Questionnaire For Evaluation Of Quality Research Articles

Mentoring Support Quality in Group and Individual Mentoring Approaches during Nursing Clinical Training: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Clinical training is an essential element in nursing education, the outcomes of which are directly related to the quality of mentoring support. This quasi-experimental study aimed to examine whether the group or individual form of the mentoring approach used and the order of application of the mentoring approach contribute to the quality of mentoring support provided to students. The study comprised two measurement points with 130 nursing students, divided into two groups with different orders of application of the mentoring approach. The validated Mentoring Support Quality Evaluation Questionnaire (MSEQ) was used. Students in both groups rated the quality of mentoring support as higher following an individual mentoring approach. A significant interaction was found between the mentoring approach used and the order in which the mentoring approaches were applied (p = 0.002). The individual mentoring approach contributed significantly to a higher quality of mentoring support after the second round of clinical training (p = 0.021), while after the first round, the difference between the group and individual approaches was not as clear. The results suggest that not only the form of the mentoring approach but also the sequence of changes in the mentoring approach should be planned when implementing clinical training.

Initial Development of User-Based Quality Evaluation Questionnaire of Smartwatch Technology for Applying to Healthcare.

Smartwatches are a consumer wearable device offering a potential, practical, and affordable method to collect personal health data in healthy adults. For patients with chronic diseases, this would enable symptom monitoring and aid clinical decision making. Therefore, providing customized checklists to recommend smartwatches is beneficial. However, few studies have evaluated the practical functions of smartwatches and their influence on user acceptance. We aimed at developing a reliable tool to assess the quality of smartwatches from the users' perspective. To develop the smartwatch rating scale (SWRS), we conducted a comprehensive literature review as well as reviewed relevant websites. The SWRS includes 22 items for the usability (usability, functionality, safety, material, and display) and five items for the acceptance and adoption domain (satisfaction and intention). We measured the scale's internal consistency and inter-rater reliability by evaluating seven smartwatches. The overall scale demonstrated an excellent level of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.91), with each subscale's internal consistency above good level (0.74 ~ 0.92). Inter-rater reliability using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) was at good level (2-way random ICC = 0.82, 95% CI 0.09 - 0.97). The SWRS is reliable, which can meet the need for assessment of smartwatch technology for utilizing in personal healthcare. Accounting for users' perspectives will help make the most of technology without impairing the human aspects of care, this study can help consumers choose a smartwatch based on their preferences and provide guidelines for developing user-friendly wearable devices aimed at health behavior changes.

The role of text messaging intervention in Inner Mongolia among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundShort messages service (SMS) provides a practical medium for delivering content to address patients to adherence to self-management. The aim of study was to design some patient-centered health education messages, evaluate the feasibility of messages, and explore the effect of this model.MethodsThe messages were designed by a panel of experts, and SMS Quality Evaluation Questionnaire was used to evaluate their quality. A two-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of this management model. Participants were randomly divided into an intervention group (IG) who received evaluated messages and a control group (CG) who received regular education. The primary outcomes were changes in plasma glucose and control rates, and the secondary outcomes were improvements in diet control, physical activities, weight control, etc.ResultsA total of 42 messages covering five main domains: health awareness, diet control, physical activities, living habits and weight control were designed, and the average scores of the messages were 8.0 (SD 0.7), 8.5 (SD 0.6), 7.9 (SD 1.0), 8.0 (SD 0.7), and 8.4 (SD 0.9), respectively. In the SMS intervention, 171 patients with an average age of 55.1 years were involved, including 86 in the CG and 85 in the IG. At 12 months, compared with the control group (CG), the decrease of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (1.5 vs. 0.4, P = 0.011) and control rate (49.4% vs. 33.3%, P = 0.034), the postprandial glucose (PPG) (5.8 vs. 4.2, P = 0.009) and control rate (57.8% vs. 33.7%, P = 0.002) were better in the intervention group (IG). In terms of self-management, improvements in weight control (49.3% vs. 28.2%, P = 0.031), vegetables consumption (87.3% vs. 29.0%, P < 0.001), fruits consumption (27.5% vs. 7.4%, P = 0.022), and physical activities (84.7% vs. 70.0%, P = 0.036) were better in the IG than in the CG.ConclusionsThe overall quality of the messages was high. It was effective and feasible to carry out an SMS intervention to improve the behavioral habits of patients with chronic diseases in remote and undeveloped areas.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov, ChiCTR1900023445. Registered May 28, 2019--Retrospectively registered.

Sleep Quality, Quality of Life and Insomnia Among Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain Compared to Normal Individuals

Objective: Low back pain may affect various aspects of quality of life including sleep. There are some reports about prevalence of sleep disorders in patients with chronic low back pain. The present study was conducted to estimate sleep quality, quality of life, and insomnia in patients with chronic low back pain compared to age and sex matched control group. Methods: The present case-control study was performed on 140 persons (70 patients with chronic low back pain and 70 persons as control group). They were asked to fill Pittsburg questionnaire for evaluation of sleep quality, SF-36 questionnaire for evaluation of quality of life, and insomnia questionnaire. Also, the severity of their back pain was assessed using visual analogue scale (VAS). Results: Mean age of the studied persons was 49.88±11 and 48.33±10 years in the case and control groups, respectively (P-value>0.05). Thirty one persons of each group were male. Individuals in the case group had worse sleep quality (correlation coefficient 0.478 with severity of pain), more severe insomnia (correlation coefficient 0.386 with severity of pain), and lower quality of life (correlation coefficient 0.665 with severity of pain) compared to the control group. Conclusion: Results of the present study showed that patients with chronic low back pain have higher prevalence of insomnia, lower quality of life, and worse sleep quality when judged against control group. Also, this case-control study clearly showed the magnitude of the relationship between them.

Effects of a health improvement programme on quality of life in elderly people after falls

Abstract Introduction Falls of elderly people illustrate a telling health problem related to both physical injury and its psychical effects. They also bring about significant medical and economic consequences. Aim The aim of this study is to assess the predisposition to falling as well as the subjective evaluation of quality of life in the elderly after implementation of the fall prevention programme. Material and methods The observational study and statistical methods encompassed people aged 65 or older who reported falls during ordinary daily activity. A group of selected patients took part in a three-stage (three-month) rehabilitation programme designed by the authors. The research tools consisted in modified scales: the Katz ADL scale, the Lawton IADL scale, the Tinetti test for balance and gait evaluation, and the EuroQol 5D questionnaire for subjective evaluation of quality of life. The study included test performer before implementing the programme as well as after its completion. Results and discussion Slipping at home was the most frequent cause of falling, as it constituted almost 50% of the analyzed cases. During the programme no falls were observed. Patients who completed the programme showed improvements in all the analyzed aspects, especially in activities of daily living and the level of pain. Conclusions Both considerable functional and physical improvement as well as lower levels of pain was observed in the participants of the programme. A systematically conducted health improvement exercise programme minimizes susceptibility to falls and has a beneficial effect on improvement of quality of life in elderly people.

Development and Validation of a New Questionnaire Assessing Quality of Life in Adults with Hypopituitarism: Adult Hypopituitarism Questionnaire (AHQ)

ObjectiveTo develop and validate the Adult Hypopituitarism Questionnaire (AHQ) as a disease-specific, self-administered questionnaire for evaluation of quality of life (QOL) in adult patients with hypopituitarism.MethodsWe developed and validated this new questionnaire, using a standardized procedure which included item development, pilot-testing and psychometric validation. Of the patients who participated in psychometric validation, those whose clinical conditions were judged to be stable were asked to answer the survey questionnaire twice, in order to assess test-retest reliability.ResultsContent validity of the initial questionnaire was evaluated via two pilot tests. After these tests, we made minor revisions and finalized the initial version of the questionnaire. The questionnaire was constructed with two domains, one psycho-social and the other physical. For psychometric assessment, analyses were performed on the responses of 192 adult patients with various types of hypopituitarism. The intraclass correlations of the respective domains were 0.91 and 0.95, and the Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were 0.96 and 0.95, indicating adequate test-retest reliability and internal consistency for each domain. For known-group validity, patients with hypopituitarism due to hypothalamic disorder showed significantly lower scores in 11 out of 13 sub-domains compared to those who had hypopituitarism due to pituitary disorder. Regarding construct validity, the domain structure was found to be almost the same as that initially hypothesized. Exploratory factor analysis (n = 228) demonstrated that each domain consisted of six and seven sub-domains.ConclusionThe AHQ showed good reliability and validity for evaluating QOL in adult patients with hypopituitarism.

Client Evaluation of a Specialist Inpatient Parent-Infant Psychiatric Service

The aim of this paper was to collect feedback on a specialist parent-infant psychiatric service in terms of client satisfaction with inpatient treatment, and the impact on health outcomes of providing written information about available support options in the community following discharge. Women (n = 37) from consecutive admissions between January 2006 and December 2007 were contacted by telephone and administered a service quality evaluation questionnaire. Women were happy with the quality of inpatient care provided but suggested areas of improvement included continuity of staff during the inpatient stay and better communication between inpatient and outpatient services post-discharge. At discharge, women were not confident with their ability in coping with motherhood but confidence with parenting skills increased post-discharge. Use of recommended post-discharge community support and/or health services was poor. As adherence with discharge recommendations was less than ideal, greater involvement of primary/community health care professionals, and active participation of clients and carers, in discharge planning is required. Increased emphasis on the practical skills of motherhood as well as opportunities to develop the mother-infant relationship may assist mothers in gaining confidence to interact with their baby and pick up infant cues.

Polish Cultural Adaptation of the Roland-Morris Questionnaire for Evaluation of Quality of Life in Patients With Low Back Pain

Cultural adaptation and cross-sectional psychometric testing. The aim of this study was to validate the Polish translation of the Roland-Morris Questionnaire (RMQ), which evaluates the functional level of activity of patients with discogenic low back pain with radicular radiation, caused by intervertebral herniation, according to category A1 in the Kirkaldy-Willis classification and Type QTF6 in classification Quebec Task Force. The main concern of patients with low back pain is the functional limitation that the symptoms cause. It is important to find a validation tool by means of which their functional level can be assessed. The RMQ was compared with MOS Short Form-36 Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36), to pain scale, to depression scale, to functional scale that measures activities of daily living, and to measuring forward and side bending of the spine. Independently, two professionals made a translation and then two native speakers made a translation-back of the RMQ. Then 104 patients with lumbar disc herniation completed the RMQ, SF-36, VAS and FIR (ADL scale). The study group comprised 39 women and 65 men with an average age of 44 years. The significant correlation between the RMQ and other questionnaires was found. RMQ and SF-36 Physical, r = 0.47, P < 0.00001, RMQ and Pain, r = 0.462, P < 0.00001. Cronbach's alpha showed a value of 0.88 (scale 0-1). The correlation between severity of disease and quality of life, between bending of spine and quality of life, between depression and quality of life, and between activities of daily living and quality of life has been found. According to this study, the RMQ can be used as a valid tool in the assessment of the functional level of patients with lumbar pain and previous lumbar herniation. The RMQ is fast and easy to complete; it is valid, reliable, and sensitive. We recommend the questionnaire to be used in research of quality of life in low back pain.

Interferon and ribavirin vs interferon alone in the re-treatment of chronic hepatitis C previously nonresponsive to interferon: A meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Hepatitis C is the leading cause of chronic liver disease in the United States. Several trials have found that interferon and ribavirin combination therapy is more efficacious than interferon monotherapy for previously untreated patients and those who relapsed after prior interferon monotherapy, but its effectiveness for nonresponders to prior interferon monotherapy is unclear. To assess the efficacy and safety of interferon and ribavirin vs interferon alone for treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C who previously did not respond to interferon monotherapy. A systematic search was performed using MEDLINE and the Science Citation Index for publications from 1966 to December 1999. A manual reference search and a manual review of relevant specialty journals also were performed, and input from clinical hepatology experts was sought. Included studies were randomized, controlled clinical trials comparing interferon and ribavirin with interferon alone and reporting virological and biochemical outcomes after a follow-up period. Of 50 identified studies, 12 trials (941 patients) were included in the analysis. Two investigators reviewed trials independently for methods, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and outcomes. Disagreements were resolved by discussion. Abstracted data included study and patient characteristics and virological, biochemical, and histological outcomes. A quality evaluation questionnaire was used to score studies. The pooled virological response rate for combination therapy was 14% (95% confidence interval [CI], 11%-17%), with a risk difference favoring combination therapy of 7% (95% CI, 2%-13%). Use of interferon alfa-2a/2b and ribavirin, 1000 to 1200 mg/d, was associated with a pooled virological response rate of 18% and a risk difference of 16% (95% CI, 11%-21%). When interferon alfa-n/n3 and a lower dosage of ribavirin (600-800 mg/d) were used, the risk difference was 0% (95% CI, -7% to 7%). Combination therapy was associated with more adverse effects and an increased rate of discontinuation of treatment compared with interferon monotherapy. For chronic hepatitis C that is nonresponsive to prior interferon monotherapy, combination therapy is more effective than re-treatment with interferon alone. Response rates remain less than 20% even in the most responsive subgroups, demonstrating a need for better therapeutic options.