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Biomedical subjects

J H Mason

Publications and source records attributed to J H Mason.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

AIMS2. The content and properties of a revised and expanded Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales Health Status Questionnaire.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this project was to develop a more comprehensive and sensitive version of the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS). METHODS: AIMS scale items were revised, and 3 new scales were added to evaluate arm function, work, and social support. Sections were also added to assess satisfaction with function, attribution of problems to arthritis, and self-designation of priority areas for improvement. The new instrument was designated the AIMS2. A pilot test of format and content and a performance test of reliability and validity were carried out. RESULTS: Questionnaire completion times in a pilot study of 24 subjects averaged 23 minutes, and evaluations were positive regarding the instrument's length and ease of completion, and the subjects' willingness to complete serial forms and return them by mail. Measurement performance was tested in 408 subjects: 299 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 109 with osteoarthritis (OA); 45 of these subjects completed a second AIMS2 within 3 weeks. Internal consistency coefficients for the 12 scales were 0.72-0.91 in the RA group and 0.74-0.96 in the OA group. Test-retest reliability was 0.78-0.94. All within-scale factor analyses produced single factors, except for mobility level in OA. Validity analyses in both the RA and the OA groups showed that patient designation of an area as a problem or as a priority for improvement was significantly associated with a poorer AIMS2 scale score in that area. Reliability, factor analysis, and validity results were consistent in age, sex, and education subgroups. Satisfaction was moderately correlated with level of function in the same health status area, and the satisfaction items formed a reliable scale. Responses to the arthritis attribution items showed that most dysfunction in this sample was due to arthritis. CONCLUSION: The AIMS2 is a revised and expanded health status questionnaire with excellent measurement properties that should be useful in arthritis clinical trials and in outcomes research.

Arm↗
PubMed1992

The rapid assessment of disease activity in rheumatology (radar) questionnaire. Validity and sensitivity to change of a patient self-report measure of joint count and clinical status.

OBJECTIVE: This study documents the measurement properties of a brief, self-administered questionnaire of disease signs and symptoms in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS: The Rapid Assessment of Disease Activity in Rheumatology (RADAR) questionnaire assesses joint pain/tenderness and clinical status. One hundred ninety-three pairs of RADAR forms were completed by 45 subjects and their assigned clinician evaluators. RESULTS: Subject-clinician agreement (intraclass correlation coefficients [ICC]) for joint pain/tenderness and clinical status ranged from 0.52 to 0.87 (P = 0.0001), with 83% greater than or equal to 0.65. The ICC for change in joint scores over 6 months was 0.83 (P = 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The 2-page RADAR questionnaire produces valid estimates of joint count and clinical status that are sensitive to change.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Do self-reported arthritis symptom (RADAR) and health status (AIMS2) data provide duplicative or complementary information?

This study assessed whether self-report measures of symptoms and functional health status provide unique outcome information, or whether functional status assessments primarily serve as a proxy for self-reported arthritis symptoms. Symptom scores of 138 individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) collected with the Rapid Assessment of Disease Activity in Rheumatology (RADAR) measure were compared with same-day functional health scores collected with the recently revised Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS2). Correlational and factor analyses revealed that self-assessed arthritis symptoms, physical function and work impact, psychological status, and social health each made independent contributions to outcome. Satisfaction with health status was shown not to be independent of symptoms, functional capacity, or psychological status. It is important to document that self-reported symptom and health status information, when collected concurrently, provides complementary rather than duplicative information.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1989

Applicability of a health status model to osteoarthritis.

A five-component model of health status has been operationalized by the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS) to serve as a core for the health status assessment of individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). These five components of health status are Lower Extremity Function, Upper Extremity Function, Affect, Symptom, and Social Interaction. To test the utility of this model, this study examines the stability and the applicability of the five-component model in a different rheumatic disease, osteoarthritis (OA). The model displays similar characteristics between OA and RA for Upper Extremity Function, Affect, and Social Interaction. Pain, however, appears to be more strongly associated with Physical Activity in the OA sample, suggesting that pain as a measured symptom of OA is closely related to ambulation, while pain as a symptom of RA may be more a manifestation of joint involvement and less dependent upon walking and climbing. This study presents the AIMS as a means of assessing five components of health status in either OA or RA.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Tenderness in 75 anatomic sites. Distinguishing fibromyalgia patients from controls.

We studied tenderness at 75 unilateral anatomic locations in 10 fibromyalgia patients and 10 normal control subjects to determine which sites best identified patients with fibromyalgia. Using a dolorimeter, the mean amount of pressure required to elicit tenderness was significantly lower in patients than in controls at 19 sites (P less than 0.001). Of the previously proposed tender points, only 2 were included in those 19 best discriminating points. Fifteen of the 19 best discriminating points were clustered in regions around the anterior shoulder, anterior chest, posterior scapula, and medial knee. The 19 sites that we have identified best separate patients with fibromyalgia from controls, although the discriminating power of these sites in other chronic pain syndromes will require further study. Examination of specific regions may be more useful clinically than the exact anatomic sites within these regions.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

A model of health status for rheumatoid arthritis. A factor analysis of the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales.

Health status is a key aspect of quality of life that may be addressed and affected by health care. The measurement of this construct requires the identification of unique and relevant components of health status that can be operationally defined by specific scales or scale groupings. We explored the components of health status that are operationalized by the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS). Prior testing has shown that the AIMS measures delineate at least 3 components of health status: Physical Function, Psychological Status, and Pain. This 3-component model, however, can be theoretically and empirically restrictive. Using AIMS responses from a rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patient population, our investigation, through factor analyses, identifies 5 components of health status in this chronic disease: Lower Extremity Function, Upper Extremity Function, Affect, Symptom, and Social Interaction. It is proposed that these intuitively reasonable and measurable components constitute the core of the health status construct for individuals with RA. These 5 components could also prove central to the assessment of health status in other rheumatic diseases. Future studies of health status in RA should include tested measures to assess these 5 components.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1987

Survival of patients with primary (AL) amyloidosis. Colchicine-treated cases from 1976 to 1983 compared with cases seen in previous years (1961 to 1973).

Primary amyloidosis has a variable course, but is generally associated with a short life expectancy. To date, no specific therapy has been available. Fifty-three patients with AL amyloidosis seen between 1976 and 1983 were treated with colchicine, and their clinical course and survival were compared with that in 29 other patients seen between 1961 and 1973. Of the variables measured, the treatment, the patient's sex, and the time interval from diagnosis to referral of treatment were significantly associated with length of survival. Median survival for the colchicine-treated patients was 17 months, compared with six months for the non-colchicine-treated patients. A surprising finding was the longer life span in female patients (median eight months versus four and a half months in the non-colchicine-treated group, and 25.5 months versus 10 month in the colchicine-treated group). The study suggests that colchicine has improved the life expectancy in AL amyloidosis. Although it is not a specific therapy, it may be a reasonable form of adjunctive treatment in this complex disorder.

Amyloidosis↗
PubMed1987

Pharmacy-nursing report form used to monitor and adjust schedules of large volume parenteral solutions.

The use of an i.v. report form to regularly monitor and adjust the schedules of large volume parenteral solutions and irrigations is discussed. The departments of pharmaceutical services and nursing instituted a program that allowed both departments to compare the schedules of large volume parenterals and irrigations for each shift. This program centers around the use of an i.v. report form, for which clinical nurses record information concerning the progress of i.v. fluids and irrigations. The completed report is forwarded to the pharmacy, where pharmacy personnel use the information to continually update i.v. therapy profiles and adjust the administration schedules of subsequent solutions. Pharmacy's review of the i.v. report form allows the pharmacist to use his/her clinical judgment concerning the appropriateness of therapy and provides an opportunity to prevent and observe medication errors. Although this system has not be formally compared to other systems, it appears that an i.v. report system is an effective means of communication between pharmacy and nursing departments.

Communication↗
PubMed1983

An evaluation of the annual meeting of the American Rheumatism Association. Results of a membership survey.

Members of the American Rheumatism Association (ARA) were surveyed to determine their views on the content and quality of their annual meeting. Responses were received from 1,208 members. ARA members were generally positive about the major components of the annual meeting program, but there were significant differences in opinion between practitioners and academicians. Practitioners favored a reduction in basic science material and an increase in didactic clinical sessions. Academicians were more likely to feel that recent annual meetings have adequately addressed their educational needs. These findings have implications for the planning of future annual meetings of the ARA.

Congresses as Topic↗
PubMed1983

Health status in chronic disease: a comparative study of rheumatoid arthritis.

A self-administered questionnaire has been used to measure and compare health status in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 5 other chronic diseases. Subjects with RA, hypertension, cancer, diabetes, cardiac disease, or pulmonary disease were assessed along 11 aspects of health status. Results showed significant differences in health status across the 6 diseases, particularly for physical function and pain. The psychological status measures were similar. A summary estimate indicated that RA and pulmonary diseases produced poorer health status than the others. This study confirms the severe negative health status associated with chronic RA.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1982

The arthritis impact measurement scales. Further investigations of a health status measure.

The Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS) have been developed to assess the health status of arthritis patients. In this study, the self-administered AIMS questionnaire, which includes scales designed to measure the physical, psychologic, and social aspects of health status, was completed by 625 patients with various forms of arthritis. A comprehensive battery of analytic techniques was used to investigate the performance of these scales in this large sample. The results confirmed the reliability and validity of the AIMS instrument. They also showed that AIMS performs well in at least 4 major types of arthritis, in a range of sociodemographic groups, and across time. These findings emphasize the strengths of the AIMS approach and suggest that the instrument will prove useful as a tool to assess arthritis outcome in a wide variety of clinical settings.

Aged↗
PubMed1981

Rheumatology education in United States medical school.

Although rheumatology manpower in United States medical schools has dramatically increased in the past decade, 13% of medical schools did not have a full-time staff rheumatologist in 1980. Thirty-eight percent of medical schools had 2 or less full-time rheumatologists. Staff rheumatologists and rheumatology fellows provided the majority of medical student education in the clinical aspects of rheumatic disease; however, rheumatologists in less than 50% of medical schools taught in the basic science curriculum or in related fields such as collagen biochemistry, metabolic bone disease, and orthopedic intervention in arthritis. The staff rheumatologists' time commitment to medical student education was inversely proportional to the rheumatology faculty size. At medical schools with no rheumatologists, however, there was little, if any, formal education in the rheumatic diseases. Most subjects are taught in systems-oriented lectures. Education is currently limited to the common rheumatic conditions such as bursitis and back pain. Only 62% of medical schools provide a structured course on the musculoskeletal examination. Elective rotations in rheumatology, usually offered in the third or fourth year, are currently being provided to only 15% of U.S. medical students.

Curriculum↗
PubMed1980

Measuring health status in arthritis. The arthritis impact measurement scales.

A multidimensional index that measures the health status of individuals with arthritis has been developed. The Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS) are a combination of previously studied and newly created health status scales which assess physical, emotional, and social well-being. The self-administered AIMS questionnaire has been pilot tested in a mixed arthritis population. Results indicate that the instrument is practical and that it generates scalable, reliable, and valid measures of both aggregated and disaggregated health status. The AIMS approach to health status measurement should prove useful for evaluating the outcomes of arthritis treatments and programs.

Activities of Daily Living↗