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Journal of Clinical Medicine Jun 2024Patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) experience a high disease-related symptom burden. A specific instrument to evaluate quality of life (QoL), i.e., the...
Translation, Cultural Adaptation, and Validation into Romanian of the Myeloproliferative Neoplasm Symptom Assessment Form-Total Symptom Score (MPN-SAF TSS or MPN-10) Questionnaire.
Patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) experience a high disease-related symptom burden. A specific instrument to evaluate quality of life (QoL), i.e., the MPN Symptom Assessment Form Total Symptom Score (MPN-SAF TSS; MPN-10), was developed. We conducted the translation, cultural adaptation, and validation into Romanian of the MPN-10. We translated the MPN-10 and tested its psychometric properties. We recruited 180 MPN patients: 66 polycythemia vera (36.67%), 61 essential thrombocythemia (33.89%), 51 primary and secondary myelofibrosis (SMF) (28.33%), and 2 MPN-unclassifiable (1.11%). The mean TSS was 19.51 ± 16.51 points. Fatigue, inactivity, and concentration problems were the most cumbersome symptoms. We detected scoring differences between MPN subtypes regarding weight loss ( < 0.001), fatigue ( = 0.006), early satiety ( = 0.007), night sweats ( = 0.047), pruritus ( = 0.05), and TSS ( = 0.021). There were strong positive associations between TSS and inactivity, fatigue, and concentration problems, and moderate negative correlations between QoL scores and all MPN-10 items. Cronbach's α internal consistency coefficient was 0.855. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin construct validity test result was 0.870 and the Bartlett Sphericity Test was significant ( < 0.001). Symptom scores were loaded into one single factor according to the exploratory factor analysis. The Romanian MPN-10 version displayed excellent psychometric properties and is a reliable instrument for assessing symptom burden and QoL in Romanian MPN patients.
PubMed: 38892995
DOI: 10.3390/jcm13113284 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine May 2024After a severe brain injury and a coma, patients may develop disorders of consciousness (DoC), frequently accompanied by severe dysphagia. The evaluation and therapy of...
After a severe brain injury and a coma, patients may develop disorders of consciousness (DoC), frequently accompanied by severe dysphagia. The evaluation and therapy of swallowing are therefore essential aspects of their management. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the SWallowing Assessment in Disorders of Consciousness (SWADOC) tool in the assessment of swallowing in post-comatose patients. Here, we validate its quantitative items, describe preliminary results and identify limitations. Fourteen post-comatose patients were repeatedly evaluated with the Simplified Evaluation of CONsciousness Disorders (SECONDs) and with the SWADOC. The internal consistency of the oral and pharyngeal subscales of the SWADOC was good. The test-retest reliability showed that all items, all subscores and the total score were stable except for two items (endo-buccal secretions and bronchial congestion). A comparison to the Facial Oral Tract Therapy Swallowing Assessment of Saliva (F.O.T.T-SAS) confirmed that scoring with the SWADOC offers a greater potential for quantitative observations in assessing swallowing abilities among patients with DoC. The SECONDs scores and SWADOC total scores showed a significant positive correlation (τ = 0.78, < 0.001). This study provides preliminary but encouraging results on the psychometric properties of the SWADOC tool. It shows that this tool is relevant and feasible as a bedside assessment of dysphagia in patients with DoC.
PubMed: 38892977
DOI: 10.3390/jcm13113268 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine May 2024The objective of this scoping review was to map the range of measurement tools used to study the prevalence of common mental health conditions in COVID-19 ICU... (Review)
Review
The objective of this scoping review was to map the range of measurement tools used to study the prevalence of common mental health conditions in COVID-19 ICU survivors. Increased rates of admission to and survivorship from intensive care units (ICUs) have been observed in recent years, particularly during the global pandemic. ICU patients are at a higher risk of developing depressive, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms. Due to the high burden of disease, an accurate understanding of long-term mental health challenges for this population is key. Unfortunately, there is significant variability in reported prevalence rates. Heterogeneity in measurement tools potentially contribute to this. Studies were eligible if they (a) reported mental health outcomes of adult patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and admitted to an ICU, (b) used standardised mental health outcome measures, and (3) were peer-reviewed. Searches were conducted in PubMed, PsycInfo, and Scopus. The initial search retrieved 1234 publications. After de-duplication and title and abstract screening, 72 full-text articles were examined for eligibility and 44 articles were excluded, leaving 28 eligible studies. Reference lists of the eligible studies were screened, and four other studies were added. 32 studies were ultimately included in this review. Significant heterogeneity of measurement tools and clinical thresholds were observed. Only 6.25% of the studies compared changes in mental health outcomes to baseline measurements. Between five and nine unique measurement tools were used to study depression, anxiety, and PTSD, respectively. Studies were also observed to use up to 19 different thresholds to establish the prevalence of PTSD. The heterogeneity of measurement tools and thresholds continues to confound prevalence rate estimations of mental health complications post-ICU admission. Future research will benefit from consistency in the use of recommended outcome measures and the use of psychometrically comparable cut-off points between key measures.
PubMed: 38892906
DOI: 10.3390/jcm13113191 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine May 2024The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic led to several needed containment measures that conditioned the onset of depressive, anxiety,...
Pre-Pandemic Predictivity of Anxious-Depressive Symptoms in Post-Surgical Traumatic Distress in Hysterectomy for Benign Disease and COVID-19 Outbreak: A Case-Control Study.
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic led to several needed containment measures that conditioned the onset of depressive, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress symptoms in the population. These symptoms, especially if not diagnosed and treated, can also occur in patients undergoing medical care or surgery, with a high impact on people's lives and causing low adherence to treatment. The study evaluates whether the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) worsened the onset of post-surgical distress and symptoms of anxiety and depression in a population undergoing hysterectomy for benign disease during the pandemic era, comparing it with a population with the same characteristics but recruited before COVID-19. The sample was evaluated before surgery (T1), post-operatively (T2), and 3 months after surgery (T3) through a sociodemographic questionnaire and through the HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) to evaluate anxious-depressive symptoms and the PCL-5 (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5) to assess the onset of post-surgical distress. Patients treated after the COVID-19 pandemic showed a higher depressive symptoms rate compared with those treated before (-value = 0.02); conversely, pre-COVID-19 patients were more prone to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (-value = 0.04). A significant association between the occurrence of PTSD and anxiety-depressive symptoms registered at T2 (-value = 0.007) and T3 (-value < 0.0001) emerged. In the end, the COVID-19 pandemic has exerted a detrimental influence on the mental well-being of the patients under investigation, with a notable exacerbation of their mood disturbances. The findings advocate for the implementation of psychometric and psychodiagnostic assessments to promptly detect high-risk scenarios that could lead to PTSD, compromising treatment compliance and exacerbating the overall outcome, resulting in substantial direct and indirect burdens.
PubMed: 38892859
DOI: 10.3390/jcm13113148 -
Nutrients May 2024Household food insecurity has significant negative implications across the lifespan. While routine screening is recommended, particularly in healthcare, guidelines are... (Review)
Review
Household food insecurity has significant negative implications across the lifespan. While routine screening is recommended, particularly in healthcare, guidelines are lacking on selection of screening tools and best-practice implementation across different contexts in non-stigmatizing ways. The objective of this scoping review was to synthesize evidence on household food insecurity screening tools, including psychometrics, implementation in a range of settings, and experiences of carrying out screening or being screened. Four electronic databases were searched for studies in English published from 1990 until June 2023. A total of 58 papers were included, 21 of which focused on tool development and validation, and 37 papers described implementation and perceptions of screening. Most papers were from the USA and described screening in healthcare settings. There was a lack of evidence regarding screening in settings utilized by Indigenous people. The two-item Hunger Vital Sign emerged as the most used and most valid tool across settings. While there is minimal discomfort associated with screening, screening rates in practice are still low. Barriers and facilitators of screening were identified at the setting, system, provider, and recipient level and were mapped onto the COM-B model of behavior change. This review identifies practical strategies to optimize screening and disclosure.
Topics: Humans; Food Insecurity; Mass Screening; Developed Countries; Reproducibility of Results; Psychometrics; Hunger; Family Characteristics
PubMed: 38892619
DOI: 10.3390/nu16111684 -
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024It is known that the quantity, makeup, and distribution of bodily fluids have a significant impact on the cognitive health, physiological health, and cell activity of...
It is known that the quantity, makeup, and distribution of bodily fluids have a significant impact on the cognitive health, physiological health, and cell activity of human beings. This narrative could be influenced by the level of knowledge about hydration, dehydration, and the practice of Adequate Water Intake (AWI) of an individual based on the recommended daily Total Water Intake (TWI) by either the World Health Organization (WHO) or the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). In this study, we have developed and validated a scale to adequately measure knowledge of the recommended daily Total Water Intake (TWI) practices among foreign students at Óbuda University, Hungary. Hence, we implemented an 11-item scale to measure the Knowledge of Hydration (KH-11) and evaluate its psychometric properties among students. This study is an online cross-sectional study assessing water intake knowledge with the use of the KH-11 tool among 323 students with ages ranging from 18 to 35 years, who have enrolled for at least two semesters at the University. The statistical analysis performed was reliability (using Cronbach alpha ≥ 70%) and factor analysis. Knowledge levels were categorized as poor (<50%), intermediate (50-70%), or adequate (71-100%). The intraclass correlation, chi-square, and rotated component matrix were also estimated and reported. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. Cronbach's alpha analysis revealed that the KH-11 had an overall good reliability with a value of 0.80, where the survey items had an acceptable level of consistency ranging from 0.75 to 0.81 and demonstrated sufficient independence from each other as Pearson's within factors was positive and ranged from 0.02 to 0.74. In evaluating the participants' knowledge of hydration, the total possible score for the scale is 72, while the mean score for the KH-11 was 55.2 ± 11.61 SD, and the factor analysis model yielded an acceptable fit ( = 3259.4, = 0.000). We recorded a high-level positive concordance of 0.770 with an average intraclass correlation of 0.80 at a 95% CI, where -value = 0.000. Our findings show that the majority (66.3%) of the students have a good knowledge of hydration. However, the skewed distribution of the knowledge scores suggests that some may have lower levels of knowledge, which may warrant further study to improve knowledge in those students.
PubMed: 38891227
DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12111152 -
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common disabling conditions. This disability significantly reduces the quality of life of LBP patients. This article reviews the... (Review)
Review
Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common disabling conditions. This disability significantly reduces the quality of life of LBP patients. This article reviews the most common and well-known measures currently used to assess disability in LBP, such as the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), the Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale (QBPDS), the Low Back Outcome Score (LBOS), and the Low Back Pain Rating Scale (LBPRS). To reliably evaluate questionnaires and other measurement methods, there are parameters known as psychometric properties, which consist primarily of the validity, reliability and sensitivity. These methods are based on a multi-item questionnaire assessing physical functioning that is completed independently by the patient. They can be used to assess the disability associated with many conditions. All are specific to LBP, and their psychometric properties have been tested on a relevant population of patients with the condition and published in peer-reviewed publications.
PubMed: 38891215
DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12111139 -
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024Developing valid and reliable measures of psychological responses to climate change is of high importance, as this facilitates our understanding of people's...
Developing valid and reliable measures of psychological responses to climate change is of high importance, as this facilitates our understanding of people's psychological responses, including their pro-environmental behavior. Recently, the Climate Change Worry Scale (CCWS) was introduced. This study aimed to develop the first Polish version of the CCWS and explore its psychometric properties. Our sample comprised 420 Polish adults aged 18-70, with a mean age of 26.20 (standard deviation = 10.61) years. The CCWS's factor structure was assessed with confirmatory factor analysis. McDonald's omega and Cronbach's alpha coefficients were computed to assess internal consistency reliability. Pearson correlations between climate change worry (CCW) and experience of climate change (i.e., an individual's level of perception of being affected by climate change), pro-environmental behavior, ill-being (i.e., anxiety and depression symptoms), and well-being were calculated. Our results support the strong factorial validity of the CCWS, conforming to its intended one-factor solution, with excellent internal consistency reliability for the total scale score (i.e., McDonald's omega and Cronbach's alpha values of 0.93). We noted large positive correlations between CCW and experiences of climate change, as well as pro-environmental behavior, and medium positive correlations with psychopathology symptoms. CCW scores were not associated with well-being. As the CCWS represents a measure of a specific manifestation of worry, we also examined its discriminant validity against more general psychological distress markers, and it evidenced strong validity in this regard. Overall, the Polish version of the CCWS appears to have strong psychometric properties, and will therefore be a useful tool to use in research on psychological responses to climate change.
PubMed: 38891203
DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12111128 -
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024The pandemic highlighted the need for alternative, more accessible access to mental health interventions that can be readily administered remotely. The purpose of this...
The pandemic highlighted the need for alternative, more accessible access to mental health interventions that can be readily administered remotely. The purpose of this pre-post-interventional study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a virtual mind-body medicine training course on stress, anxiety, and depression levels. University employees and members of the Las Vegas community were recruited via self-selection and snowball sampling and subjected to online mind-body practice sessions in December of 2020. Stress, anxiety, depression, and quality of life were assessed pre- and post-intervention using standardized psychometric valid tools. The paired t-test and related samples marginal homogeneity tests were used for continuous and categorical outcomes, respectively. Depression and stress scores were significantly decreased ( < 0.001). Mean scores of professional quality of life improved post-intervention compared to pre-intervention ( = 0.03). A significantly larger proportion of participants reported no depression or stress post-intervention compared with pre-intervention ( < 0.001, = 0.003, respectively.) This study suggests that virtual mind-body practices had a pronounced impact on stress and depression levels during the pandemic. These findings support virtual, online-guided mind-body medicine training as an effective intervention that can be administered virtually to reduce stress and depression symptoms.
PubMed: 38891201
DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12111125 -
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024Patient activation, broadly defined as the ability of individuals to manage their health and navigate the healthcare system effectively, is crucial for achieving... (Review)
Review
Patient activation, broadly defined as the ability of individuals to manage their health and navigate the healthcare system effectively, is crucial for achieving positive health outcomes. The Patient Activation Measure (PAM), a popularly used tool, was developed to assess this vital component of health care. This review is the first to systematically examine the validity of the PAM, as well as study its reliability, factor structure, and validity across various populations. Following the PRISMA and COSMIN guidelines, a search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library, from inception to 1 October 2023, using combinations of keywords related to patient activation and the PAM. The inclusion criteria were original quantitative or mixed methods studies focusing on PAM-13 or its translated versions and containing data on psychometric properties. Out of 3007 abstracts retrieved, 39 studies were included in the final review. The PAM has been extensively studied across diverse populations and geographical regions, including the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Most studies looked at populations with chronic conditions. Only two studies applied the PAM to community-dwelling individuals and found support for its use. Studies predominantly showed a high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha > 0.80) for the PAM. Most studies supported a unidimensional construct of patient activation, although cultural differences influenced the factor structure in some cases. Construct validity was established through correlations with health behaviors and outcomes. Despite its strengths, there is a need for further research, particularly in exploring content validity and differential item functioning. Expanding the PAM's application to more diverse demographic groups and community-dwelling individuals could enhance our understanding of patient activation and its impact on health outcomes.
PubMed: 38891154
DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12111079