Biomedical subjects

Harpreet Sangha

Publications and source records attributed to Harpreet Sangha.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

A comparison of the Barthel Index and the Functional Independence Measure as outcome measures in stroke rehabilitation: patterns of disability scale usage in clinical trials.

In order to compare the frequency and patterns of use of the Barthel Index (BI) and Functional Independence Measure (FIM) in stroke rehabilitation trials, all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of stroke rehabilitation published between 1968 and 2002 were identified and reviewed to determine the frequency with which the BI and FIM measures were used relative to other measures of disability. The date and location of each study citing either the FIM or the BI were also recorded. Studies were assigned ratings of methodological quality based on the physiotherapy evidence database (PEDro) scoring system. Comparisons of the age, frequency and continents of origin and methodological quality of the studies were explored. Results indicate that the BI and FIM were the most common measures of disability used in RCTs examining stroke rehabilitation. However, the BI was used more often than the FIM (n=86, P<0.001) and was cited in trials of superior quality (P=0.005). Studies from North America were more likely to use the FIM compared with European studies (n=24, P<0.001). Publications citing the BI were significantly more recent when originating in Europe as opposed to North America (P=0.023). These results provide insight into current patterns of scale use in stroke rehabilitation research.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2005

Recovery from stroke: differences between subtypes.

The objective of this study was to compare the differences in patterns of recovery and incidence of medical complications in hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke patients admitted for rehabilitation, using a retrospective case series design. It was set in three tertiary care facilities in London, Ontario, Canada. Eight-hundred-and-nineteen consecutive patients, admitted from 1997 to 2001 for rehabilitation following cerebrovascular event, were reviewed. The main outcome measures were: age, length of hospital stay, time to admission, medical complications, ambulation status and functional independence measure scores on both admission and discharge. The results showed that 110 patients had strokes that were hemorrhagic, while 709 were ischemic. The hemorrhagic stroke patients were younger (66 vs. 70 years, P=0.001) and were admitted later post stroke onset (30 vs. 18 days, P<0.0001). They had a higher incidence of pneumonia (6.4 vs. 2.7%, P=0.04), pulmonary emboli (3.6 vs. 0.07%, P=0.006) and wheelchair ambulation on admission (53 vs. 41%, P=0.026). There was no significant difference in incidence of seizures or wheelchair ambulation on discharge, length of rehabilitation stay or Functional Independence Measure scores on both admission and discharge. In conclusion, hemorrhagic stroke patients took longer than ischemic stroke patients to enter into rehabilitation, and were more inclined to experience ambulatory impairments and develop medical complications.

Aged↗

PubMed2004

Effect of patient socioeconomic status on perceptions of first- and second-year medical students.

BACKGROUND: Physician decision-making and perceptions of patients are affected by a patient's socioeconomic status (SES). We sought to determine if the perceptions of first- and second-year medical students are similarly affected. We also wanted to determine whether a student's own SES affects his or her perceptions of patients from a low or high SES background. METHODS: Two similar videos of a physician-patient interview were created. One video featured a patient of apparently high SES and the other featured a patient of apparently low SES. Differences in SES were portrayed by means of clothing, accessories and dialogue. First- and second-year medical students at the University of Western Ontario were recruited to view 1 of the videos and to answer a questionnaire using a 5-point Likert scale. RESULTS: Responses were obtained from 205 (89%) of the 231 medical students invited to participate. Respondents' perceptions of the low SES and high SES patients were significantly different in the following respects. The low SES patient was perceived to be less compliant in taking medications and less likely to return for follow-up visits; was perceived to have a lower level of social support, poorer overall health and a worse prognosis; and was perceived to be more adversely affected in his occupational duties by illness (p < 0.05). Furthermore, second-year students who watched the video with the low SES patient were less inclined to want that patient in their practice than second-year students who watched the video with the high SES patient (p = 0.032). One hundred and six students (52%) were categorized as having high SES and 37 (18%) as having low SES (the remaining students were categorized as having mid-level SES). Among students who watched the video with the low SES patient, the level of agreement with the statement "This person is the kind of patient I would like to have in my practice" was greater among low SES students than among high SES students (p = 0.012). INTERPRETATION: First- and second-year medical students have negative perceptions of low SES patients on several dimensions.

Adult↗