Survey of Challenges, Goals, and Interventions for Patients With Lymphoma During Aftercare Consultation: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study.

This study described the challenges, personal goals, and interventions of patients with lymphoma in various domains of life that emerged from an aftercare consultation based on shared decision-making principles with a nurse practitioner. A cross-sectional exploratory design was used with a sample of 49 patients. Challenges, goals, and interventions were measured based on 4 domains of life: "my health," "my activities," "my environment" and "my own way." Most challenges were experienced in the domain of "my health," which included a loss of physical condition, reduced muscle strength, and fatigue. Patients set personal goals related to the experienced challenges, such as restoring physical condition to prediagnosis levels. Accordingly, 45 patients (84%) chose an intervention to improve physical condition and muscle strength and 33 patients (67%) chose to be referred to specialized care.

Measure It Super Simple (MISS) activity tracker: (re)design of a user-friendly interface and evaluation of experiences in daily life.

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were, first, to (re)design the user-interface of the activity tracker known as the MOX with the help of input from elderly individuals living independently and, second, to assess the use of and experiences with the adapted Measure It Super Simple (MISS) activity tracker in daily life. METHODS: The double diamond method, which was used to (re)design the user-interface, consists of four phases: discover, define, develop, and deliver. As a departure point, this study used a list of general design requirements that facilitate the development of technology for the elderly. Usage and experiences were assessed through interviews after elderly individuals had used the activity tracker for 2 weeks. RESULTS: In co-creation with thirty-five elderly individuals (65 to 89-years-old) the design, feedback system, and application were further developed into a user-friendly interface: the Measure It Super Simple (MISS) activity. Twenty-eight elderly individuals (65 to 78-years-old) reported that they found the MISS activity easy to use, needed limited help when setting the tracker up, and required limited assistance when using it during their daily lives. CONCLUSIONS: This study offers a generic structured methodology and a list of design requirements to adapt the interface of an existing activity tracker consistent with the skills and needs of the elderly. The MISS activity seemed to be successfully (re)designed, like the elderly who participated in this pilot study reported that anyone should be able to use it.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONThis study provides an overview of important characteristics of the activity tracker interface for elderly individuals that can be used when choosing an appropriate activity tracker.This study can serve as a model that demonstrates how to adapt other eHealth and mHealth tools to improve the user-centred design.The MISS activity seems to be an elderly-friendly activity tracker that can facilitate a meaningful experience.

Using an Activity Tracker in Healthcare: Experiences of Healthcare Professionals and Patients.

Despite the increased use of activity trackers, little is known about how they can be used in healthcare settings. This study aimed to support healthcare professionals and patients with embedding an activity tracker in the daily clinical practice of a specialized mental healthcare center and gaining knowledge about the implementation process. An action research design was used to let healthcare professionals and patients learn about how and when they can use an activity tracker. Data collection was performed in the specialized center with audio recordings of conversations during therapy, reflection sessions with the therapists, and semi-structured interviews with the patients. Analyses were performed by directed content analyses. Twenty-eight conversations during therapy, four reflection sessions, and eleven interviews were recorded. Both healthcare professionals and patients were positive about the use of activity trackers and experienced it as an added value. Therapists formulated exclusion criteria for patients, a flowchart on when to use the activity tracker, defined goals, and guidance on how to discuss (the data of) the activity tracker. The action research approach was helpful to allow therapists to learn and reflect with each other and embed the activity trackers into their clinical practice at a specialized mental healthcare center.

The Validation of a Pocket Worn Activity Tracker for Step Count and Physical Behavior in Older Adults during Simulated Activities of Daily Living.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to validate optimized algorithm parameter settings for step count and physical behavior for a pocket worn activity tracker in older adults during ADL. Secondly, for a more relevant interpretation of the results, the performance of the optimized algorithm was compared to three reference applications. METHODS: In a cross-sectional validation study, 20 older adults performed an activity protocol based on ADL with MOXMissActivity versus MOXAnnegarn, activPAL, and Fitbit. The protocol was video recorded and analyzed for step count and dynamic, standing, and sedentary time. Validity was assessed by percentage error (PE), absolute percentage error (APE), Bland-Altman plots and correlation coefficients. RESULTS: For step count, the optimized algorithm had a mean APE of 9.3% and a correlation coefficient of 0.88. The mean APE values of dynamic, standing, and sedentary time were 15.9%, 19.9%, and 9.6%, respectively. The correlation coefficients were 0.55, 0.91, and 0.92, respectively. Three reference applications showed higher errors and lower correlations for all outcome variables. CONCLUSION: This study showed that the optimized algorithm parameter settings can more validly estimate step count and physical behavior in older adults wearing an activity tracker in the trouser pocket during ADL compared to reference applications.

Profiling of Patients with COPD for Adequate Referral to Exercise-Based Care: The Dutch Model.

A loss of physical functioning (i.e., a low physical capacity and/or a low physical activity) is a common feature in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). To date, the primary care physiotherapy and specialized pulmonary rehabilitation are clearly underused, and limited to patients with a moderate to very severe degree of airflow limitation (GOLD stage 2 or higher). However, improved referral rates are a necessity to lower the burden for patients with COPD and for society. Therefore, a multidisciplinary group of healthcare professionals and scientists proposes a new model for referral of patients with COPD to the right type of exercise-based care, irrespective of the degree of airflow limitation. Indeed, disease instability (recent hospitalization, yes/no), the burden of disease (no/low, mild/moderate or high), physical capacity (low or preserved) and physical activity (low or preserved) need to be used to allocate patients to one of the six distinct patient profiles. Patients with profile 1 or 2 will not be referred for physiotherapy; patients with profiles 3-5 will be referred for primary care physiotherapy; and patients with profile 6 will be referred for screening for specialized pulmonary rehabilitation. The proposed Dutch model has the intention to get the right patient with COPD allocated to the right type of exercise-based care and at the right moment.

Patients' experiences with commercially available activity trackers embedded in physiotherapy treatment: a qualitative study.

Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the experience with commercially available activity trackers embedded in the physiotherapy treatment of patients with a chronic disease.Methods: In a qualitative study, 29 participants with a chronic disease participated. They wore an activity tracker for two to eight weeks. Data were collected using 23 interviews and discussion with 6 participants. A framework analysis was used to analyze the data.Results: The framework analysis resulted in seven categories: purchase, instruction, characteristics, correct functioning, sharing data, privacy, use, and interest in feedback. The standard goal of the activity trackers was experienced as too high, however the tracker still motivated them to be more active. Participants would have liked more guidance from their physiotherapists because they experienced the trackers as complex. Participants experienced some technical failures, are willing to share data with their physiotherapist and, want to spend a maximum of €50,-.Conclusion: The developed framework gives insight into all important concepts from the experiences reported by patients with a chronic disease and can be used to guide further research and practice. Patients with a chronic disease were positive regarding activity trackers in general. When embedded in physiotherapy, more attention should be paid to the integration in treatment.Implications for rehabilitationActivity trackers are perceived by patients with a chronic disease, as motivating them to be more physically active and to reach daily activity goals.The standard goal of 10.000 steps of the activity trackers is often perceived as too high, patients with a chronic disease would like to make a personal activity goal together with their physiotherapist.Patients with a chronic disease experience commercially available activity trackers often as too complex for their technical skills, they would like more guidance from their physiotherapist about the use and interpretation of an activity tracker.

Counting Steps in Activities of Daily Living in People With a Chronic Disease Using Nine Commercially Available Fitness Trackers: Cross-Sectional Validity Study.

BACKGROUND: Measuring physical activity with commercially available activity trackers is gaining popularity. People with a chronic disease can especially benefit from knowledge about their physical activity pattern in everyday life since sufficient physical activity can contribute to wellbeing and quality of life. However, no validity data are available for this population during activities of daily living. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the validity of 9 commercially available activity trackers for measuring step count during activities of daily living in people with a chronic disease receiving physiotherapy. METHODS: The selected activity trackers were Accupedo (Corusen LLC), Activ8 (Remedy Distribution Ltd), Digi-Walker CW-700 (Yamax), Fitbit Flex (Fitbit inc), Lumoback (Lumo Bodytech), Moves (ProtoGeo Oy), Fitbit One (Fitbit inc), UP24 (Jawbone), and Walking Style X (Omron Healthcare Europe BV). In total, 130 persons with chronic diseases performed standardized activity protocols based on activities of daily living that were recorded on video camera and analyzed for step count (gold standard). The validity of the trackers' step count was assessed by correlation coefficients, t tests, scatterplots, and Bland-Altman plots. RESULTS: The correlations between the number of steps counted by the activity trackers and the gold standard were low (range: -.02 to .33). For all activity trackers except for Fitbit One, a significant systematic difference with the gold standard was found for step count. Plots showed a wide range in scores for all activity trackers; Activ8 showed an average overestimation and the other 8 trackers showed underestimations. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the validity of 9 commercially available activity trackers is low measuring steps while individuals with chronic diseases receiving physiotherapy engage in activities of daily living.

Determination of the smallest detectable change (SDC) and the minimal important difference (MID) for the Small Fiber Neuropathy Screening List (SFNSL) in sarcoidosis.

Background: Previous studies found that 40-60% of the sarcoidosis patients suffer from small fiber neuropathy (SFN), substantially affecting quality of life. SFN is difficult to diagnose, as a gold standard is still lacking. The need for an easily administered screening instrument to identify sarcoidosis-associated SFN symptoms led to the development of the SFN Screening List (SFNSL). The usefulness of any questionnaire in clinical management and research trials depends on its interpretability. Obtaining a clinically relevant change score on a questionnaire requires that the smallest detectable change (SDC) and minimal important difference (MID) are known. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the SDC and MID for the SFNSL in patients with sarcoidosis. Methods: Patients with neurosarcoidosis and/or sarcoidosis-associated SFN symptoms (N=138) included in the online Dutch Neurosarcoidosis Registry participated in a prospective, longitudinal study. Anchor-based and distribution-based methods were used to estimate the MID and SDC, respectively. Results: The SFNSL was completed both at baseline and at 6-months' follow-up by 89/138 patients. A marginal ROC curve (0.6) indicated cut-off values of 3.5 points, with 73% sensitivity and 49% specificity for change. The SDC was 11.8 points. Conclusions: The MID on the SFNSL is 3.5 points for a clinically relevant change over a 6-month period. The MID can be used in the follow-up and management of SFN-associated symptoms in patients with sarcoidosis, though with some caution as the SDC was found to be higher. (Sarcoidosis Vasc Diffuse Lung Dis 2018; 35: 333-341).

Clinical Practice Guideline for Physical Therapy Assessment and Treatment in Patients With Nonspecific Neck Pain.

The Royal Dutch Society for Physical Therapy (KNGF) issued a clinical practice guideline for physical therapists that addresses the assessment and treatment of patients with nonspecific neck pain, including cervical radiculopathy, in Dutch primary care. Recommendations were based on a review of published systematic reviews.During the intake, the patient is screened for serious pathologies and corresponding patterns. Patients with cervical radiculopathy can be included or excluded through corresponding signs and symptoms and possibly diagnostic tests (Spurling test, traction/distraction test, and Upper Limb Tension Test). History taking is done to gather information about patients' limitations, course of pain, and prognostic factors (eg, coping style) and answers to health-related questions.In case of a normal recovery (treatment profile A), management should be hands-off, and patients should receive advice from the physical therapist and possibly some simple exercises to supplement "acting as usual."In case of a delayed/deviant recovery (treatment profile B), the physical therapist is advised to use, in addition to the recommendations for treatment profile A, forms of mobilization and/or manipulation in combination with exercise therapy. Other interventions may also be considered. The physical therapist is advised not to use dry needling, low-level laser, electrotherapy, ultrasound, traction, and/or a cervical collar.In case of a delayed/deviant recovery with clear and/or dominant psychosocial prognostic factors (treatment profile C), these factors should first be addressed by the physical therapist, when possible, or the patient should be referred to a specialist, when necessary.In case of neck pain grade III (treatment profile D), the therapy resembles that for profile B, but the use of a cervical collar for pain reduction may be considered. The advice is to use it sparingly: only for a short period per day and only for a few weeks.

Validity, reliability and feasibility of commercially available activity trackers in physical therapy for people with a chronic disease: a study protocol of a mixed methods research.

BACKGROUND: For older people and people with a chronic disease, physical activity provides health benefits. Patients and healthcare professionals can use commercially available activity trackers to objectively monitor (alterations in) activity levels and patterns and to support physical activity. However, insight in the validity, reliability, and feasibility of these trackers in people with a chronic disease is needed. In this article, a study protocol is described in which the validity, reliability (part A), and feasibility from a patient and therapist's point of view (part B) of commercially available activity trackers in daily life and health care is investigated. METHODS: In part A, a quantitative cross-sectional study, an activity protocol that simulates everyday life activities will be used to determine the validity and reliability of nine commercially available activity trackers. Video recordings will act as the gold standard. In part B, a qualitative participatory action research study will be performed to gain insight in the use of activity trackers in peoples' daily life and therapy settings. Objective feasibility of the activity trackers will be measured with questionnaires, and subjective feasibility (experiences) will be explored in a community of practice. Physical therapists (n = 8) will regularly meet during 6 months to learn from each other regarding the actual use of activity trackers in therapy. Therapists and patients (n = 48) will decide together which tracker will be used in therapy and for which purpose (e.g., monitoring, goal setting). Data from the therapist' and patients' experiences will be collected by interviews (individual and focus groups) and analyzed by a directed content analysis. At the time of submission, selection of activity trackers, development of the activity protocol, and the ethical approval process are finished. Data collection and data processing are ongoing. DISCUSSION: The relevance of the study as well as the advantages and disadvantages of several aspects of the chosen design are discussed. The results acquired from both study parts can be used to create decision aids that may assist therapists and people with a chronic disease in choosing a suitable activity tracker, and to facilitate use of these activity trackers in health care settings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Ethical approval has been obtained from two medical-ethical committees (nr. 15-N-109, 15-N-48 and MEC-15-07).

Phenotypic Variation in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Primary Care.

Introduction. Despite the high number of inactive patients with COPD, not all inactive patients are referred to physical therapy, unlike recommendations of general practitioner (GP) guidelines. It is likely that GPs take other factors into account, determining a subpopulation that is treated by a physical therapist (PT). The aim of this study is to explore the phenotypic differences between inactive patients treated in GP practice and inactive patients treated in GP practice combined with PT. Additionally this study provides an overview of the phenotype of patients with COPD in PT practice. Methods. In a cross-sectional study, COPD patient characteristics were extracted from questionnaires. Differences regarding perceived health status, degree of airway obstruction, exacerbation frequency, and comorbidity were studied in a subgroup of 290 inactive patients and in all 438 patients. Results. Patients treated in GP practice combined with PT reported higher degree of airway obstruction, more exacerbations, more vascular comorbidity, and lower health status compared to patients who were not referred to and treated by a PT. Conclusion. Unequal patient phenotypes in different primary care settings have important clinical implications. It can be carefully concluded that other factors, besides the level of inactivity, play a role in referral to PT.

Efficacy of a physical exercise training programme COPD in primary care: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is recognized as a systemic illness with significant extra-pulmonary features, such as exercise intolerance and muscle weakness. Pulmonary rehabilitation has been shown to be very effective in counteracting these consequences in patients with more advanced COPD. However, limited data is available on the efficacy of a physical exercise training programme in patients with mild to moderate COPD in primary care. Furthermore, it is unknown if improved exercise capacity translates into enhanced daily physical activities. The aim of this paper is to describe the design of a randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of a physical exercise training programme in patients with mild to moderate COPD. METHODS/DESIGN: In this randomized controlled trial situated in the primary care setting, 102 patients with mild to moderate airflow obstruction (FEV1 ≥ 50% of predicted), dyspnoea and a physically inactive lifestyle will be randomized to an intervention or control group. The intervention group receives a 4-month physical exercise training programme at a local physiotherapy practice, which includes exercise training, resistance training, breathing exercises and advises on how to increase the level of physical activity. The control group receives usual care, i.e. advises on how to increase the level of physical activity and a sham treatment at a local physiotherapy practice of which no physiological training stimulus can be expected. Primary outcome is functional exercise capacity at 4-months measured on the six-minute walk distance. Secondary outcomes include peripheral muscle strength, physical activity in daily life, health related quality of life, Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnoea score and patients' perceived effectiveness. Follow-up measurement will take place at 6 months after baseline. DISCUSSION: This will be one of the first studies to evaluate the efficacy of a physical exercise training programme in patients with mild to moderate COPD completely recruited and assessed in primary care. The results of this trial may give a unique insight into the potential of the implementation of an easy, close-to-home rehabilitation programme. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The Netherlands National Trial Register NTR1471.

Exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease receiving physical therapy: a cohort-nested randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Physical exercise training aims at reducing disease-specific impairments and improving quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD exacerbations in particular negatively impact COPD progression. Physical therapy intervention seems indicated to influence exacerbations and their consequences. However, information on the effect of physical therapy on exacerbation occurrence is scarce. This study aims to investigate the potential of a protocol-directed physical therapy programme as a means to prevent or postpone exacerbations, to shorten the duration or to decrease the severity of exacerbations in patients with COPD who have recently experienced an exacerbation. Besides, this study focuses on the effect of protocol-directed physical therapy on health status and quality of life and on cost-effectiveness and cost-utility in patients with COPD who have recently experienced an exacerbation. METHODS/DESIGN: A prospective cohort of 300 COPD patients in all GOLD stages will be constructed. Patients will receive usual multidisciplinary COPD care including guideline-directed physical therapy. Patients in this cohort who have GOLD stage 2 to 4 (post-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC < 0.7 and FEV1 < 80% of predicted), who receive reimbursement by health insurance companies for physical therapy (post-bronchodilator Tiffeneau-index < 0.6) and who experience a COPD exacerbation will be asked within 56 days to participate in a cohort-nested prospective randomised controlled trial (RCT). In this RCT, the intervention group will receive a strict physical therapy programme for patients with COPD. This protocol-directed physical therapy (pdPT) will be compared to a control group that will receive sham-treatment, meaning no or very low-intensity exercise training (ST). An economic evaluation will be embedded in the RCT. Anthropometric measurements, comorbidities, smoking, functional exercise capacity, peripheral muscle strength, physical activity level, health related quality of life, patients' perceived benefit, physical therapy compliance, motivation level, level of effective mucus clearance, exacerbation symptoms and health care contacts due to COPD will be recorded. Follow-up measurements are scheduled at 3 and 6 weeks, 3, 6, 12 and 24 months after inclusion. DISCUSSION: Ways to minimise potential problems regarding the execution of this study will be discussed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The Netherlands National Trial Register NTR1972.

The first reference equations for the 6-minute walk distance over a 10 m course.

RATIONALE: As primary care practice space is mostly limited to 10 m, the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) over a 10 m course is a frequently used alternative to evaluate patients' performance in COPD. Considering that course length significantly affects distance walked in 6 minutes (6MWD), this study aims to develop appropriate reference equations for the 10 m 6MWT. METHODS: 181 healthy subjects, aged 40-90 years, performed two standardised 6MWTs over a straight 10 m course in a cross-sectional study. RESULTS: Average distance achieved was 578±108 m and differed between males and females (p<0.001). Resulting sex-specific reference equations from multiple regression analysis included age, body mass index and change in heart rate, explaining 62% of the variance in 6MWD for males and 71% for females. CONCLUSIONS: The presented reference equations are the first to evaluate 6MWD over a 10 m course and expand the usefulness of the 6MWT.

Course length of 30 metres versus 10 metres has a significant influence on six-minute walk distance in patients with COPD: an experimental crossover study.

QUESTIONS: Do patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) achieve a different distance on the six minute walk test (6MWT) conducted on a 10m course versus on a 30m course? When assessing the distance on a 6MWT conducted on a 10m course, is it valid to use existing reference equations that were generated on longer courses? DESIGN: A randomised double-crossover experimental study. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-five patients with COPD in primary physiotherapy care. INTERVENTION: All patients performed a 6MWT twice over a 10m course and twice over a 30m course. The 6MWTs were performed in accordance with the American Thoracic Society guidelines. OUTCOME MEASURES: 6MWD was assessed and predicted distance was calculated based on a range of reference equations. RESULTS: The 6MWD on the 10m course was 49.5m shorter than on the 30m course, which was statistically significant (95% CI 39.4 to 59.6). By using existing reference equations for a 6MWT conducted on the 10m course, the predicted distance is highly overestimated (with a range of 30% to 33%) and the average distance as a percentage of the predicted value is 8%pred lower compared to a 6MWT conducted on the 30m course, resulting in a worse representation of a COPD patient's functional exercise capacity. CONCLUSION: This study shows that the impact of course length on the 6MWD and on the use of reference equations in patients with COPD is substantial and clinically relevant (based on the most conservative published minimum clinically important difference). Therefore, existing reference equations established for a 6MWT conducted over a 30m (or longer) course cannot be applied to predict the distance achieved on the 6MWT on a 10m course, which is frequently used in primary care physiotherapy practices for patients with COPD.