Complementary medicine in nursing homes--results of a mixed methods pilot study.

BACKGROUND: 'Kneipp Therapy' (KT) is a form of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) that includes a combination of hydrotherapy, herbal medicine, mind-body medicine, physical activities, and healthy eating. Since 2007, some nursing homes for older adults in Germany began to integrate CAM in the form of KT in care. The study investigated how KT is used in daily routine care and explored the health status of residents and caregivers involved in KT. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional pilot study with a mixed methods approach that collected both quantitative and qualitative data in four German nursing homes in 2011. Assessments in the quantitative component included the Quality of Life in Dementia (QUALIDEM), the Short Form 12 Health Survey (SF-12), the Barthel-Index for residents and the Work Ability Index (WAI) and SF-12 for caregivers. The qualitative component addressed the residents' and caregivers' subjectively experienced changes after integration of KT. It was conceptualized as an ethnographic rapid appraisal by conducting participant observation and semi-structured interviews in two of the four nursing homes. RESULTS: The quantitative component included 64 residents (53 female, 83.2 ± 8.1 years (mean and SD)) and 29 caregivers (all female, 42.0 ± 11.7 years). Residents were multimorbid (8 ± 3 diagnoses), and activities of daily living were restricted (Barthel-Index 60.6 ± 24.4). The caregivers' results indicated good work ability (WAI 37.4 ± 5.1), health related quality of life was superior to the German sample (SF-12 physical CSS 49.2 ± 8.0; mental CSS 54.1 ± 6.6). Among both caregivers and residents, 89% considered KT to be positive for well-being.The qualitative analysis showed that caregivers perceived emotional and functional benefits from more content and calmer residents, a larger variety in basic care practices, and a more self-determined scope of action. Residents reported gains in attention and caring, and recognition of their lay knowledge. CONCLUSION: Residents showed typical characteristics of nursing home inhabitants. Caregivers demonstrated good work ability. Both reported to have benefits from KT. The results provide a good basis for future projects, e.g. controlled studies to evaluate the effects of CAM in nursing homes.

Impact of cross-calibration methods on the interpretation of a treatment comparison study using 2 depression scales.

BACKGROUND: Many questionnaires assessing depressive symptoms are available. Most of these questionnaires are constructed based on classical test theory, making comparisons of individual scores difficult. Item response theory (IRT) allows the comparison of scores from different instruments. In this study, the impact of IRT-based cross-calibration methods on the results of a treatment outcome study was evaluated using 2 instruments. METHODS: Data collected during admission and discharge procedures from 1066 inpatients in 2 psychosomatic clinics using different depression measures were analyzed. To achieve comparability across the applied depression measures, we used an IRT-based conversion table to transform scores from one instrument's scale to the other. Latent trait values were also estimated using different instruments in each clinic. We compared these methods to the traditional approach of using the same instrument in both clinics and examined their effects on the statistical analyses. RESULTS: There was no substantial change in the interpretation of the study results when different instruments were used. However, F values, P values, and effect sizes in the analysis of variance changed significantly. This might be attributed to differences in the content or measurement properties of the instruments. Interestingly, no difference was observed between use of transformed sum scores and latent trait values. CONCLUSIONS: IRT cross-calibration methods are a convenient way to enhance the comparability of questionnaire data in applied clinical settings but seem not to be able to overcome differences in measurement properties of the instruments. As these differences can lead to biased results, there is a need for further research into more advanced techniques.

[Retest-reliability and sensitivity to change of the ICD-10-Symptom-Rating (ISR) in different samples]. / Retest-Reliabilität und Änderungssensitivität des ICD-10-Symptom-Rating (ISR) in verschiedenen Stichproben.

Assessment of the retest-reliability and sensitivity to change of the ICD-10-Symptom-Rating (ISR) is provided. The ISR was filled out repeatedly by a non-clinical as well as different samples of psychosomatic patients. Between the two measurements either no or an integrated psychosomatic treatment took place. During the treatment free phase a high degree of stability of the test scores was expected, whereas a significant improvement of test scores was expected for the respective scales over the treatment phase. The retest-reliability for the individual scales ranges from 0.70 to 0.94. Between admission to a psychosomatic treatment and discharge significant differences were found for all scales. The retest-reliability showed satisfactory results comparable to similar, symptom-oriented instruments. Furthermore, the instruments reproduces symptomatic changes consistently and is - from our point of view - suitable for the assessment of change.

[Factor structure and psychometric properties of the ICD-10-Symptom-Rating (ISR) in samples of psychosomatic patients]. / Faktorstruktur und psychometrische Eigenschaften des ICD-10-Symptom-Rating (ISR) an Stichproben psychosomatischer Patienten.

The ICD-10-Symptom-Rating (ISR) is a self-rating questionnaire for patients. According to its conceptualization, the instrument was developed to closely represent the syndrome structure of the ICD-10 while assessing the extent of psychological distress an individual suffers from. The results of different factor analyses testing the postulated syndrome structure as well as item and scale characteristics are reported here. Data was collected from a consecutive sample of 1 057 psychosomatic patients of the University Hospital Charité Berlin. Evaluation of the dimensional structure of the questionnaire included exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses each computed with a randomized half of the sample. Multi-Sample-Analyses with different subgroups of the sample were performed to test the stability of the factor structure. The individual factors were constituted by the postulated syndrome units of the ICD-10 involving a high and uniform distribution of accounted variance. They also proved themselves satisfactorily stable over the different subsamples. The scales showed a high degree of internal consistency with relatively small gender and age effects, while psychological disorders had a large effect on the means of the scales. Taking a perspective of test theory, the ICD-10-Symptom-Rating is in accordance with the syndrome structure of the ICD-10 and suitable for the assessment of psychological symptoms. Other aspects pertaining to the reliability and validity of the ISR remain to be proven in future research.

Complementary and Integrative Medicine in Nursing Homes: Results of a Cross-Sectional Study in Residents and Caregivers.

OBJECTIVE: Some nursing homes for the elderly in Germany integrate complex complementary and integrative medicine interventions in the form of hydrotherapy, herbal and mind-body therapies, physical activities, and healthy eating, known as Kneipp therapy (KT), in care. This pilot study explored health- and work-related characteristics and acceptance of KT amongst residents and caregivers. METHODS: Within a mixed-methods cross-sectional study in nursing homes who had integrated KT, we assessed work ability, psychosocial burden at work and health-related quality of life of caregivers, as well as a broad selection of health-related data of residents by questionnaires and assessments. Data were analyzed descriptively. RESULTS: The data from 29 female caregivers (42.0 ± 11.7 years) and 64 residents (83.2 ± 8.1 years) were analyzed. Both caregivers (96%) and residents (89%) considered KT to be beneficial for health and well-being. Ninety percent of the caregivers indicated an improved relationship to residents since implementing KT. Caregivers showed a good work ability and quality of life. Residents attained remarkable ratings in social relation and affect-related aspects of quality of life. CONCLUSION: The results of this cross-sectional study indicate a high acceptance of integrating KT by residents and caregivers. The effectiveness and safety of KT should be explored in further comparative studies.