Tag: Assessment

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Assessment of revised recruitment standards for asthma in the Australian defence force.

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Assessment of revised recruitment standards for asthma in the Australian defence force.

Mil Med. 2014 Nov;179(11):1384-90

Authors: Ireland R, Waller M, MacKenzie A, Peake J, Nasveld P

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of relaxed asthma recruitment standards adopted by the Australian Defence Force in 2007.
METHODS: A retrospective audit was conducted on clinical and administrative data for recruits, with and without mild asthma, in their first year of service.
RESULTS: There was no evidence that mild asthmatics experienced worse outcomes than nonasthmatic recruits. Mild asthmatics had fewer illnesses and restricted duty days and were less costly compared to other recruits. There was no difference in the rate of discharge (attrition) between those with and without mild asthma.
CONCLUSIONS: The revised recruitment standards for asthma in the Australian Defence Force have not resulted in unanticipated medical or administrative costs to the organization. Health and administrative outcomes differed little between mild asthmatics and nonasthmatic recruits in their first 12 months of service.

PMID: 25373070 [PubMed – in process]

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Validation Of A Questionnaire Against Clinical Assessment In The Diagnosis Of Asthma In Schoolchildren.

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Validation Of A Questionnaire Against Clinical Assessment In The Diagnosis Of Asthma In Schoolchildren.

J Asthma. 2014 Sep 18;:1-25

Authors: Hansen TE, Evjenth B, Holt J

Abstract
Abstract Aim: A questionnaire has been used repeatedly in cross sectional studies to determine the prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (AR) and eczema among schoolchildren in Nordland County, Norway. The current study was designed to validate the questionnaire against clinical assessment as the diagnostic gold standard and to investigate the extent of possible misclassification. Methods: A subsample of 801 schoolchildren of 4150, whose parents had answered a questionnaire covering asthma and atopic diseases, underwent a detailed clinical evaluation including a standardized interview, a clinical examination, skin prick tests (SPT), blood samples, spirometry an exercise treadmill test (EIB test) and measurement of exhaled nitrogen oxide (FeNO). Results: The questionnaire had a sensitivity of 0.96 and a specificity of 0.87 for the diagnosis of asthma ever compared to clinical assessment. The overall agreement (kappa) was 0.80. After clinical assessment the prevalence of asthma ever was adjusted from 17.6 % to 16.9 % (95% CI: 15.8-18.0). The most sensitive and specific questions in identifying asthmatic children by the questionnaire were questions asking about diagnosis (‘Has the child ever had asthma?’) rather than those covering asthma symptoms such as wheeze, shortness of breath and/or cough. A positive exercise test increased the posttest probability for the asthma diagnosis only to a minimal degree. Conclusion: Based on the good agreement between the questionnaire responses and the clinical assessments, it is concluded that the questionnaire had good validity and served as a useful epidemiological tool. Detailed clinical testing added little additional information.

PMID: 25233047 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

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Clinical Assessment of Acupuncture for the Treatment of Chronic Asthma

Condition:   Asthma
Interventions:   Device: Verum acupuncture;   Device: Sham acupuncture
Sponsors:   Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine;   Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine;   Shanghai Municipal Health Bureau;   National Natural Science Foundation of China
Recruiting – verified August 2013

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Female-to-Male Transmasculine Adult Health: A Mixed-Methods Community-Based Needs Assessment.

Female-to-Male Transmasculine Adult Health: A Mixed-Methods Community-Based Needs Assessment.

J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc. 2013 Aug 20;

Authors: Reisner SL, Gamarel KE, Dunham E, Hopwood R, Hwahng S

Abstract
BACKGROUND: There is a dearth of health research about transgender people.
OBJECTIVES: This mixed-methods study sought to formatively investigate the health and perceived health needs of female-to-male transmasculine adults.
DESIGN: A cross-sectional quantitative needs assessment (n = 73) and qualitative open-ended input (n = 19) were conducted in June 2011. A latent class analysis modeled six binary health indicators (depression, alcohol use, current smoking, asthma, physical inactivity, overweight status) to identify clusters of presenting health issues.
RESULTS: Four clusters of health indicators emerged: (a) depression; (b) syndemic (all indicators); (c) alcohol use, overweight status; and (d) smoking, physical inactivity, overweight status. Transphobic discrimination in health care and avoiding care were each associated with membership in the syndemic class. Qualitative themes included personal health care needs, community needs, and resilience and protective factors.
CONCLUSIONS: Findings fill an important gap about the health of transmasculine communities, including the need for public health efforts that holistically address concomitant health concerns.

PMID: 23963876 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

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Comparison of disease-specific quality-of-life instruments in the assessment of chronic rhinosinusitis.

Comparison of disease-specific quality-of-life instruments in the assessment of chronic rhinosinusitis.

Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2012 Jun 13;

Authors: Quintanilla-Dieck L, Litvack JR, Mace JC, Smith TL

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Many disease-specific, quality-of-life (QOL) instruments exist for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), resulting in confusion about the best application and use of each instrument. We hypothesized that the most prevalently utilized instruments do not strongly correlate in all domains, but rather act in complementary fashion for QOL assessment. METHODS: A systematic literature review (MEDLINE) was performed to identify the type and frequency of available CRS-specific QOL instruments. Univariate analyses of the 3 most common instruments (Rhinosinusitis Disability Index [RSDI], Chronic Sinusitis Survey [CSS] and 22-item Sinonasal Outcomes Test [SNOT-22]) were performed using a multi-institutional prospective cohort of sinusitis patients. RESULTS: Systematic literature review found that the SNOT-20 (and its derivatives), RSDI, and CSS are the most commonly utilized CRS-specific QOL instruments. The majority of RSDI domains were weakly or not correlated with the CSS domains (r = 0.097-0.501; p < 0.001). In contrast, the RSDI was highly correlated with the SNOT-22 (r ? 0.666; p < 0.001). Patients with asthma and/or allergies reported significantly worse CSS scores (p < 0.001). Comorbidities had no significant impact on RSDI or SNOT-22 responses. CONCLUSION: Different disease-specific CRS QOL instruments measure different aspects of the patient’s experience. The RSDI and SNOT-22 are more sensitive to measuring the emotional impact of CRS, whereas the CSS examines medication use and symptoms. These instruments play complementary roles in the evaluation of CRS treatment outcomes.

PMID: 22696495 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

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