Feasibility of adolescent musicians in delivering Project Unmute, a virtual, intergenerational active music-based intervention for older adults with Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

Background: Cases of dementia are increasing rapidly; music-based interventions have shown promise to support some of the negative outcomes. Methods: This research assesses the potential of adolescent musicians to deliver Project Unmute, a virtual, intergenerational music-based intervention for older adults with Alzheimer's disease and dementia. To assess the feasibility of the intervention, the research team calculated attendance of intervention sessions, assessed intervention preparation, and measured adherence during intervention delivery. Results: Eight adolescent musicians participated, ages 14-18. They attended 80/80 intervention sessions, were prepared for 32/32 mentorship sessions, and delivered 24/24 intervention ingredients. Conclusion: This research suggests that adolescent musicians have the potential to administer a well-defined music-based intervention with high adherence. There is potential for future research to explore the potential for the scalable population of adolescent musicians as successful facilitators of music-based interventions for older adults with Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Speech-Language Pathology Utilization for Patients With Oropharyngeal Dysphagia in Acute Care.

PURPOSE: Disparities in health care utilization are modifiable drivers of disparities in health outcomes but have not been explored regarding speech-language pathology utilization for patients with dysphagia. This study explores racial and ethnic disparities in the utilization of speech-language pathology services among adult patients diagnosed with oropharyngeal dysphagia during acute care hospitalizations. METHOD: We analyzed New York State Inpatient Data on acute care hospitalizations in 2019. We identified adults with a diagnosis of oropharyngeal dysphagia and determined whether they received speech-language pathology services via revenue center codes, which indicate receipt of a speech-language pathology evaluation or treatment. Using generalized estimating equations, we estimated the effect of race/ethnicity (White, Black, Hispanic, and Other race) on speech-language pathology utilization (yes, no) during the acute care hospitalization, controlling for patient clinical characteristics (e.g., acute diagnoses and clinical comorbidities), demographic characteristics (e.g., insurance status, rural-urban status), and health system factors (e.g., hospital size). Subgroup analyses were conducted for select primary diagnoses (i.e., stroke, sepsis, and aspiration pneumonia). RESULTS: We identified 56,198 individuals with a diagnosis of oropharyngeal dysphagia; 60.7% received speech-language pathology services. In the full sample analysis, the adjusted odds of speech-language pathology utilization were lower in Black relative to White individuals (odds ratio [OR] = 0.87 [0.76, 0.98], p = .026). Racial and ethnic disparities were present in the subgroup analyses, most notably for sepsis, where speech-language pathology utilization was significantly lower for Black, Hispanic, and Other race individuals (ORs from 0.61 to 0.77) relative to White individuals. CONCLUSIONS: We found evidence of racial and ethnic disparities in the utilization of speech-language pathology services for patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia in the acute care setting that varied by primary diagnosis. Further research is needed to replicate these findings and to begin to understand the reasons behind these disparities. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.26791741.

Beyond Discharge Disposition: A Scoping Review on Sociodemographic Disparities in Rehabilitation Use after Hip and Knee Arthroplasty.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this scoping review were to summarize the evidence regarding sex, racial, ethnic, geographic, and socioeconomic disparities in post-acute rehabilitation following total hip arthroplasty (THA) and knee arthroplasty (TKA). METHODS: Literature searches were conducted in Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and PEDro. Studies were included if they were original research articles published 1993 or later; used data from the US; included patients after THA and/or TKA; presented results according to relevant sociodemographic variables, including sex, race, ethnicity, geography, or socioeconomic status; and studied utilization of post-acute rehabilitation as an outcome. RESULTS: Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. Five examined disparities in inpatient rehabilitation and found that Black patients and women experience longer lengths of stay after arthroplasty, and women are less likely than men to be discharged home after inpatient THA rehabilitation. Four studies examined data from skilled nursing facilities and found that insurance type and dual eligibility impact length of stay and rates of community discharge but found conflicting results regarding racial disparities in skilled nursing facility utilization after TKA. Five studies examined home health data and noted that rural agencies provide less care after TKA. Results regarding racial disparities in home health utilization after arthroplasty were conflicting. Six studies of outpatient rehabilitation noted geographic differences in timing of outpatient rehabilitation but mixed results regarding race differences in outpatient rehabilitation. CONCLUSION: Current evidence indicates that sex, race, ethnicity, geography, and socioeconomic status are associated with disparities in post-acute rehabilitation use after arthroplasty. IMPACT: Rehabilitation providers across the post-acute continuum should be aware of disparities in the population of patients after arthroplasty and regularly assess social determinants of health and other factors that may contribute to disparities. Customized care plans should ensure optimal timing and amount of rehabilitation is provided, and advocate for patients who need additional care to achieve the desired functional outcome.

Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment Plus (SBIRT-Plus): A Novel Interprofessional Training for Rehabilitation Science Professional Students.

IMPORTANCE: With the increasing amount of substance use-related health conditions in the United States, it is important for rehabilitation science professionals to receive screening and prevention training. OBJECTIVE: To describe and examine the preliminary effectiveness of a novel educational program, Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment Plus (SBIRT-Plus), that combines traditional SBIRT training with new modules for cannabis, stimulant, and opioid use. DESIGN: Prospective, cohort design. SETTING: Academic institution. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred eighty-one rehabilitation science graduate students. INTERVENTION: SBIRT-Plus curriculum. OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Outcomes included satisfaction with training, perception of interprofessional training, attitudes, knowledge, and stigma, as assessed with the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale, Alcohol and Alcohol Problems Perception Questionnaire, Drug and Drug Problems Perception Questionnaire, Knowledge Screening Scale, and two stigma instruments. RESULTS: Most students (>80%) expressed satisfaction with their training, would recommend the training to a colleague, and believed that the training would influence and change the way they practiced with patients at risk for substance use disorders. Students' attitudes and knowledge increased from pre- to post-training, and stigma perceptions were significantly reduced. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: SBIRT-Plus is an evidence-based interprofessional training that is feasible to implement in graduate-level education programs. Integrating SBIRT-Plus into professional graduate programs may be an optimal and low-cost model for training rehabilitation health care professionals. Plain-Language Summary: Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment Plus (SBIRT-Plus) is an evidence-based interprofessional training that can be easily adopted in curricula to train professional students about the importance of screening for substance use disorders.

Moderating Effects of Informal Care on the Relationship Between ADL Limitations and Adverse Outcomes in Stroke Survivors.

BACKGROUND: Stroke survivors with limitations in activities of daily living (ADL) have a greater risk of experiencing falls, hospitalizations, or physical function decline. We examined how informal caregiving received in hours per week by stroke survivors moderated the relationship between ADL limitations and adverse outcomes. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort, community-dwelling participants were extracted from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (2011-2020; n=277) and included if they had at least 1 formal or informal caregiver and reported an incident stroke in the prior year. Participants reported the amount of informal caregiving received in the month prior (low [<5.8], moderate [5.8-27.1], and high [27.2-350.4] hours per week) and their number of ADL limitations (ranging from 0 to 7). Participants were surveyed 1 year later to determine the number of adverse outcomes (ie, falls, hospitalizations, and physical function decline) experienced over the year. Poisson regression coefficients were converted to average marginal effects and estimated the moderating effects of informal caregiving hours per week on the relationship between ADL limitations and adverse outcomes. RESULTS: Stroke survivors were 69.7% White, 54.5% female, with an average age of 80.5 (SD, 7.6) years and 1.2 adverse outcomes at 2 years after the incident stroke. The relationships between informal caregiving hours and adverse outcomes and between ADL limitations and adverse outcomes were positive. The interaction between informal caregiving hours per week and ADL limitations indicated that those who received the lowest amount of informal caregiving had a rate of 0.12 more adverse outcomes per ADL (average marginal effect, 0.12 [95% CI, 0.005-0.23]; P=0.041) than those who received the highest amounts. CONCLUSIONS: Informal caregiving hours moderated the relationship between ADL limitations and adverse outcomes in this sample of community-based stroke survivors. Higher amounts relative to lower amounts of informal caregiving hours per week may be protective by decreasing the rate of adverse outcomes per ADL limitation.

Patient, family caregiver, and economic outcomes of an integrated screening and novel stepped collaborative care intervention in the oncology setting in the USA (CARES): a randomised, parallel, phase 3 trial.

BACKGROUND: The current standard of care of screening and referring patients for treatment for symptoms, such as depression, pain, and fatigue, is not effective. This trial aimed to test the efficacy of an integrated screening and novel stepped collaborative care intervention versus standard of care for patients with cancer and at least one of the following symptoms: depression, pain, or fatigue. METHODS: This randomised, parallel, phase 3 trial was conducted in 29 oncology outpatient clinics associated with the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in the USA. Patients (aged ≥21 years) with any cancer type and clinical levels of depression, pain, or fatigue (or all of these) were eligible. Eligible family caregivers were aged 21 years or older and providing care to a patient diagnosed with cancer who consented for this study. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to stepped collaborative care or standard of care using a central, permuted block design (sizes of 2, 4, and 6) stratified by sex and prognostic status. The biostatistician, oncologists, and outcome assessors were masked to treatment assignment. Stepped collaborative care was once-weekly cognitive behavioural therapy for 50-60 min from a care coordinator via telemedicine (eg, telephone or videoconferencing). Pharmacotherapy for symptoms might be initiated or changed if recommended by the treatment team or preferred by the patient. Standard of care was screening and referral to a health-care provider for treatment of symptoms. The primary outcome was health-related quality of life in patients at 6 months. Maintenance of the treatment benefits was assessed at 12 months. Participants included in the primary analysis were per intention to treat, which included patients missing one or both follow-up assessments. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02939755). FINDINGS: Between Dec 5, 2016, and April 8, 2021, 459 patients and 190 family caregivers were enrolled. 222 patients were assigned to standard of care and 237 to stepped collaborative care. Of 459 patients, 201 (44%) were male and 258 (56%) were female. Patients in the stepped collaborative care group had a greater 0-6-month improvement in health-related quality of life than patients in the standard-of-care group (p=0·013, effect size 0·09). Health-related quality of life was maintained for the stepped collaborative care group (p=0·74, effect size 0·01). Patients in the stepped collaborative care group had greater 0-6-month improvements than the standard-of-care group in emotional (p=0·012), functional (p=0·042), and physical (p=0·033) wellbeing. No adverse events were reported by patients in either group and deaths were considered unrelated to the study. INTERPRETATION: An integrated screening and novel stepped collaborative care intervention, compared with the current standard of care, is recommended to improve health-related quality of life. The findings of this study will advance the implementation of guideline concordant care (screening and treatment) and has the potential to shift the practice of screening and treatment paradigm nationwide, improving outcomes for patients diagnosed with cancer. FUNDING: US National Cancer Institute.

Convergent, discriminant, and known groups validity of the Behavioral Assessment Screening Tool (BAST) in chronic traumatic brain injury.

The Behavioral Assessment Screening Tool (BAST) measures self-reported neurobehavioral symptoms commonly experienced by adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI). To assess the convergent, discriminant, and known-groups validity of the BAST among community-dwelling adults with chronic traumatic brain injury (TBI), we conducted correlation analyses and tests of group differences with previously validated symptom measures in two samples (n = 111, n = 134). Measures used for comparison were: Patient Health Questionnaire (depression), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (anxiety), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, Frontal Systems Behavior Scale (Executive Dysfunction, Apathy, Disinhibition), Modified Fatigue Impact Scale, PROMIS Fatigue, Aggression Questionnaire (anger, hostility, physical and verbal aggression), and Alcohol Use Disorders Test (alcohol misuse). BAST subscales had stronger correlations with measures of similar (|r|=.602-.828, p < .001) and related (|r|>.30, p < .001) constructs and weaker correlations (|r|<.300) with measures of dissimilar/unrelated constructs, supporting hypotheses of convergent and discriminant validity, respectively. Statistically significant group differences (p's < .001) in BAST subscales were found, with large effect sizes (Cohen's d = 1.2-1.9), for known-groups with moderate-severe depression, moderate-severe anxiety, clinically significant fatigue, problematic disinhibited and frontal-executive behaviors, and alcohol use. Conclusions: Results support the convergent and discriminant validity of the BAST subscales. The BAST was specifically developed as a self-reported measure for remote symptom reporting, supporting its incorporation into mobile health platforms to improve chronic symptom monitoring in community-dwelling adults with TBI. With further validation research, the BAST could be used for early identification of persons with TBI who could benefit from intervention.

Patient-report and caregiver-report measures of rehabilitation service use following acquired brain injury: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To review patient-report/caregiver-report measures of rehabilitation service use following acquired brain injury (ABI). DATA SOURCES: Medline, APA PsycINFO, Embase and CINAHL were searched on November 2021 and November 2022. Authors were contacted if measures were not included in manuscripts/appendices. STUDY SELECTION: Included articles were empirical research or a research protocol, available in English and described measures of patient report/caregiver report of rehabilitation service use post-ABI via quantitative or qualitative methods. Two reviewers independently screened 5290 records using DistillerSR. Discrepancies were resolved by team adjudication. DATA EXTRACTION: Data extraction was piloted with high levels of agreement (k=.94). Data were extracted by a single member with team meetings to seek guidance as needed. Data included administration characteristics (reporter, mode of administration, recall period), psychometric evidence and dimensions assessed (types of services, setting, frequency, duration, intensity, qualitative aspects). DATA SYNTHESIS: One hundred and fifty-two measures were identified from 85 quantitative, 56 qualitative and 3 psychometric studies. Psychometric properties were reported for four measures, all of which focused on satisfaction. Most measures inquired about the type of rehabilitation services used, with more than half assessing functional (eg, physical therapy) and behavioural health rehabilitation services, but fewer than half assessing community and academic reintegration (eg, special education, vocational rehabilitation) or cognitive (eg, neuropsychology) services. Fewer than half assessed qualitative aspects (eg, satisfaction). Recall periods ranged from 1 month to 'since the ABI event' or focused on current use. Of measures that could be accessed (n=71), many included a limited checklist of types of services used. Very few measures assessed setting, frequency, intensity or duration. CONCLUSIONS: Despite widespread interest, the vast majority of measures have not been validated and are limited in scope. Use of gold-standard psychometric methods to develop and validate a comprehensive patient-report/caregiver-report measure of rehabilitation service use would have wide-ranging implications for improving rehabilitation research in ABI.

Bidirectional temporal associations between sleep and affect and cognitive symptoms among community-dwelling stroke survivors: An ecological momentary assessment study.

INTRODUCTION: Sleep plays a critical role in daily functioning and stroke recovery but receives little attention in stroke rehabilitation. Sleep disturbances are linked to affective and cognitive impairments, but temporal associations between sleep and affect and cognitive symptoms are less clear. Understanding these temporal associations may inform new directions in intervention and prevention to support continued stroke recovery. OBJECTIVE: To examine the bidirectional temporal associations between sleep and affect and cognitive symptoms among community-dwelling stroke survivors. DESIGN: A secondary analysis of a longitudinal observational study involving 7 days of ecological momentary assessment (EMA), during which participants completed eight EMA surveys and a sleep diary per day. Multilevel modeling was used to analyze data. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling stroke survivors (N = 40). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: EMA measures of depressed affect, cheerful affect, and cognitive symptoms. Sleep quality and duration as measured using a sleep diary. RESULTS: Between-person sleep quality was negatively associated with next-day depressed affect (B = -.16; p = .028) and positively associated with next-day cheerful affect (B = .63; p < .001). Inversely, between-person depressed affect was negatively associated with next night sleep quality (B = -.77; p = .015), and vice versa for cheerful affect (between-person: B = .45; p < .001; within-person: B = .09; p = .008). Long sleep (>9 hours) was positively associated with next-day cognitive symptoms (B = .13; p = .002), whereas cognitive symptoms were associated with a higher odds of long sleep the following night (odds ratio [OR] = 0.25; p = .047). CONCLUSIONS: This study identified the bidirectional associations of sleep with affect and cognitive symptoms in the context of the everyday life of stroke survivors. The findings suggest that interventions addressing sleep quality and duration may impact affect and cognitive symptoms, and vice versa.

Using Single-Case Experimental Design and Patient-Reported Outcome Measures to Evaluate the Treatment of Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment in Clinical Practice.

Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) affects a large proportion of cancer survivors and has significant negative effects on survivor function and quality of life (QOL). Treatments for CRCI are being developed and evaluated. Memory and attention adaptation training (MAAT) is a cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) demonstrated to improve CRCI symptoms and QOL in previous research. The aim of this article is to describe a single-case experimental design (SCED) approach to evaluate interventions for CRCI in clinical practice with patient-reported outcome measures (PROs). We illustrate the use of contemporary SCED methods as a means of evaluating MAAT, or any CRCI treatment, once clinically deployed. With the anticipated growth of cancer survivorship and concurrent growth in the number of survivors with CRCI, the treatment implementation and evaluation methods described here can be one way to assess and continually improve CRCI rehabilitative services.

Evaluation of providers' assistive technology service delivery practices in Pakistan.

PURPOSE: Globally, one in three individuals needs at least one assistive product. The primary objective of this study was to conduct a survey of Pakistani rehabilitation service providers to determine what proportion provide assistive technology and if their characteristics (including geographical region, education, and experience) are associated with adherence to the service delivery process. The secondary objective was to determine if individuals that provide assistive technology adhere to a standard assistive technology service delivery process. The tertiary objective was to determine if the providers that adhered to a standard delivery process had characteristics that differed from the rest of the service providers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An online survey composed of multiple-choice questions was distributed to physiotherapists, community-based healthcare workers, and related rehabilitation professions through a convenience sampling method. SPSS Statistics was used to develop correlation matrices to determine Pearson's coefficient of number of steps, education level, experience level and continuing education received. RESULTS: There were 71 respondents from 4 Pakistani provinces. 53.5% of respondents stated they provide assistive technology. There was participation in most steps of the service delivery process. There is weak correlation between number of steps and education level, number of steps and experience level, and number of steps and continuing education received. CONCLUSIONS: While the majority of respondents provide assistive technology, a significant proportion (46.5%) don't. This may suggest there is a need for additional advocacy and awareness raising of the benefits of and how to access assistive technology in Pakistan.

Implications for RehabilitationPakistan implemented a Rapid Assistive Technology Assessment and determined that only 22% of the population that needs an assistive device has had their needs met.From a relatively small sample, this study investigated if there is a presence of assistive technology service delivery in Pakistan and whether traditional education, experience, or continuing education promotes participation in the assistive technology service delivery process.This study found a presence of assistive technology service delivery in Pakistan, but found weak correlations between participation in the service delivery process with traditional education, experience, and continuing education.These findings suggest that there is room for additional advocacy and awareness training on assistive technology in Pakistan.

The Psychometric Properties of the 9-Item Vestibular Activities Avoidance Instrument.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to establish the psychometric properties of the 9-Item Vestibular Activities Avoidance Instrument (VAAI-9), a patient-reported outcome measure developed to identify fear avoidance beliefs in persons with vestibular disorders. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 100 participants 18 years and older seeking care at a balance disorders clinic for dizziness. Participants completed the VAAI-9, the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), and other patient-reported outcomes at the initial visit and the 3-month follow-up. To measure test-retest reliability, the VAAI-9 was completed again 5 days after the initial visit and was analyzed using a 2-way mixed ICC for absolute agreement. Internal consistency was determined using the Cronbach alpha. The Spearman correlation coefficient was used to assess convergent validity of the VAAI-9 with other outcomes. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to identify baseline VAAI-9 cutoff scores for those who reported mild (DHI ≤ 30) or moderate or severe (DHI > 30) perceived disability at the 3-month follow-up. RESULTS: The mean age of the study cohort was 49 (SD = 16) years; 73 (73%) were women. Seventy-one participants completed the 5-day follow-up, and 68 completed the 3-month follow-up. The VAAI-9 demonstrated excellent internal consistency (α = 0.91) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.90). Baseline VAAI-9 scores had moderate to strong associations with other outcome measures at baseline and 3 months. A baseline VAAI-9 score of 26 or higher had a sensitivity of 80.6% and a specificity of 78.4% for identifying a DHI score of >30 at 3 months (area under the curve = 0.86). CONCLUSIONS: The results provide evidence of excellent reliability and validity for the 9-item VAAI in persons with vestibular disorders. A baseline VAAI-9 score of ≥26 identified individuals at risk of persistent moderate to severe disability due to dizziness. IMPACT: Initial levels of fear avoidance beliefs measured using the VAAI-9 provided important prognostic information about outcomes for persons with vestibular symptoms.

Parental perception of facilitators and barriers to health among young children with down syndrome: a qualitative study.

Background: Despite high rates of obesity and weight-related conditions observed in children with Down syndrome, little is known about how to prevent these conditions. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify parent-perceived facilitators and barriers to health for toddlers (12-36 months old) with Down syndrome. Materials and methods: We conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with the mothers of 25 toddlers with Down syndrome. All interviews were conducted using Zoom Video Technology, audio recorded and transcribed before being coded in NVivo software using a structured protocol. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes in perceived facilitators and barriers to health at the level of the child, family, and community. Data were triangulated using reflective journaling, video review of child meals, and member-checking techniques. Results: We identified unique themes for facilitators (on the move and sound sleep) and barriers (co-occurring conditions and eating behaviors) at the level of the child. At the level of the family and community, overarching themes that were viewed as either a facilitator or barrier, depending on the context, were identified (role models matter, time is critical, the importance of place, and social support). Conclusion: These themes can help clinicians and researchers tailor their health promotion interventions to meet the unique needs of children with Down syndrome by using strength-based approaches and providing families with the tools to overcome barriers.

Item Understanding of Common Quality of Life Measures for use with Autistic Adults.

Quality of life (QOL) and life satisfaction are important research priorities for autistic adults. As such, we saw a need to evaluate individual items of commonly used subjective QOL scales to understand how they are interpreted and perceived by autistic adults. This study used cognitive interviews and repeated sampling to evaluate the accessibility, test-retest reliability and internal consistency of several common QOL measures in a sample of young autistic adults (n = 20; aged 19-32). Cognitive interviews suggested that the Satisfaction with Life Scale was well understood and demonstrated excellent internal consistency and test-retest reliability. While the WHOQoL-BREF and WHOQoL Disability Modules had adequate reliability, cognitive interviews suggested that additional instructions and examples would further enhance their accessibility for use with autistic adults.

Evaluation of Face Validity and Acceptability of the Care Partner Hospital Assessment Tool.

Background and Objectives: Care partners of hospitalized older adults report their caregiving needs are not being addressed. The Care Partner Hospital Assessment Tool (CHAT) is a feasible and appropriate tool for practitioners' use with care partners in the hospital setting. This article explores the face validity and acceptability of the CHAT among care partners of hospitalized older adults. Research Design and Methods: A qualitative descriptive study was used to identify common themes among care partners' responses from semistructured interviews. The CHAT was administered to care partners of older adults admitted to a medical-surgical unit in an academic medical center in Madison, WI, from October 2021 to January 2022. A semistructured, follow-up interview was completed by the same care partners after discharge. Interviews were transcribed and coded for themes to capture overall impressions of the CHAT. Care partners addressed the usefulness, comfort, content, and complexity of the CHAT. Results: Twelve care partners participated in the study. Care partners reported that the CHAT was easy to understand and complete, was judged to be useful to both the care partner and older adult, and helped identify care partner needs. Care partners suggested ways to improve the tool including administration, additional content areas to include, and modes of delivery. Discussion and Implications: The results establish the face validity of the CHAT and support the acceptability of the tool for use with care partners of hospitalized older adults.

Psychometric properties of the International Society of Wheelchair Professionals' basic manual wheelchair-service-provision knowledge Test Version 1 and development of Version 2.

INTRODUCTION: Valid and reliable scores from measurement tools to test competency in basic manual wheelchair-service-provision are needed to promote good practice and support capacity building. The International Society of Wheelchair Professionals' (ISWP) Basic Test Version 1 in English, launched in 2015, is the most frequently used outcome measure tool to test basic manual wheelchair-service-provision knowledge and is part of an international certification process. Despite the wide acceptance and use of the test, its psychometric properties have not yet been established. The objectives of this study were 1) to evaluate the test's psychometric properties, 2) to develop the test's Version 2, and 3) to evaluate the content validity of the new version. METHODS: For Objective 1, methods from the Classical Test Theory were used to obtain items' difficulty, item discrimination index and domains' reliability. For Objective 2, a team of experts in wheelchair service delivery and education conducted a systematic qualitative review of the questions' text and answers and updated them using evidence-based guidelines. For Objective 3, an external team reviewed the clarity, relevance and domain allocation of the developed items using a 4-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics were used to describe and characterize the results for each objective. Item-content (I-CVI) and Scale-content (S-CVI) validity indexes were calculated to compute content validity. RESULTS: For Objective 1, all domains in the test were below the threshold for acceptable internal consistency reliability; 80% of the total test pool (116 items from the total pool of 145) did not meet the thresholds for item difficulty and index of discrimination suggested in the literature. Of the items in the Test, 78% could be responded to intuitively and 66% did not distinguish between test-takers who were knowledgeable in the content area and those who were not. For Objective 2, experts found concerns such as items being grouped in the wrong domain, being repeated, not using person-first language, and using terms inconsistently. Thirty-four (23.4%) items were dropped and 111 (76.5%) were updated. In addition, 61 new items were developed. Members re-categorized the items and proposed a new classification of subdomains. For Objective 3, good agreement between subject-matter experts was found; the S-CVI calculated using the I-CVIs related to item clarity was 84% while using the I-CVIs related to item relevance was 98%. Only 7 items (4.1%) were deemed to be in the wrong domain and 4 items (2.3%) were considered irrelevant and dropped. CONCLUSION: The psychometric evidence in support of ISWP Basic Test Version 1 in English is suboptimal. A new set of items developed by experts in the field has shown excellent content validity. Ongoing assessments will be needed as ISWP Basic Test Version 2 is implemented and monitored.

Reproducibility in Small-N Treatment Research: A Tutorial Using Examples From Aphasiology.

PURPOSE: Small-N studies are the dominant study design supporting evidence-based interventions in communication science and disorders, including treatments for aphasia and related disorders. However, there is little guidance for conducting reproducible analyses or selecting appropriate effect sizes in small-N studies, which has implications for scientific review, rigor, and replication. This tutorial aims to (a) demonstrate how to conduct reproducible analyses using effect sizes common to research in aphasia and related disorders and (b) provide a conceptual discussion to improve the reader's understanding of these effect sizes. METHOD: We provide a tutorial on reproducible analyses of small-N designs in the statistical programming language R using published data from Wambaugh et al. (2017). In addition, we discuss the strengths, weaknesses, reporting requirements, and impact of experimental design decisions on effect sizes common to this body of research. RESULTS: Reproducible code demonstrates implementation and comparison of within-case standardized mean difference, proportion of maximal gain, tau-U, and frequentist and Bayesian mixed-effects models. Data, code, and an interactive web application are available as a resource for researchers, clinicians, and students. CONCLUSIONS: Pursuing reproducible research is key to promoting transparency in small-N treatment research. Researchers and clinicians must understand the properties of common effect size measures to make informed decisions in order to select ideal effect size measures and act as informed consumers of small-N studies. Together, a commitment to reproducibility and a keen understanding of effect sizes can improve the scientific rigor and synthesis of the evidence supporting clinical services in aphasiology and in communication sciences and disorders more broadly. Supplemental Material and Open Science Form: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21699476.

Examining Real-World Therapy Practice of Cognitive Screening and Assessment in Post-Acute Care.

OBJECTIVES: Routine implementation of cognitive screening and assessment by therapy providers in post-acute settings may promote improved care coordination. This study examined the frequency of cognitive screening and assessment documentation across post-acute settings, as well as its relationship with contextual factors and outcomes. DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study using Medicare claims and electronic health record data from 1 large health system. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Older adults admitted to post-acute care after an acute hospitalization. METHODS: Descriptive analysis examined documentation of cognitive screening and assessment. Logistic and hierarchical linear regression evaluated the relationship among patient factors, cognitive screening and assessment, and patient outcomes. RESULTS: The most common admission diagnoses for the final sample (n=2535) were total hip or knee joint replacement (41.7%) and stroke (15.3%). Following acute hospitalization, patients were discharged to inpatient rehabilitation (22.6%), skilled nursing (9.3%), or home health (68.1%). During the post-acute care stay, 38% of patients had documentation of cognitive screening by any therapy discipline. Patterns of documentation varied across disciplines and post-acute settings. Documentation of standardized cognitive assessments was limited, occurring for less than 2% of patients. Admission for stroke was associated with significantly higher odds of cognitive screening or assessment [odds ratio (OR) 2.07, 95% CI 1.13, 3.82] compared to patients with other diagnoses. There was no significant relationship between documentation of cognitive screening or assessment and 30-day readmissions (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.53, 1.28). CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The key finding was inconsistent documentation of cognitive screening and assessment across disciplines and post-acute settings, which could be in part due to variation in electronic health record platforms. Future work can expand on these results to understand the degree to which contextual factors facilitate or inhibit routine delivery and documentation of cognitive screening and assessment. Findings can support implementation of standardized data elements to lead to improved care coordination and outcomes.

The Behavioral Assessment Screening Tool for Mobile Health (BASTmHealth): Development and Compliance in 2 Weeks of Daily Reporting in Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury.

OBJECTIVES: To develop and evaluate the feasibility of a short form of the Behavioral Assessment Screening Tool (BASTmHealth) for high frequency in situ self-reported assessment of neurobehavioral symptoms using mobile health technology for community-dwelling adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI). DESIGN: Prospective, repeated-measures study of mHealth assessment of self-reported neurobehavioral symptoms in adults with and without a lifetime history of TBI over a 2-week period. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling adults with (n=52) and without (n=12) a lifetime TBI history consented to the study (N=64). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: BASTmHealth subscales (2-items each): negative affect, fatigue, executive function, substance abuse, impulsivity; feasibility measured via compliance (assessments assigned/assessments completed) and participant-reported usability. RESULTS: We developed the 10-item BASTmHealth as a screener for high frequency in situ self-reported assessment of neurobehavioral symptoms leveraging mHealth. Compliance for 2 weeks of BASTmHealth supports its feasibility. Fifty-six of 64 participants (87.5%) who completed baseline assessments completed the 2 weeks of daily assessments; all 8 participants who did not complete ecological momentary assessment had a history of TBI. Overall compliance was 81.4% (496 completed of 609 assigned assessments) among all 52 participants with TBI and 96.7% (494 completed of 511 assigned assessments) among the 44 who completed any daily measures, compared with 91.8% (135 completed of 147 assigned assessments) among those with no TBI history. Participants thought the daily surveys were easy to understand and complete and the number of prompts were reasonable. CONCLUSIONS: Conducting daily high-frequency in situ self-reported assessment of neurobehavioral symptoms using the BASTmHealth is feasible among individuals with and without a lifetime history of TBI. Developing and evaluating self-reported assessments for community-based assessment is a critical step toward expanding remote clinical monitoring systems to improve post-TBI outcomes.

Cut points and sensitivity to change of the Enfranchisement scale of the Community Participation Indicators in adults with traumatic brain injury.

BACKGROUND: Community participation is an important outcome of rehabilitation following traumatic brain injury. Yet, few measures assess inclusion and belonging (enfranchisement) as a dimension of community participation. The Enfranchisement scale of the Community Participation Indicators addresses this need. However, research on its psychometric properties is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To examine cut points and sensitivity to change of the Enfranchisement scale of the Community Participation Indicators in adults with traumatic brain injury. DESIGN: This was a repeated measures study with assessments administered twice (3 months apart). SETTING: Assessments were administered either over the phone, virtually (Zoom), or in person at the participant's home. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 44 participants from community settings who had either experienced a traumatic brain injury within the previous year or were receiving rehabilitation interventions were recruited. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The Enfranchisement scale has two subscales: the Control subscale (range: 13-65) and the Importance subscale (range: 14-70). On both subscales, lower scores indicate better enfranchisement. METHODS: The software SAS PROC Logistic and the macro %ROCPlot were used to examine cut points at varying levels of sensitivity and specificity. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve was calculated to determine overall classification accuracy. Minimum detectable change and minimal clinically important difference were also calculated. RESULTS: For the Control subscale, a cut point of 44 (area under the curve = .75), a minimum detectable change of 8, and a minimal clinically important difference of 5 were found. For the Importance subscale, a cut point of 39 (area under the curve = .81), a minimum detectable change of 8, and a minimal clinically important difference of 5 were found. CONCLUSIONS: The cut points resulted in good classification accuracy, providing support for their reliability. The results provided evidence that both subscales are sensitive to change in adults with brain injury.