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Biomedical subjects

Julie Richardson

Publications and source records attributed to Julie Richardson.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Relationship between self-report and performance measures of function: a systematic review.

UNLABELLED: The authors conducted a systematic review of studies examining correlations between assessments of function obtained using self-report and those obtained using performance-based measures for community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: Articles for this review were identified using electronic searching in MEDLINE, CINHAL, and AGELINE and hand-searching techniques. Two reviewers selected the studies that met the inclusion criteria, extracted the data, and assessed the methodological quality of the data. RESULTS: Seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria for review. Correlations between self-report and performance ranged from -0.72 to 0.60. Sixty per cent of the studies compared self-report instruments measuring disability with performance measures addressing functional limitations. In studies that assessed the same functional tasks and functional limitations using the two methods, the correlation varied between 0.60 and 0.86. CONCLUSION: When the construct measured by the two methods was the same, the correlations were moderate to large and, therefore, measurement of functional limitations by self-report or performance probably reflected a similar assessment of function.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Gender differences associated with physical functioning in older persons with angina.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine whether older men and women with and without angina experience differences in specific areas of physical functioning. METHOD: A historical population based cohort design was used to examine this question. Data were taken from the Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly which consists of four large cohorts of samples over 65 years of age living in four communities East Boston, Iowa, New Haven and North Carolina. The Rose Questionnaire was used to identify persons who had angina. Physical functioning was conceptualized under the Nagi framework and considered as either functional limitation/mobility or activities of daily living. Persons were considered disabled if they required assistance with any activity in these categories. Logistic regression was used to examine variables associated with gender differences in physical function. RESULTS: Six hundred and twenty-four person met the criteria for the classification of angina; 249 (39.9%) were men and 375 (60%) were women. In men and women, disability was greater with items associated with functional mobility than for activities of daily living but women were more affected than men. Self-rated health was important in explaining functioning in both areas. CONCLUSION: Older women who experience angina symptoms also have a greater lower extremity disability compared to men with angina. Angina may force older women to curtail more strenuous activities which could lead to further disablement.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2003

Pilot evaluation of a mindfulness-based intervention to improve quality of life among individuals who sustained traumatic brain injuries.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: To examine the potential efficacy of a mindfulness-based stress reduction approach to improve quality of life in individuals who have suffered traumatic brain injuries. RESEARCH DESIGN: Pre-post design with drop-outs as controls. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: We recruited individuals with mild to moderate brain injuries, at least 1 year post-injury. We measured their quality of life, psychological status, and function. Results of 10 participants who completed the programme were compared to three drop-outs with complete data. EXPERIMENTAL INTERVENTION: The intervention was delivered in 12-weekly group sessions. The intervention relied on insight meditation, breathing exercises, guided visualization, and group discussion. We aimed to encourage a new way of thinking about disability and life to bring a sense of acceptance, allowing participants to move beyond limiting beliefs. MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The treatment group mean quality of life (SF-36) improved by 15.40 (SD = 9.08) compared to - 1.67 (SD = 16.65; p = 0.036) for controls. Improvements on the cognitive-affective domain of the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) were reported (p = 0.029), while changes in the overall BDI-II (p = 0.059) and the Positive Symptom Distress Inventory of the SCL-90R (p = 0.054) approached statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention was simple, and improved quality of life after other treatment avenues for these participants were exhausted.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evidence-based guidelines for the secondary prevention of falls in older adults.

BACKGROUND: Falls are a significant problem for older adults. Individuals who have sustained a fall come to the attention of health care providers and are at risk of further falls. To promote the highest quality of care and reduce variation in care, a practice guideline is needed. Summarization of evidence regarding falls may be useful to researchers in this field. OBJECTIVES: To provide evidence-based guidelines of assessment and treatment to prevent falls in older adults and to provide researchers with tables of risk factor studies and randomized controlled trials of falls prevention. METHODS: A template for the development of practice guidelines from the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research was used. Evidence for risk factors was accepted from prospective studies with more than 80% follow-up. Potentially modifiable risk factors were selected and a schema for evaluating the importance of each risk factor was used. Evidence for interventions was examined from randomized controlled trials and strength of the evidence was graded. Recommendations for aspects of care where judgment was required were made by panel consensus. RESULTS: Information was drawn from 46 risk factor studies and 37 randomized controlled trials to develop a practice guideline consisting of assessment items and recommended interventions for community-dwelling and institution-dwelling older adults separately. For clinicians, a check list is provided. Summary tables of the results of studies are given to substantiate the recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: For community-dwelling older adults, there is strong evidence for multi-factorial specific risk assessment and targeted treatment. Balance exercises are recommended for all individuals who have had a fall and there is evidence for a program of home physiotherapy for women over 80 years of age regardless of risk factor status. For institutional settings, the establishment of a falls program for safety checks, ongoing staff education and monitoring is substantiated by research. Residents who have fallen need to be assessed for specific risk factors and clinical indicators to determine relevant management options.

Accidental Falls↗