Biomedical subjects

Christine Matthis

Publications and source records attributed to Christine Matthis.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Missing data due to a 'checklist misconception-effect'.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the extent and relevance of a postulated "checklist misconception-effect" (a specific response pattern characterized by symptom-free persons not checking the "not at all"-category). METHODS: Our data is derived from a survey of blue collar workers (n = 228) who previously had filed in applications for medical rehabilitation benefits. We defined the "checklist misconception-effect" by the following response pattern: (1) at least one missing value and (2) at least one valid item response and (3) no 'not at all' responses. RESULTS: 75% of the responders had complete data, 16.2% a postulated 'checklist misconception-effect'. Substantial co-variations with socio-demographic characteristics or health status indicators could not be found. Additional imputation of missing values under the assumption of a "checklist misconception-effect" led to a reduction of missing data in the somatisation-subscale score from 12.3% to 0.4% compared to a simple manual-based calculation. Correlation with various external criteria (general health perception, level of functioning, depression) remained unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: Ignoring the "checklist misconception-effect" would overestimate symptom load. However, the validity of this effect has still to be proven in methodological studies.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Variation in back pain between countries: the example of Britain and Germany.

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey with personal interviews. OBJECTIVE: To study national differences in subjective health, back pain, and self-perceived disability between the United Kingdom and Germany. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Back pain is a leading health problem in most Western populations, causing enormous costs to the national health systems. Different prevalence rates were reported from many countries, but rarely as a result of a direct comparison based on an identical study design. METHODS: A total of 6,235 male and female participants 50 to 79 years of age (population-based stratified random samples) were recruited in 6 British and 8 German study centers. The interviewer administered standardized questionnaire included a section about presence and severity of back pain. RESULTS: Past and current back pain was more frequent among German participants and different between East and West German centers. The differences in back pain prevalence rates could not be explained by less favorable risk profiles among German respondents. CONCLUSIONS: Intercultural differences in perceiving or reporting back pain can be hypothesized as the most likely explanation of the markedly different prevalence rates of the disorder in the United Kingdom and East and West Germany.

Academic Medical Centers↗

PubMed2003

[Predictive validity of a brief scale to assess subjective prognosis of work capacity (SPE Scale) in a cohort of LVA insured patients with severe back pain or functional complaints relating to internal medicine].

OBJECTIVES: Vocational (dis-)ability is a central concept in social medicine. Beside from medical factors psychological and system factors play a crucial role in determining vocational disability. The development of instruments assessing the prognosis of gainful employment is an important task in rehabilitation research. METHODS: A short scale measuring the subjective prognosis of gainful employment (SPE-scale) was administered to 481 blue collar workers suffering from severe back pain or else functional syndromes. Employment status two or three years following the assessment is known. RESULTS: 11% of the subjects have applied for early retirement; 5% actually have retired. There are statistically significant relations of SPE-scores and subjects employment status. Effect sizes of the SPE-scores equal or even outrank those of other instruments assessing vocational (dis-)ability. The positive predictive power of the scale is low, though. CONCLUSIONS: The SPE scale can be recommended for further use in (rehabilitation) research. The employment of the instrument for medical appraisal has to be viewed with more caution. The percentage of subjects at risk for early retirement is largely overestimated in case of a positive test. Instruments like the SPE-scale can assist but never replace the medical appraisal.

Adult↗