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Biomedical subjects

Richard H Osborne

Publications and source records attributed to Richard H Osborne.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

Chronic disease self-management education programs: challenges ahead.

Chronic disease self-management education programs aim to empower patients through providing information and teaching skills and techniques to improve self-care and doctor-patient interaction, with the ultimate goal of improving quality of life. The recent 2006-07 federal budget allocated an unprecedented $515 million over 5 years for activation of patient self-management activities, commencing this financial year. Previous attempts in other countries to incorporate self-management education activities into the health care sector have faced setbacks because of inadequate integration into primary care. Engagement of health care professionals and their endorsement of self-management activities is critical to success.

Australia↗
PubMed2006

Can a disease-specific education program augment self-management skills and improve Health-Related Quality of Life in people with hip or knee osteoarthritis?

BACKGROUND: Patient education and self-management programs are offered in many countries to people with chronic conditions such as osteoarthritis (OA). The most well-known is the disease-specific Stanford Arthritis Self-Management Program (ASMP). While Australian and international clinical guidelines promote the concept of self-management for OA, there is currently little evidence to support the use of the ASMP. Several meta-analyses have reported that arthritis self-management programs had minimal or no effect on reducing pain and disability. However, previous studies have had methodological shortcomings including the use of outcome measures which do not accurately reflect program goals. Additionally, limited cost-effectiveness analyses have been undertaken and the cost-utility of the program has not been explored. METHODS/DESIGN: This study is a randomised controlled trial to determine the efficacy (in terms of Health-Related Quality of Life and self-management skills) and cost-utility of a 6-week group-based Stanford ASMP for people with hip or knee OA. Six hundred participants referred to an orthopaedic surgeon or rheumatologist for hip or knee OA will be recruited from outpatient clinics at 2 public hospitals and community-based private practices within 2 private hospital settings in Victoria, Australia. Participants must be 18 years or over, fluent in English and able to attend ASMP sessions. Exclusion criteria include cognitive dysfunction, previous participation in self-management programs and placement on a waiting list for joint replacement surgery or scheduled joint replacement.Eligible, consenting participants will be randomised to an intervention group (who receive the ASMP and an arthritis self-management book) or a control group (who receive the book only). Follow-up will be at 6 weeks, 3 months and 12 months using standardised self-report measures. The primary outcome is Health-Related Quality of Life at 12 months, measured using the Assessment of Quality of Life instrument. Secondary outcome measures include the Health Education Impact Questionnaire, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (pain subscale and total scores), Kessler Psychological Distress Scale and the Hip and Knee Multi-Attribute Priority Tool. Cost-utility analyses will be undertaken using administrative records and self-report data. A subgroup of 100 participants will undergo qualitative interviews to explore the broader potential impacts of the ASMP. DISCUSSION: Using an innovative design combining both quantitative and qualitative components, this project will provide high quality data to facilitate evidence-based recommendations regarding the ASMP.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

The extent and breadth of benefits from participating in chronic disease self-management courses: a national patient-reported outcomes survey.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify the benefits that people receive from participating in self-management courses and identify subgroups that benefit most. METHODS: People with a wide range of chronic conditions attending self-management courses (N = 1341 individuals) were administered the Health Education Impact Questionnaire (heiQ). Baseline and follow-up data were collected resulting in 842 complete responses. Outcomes were categorized as substantial improvement (effect size, ES > or = 0.5), minimal/no change (ES -0.49 to 0.49) and substantial decline (ES < or = -0.5). RESULTS: On average, one third of participants reported substantial benefits at the end of a course and this ranged from 49% in the heiQ subscale Skill and technique acquisition to 27% in the heiQ subscale Health service navigation. Stratification by gender, age and education showed that younger participants were more likely to benefit, particularly young women. No further subgroup differences were observed. CONCLUSION: While the well-being of people with chronic diseases tends to decline, about one third of participants from a wide range of backgrounds show substantial improvements in a range of skills that enable them to self-manage. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: These data support the application of self-management courses indicating that they are a useful adjunct to usual care for a modest proportion of attendees.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Recurrent events counted in evaluations of predictive accuracy.

OBJECTIVES: To describe an alternate approach for the calculation of sensitivity and specificity when analyzing the accuracy of screening tools, which can be used when standard calculations may be inappropriate. Sensitivity(ER) (ER denoting event rate) is the number of events correctly predicted, divided by the total number of events. Specificity(ER) is the amount of time that study participants are predicted to be event negative, divided by the total amount of participant observed time. Variance estimates for these statistics are constructed by bootstrap resampling, taking into account event dependence. METHODS: Standard and alternate approaches for calculating sensitivity and specificity were applied to hospital falls risk screening tool data. In this application, the outcome of interest was a recurrent event, there were multiple applications of the screening tool, delays in screening tool completion, and patients' follow-up durations were unequal. RESULTS: Application of sensitivity(ER) and specificity(ER) to this data not only provided a clearer description of the screening tool's overall accuracy, but also allowed examination of accuracy over time, accuracy in predicting specific event numbers, and evaluation of the added value that screening tool reapplications may have. CONCLUSION: Sensitivity(ER) and specificity(ER) provide a valuable approach to screening tool evaluation in the clinical setting.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed2006

Evaluating quality of life in hip and knee replacement: Psychometric properties of the World Health Organization Quality of Life short version instrument.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the World Health Organization Quality of Life short version instrument (WHOQOL-BREF), and to determine its responsiveness in assessing early outcome after total hip or knee replacement surgery. METHODS: At baseline (entry to an orthopedic waiting list), 279 participants completed the WHOQOL-BREF instrument, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), Assessment of Quality of Life (AQOL) instrument, Kessler Psychological Distress (K10) scale, and the modified Health Assessment Questionnaire (MHAQ). A total of 74 patients completed reassessments 3 months after surgery. RESULTS: The WHOQOL-BREF demonstrated acceptable internal consistency for all domains (Cronbach's alpha = 0.76-0.84) and moderate concurrent validity for the physical and psychological domains (r = 0.67 for physical versus AQOL; r = -0.71 for psychological versus K10). Minimal ceiling or floor effects were identified at baseline or 3 months, except for the social relationships domain. The disease-specific WOMAC subscales were most responsive to change (relative efficiency [RE] 0.66-1.00). Apart from social relationships, all WHOQOL-BREF scores improved significantly after surgery. The physical domain was more responsive than the AQOL (RE 0.50 versus 0.42) and was similar to the MHAQ (RE 0.55 for MHAQ). The responsiveness of the psychological domain was similar to that of the K10 scale (RE 0.11 versus 0.08). CONCLUSION: The WHOQOL-BREF has good psychometric properties for use in persons with severe joint disease, and by providing complementary information, it offers clinicians and researchers an additional tool for comprehensively assessing quality of life in this patient group.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Change of perspective: a measurable and desired outcome of chronic disease self-management intervention programs that violates the premise of preintervention/postintervention assessment.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if participants in chronic disease self-management courses have a change of perspective of their health status (a response shift), and if this is measurable with a paper-based questionnaire. METHODS: Nine items were developed to measure potential benefits of self-management courses. These were based on the constructs of a previous questionnaire, the Health Education Impact Questionnaire (HEI-Q). Cognitive interviews elicited spontaneous statements about the reasons for paper-based answers. Sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy of items were calculated using the interview as a relative gold standard. Response shift can be negative (i.e., after the course, participants realize that, before the course, they were worse than they thought they were), positive (i.e., participants now realize they were better than they thought they were), or absent (no change). RESULTS: Interviews (n = 39) reflected that true response shift occurred in approximately half the replies to questionnaire items. Of these, 31% were negative response shift, 20% were positive response shift. Response shift was absent in 32% of replies. Presence or absence of response shift could not be determined in 17% of replies across items. Significant concordance between questionnaires and cognitive interviews (average overall accuracy 0.79) indicated that the HEI-Q Perspective questionnaire detects response shift in participants of self-management courses. The questionnaire revealed that 87% of participants had response shift in at least 1 item. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that preintervention/postintervention assessments of interventions such as self-management courses are confounded by a change in perspective of a large proportion of respondents. It also indicates response shift is a valuable outcome of self-management courses that can be measured with a paper-based questionnaire.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2006

Parsimonious and efficient assessment of health-related quality of life in osteoarthritis research: validation of the Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL) instrument.

BACKGROUND: The Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL) utility instrument was psychometrically developed for the general population. This study aimed to explore its potential as an osteoarthritis (OA) outcome measure. METHODS: WOMAC, Lequesne index, SF-36, Visual analogue scales and the AQoL were administered to 222 people with OA. The ability of each questionnaire to detect differences between groups was based on (i) self-rated health (SRH) and, (ii) differences between people on an orthopedic waiting list (WL) vs people with OA in the community (C). Comparisons included effect size, relative efficiency and receiver operator characteristic curves. RESULTS: All instruments detected differences between groups; however no one instrument exhibited superior efficiency. The AQoL demonstrated strong psychometric properties. CONCLUSION: The AQoL has equivalent performance to comparator questionnaires commonly used in OA research and would be a useful adjunct to well-established disease specific scales. The AQoL has important advantages; brevity (12 items), facilitates comparisons between disease groups, and delivers a utility score that can be used in health economic evaluations.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

A new instrument for targeting falls prevention interventions was accurate and clinically applicable in a hospital setting.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To describe the diagnostic accuracy and practical application of the Peter James Centre Falls Risk Assessment Tool (PJC-FRAT), a multidisciplinary falls risk screening and intervention deployment instrument. METHODS: In phase 1, the accuracy of the PJC-FRAT was prospectively compared to a gold standard (the STRATIFY) on a cohort of subacute hospital patients (n = 122). In phase 2, the PJC-FRAT was temporally reassessed using a subsequent cohort (n = 316), with results compared to those of phase 1. Primary outcomes were falls (events), fallers (patients who fell), and hospital completion rates of the PJC-FRAT. RESULTS: In phase 1, PJC-FRAT accuracy of identifying fallers showed sensitivity of 73% (bootstrap 95% confidence interval CI = 55, 90) and specificity of 75% (95% CI = 66, 83), compared with the STRATIFY (cutoff > or = 2/5) sensitivity of 77% (95% CI = 59, 92) and specificity of 51% (95% CI = 41, 61). This difference was not significant. In phase 2, accuracy of nursing staff using the PJC-FRAT was lower. PJC-FRAT completion rates varied among disciplines over both phases: nurses and physiotherapists, > or =90%; occupational therapists, > or =82%; and medical officers, > or =57%. CONCLUSION: The PJC-FRAT was practical and relatively accurate as a predictor of falls and a deployment instrument for falls prevention interventions, although continued staff education may be necessary to maintain its accuracy.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed2006

Patient education to prevent falls in subacute care.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a patient education programme for preventing falls in the subacute hospital setting. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial, subgroup analysis. PARTICIPANTS: Patients of a metropolitan subacute/aged rehabilitation hospital who were recommended for a patient education intervention for the prevention of falls when enrolled in a larger randomized controlled trial of a falls prevention programme. METHODS: Participants in both the control and intervention groups who were recommended for the education programme intervention were followed for the duration of their hospital stay to determine if falls occurred. Only participants in the intervention group who were recommended for this intervention actually received it. In addition, these participants completed an evaluation survey at the completion of their education programme. RESULTS: Intervention group participants in this subgroup analysis had a significantly lower incidence of falls than their control group counterparts (control: 16.0 falls/1000 participant-days, intervention: 8.2 falls/1000 participant-days, log-rank test: P = 0.007). However the difference in the proportion of fallers was not significant (relative risk 1.21, 95% confidence interval 0.68 to 2.14). CONCLUSION: Patient education is an important part of a multiple intervention falls prevention approach for the subacute hospital setting.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed2006

Vertebroplasty.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Bone Cements↗
PubMed2005

Severely compromised quality of life in women and those of lower socioeconomic status waiting for joint replacement surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To determine health-related quality of life (HRQOL), psychological distress, physical function, and self efficacy in persons waiting for lower-limb joint replacement surgery. METHODS: A total of 214 patients on a waiting list for unilateral primary total knee or hip replacement at a large Australian public teaching hospital completed questionnaires after entry to the list. HRQOL and psychological distress were compared with available population norms. RESULTS: Average HRQOL was extremely poor (mean +/- SD 0.39 +/- 0.24) and much lower (>2 SD) than the population norm. Near death-equivalent HRQOL or worse than death-equivalent HRQOL were reported by 15% of participants. High or very high psychological distress was up to 5 times more prevalent in the waiting list sample (relative risk 5.4 for participants ages 75 years and older; 95% confidence interval 3.3, 9.0). Women had significantly lower HRQOL, self efficacy, and physical function scores than men. After adjusting for age and sex, significant socioeconomic disparities were also found. Participants who received the lowest income had the poorest HRQOL; those with the least education or the lowest income had the highest psychological distress. Low self efficacy was moderately associated with poor HRQOL (r = 0.49, P < 0.001) and more strongly associated with high psychological distress (r = -0.55, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Patients waiting for joint replacement have very poor HRQOL and high psychological distress, especially women and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Lengthy waiting lists mean patients can experience extended and potentially avoidable morbidity. Interventions to address psychological distress and self efficacy could reduce this burden and should target women and lower socioeconomic groups.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Integrating data to facilitate clinical research: a case study.

The integration of routine clinical administrative activities into ongoing rigorous clinical research poses challenges for both clinicians and researchers. This case study describes the development of a responsive database system used to facilitate comprehensive longitudinal research into the outcomes of patients waiting for hip and knee replacement surgery in a large public teaching hospital. The initial research procedure was paper-based, with manual patient matching and data entry. This process was time-consuming and associated with substantial risk of error and omissions, necessitating the design of a better system. An integrated database system was designed to receive daily electronic updates of the orthopaedic waiting-list and scheduled clinic and surgery dates. Using readily available software (Microsoft Access), new patients were identified through specifying inclusion and exclusion criteria which allowed rapid and complete recruitment at time of entry to the waiting-list. The integrated system specified the appropriate timing of multiple follow-up assessments, provided prompt information on recruitment for reporting purposes and integrated multiple linked research projects within one database. Seamless exporting of data to statistical programs for analysis was also enabled. This simple integrated approach facilitated efficient execution of a longitudinal study from recruitment to statistical analysis while maximising confidentiality and minimising resources required. This case study describes the development and design of a simple system which could be easily adapted for database management in hospital or clinic-based settings according to local requirements.

Biomedical Research↗
PubMed2004

Effectiveness of targeted falls prevention programme in subacute hospital setting: randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of a targeted, multiple intervention falls prevention programme in reducing falls and injuries related to falls in a subacute hospital. DESIGN: Randomised controlled trial of a targeted multiple intervention programme implemented in addition to usual care compared with usual care alone. SETTING: Three subacute wards in a metropolitan hospital specialising in rehabilitation and care of elderly patients. PARTICIPANTS: 626 men and women aged 38 to 99 years (average 80 years) were recruited from consecutive admissions to subacute hospital wards. INTERVENTION: Falls risk alert card with information brochure, exercise programme, education programme, and hip protectors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence rate of falls, injuries related to falls, and proportion of participants who experienced one or more falls during their stay in hospital. RESULTS: Participants in the intervention group (n = 310) experienced 30% fewer falls than participants in the control group (n = 316). This difference was significant (Peto log rank test P = 0.045) and was most obvious after 45 days of observation. In the intervention group there was a trend for a reduction in the proportion of participants who experienced falls (relative risk 0.78, 95% confidence interval 0.56 to 1.06) and 28% fewer falls resulted in injury (log rank test P = 0.20). CONCLUSIONS: A targeted multiple intervention falls prevention programme reduces the incidence of falls in the subacute hospital setting.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMed2004

Can we reduce disease burden from osteoarthritis?

The comparison of disparate interventions for the prevention and management of osteoarthritis (OA) is limited by the quality and quantity of published efficacy studies and the use of disparate measures for reporting clinical trial outcomes. The "transfer to utility" technique was used to translate published trial outcomes into a health-related quality-of-life (utility) scale, creating a common metric which supported comparisons between disparate interventions. Total hip replacement (THR) and total knee replacement (TKR) surgery were the most effective treatments and also highly cost-effective, at estimated cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) of 7500 dollars for THR and 10000 dollars for TKR (best estimate). Other apparently highly cost-effective interventions were exercise and strength training for knee OA (< 5000 dollars/QALY), knee bracing, and use of capsaicin or glucosamine sulfate (< 10000 dollars/QALY). The cost per QALY estimates of non-specific and COX-2 inhibitor non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were affected by treatment-related deaths and highly sensitive to the discounting of life-years lost. OA interventions that have been shown to be ineffective (eg, arthroscopy) are targets for redistribution of healthcare resources. OA interventions which lack efficacy studies (eg, prevention programs) require further research to assist priority setting. The application of the Health-sector Wide model to OA demonstrates its role as an evidence-based model that can be successfully applied to identify marginal interventions - those to be expanded and contracted to reduce the expected burden of disease, within current healthcare resources.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal↗
PubMed2004

Patient education and self-management programs in arthritis.

Arthritis self-management programs (ASMPs) are integrated into many clinical practice guidelines and policies, and are the core business of Arthritis Foundations. Australian Arthritis Foundations are embarking on a National Quality Assurance Program which should raise awareness and improve confidence in such programs. ASMPs aim to empower people, improve quality of life while living with chronic disease, increase healthy activities and improve self-monitoring - each of which can assist with clinical management, but can be difficult to evaluate. Although there is modest high-quality evidence of traditional "clinical outcomes" from ASMPs, these programs are strongly endorsed by consumers, are being used as a vehicle for healthcare reform, and have the potential to substantially improve public health. Coordinated national delivery of patient education programs has the potential to improve healthcare and outcomes for people with arthritis.

Arthritis↗
PubMed2004

Immune function and adjustment style: do they predict survival in breast cancer?

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of immune status and psychosocial factors in survival from early breast cancer (N=61). Baseline assessments included lymphocyte number and function, natural killer cell activity (NKA), plasma cortisol and prolactin level. Psychosocial measures included anxiety, depression and mental adjustment to cancer and social support. Length of follow-up was 6.1-7.9 years with 14 (23%) breast cancer deaths. In Cox proportional hazards models adjusting for lymph node status two parameters predicted longer survival, low NKA (HR 29 per LLU, p=0.003) and minimizing the illness adjustment (HR 0.64 per scale point, p=0.012). These data provide little evidence for a psychoneuroimmunological mechanism in the survival from breast cancer. While this study is limited due to small sample size, and therefore the possibility of inflated estimates, longer survival in those minimizing the illness is a finding consistent with recent studies; however, the counter-intuitive finding that high NKA predicts shorter survival may be a marker for current disease or response to treatments.

Adaptation, Psychological↗