted from the World Bank, GBD 2017, the supply data sources, and the Global Health Expenditure Database. RESULTS: The PTs and OTs per capita varied greatly across the 35 HICs, differing by as much as 40-fold. Denmark had the greatest supply per capita. Physical rehabilitation need was not a significant, independent predictor of workforce supply regardless of the multiple regression model used (P >.10). In the final model, after Bonferroni correction, 3 covariates were significant, independent predictors of the supply variable: gross national income (GNI) per capita and the current health expenditure in % of gross domestic product (GDP) were positive factors for workforce supply, while population size was a negative factor (all P <.01). CONCLUSION: PT and OT workforce supply is highly variable across HICs. This variability is not accounted for by an indicator of population need but rather by financial indicators and population size.

Stroke Rehabilitation Use and Caregiver Psychosocial Health Profiles in Singapore: A Latent Profile Transition Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To identify and describe caregiver profiles based on their psychosocial health characteristics over a 12-month period and transitions among these profiles, to determine if stroke rehabilitation use at 12 months post-stroke differed by caregiver profile transition patterns, and to investigate if caregiver profiles at 3 months post-stroke moderate the association of stroke rehabilitation use at 3 months and 12 months post-stroke after accounting for covariates. DESIGN: Latent profile transition analysis of caregiver psychosocial health with stroke rehabilitation use at 12 month post-stroke as outcome. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A total of 149 stroke patient-caregiver dyads from the Singapore Stroke Study. METHODS: Cross-sectional latent profile analyses were conducted on caregiver psychosocial health indicators of burden, depression, health status, quality of relationship with patient, and social support. Changes in latent profile classification over 3 time points (baseline, 3 months, and 12 months post-stroke) were analyzed using latent transition analysis. A transition model with stroke rehabilitation use at 12 months post-stroke as the outcome was tested after accounting for covariates. RESULTS: Two distinct caregiver psychosocial health latent profiles were found across time: nondistressed and distressed. Most caregivers were classified as nondistressed and remained nondistressed over time. Distressed caregivers at baseline were 76% likely to become nondistressed at 12 month post-stroke. Regardless of profile transition patterns, nondistressed caregivers at 12 months post-stroke tended to have cared for stroke rehabilitation nonusers at 12 months post-stroke. Patient depression explained profile classification at 3 months and 12 months post-stroke. After accounting for covariates, rehabilitation users at 3 months post-stroke tended to continue using rehabilitation at 12 months post-stroke only when they had nondistressed caregivers at 3 months post-stroke. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Whether caregiver adaptation explains the associations between the latent profile transition patterns and rehabilitation use at 12 months post-stroke should be examined. Early psychosocial health assessment and sustained support should be made available to stroke caregivers to enhance their well-being and subsequent patient rehabilitation participation.

Home-based tele-rehabilitation presents comparable positive impact on self-reported functional outcomes as usual care: The Singapore Tele-technology Aided Rehabilitation in Stroke (STARS) randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this research was to evaluate the impact of a novel tele-rehabilitation system on self-reported functional outcomes compared to usual care during the first three months after stroke. METHODS: A parallel, two-arm, evaluator-blinded, randomised controlled trial was conducted. Adults aged ≥40 years who had suffered a stroke within four weeks of the start of the study were recruited from the general community. The intervention group received access to a novel tele-rehabilitation system and programme for three months. The primary outcome measures utilised were the frequency and limitation total scores of the Late-Life Function and Disability Instrument (LLFDI) at three months. RESULTS: A total of 124 individuals were recruited. The mean differences in the LLDFI frequency and limitation total scores at three months comparing the intervention and control groups were -3.30 (95% confidence interval (CI) -7.81 to 1.21) and -6.90 (95% CI -15.02 to 1.22), respectively. Adjusting for the respective baseline covariates and baseline Barthel Index also showed no significant difference between interventions in the LLFDI outcomes. DISCUSSION: The intervention and control groups self-reported similar improvements in functional outcomes. Tele-rehabilitation may be a viable option to provide post-stroke rehabilitation services in Singapore while reducing barriers to continue rehabilitation conventionally after discharge from hospital and encouraging more participation.

Promoting BioPsychoSocial health of older adults using a Community for Successful Ageing program (ComSA) in Singapore: A mixed-methods evaluation.

BioPsychoSocial health promotion is increasingly emphasized for Successful Ageing. Few programs are known to target BioPsychoSocial health of older adults and their community. The Community for Successful Ageing: Community Development program (ComSA CD) was developed in Singapore for this purpose. This study assessed program effects on BioPsychoSocial health and civic engagement behaviours of participants. ComSA CD offered self-care healthy lifestyle education (Bio-physical), guided autobiography (Psychological) and a civic engagement component which galvanized participants to solve community issues (Social). Recruitment occurred through self-care or guided autobiography; following which participants were funnelled into the civic engagement component. A mixed-methods quasi-experimental evaluation was conducted, using a pre-post one-year survey (N=232) with those exposed and unexposed (rejected) to ComSA CD. Using a generalized linear model, associations between post one-year BioPsychoSocial outcomes and exposure group were quantified using percentage change, adjusting for baseline outcome and group differences. Concurrently, program effects were explored through six focus groups with program implementers and participants using thematic analysis. The program had multiple positive effects. Participants recruited via self-care also taking part in civic engagement reported 31% higher frequency of self-care (95% CI=21% to 68%) post one-year compared to unexposed participants. Qualitative findings illustrated how the civic engagement component stimulated agency of participants to push for neighborhood changes and civic engagement initiatives. The quantitative survey highlighted that this effect was strongest among those funnelled from guided-autobiography (92% higher frequency of civic engagement at post one-year than unexposed; 95%CI=41% to 178%) compared to those funnelled from self-care (53% higher than unexposed, 95%CI=17% to 114%). It was found qualitatively that guided-autobiography enabled more meaningful bonding and communication than the self-care component, explaining quantitative effects on social support only present among guided autobiography participants (36% higher than unexposed; 95%CI=11% to 68%). Findings highlighted the importance of improving group dynamics for collective action.

Teleassessment of Gait and Gait Aids: Validity and Interrater Reliability.

BACKGROUND: Gait and mobility aid assessments are important components of rehabilitation. Given the increasing use of telehealth to meet rehabilitation needs, it is important to examine the feasibility of such assessments within the constraints of telerehabilitation. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Tinetti Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment gait scale (POMA-G) and cane height assessment under various video and transmission settings to demonstrate the feasibility of teleassessment. DESIGN: This repeated-measures study compared the test performances of in-person, slow motion (SM) review, and normal-speed (NS) video ratings at various fixed frame rates (8, 15, and 30 frames per second) and bandwidth (128, 384, and 768 kB/s) configurations. METHODS: Overall bias, validity, and interrater reliability were assessed for in-person, SM video, and NS video ratings, with SM video rating as the gold standard, as well as for different frame rate and bandwidth configurations within NS videos. RESULTS: There was moderate to good interrater reliability for the POMA-G (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.66-0.77 across all configurations) and moderate validity for in-person (ß = 0.62; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.37-0.87) and NS video (ß = 0.74; 95% CI = 0.67-0.80) ratings compared with the SM video rating. For cane height, interrater reliability was good (ICC = 0.66-0.77), although it was significantly lower at the lowest frame rate (8 frames per second) (ICC = 0.66; 95% CI = 0.54-0.76) and bandwidth (128 kB/s) (ICC = 0.69; 95% CI = 0.57-0.78) configurations. Validity for cane height was good for both in-person (ß = 0.80; 95% CI = 0.62-0.98) and NS video (ß = 0.86; 95% CI = 0.81-0.90) ratings compared with SM video rating. LIMITATIONS: Some lower frame rate and bandwidth configurations may limit the reliability of remote cane height assessments. CONCLUSIONS: Teleassessment for POMA-G and cane height using typically available internet and video quality is feasible, valid, and reliable.

Financial difficulties are associated with greater total pain and suffering among patients with advanced cancer: results from the COMPASS study.

BACKGROUND: The Universal Health Coverage goals call for access to affordable palliative care to reduce inequities in "total pain" and suffering. To achieve this, a patient-centred understanding of these inequities is required. AIM: To assess association of total pain and suffering (i.e. physical, psychological, social, and spiritual health outcomes) and perceived health care quality with financial difficulties among stage IV solid malignancy patients. DESIGN: Using baseline data from the COMPASS cohort study, we assessed total pain and suffering including physical (physical and functional well-being, pain, symptom burden), psychological (anxiety, depression, emotional well-being), social (social well-being), and spiritual (spiritual well-being, hope) outcomes and perceived health care quality (physician communication, nursing care, and coordination/responsiveness). Financial difficulties were scored by assessing patient perception of the extent to which their resources were meeting expenses for their treatments, daily living, and other obligations. We used multivariable linear/logistic regression to test association between financial difficulties and each patient-reported outcome. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Six hundred stage IV solid malignancy patients in Singapore. RESULTS: Thirty-five percent reported difficulty in meeting expenses. A higher financial difficulties score was associated with worse physical, psychological, social, spiritual outcomes, and lower perceived quality of health care coordination and responsiveness (i.e. greater total pain and suffering) (all p < 0.05). These associations persisted after adjustment for socio-economic indicators. CONCLUSION: Results identify advanced cancer patients with financial difficulties to be a vulnerable group with greater reported total pain and suffering. A holistic patient-centred approach to care at end-of-life may help meet goals for Universal Health Coverage.

Community involvement in the development and implementation of chronic condition programmes across the continuum of care in high- and upper-middle income countries: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Community involvement is an important component of health programme development and implementation, including those focused on chronic condition treatment and management. Yet, few studies explore the manifestations of community involvement in chronic care programmes. Our review aims to examine the evidence on how communities are involved in planning and implementing chronic condition programmes in high and upper-middle income countries. METHODS: Eligible studies included those that involved the community in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of health services, policy or health interventions. We searched Medline, Embase, Global Health, Scopus, and LILACs from 2000 to 2016, independently screened articles for inclusion, conducted data extraction, and assessed studies for risk of bias. RESULTS: 27,232 records were identified and after screening, 32 met inclusion criteria. We conducted a narrative synthesis to report on the forms and processes of community involvement used across mental health programmes and contrast this with the paucity of evidence on comparable programmes addressing other chronic conditions. Challenges reported included user factors, organisational factors, and social challenges such as stigma. CONCLUSION: Our review adds to the evidence supporting community involvement in chronic condition management and the processes that contribute to successful and sustainable involvement. We report on a model, derived from inductive analysis, that considers social and cultural components, organisational factors and stakeholder relationships as underpinning the development of community interventions across the care continuum.

Dyadic approach to post-stroke hospitalizations: role of caregiver and patient characteristics.

AIM: To study the association of caregiver factors and stroke patient factors with rehospitalizations over the first 3 months and subsequent 3-12 months post-stroke in Singapore. METHODS: Patients with stroke and their caregivers were recruited in the Singapore Stroke Study, a prospective yearlong cohort. While caregiver and patient variables were taken from this study, hospitalization data were extracted from the national claims database. We used Poisson modelling to perform bivariate and multivariable analysis with counts of hospitalization as the outcome. RESULTS: Two hundred and fifty-six patient with stroke and caregiver dyads (N = 512) were analysed, with patients having spouse (60%), child (29%), sibling (4%) and other (7%) as their caregivers. Among all participants, 89% of index strokes were ischemic, 57% were mild in severity and more than half (59%) of the patients had moderate or severe disability post-stroke as measured on the Modified Rankin Scale. Having social support in the form of a foreign domestic worker for general help of caregiver reduced the hospitalization rate over 3 months post-stroke by 66% (IRR: 0.342; 95% CI: 0.180, 0.651). Compared to having a spousal caregiver, those with a child caregiver had an almost three times greater rate of hospitalizations over 3-12 months post-stroke (IRR: 2.896; 95% CI: 1.399, 5.992). Higher reported caregiving burden at the 3-month point was associated with the higher subsequent rate of hospitalization. CONCLUSION: Recommendations include the adoption of a dyadic or holistic approach to post-stroke care provision by healthcare practitioners, giving due importance to both patients with stroke and their caregivers, integrating caregivers in the healthcare system to extend the care continuum to include informal care in the community and provision of timely support for caregivers.

Exploring the implementation of the Community for Successful Ageing (ComSA)program in Singapore: lessons learnt on program delivery for improving BioPsychoSocial health.

BACKGROUND: The Community for Successful Ageing (ComSA) program has implemented overlapping BioPsychoSocial (BPS) components as part of a Community Development (CD) grassroots and volunteer-led initiative. Implementation of such multi-component programming is influenced by known program characteristics including novelty, complexity and observability as well as related organizational factors. As such, we explored ComSA CD's implementation from the organizational perspective, seeking to inform program improvements. METHODS: We conducted four focus groups with program staff, partners and trainers (total N = 21 participants). Findings were analysed using an interpretative approach and synthesized into a line of argument informing lessons learnt. RESULTS: An implementation framework was identified. It is guided by considering the influence of known program characteristics across major themes, representing three core implementation stages. These and supporting sub-themes are elaborated in turn: 1) Creating commitment toward the program was challenged by novelty and at times a lack of shared understanding of ComSA CD, particularly relating to the S component. Overall, cohesion within organizational contexts and having a strong rapport with the community (ability to engage) were needed to persuade volunteers and participants to commit to the program. 2) Coordination and resource allocation were influenced by the complexity of interconnecting BPS components - requiring aligning communication between partners and adapting the BPS sequence, given the separated management structure of program trainers. Efficiency of resource utilization was constrained by the ability to pool and match resources given the limited manpower and community partners who worked-in-silo due to a KPI-centric culture. 3) Collaborative program monitoring and appraisal increased observability of the program's benefits, but depended on partners' prior commitment. Despite appreciating its holistic BPS programming, dropout rate was used as a way to gauge program success, which has limited interpretability. Occasional uncertainty about the program value contributed to concerns about duplicating existing ageing programs, particularly those related to the B component. CONCLUSION: Lessons learnt for improving BPS programming include (1) eliciting better participants' buy-in and shared program vision, (2) increasing adaptability of BPS sequence and building a culture of shared values for working together (3) and developing comprehensive monitoring systems for program appraisal.

Theory and Design of the Community for successful ageing (ComSA) program in Singapore: connecting BioPsychoSocial health and quality of life experiences of older adults.

BACKGROUND: Despite the emphasis on holistic health promotion in community programs for older people, few studies explicitly consider how BioPsychoSocial (BPS) health elements are interconnected and function to improve Quality of Life (QoL). The Community for Successful Ageing (ComSA) program in Singapore focuses on Community Development (CD) initiatives for older people, accounting for BPS theory in its design and content. Biological (B) health is conceived as physiological and cognitive functioning and related biological self-care; Psychological (P) health as feelings of life satisfaction, and Social health (S) as perceived social support and civic engagement. Furthermore, three overlapping sub-constructs are theorized to connect these elements. Namely Bio-Psychological (BP) health in terms of self-perceptions of ageing; the Psycho-Social (PS) aspects of interpersonal communication; and the Socio-Communal (SC) health in terms of civic engagement. BPS health is conceived as distinct from QoL, defined as composed of control, autonomy, self-realisation and pleasure (measured by CASP-19) of the older person. We examined 1) interconnections of BPS constructs and related sub-constructs and 2) their associations with QoL to inform a practical, applied program theory. METHODS: A baseline survey (n = 321) of program participants (Mean = 70 years, SD = 8.73). All continuous variables were binarized as 'high' if the scores were above the median. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess 1) the adjusted effect of each BPS construct on CASP-19, and 2) the odds of scoring high on one BPS construct with the odds of scoring high on a related sub-construct (e.g. B and BP health). RESULTS: The strongest relationship with QoL was markedly with BP self-perceptions of ageing (OR = 4.07, 95%CI = 2.21-7.49), followed by P life satisfaction (OR = 3.66, 95%CI = 2.04-6.57), PS interpersonal communication (OR = 2.42, 95%CI = 1.23-4.77), SC civic engagement (OR = 1.94, 95%CI = 1.05-3.57), and S social support (OR = 1.89, 95%CI = 1.06-3.38). Core B, P and S health were closely associated with their sub-constructs. CONCLUSION: ComSA CD is tightly coupled to its proposed program theory. It offers classes to improve B self-care and BP self-perceptions of ageing, group-based guided autobiography to improve P life-satisfaction and PS interpersonal communication, and community initiatives that encourage seniors to solve community issues. This holistic approach is likely to enhance ageing experiences and QoL.

Short-term strength and balance training does not improve quality of life but improves functional status in individuals with diabetic peripheral neuropathy: a randomised controlled trial.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of a structured strength and balance training intervention in improving health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and functional status in individuals with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). METHODS: The study was a single-blind parallel-group randomised controlled trial comparing 2 months of once-weekly home-based strength and balance training against standard medical therapy. Participants were patients with physician-diagnosed type 2 diabetes and neuropathy recruited from five public sector institutions in Singapore between July 2014 and October 2017. Participants were block-randomised to intervention or control arms. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, 2 months and 6 months by a trained assessor blinded to group assignment. Primary outcomes were change in physical component summary (PCS) score of SF-36v2 (a 36-item generic HRQoL instrument that has been validated for use in Singapore) and EQ-5D-5L index score (derived from a five-item generic HRQoL instrument [EQ-5D-5L]) over 6 months. Secondary outcomes were change in functional status (timed up-and-go [TUG], five times sit-to-stand [FTSTS], functional reach, static balance, ankle muscle strength and knee range of motion) and balance confidence over 6 months. Mean differences in scores between groups were compared using mixed models. RESULTS: Of the 143 participants randomised (intervention, n = 70; control, n = 73), 67 participants were included in each arm for the final intention-to-treat analysis. The two groups were similar, except in terms of sex. There were no significant differences between groups on the primary outcomes of PCS score (mean difference [MD] 1.56 [95% CI -1.75, 4.87]; p = 0.355) and EQ-5D-5L index score (MD 0.02 [95% CI -0.01, 0.06]; p = 0.175). There were significant improvements in TUG test performance (MD -1.14 [95% CI -2.18, -0.1] s; p = 0.032), FTSTS test performance (MD -1.31 [95% CI -2.12, -0.51] s; p = 0.001), ankle muscle strength (MD 4.18 [95% CI 0.4, 7.92] N; p = 0.031), knee range of motion (MD 6.82 [95% CI 2.87, 10.78]°; p = 0.001) and balance confidence score (MD 6.17 [95% CI 1.89, 10.44]; p = 0.005). No adverse events due to study participation or study intervention were reported. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Short-term structured strength and balance training did not influence HRQoL but produced sustained improvements in functional status and balance confidence at 6 months. More intensive interventions may be needed to influence HRQoL in these individuals. However, this intervention may be a useful treatment option for individuals with DPN to reduce the risk of falls and injuries. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02115932 FUNDING: This work was supported by the National Medical Research Council, Singapore.

Mapping the Shah-modified Barthel Index to the Health Utility Index Mark III by the Mean Rank Method.

PURPOSE: To map the Shah-modified Barthel Index (SBI) to the Health Utility Index Mark III (HUI-3) in stroke patients, and to compare the performance of a recently developed method called the Mean Rank Method (MRM) against a popular method, the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) method. METHODS: A cohort of 473 patients who had their first clinical stroke diagnosis and hospital admission and were assessed using the SBI and HUI-3 at 3 months and/or 12 months post-admission. Observations were split to form a training dataset (N = 473) and a validation dataset (N = 245). RESULTS: In the training dataset, the MRM using SBI total score as the predictor produced a mapped utility distribution that closely resembled the observed utility distribution. It had almost no shrinkage of the standard deviation (P = 0.542), whereas the OLS using SBI total score and SBI item scores under-estimated the standard deviation by 28% and 26%, respectively (each P < 0.001). The MRM mapping gave better fit in terms of smaller mean absolute error and larger intra-class correlation than the two versions of OLS mapping, whereas the OLS gave smaller mean-squared errors than the MRM. Multivariate regression analysis showed that the use of OLS-mapped utilities tended to under-estimate both the mean utility of people who had no comorbidity and the utility-comorbidity association as compared to the observed utility-comorbidity pattern although the differences did not reach statistical significance (each P > 0.05). The MRM-mapped utility showed utility-comorbidity pattern more similar to the observed. Similar findings were obtained from the validation dataset. CONCLUSIONS: The MRM performed well. Mapping functions are available to map the SBI to the HUI-3 Utility Index.

Community participation in health services development, implementation, and evaluation: A systematic review of empowerment, health, community, and process outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Community participation is widely believed to be beneficial to the development, implementation and evaluation of health services. However, many challenges to successful and sustainable community involvement remain. Importantly, there is little evidence on the effect of community participation in terms of outcomes at both the community and individual level. Our systematic review seeks to examine the evidence on outcomes of community participation in high and upper-middle income countries. METHODS AND FINDINGS: This review was developed according to PRISMA guidelines. Eligible studies included those that involved the community, service users, consumers, households, patients, public and their representatives in the development, implementation, and evaluation of health services, policy or interventions. We searched the following databases from January 2000 to September 2016: Medline, Embase, Global Health, Scopus, and LILACs. We independently screened articles for inclusion, conducted data extraction, and assessed studies for risk of bias. No language restrictions were made. 27,232 records were identified, with 23,468 after removal of duplicates. Following titles and abstracts screening, 49 met the inclusion criteria for this review. A narrative synthesis of the findings was conducted. Outcomes were categorised as process outcomes, community outcomes, health outcomes, empowerment and stakeholder perspectives. Our review reports a breadth of evidence that community involvement has a positive impact on health, particularly when substantiated by strong organisational and community processes. This is in line with the notion that participatory approaches and positive outcomes including community empowerment and health improvements do not occur in a linear progression, but instead consists of complex processes influenced by an array of social and cultural factors. CONCLUSION: This review adds to the evidence base supporting the effectiveness of community participation in yielding positive outcomes at the organizational, community and individual level. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Prospero record number: CRD42016048244.

Mapping the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study-Activities of Daily Living Inventory to the Health Utility Index Mark III.

PURPOSE: To map the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study-Activities of Daily Living Inventory (ADCS-ADL) to the Health Utility Index Mark III (HUI3) in people living with dementia (PWD) and to compare the performance of five methods for mapping. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 346 dyads of community-dwelling PWD and family caregiver was carried out in Singapore. ADCS-ADL and HUI3 were rated by the family caregivers. Disease severity ratings and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) results were retrieved from medical records. A recently proposed mapping method called the Mean Rank Method (MRM) was described and applied, and the results were compared with regression-based mapping, including ordinary least squares, censored least absolute deviation (CLAD), Tobit and response mapping. RESULTS: The MRM produced a mapped utility distribution that closely resembled the observed utility distribution. The standard deviations (SDs) of the observed and MRM-mapped utility were both 0.340, whereas the SDs of the other mapped utilities ranged from 0.243 (response mapping) to 0.283 (CLAD). Regressing the MRM- and CLAD-mapped and observed utility values upon disease severity and MMSE gave similar regression lines (each P > 0.05). Regressing the other mapped utility values upon the covariates under- (over-) estimated the utility of good (poor) clinical states. However, regression-based mapping methods gave a better fit at the individual level, as measured by root mean square error, mean absolute error and R2. K fold cross-validation gave similar results. CONCLUSIONS: The MRM is accurate at the group level. The regression-based mapping methods are more accurate for making individual-level prediction. In addition, CLAD also performed reasonably well at the group level.

Acceptance of Tele-Rehabilitation by Stroke Patients: Perceived Barriers and Facilitators.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the perceived barriers and facilitators of tele-rehabilitation (TR) by stroke patients, caregivers and rehabilitation therapists in an Asian setting. DESIGN: Qualitative study involving semi-structured in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. SETTING: General community. PARTICIPANTS: Participants (N=37) including stroke patients, their caregivers, and tele-therapists selected by purposive sampling. INTERVENTIONS: Singapore Tele-technology Aided Rehabilitation in Stroke trial. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Perceived barriers and facilitators for TR uptake, as reported by patients, their caregivers, and tele-therapists. RESULTS: Thematic analysis was used to inductively identify the following themes: facilitators identified by patients were affordability and accessibility; by tele-therapists, was filling a service gap and common to both was unexpected benefits such as detection of uncontrolled hypertension. Barriers identified by patients were equipment setup-related difficulties and limited scope of exercises; barriers identified by tele-therapists were patient assessments, interface problems and limited scope of exercises; and common to both were connectivity barriers. Patient characteristics like age, stroke severity, caregiver support, and cultural influence modified patient perceptions and choice of rehabilitation. CONCLUSIONS: Patient attributes and context are significant determinants in adoption and compliance of stroke patients to technology driven interventions like TR. Policy recommendations from our work are inclusion of introductory videos in TR programs, provision of technical support to older patients, longer FaceTime sessions as re-enforcement for severely disabled stroke patients, and training of tele-therapists in assessment methods suitable for virtual platforms.

Inclination towards research and the pursuit of a research career among medical students: an international cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Involvement of clinicians in biomedical research is imperative for the future of healthcare. Several factors influence clinicians' inclination towards research: the medical school experience, exposure to research article reading and writing, and knowledge of research. This cohort study follows up medical students at time of graduation to explore changes in their inclination towards research and pursuing a research career compared to their inclination at time of entry into medical school. METHODS: Students from medical schools in six different countries were enrolled in their first year of school and followed-up upon graduation in their final year. Students answered the same self-administered questionnaire at both time points. Changes in inclination towards research and pursuing a research career were assessed. Factors correlated with these changes were analysed. RESULTS: Of the 777 medical students who responded to the study questionnaire at entry into medical school, 332 (42.7%) completed the follow-up survey. Among these 332 students, there was no significant increase in inclination towards research or pursuing a research career over the course of their medical schooling. Students from a United States based school, in contrast to those from schools other countries, were more likely to report having research role models to guide them (51.5% vs. 0%-26.4%) and to have published in a peer-reviewed journal (75.7% vs. 8.9%-45%). Absence of a role model was significantly associated with a decrease in inclination towards research, while an increased desire to learn more about statistics was significantly associated with an increase in inclination towards pursuing a research career. CONCLUSION: Most medical students did not experience changes in their inclination towards research or pursuing a research career over the course of their medical schooling. Factors that increased their inclination to undertaking research or pursuing a research career were availability of a good role model, and a good knowledge of both the research process and the analytical tools required.

Functional status mediates the association between peripheral neuropathy and health-related quality of life in individuals with diabetes.

AIMS: To examine differences in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) between patients with and without diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), and whether these differences can be explained by functional deficits. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of 160 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, 80 with DPN and 80 without. Assessments included HRQoL (health utility score derived from EQ-5D-5L), functional status measurements [muscle strength, timed up and go (TUG), five times sit-to-stand (FTSTS), functional reach, body sway velocity] and self-reported balance confidence [Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale]. RESULTS: Mean utility scores were 0.67 ± 0.14 and 0.77 ± 0.16 in patients with and without DPN, respectively (p < 0.001). Patients with DPN had lower great toe extensor strength (6.4 ± 1.8 vs 7.6 ± 2.8 lbs, p = 0.001), greater body sway velocity (2.40 ± 1.31 vs 1.90 ± 0.52 mm/s, p = 0.002), slower TUG (12.1 ± 4.6 vs 10.1 ± 2.3 s, p < 0.001) and FTSTS (15.8 ± 5.8 vs 13.9 ± 5.4 s, p = 0.03) scores, and lower ABC score (73.4 ± 21.3 vs 82.6 ± 16.9, p = 0.003), compared to those without DPN. On stepwise multiple regression, DPN status, FTSTS, body sway velocity, BMI, diabetes duration, pain, and gender explained 38% of HRQoL variance. Addition of ABC score into the model explained 45% of variance. Results from structural equation modelling showed that DPN had direct effects on HRQoL and indirect effects through FTSTS, body sway velocity, and ABC score, with χ 2 = 8.075 (p = 0.044), root mean square error of approximation = 0.103 (lower bound 0.015, upper bound 0.191), Comparative Fit Index = 0.966, Tucker-Lewis Index = 0.887, and Standardized Root Mean Square Residual = 0.053. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with DPN have worse HRQoL compared to patients without DPN, partly mediated by functional status parameters. Effective interventions targeting functional status may be beneficial in improving HRQoL in these patients.

Tele-Assessment of the Berg Balance Scale: Effects of Transmission Characteristics.

OBJECTIVE: To compare Berg Balance Scale (BBS) rating using videos with differing transmission characteristics with direct in-person rating. DESIGN: Repeated-measures study for the assessment of the BBS in 8 configurations: in person, high-definition video with slow motion review, standard-definition videos with varying bandwidths and frame rates (768 kilobytes per second [kbps] videos at 8, 15, and 30 frames per second [fps], 30 fps videos at 128, 384, and 768 kbps). SETTING: Medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with limitations (N=45) in ≥1 of 3 specific aspects of motor function: fine motor coordination, gross motor coordination, and gait and balance. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: Ability to rate the BBS in person and using videos with differing bandwidths and frame rates in frontal and lateral views. RESULTS: Compared with in-person rating (7%), 18% (P=.29) of high-definition videos and 37% (P=.03) of standard-definition videos could not be rated. Interrater reliability for the high-definition videos was .96 (95% confidence interval, .94-.97). Rating failure proportions increased from 20% in videos with the highest bandwidth to 60% (P<.001) in videos with the lowest bandwidth, with no significant differences in proportions across frame rate categories. Both frontal and lateral views were critical for successful rating using videos, with 60% to 70% (P<.001) of videos unable to be rated on a single view. CONCLUSIONS: Although there is some loss of information when using videos to rate the BBS compared to in-person ratings, it is feasible to reliably rate the BBS remotely in standard clinical spaces. However, optimal video rating requires frontal and lateral views for each assessment, high-definition video with high bandwidth, and the ability to carry out slow motion review.

Preliminary evidence that acute stress moderates basal testosterone's association with retaliatory behavior.

A contribution to a special issue on Hormones and Human Competition. Testosterone is theorized to increase retaliation after social provocation. However, empirical evidence in support of these theories is mixed. The present research investigated whether acute stress causally suppresses testosterone's association with retaliation. We also explored sex differences in behavioral responses to acute stress. Thirty-nine participants (51.28% male) were randomly assigned to a high- or low-stress condition. Then participants engaged in 20 one-shot rounds of the ultimatum game, which was used to assess retaliatory behavioral responses to unfair treatment. Participants provided two saliva samples to measure testosterone and cortisol concentrations - one sample before the stress manipulation, and the second after the ultimatum game (20minutes post-stressor). Results revealed a positive association between basal testosterone and retaliation in the low-stress condition, but not in the high-stress condition. Further, cortisol concentrations increased in the high- compared to the low-stress condition, and these cortisol changes moderated the association between basal testosterone and retaliation. The associations between basal testosterone and retaliation under varying levels of stress were similar in men and women. However, there was a sex difference in behavioral responses to the stress manipulation that was independent of testosterone. In women, the high-stress condition reduced retaliation compared to the low-stress condition, whereas in men the opposite pattern emerged. Collectively, this study (i) provides preliminary evidence that experimentally manipulated stress blocks basal testosterone's association with retaliation, and (ii) reveals a sex difference in retaliation under varying levels of stress. Discussion focuses on mechanisms, limitations, and the need for follow-up studies with larger sample sizes.