PedsQL correlates to PODCI in pediatric orthopaedic outpatient clinic.

PURPOSE: Quality-of-life (QOL) measures can be a valuable tool to assess the general welfare across a spectrum of patients in a pediatric orthopaedic outpatient clinic and can be a simple way to assess patient-based outcomes particularly for quality initiatives. The Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI) is validated for many orthopaedic conditions but typically takes around 20 minutes to complete (86 questions). The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) takes <4 minutes to complete (23 questions) but has not been assessed in an orthopaedic setting. We initiated this study to find the best method for assessing QOL in our outpatient clinic. A short pediatric QOL measure that is correlated to an established orthopaedic-specific QOL measure is needed; therefore, we compared the PedsQL to the PODCI in the outpatient orthopaedic clinic. METHODS: This was a quality initiative project and as such did not require a priori IRB approval. Families of patients 2 to 18 years old who presented for follow-up after upper or lower extremity fractures or brachial plexus injuries in the orthopaedic clinic from October 2010 through August 2011 were asked to fill out both the PODCI and the PedsQL. Patients aged 5 years and older filled out a patient-report PedsQL; patients aged 11 years and older filled out the patient-report PODCI. Parents/guardians completed questionnaires for children of all ages. Most fracture patients (and/or their parent/guardian) repeated the questionnaires after 6 to 12 weeks. Data were then assessed for correlation between the PODCI and PedsQL. RESULTS: A total of 428 parent/guardian reports for 283 patients and 172 self-reports for 104 patients were included. The correlation between the PODCI Global score and the PedsQL Total score for the parent/guardian-reported questionnaires for all injuries was 0.77 (95% confidence interval, 0.72-0.82). When categorized within domains and injuries, parent/guardian-reported correlations ranged from 0.23 to 0.79. In patients aged 11 years and older, the correlation between the PODCI and PedsQL for the patient-reported questionnaire for all injuries was 0.85 (95% confidence interval, 0.80-0.89). When categorized within domains and injuries, patient-reported correlations ranged from 0.30 to 0.99. CONCLUSIONS: Utilizing the substantially shorter PedsQL in a high volume orthopaedic clinic as a substitute for the PODCI for quality improvement measures seems reasonable. Correlation between the PedsQL Global score and the PODCI Total score for orthopaedic patients is strong. Utilizing the patient-reported questionnaires when age appropriate is best. In this era of increased outcome reporting, PedsQL may be a valuable tool.

Identifying postpartum intervention approaches to prevent type 2 diabetes in women with a history of gestational diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Women who develop gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have an increased risk for the development of type 2 diabetes. Despite this "window of opportunity," few intervention studies have targeted postpartum women with a history of GDM. We sought perspectives of women with a history of GDM to identify a) barriers and facilitators to healthy lifestyle changes postpartum, and b) specific intervention approaches that would facilitate participation in a postpartum lifestyle intervention program. METHODS: We used mixed methods to gather data from women with a prior history of GDM, including focus groups and informant interviews. Analysis of focus groups relied on grounded theory and used open-coding to categorize data by themes, while frequency distributions were used for the informant interviews. RESULTS: Of 38 women eligible to participate in focus groups, only ten women were able to accommodate their schedules to attend a focus group and 15 completed informant interviews by phone. We analyzed data from 25 women (mean age 35, mean pre-pregnancy BMI 28, 52% Caucasian, 20% African American, 12% Asian, 8% American Indian, 8% refused to specify). Themes from the focus groups included concern about developing type 2 diabetes, barriers to changing diet, and barriers to increasing physical activity. In one focus group, women expressed frustration about feeling judged by their physicians during their GDM pregnancy. Cited barriers to lifestyle change were identified from both methods, and included time and financial constraints, childcare duties, lack of motivation, fatigue, and obstacles at work. Informants suggested facilitators for lifestyle change, including nutrition education, accountability, exercise partners/groups, access to gyms with childcare, and home exercise equipment. All focus group and informant interview participants reported access to the internet, and the majority expressed interest in an intervention program delivered primarily via the internet that would include the opportunity to work with a lifestyle coach. CONCLUSION: Time constraints were a major barrier. Our findings suggest that an internet-based lifestyle intervention program should be tested as a novel approach to prevent type 2 diabetes in postpartum women with a history of GDM.