Comparison of an Adaptive Ankle Brace to Conventional Taping for Rehabilitation of Acute Ankle Injury in Young Subelite Soccer Players: A Pilot Study.

CONTEXT: Ankle sprains are a common injury in sports, for which use of external ankle support during rehabilitation has been suggested to improve clinical outcomes. DESIGN: Cohort study. METHODS: Thirteen soccer players experiencing acute lateral ankle sprain injury were provided a novel adaptive ankle brace or conventional ankle taping (control) as external ankle support throughout the injury rehabilitation process. All other clinical procedures were identical, and rehabilitation was supervised by the same team staff member. Time from injury to clearance to return to sport was tracked. Player experience with the ankle brace also was queried via electronic surveys. RESULTS: The median time to return to sport was less for the Brace group (52.5 d) compared to the Control group (79.5 d), but the distributions of the 2 groups were not found to differ significantly (P = .109). Player surveys indicated they felt the brace to be comfortable or very comfortable, with better freedom of movement than other braces and the same freedom of movement as wearing no brace. All players reported wearing the brace to be the same or better experience as ankle taping. DISCUSSION: These preliminary results indicate that the adaptive ankle brace is at least as effective as ankle taping for providing external support during the rehabilitation phase following acute lateral ankle sprain and suggest it may be a more effective ankle support solution in terms of patient compliance than conventional bracing or taping.

Value creation in a learning community: an interprofessional partnership between nursing home care, education and students.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the value created in a learning community - comprised of different professionals and nursing students - at a nursing home. METHODS: A case study approach was used. Data were collected between 2019 and 2021 through self-reports, observations and stories (interviews, diaries). RESULTS: The template analysis revealed nine transcending themes, six associated with preexisting value-creation cycles (expected, immediate, potential, applied, realized and transformative value) and three other relevant themes: contextual, factors and value-creation initiators. CONCLUSIONS: A nursing home learning community comprised of diverse professionals in partnership with nursing students shows a variety of value creation and seems to potentially leverage interprofessional and lifelong learning activities, on top of formal nursing education. It is recommended to integrate the value-creation cycles into the processes of learning communities to promote collective decision-making. Research on both the final level of students involved and having residents participate in the learning community would be worthwhile.

Human Factors Approach to Assess Physician Workload in Elective Plastic Surgery Breast Procedures.

Background: Human factors research involves the study of work system interactions, physician workload, cognitive effort, and performance. This pilot study incorporated a human factor approach and other surgery-based metrics to assess cognitive workload among plastic surgeons during elective plastic surgery breast procedures. Methods: In this prospective study of plastic surgery breast procedures over a 3-month period, surgeon and patient demographics and procedural details were collected. The lead surgeon assessed each procedure using a validated workload questionnaire (National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index [NASA-TLX]) that included 6 subscales (ie, mental, physical, temporal demand, performance, effort, and frustration), a question on distraction, and their expectation of procedural difficulty. Results: Fifty-seven cases were included in this study. Surgical duration had a positive correlation with increased mental demand (P < .001), physical demand (P < .001), and degree of distractions (P < .001). Free flap reconstruction, breast reduction, and transgender mastectomy had the highest average mental, physical demands, and perceived effort. Bilateral cases had significantly higher workload than unilateral ones (P = .002). NASA-TLX scores between immediate and delayed reconstructions were comparable, but delayed cases had higher degree of distractions (P = .04). There was a strong correlation between degree of distractions and increased mental workload (R = 0.68; P < .001), increased physical demand (P = 0.61; P < .001), and increased temporal demand (R = 0.78; P < .001). More difficult procedures were associated with greater procedural duration than those rated as difficult as expected or less difficult than expected (P = .02). Conclusions: These preliminary data demonstrated multiple factors that may influence and govern perceived physician workload and may provide insight for targeted quality improvement to plan procedures safely and effectively.

Co-Design of a Financial and Legal Planning Tool for Care Partners of People Living With Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias.

Background and Objectives: Care partners of people living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) are faced with substantial legal and financial planning related to their care partner role. However, many care partners lack the legal and financial support needed to manage this role. The purpose of this study was to engage ADRD care partners in a remote participatory design process to create a technology-based financial and legal planning tool that meets care partner needs. Research Design and Methods: We formed 2 researcher-facilitated co-design teams comprised of n = 5 ADRD care partners each. We conducted a series of 5 parallel co-design sessions aimed to engage co-designers in interactive discussions and design activities to create the financial and legal planning tool. We used inductive thematic analysis of design session recordings to identify design requirements. Results: Co-designers were 70% female with a mean age of 67.3 years (standard deviation 9.07) and cared for a spouse (80%) or a parent (20%). Between Sessions 3 and 5, the average system usability scale score of the prototype increased from 89.5 to 93.6, indicating high usability. Analyses yielded 7 overarching design requirements for a legal and financial planning tool: support for action now (eg, prioritized to-do lists); support for action later (eg, reminders for keeping legal documents up-to-date); knowledge when I need it (eg, tailored learning modules); connection to resources I need (eg, state-specific financial support opportunities); everything where I can see it (eg, comprehensive care budgeting tool); sense of privacy and security (eg, password protection); and accessibility for all (eg, tailoring for low-income care partners). Discussion and Implications: The design requirements identified by co-designers provide a foundation from which we can build technology-based solutions to support ADRD care partners in financial and legal planning.

"It made me feel like I wasn't alone in the darkness": exploring dementia care network communication and coordination through a digital health platform.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the use of a shared communication and coordination platform-the CareVirtue journal feature-for care networks of people living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias to inform the design of care network support technologies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the primary study, care networks comprised the primary caregiver and other caregivers they invited to participate (eg, family members, in-home aides) used CareVirtue, for 60 days followed by a semistructured interview to explore primary caregivers' perceptions of usefulness. This secondary analysis focused on use of the shared journal feature of CareVirtue, which allowed care networks to communicate through posts that were shared with the network and to which network members could respond. Journal posts were analyzed using a deductive/inductive content analysis to categorize information behavior. We also conducted a thematic analysis of the interviews to identify primary caregivers' perceptions of the journal's usefulness. RESULTS: Care networks used the journal for: (1) information acquisition, (2) information sharing, (3) strategy development, and (4) information feedback. Thematic analysis revealed that caregivers felt the journal was useful at the individual, care network, and relational levels and that journal integration was influenced by care network structure and relationships. DISCUSSION: Care networks used the journal to document, share, and acquire information; co-create strategies; and provide support. The usefulness of this shared communication and coordination platform included individual and care network level benefits. CONCLUSION: These findings point to the importance of caregiver-centered technologies that support both the individual primary caregiver and the care network.

Correction: A Web-Based Platform (CareVirtue) to Support Caregivers of People Living With Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias: Mixed Methods Feasibility Study.

[This corrects the article DOI: .].

A Web-Based Platform (CareVirtue) to Support Caregivers of People Living With Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias: Mixed Methods Feasibility Study.

BACKGROUND: People living with Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD) require prolonged and complex care that is primarily managed by informal caregivers who face significant unmet needs regarding support for communicating and coordinating across their informal care network. To address this unmet need, we developed CareVirtue, which provides (1) the ability to invite care network members; (2) a care guide detailing the care plan; (3) a journal where care network members can document, communicate, and coordinate; (4) a shared calendar; and (5) vetted geolocated caregiver resources. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate CareVirtue's feasibility based on: (1) Who used CareVirtue? (2) How did caregivers use CareVirtue? (3) How did caregivers perceive the acceptability of CareVirtue? (4) What factors were associated with CareVirtue use? METHODS: We conducted a feasibility study with 51 care networks over a period of 8 weeks and used a mixed methods approach that included both quantitative CareVirtue usage data and semistructured interviews. RESULTS: Care networks ranged from 1 to 8 members. Primary caregivers were predominantly female (38/51, 75%), White (44/51, 86%), married (37/51, 73%), college educated (36/51, 71%), and were, on average, 60.3 (SD 9.8) years of age, with 18% (9/51) living in a rural area. CareVirtue usage varied along 2 axes (total usage and type of usage), with heterogeneity in how the most engaged care networks interacted with CareVirtue. Interviews identified a range of ways CareVirtue was useful, including practically, organizationally, and emotionally. On the Behavioral Intention Scale, 72% (26/36) of primary caregivers reported an average score of at least 3, indicating an above average intention to use. The average was 81.8 (SD 12.8) for the System Usability Scale score, indicating "good" usability, and 3.4 (SD 1.0) for perceived usefulness, suggesting above average usefulness. The average confidence score increased significantly over the study duration from 7.8 in week 2 to 8.9 in week 7 (P=.005; r=0.91, 95% CI 0.84-0.95). The following sociodemographic characteristics were associated with posting in the journal: retired (mean 59.5 posts for retired caregivers and mean 16.9 for nonretired caregivers), income (mean 13 posts for those reporting >US $100K and mean 55.4 for those reporting

Course Design and Learning Outcomes of a Practical Online Ergonomics Course for Surgical Residents.

OBJECTIVE: Course content was designed and the learning outcomes assessed for an online ergonomics course for surgical residents. This course could fulfill an optional Surgical Council on Resident Education (SCORE) curriculum on Surgical Ergonomics. DESIGN: The online course included five 5-minute modules within the residents' learning system, each ending with an ungraded knowledge question, and a final 5-question multiple-choice retention quiz that allowed infinite attempts. The course was designed by ergonomists and surgeons at a quaternary academic hospital system. Participants were given two weeks to complete the modules. An electronic survey with questions assessing ergonomics knowledge and understanding on a 5-point Likert scale (strongly disagree - strongly agree) was distributed both before and after the course. The post-course survey included three additional questions to elicit feedback regarding learning experience and course design. Descriptive statistics and nonparametric paired comparisons were used to evaluate learning outcomes. SETTING: General surgery residency program at an academic medical center in the U.S. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-two general surgery post graduate year 1 residents (PGY1s) were recruited to participate and completed the pre-course survey. Eight out of the 22 participants (36%) completed the online course and quiz; seven (32%) completed the course, quiz, and the post-course survey. RESULTS: Participants had high pre-course awareness of the importance of surgical ergonomics, benefits of work-related musculoskeletal disorder (WMSD) prevention, as well as awkward intraoperative postures being an WMSD risk factor. Participants' confidence increased significantly from pre- to post-course in ability to assess risk (p = 0.021), but not in ability or willingness to mitigate risky surgical postures. Participants who completed the quiz answered a median of 4 (IQR: [4, 5]) questions correctly. All participants indicated that they would recommend this course to other residents. CONCLUSIONS: These short practical ergonomics online learning modules increased surgical residents' confidence in assessing surgical WMSD risks.

Intraprocedural ergonomics of vascular surgeons.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to estimate the ergonomic postural risk (EPR) for musculoskeletal posture of vascular surgeons performing open and endovascular procedure types and with various adjunctive equipment using wearable inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors. The hypothesis was that EPR will increase with increased physical and mental demand as well as with procedural complexity. METHODS: A prospective, observational study was conducted at a large, quaternary academic hospital located at two sites. Sixteen vascular surgeons (13 male) participated in the study. Participants completed a presurgery and postsurgery survey consisting of a body part discomfort scale and a modified NASA-Task Load Index. Participants wore IMU sensors on the head and upper body to measure EPR during open and endovascular procedures. RESULTS: Vascular surgeons have increased EPR scores of the neck as measured by the IMUs and increased lower back pain when performing open surgery compared with non-open surgery (P < .05). Open procedures were rated as more physically demanding. The use of loupes resulted in increased EPR scores for the neck and torso (P < .05), and they were significantly associated with higher levels of lower back pain during procedures (P < .05) as well as with higher levels of physical demand (P < .05). The use of headlights also resulted in increased subjectively measured levels of physical demand and lower back pain. In comparing survey responses with IMU data, surveyed physical demand was strongly and significantly correlated with the neck (r = 0.61; P < .0001) and torso (r = 0.59; P < .0001) EPR scores. The use of lead aprons did not affect EPR or most surveyed measures of workload but resulted in significantly higher levels of distraction (P < .01). The data presented highlight the potential of using wearable sensors to measure the EPR of surgeons during vascular surgical procedures. CONCLUSIONS: Vascular surgeons should be aware of EPR during the performance of their duties. Procedure type and surgical adjuncts can alter EPR significantly.

Workload Differentiates Breast Surgical Procedures: NSM Associated with Higher Workload Demand than SSM.

BACKGROUND: Breast surgery has evolved with more focus on improving cosmetic outcomes, which requires increased operative time and technical complexity. Implications of these technical advances in surgery for the surgeon are unclear, but they may increase intraoperative demands, both mentally and physically. We prospectively evaluated mental and physical demand across breast surgery procedures, and compared surgeon ergonomic risk between nipple-sparing (NSM) and skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM) using subjective and objective measures. METHODS: From May 2017 to July 2017, breast surgeons completed modified NASA-Task Load Index (TLX) workload surveys after cases. From January 2018 to July 2018, surgeons completed workload surveys and wore inertial measurement units to evaluate their postures during NSM and SSM cases. Mean angles of surgical postures, ergonomic risk, survey items, and patient factors were analyzed. RESULTS: Procedural duration was moderately related to surgeon frustration, mental and physical demand, and fatigue (p < 0.001). NSMs were rated 23% more physically demanding (M = 13.3, SD = 4.3) and demanded 28% more effort (M = 14.4, SD = 4.6) than SSMs (M = 10.8, SD = 4.7; M = 11.8, SD = 5.0). Incision type was a contributing factor in workload and procedural difficulty. Left arm mean angle was significantly greater for NSM (M = 30.1 degrees, SD = 6.6) than SSMs (M = 18.2 degrees, SD = 4.3). A higher musculoskeletal disorder risk score for the trunk was significantly associated with higher surgeon physical workload (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Nipple-sparing mastectomy required the highest surgeon-reported workload of all breast procedures, including physical demand and effort. Objective measures identified the surgeons' left upper arm as being at the greatest risk for a work-related musculoskeletal disorder, specifically from performing NSMs.

Bioavailability of cadmium from in vitro digested infant food studied in Caco-2 cells.

The solubility and bioavailability of cadmium (Cd) in infant foods, three cereal- and milk-based diets and two ready-to-use baby dishes, were studied after in vitro digestion and by using human intestinal Caco-2 cells. The solubility of Cd after in vitro digestion varied between diets; liver casserole had the highest solubility and was lower after infant as compared to adult digestion conditions. Generally, more Cd was soluble in infant intestinal than gastric juice in contrast to the results from the adult digestion. Caco-2 cells were incubated with supernatants of infant digests that had been equilibrated with (109)Cd during the in vitro digestion procedure, and cellular uptake and transport of (109)Cd were measured after 180 min. Statistically significant differences in both uptake and transport of Cd were detected between some of the diets and a control solution containing only digestive enzymes and (109)CdCl(2). Uptake of soluble Cd in the cells varied between diets from 4 to 6%, and the transport over the monolayers was 1-2% of the dose. We conclude that age specific digestion conditions as well as composition of diets affect both solubility and bioavailability of Cd.

Monitoring of cadmium in the chain from soil via crops and feed to pig blood and kidney.

The relationships between cadmium (Cd) levels in soil, feed crops, feed concentrate, pig feed mixture, water, pig blood, and kidney from 49 farms were investigated and the possibility to use pig kidney as a bioindicator of available Cd in the agricultural environment was evaluated. There were correlations between Cd levels in soil and wheat, between wheat and barley, and between feed and kidney. The accumulation ratio between Cd levels in feed and kidney was on average 3. Animals from the same farm, raised in the same environment, given the same feed, and slaughtered at the same age had Cd levels in kidney and blood that could differ several times. This great variation, together with a considerable Cd contribution from nonlocally produced feed ingredients (concentrates), limits the possibilities to use Cd in pig kidney as an indicator of the available Cd in the local environment.