MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature search identified pre-existing measures and models for the assessment of attitudes in healthcare students. Adaptation of three pre-existing scales was undertaken, and a new scale was developed based upon the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) using an elicitation survey. These scales underwent a process of content validation. The three adapted scales and the TPB scale were piloted by 130 students at 5 different professional stages, from 4 different countries.
RESULTS: The scales were adjusted to ensure good internal reliability, variance, distribution, and face and content validity. In addition, the different scales showed good divergent validity.
DISCUSSION: These results are positive, and the scales now need to be validated in the field.
CONCLUSIONS: It is hoped that these tools will be useful to educators in SCD to evaluate the impact of teaching and clinical exposure on their students.
METHODS: A cross-sectional pilot survey (Pakistan, Morocco, Nigeria, Malaysia) of health professionals' working in rehabilitation in hospital and community settings. A situational-analysis survey captured assessment of clinical skills required in various rehabilitation settings. Responses were coded in a line-by-line process, and linked to categories in domains of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF).
RESULTS: Respondents (n = 532) from Pakistan 248, Nigeria 159, Morocco 93 and Malaysia 32 included the following: physiotherapists (52.8%), nurses (8.8%), speech (5.3%) and occupational therapists (8.5%), rehabilitation physicians (3.8%), other doctors (5.5%) and prosthetist/orthotists (1.5%). The 10 commonly used clinical skills reported were prescription of: physical activity, medications, transfer-techniques, daily-living activities, patient/carer education, diagnosis/screening, behaviour/cognitive interventions, comprehensive patient-care, referrals, assessments and collaboration. There was significant overlap in skills listed irrespective of profession. Most responses linked with ICF categories in activities/participation and personal factors.
CONCLUSION: The core skills identified reflect general rehabilitation practice and a task-shifting approach, to address shortages of health workers in low-and middle-income countries.
METHODS: A questionnaire was developed based on the Dental Student Attitude to the Handicapped Scale, Scale of Attitudes to the Disabled Persons and Health Action Process Approach. The self-administered, validated questionnaire was tested for reliability (Cronbach's alpha = .71-.81), before being distributed to clinical dental students of both genders from two universities (University A, n = 176 and University B, n = 175). Quantitative data were analysed via t test and ANOVA (p
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to (1) measure the cost of health resources utilization by MS patients and (2) to examine the difference in utilization and its attributed costs amongst patients who may have a different course of MS and expanded disability status scale (EDSS) scores.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study using Kuwait National MS registry was conducted to estimate the costs of utilization of resources from 2011 to 2015.
RESULTS: Between the period 2011-2015, 1344 MS patients were included in the registry. The average annual cost per MS patient has increased from $10,271 in 2011 to $17,296 in 2015. Utilization of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) was the main driver of costs reaching 89.9% in 2015. Throughout the five-year period, the occurrence of relapses decreased from 21.8% to 12.2% (p <0.0001). During this same period, ambulatory relapse treatment increased by 5.8% while hospitalizations decreased by 2.6%. Patients with a moderate EDSS score (3.5-6) had the highest average cost (p<0.0001) compared to mild and severe EDSS scores.
CONCLUSIONS: Multiple sclerosis has been a significant economic burden on the Kuwait healthcare system. DMTs are the main driver of cost.
METHODS: We estimated mortality using natural history models for acute hepatitis infections and GBD's cause-of-death ensemble model for cirrhosis and liver cancer. We used meta-regression to estimate total cirrhosis and total liver cancer prevalence, as well as the proportion of cirrhosis and liver cancer attributable to each cause. We then estimated cause-specific prevalence as the product of the total prevalence and the proportion attributable to a specific cause. Disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) were calculated as the sum of years of life lost (YLLs) and years lived with disability (YLDs).
FINDINGS: Between 1990 and 2013, global viral hepatitis deaths increased from 0·89 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 0·86-0·94) to 1·45 million (1·38-1·54); YLLs from 31·0 million (29·6-32·6) to 41·6 million (39·1-44·7); YLDs from 0·65 million (0·45-0·89) to 0·87 million (0·61-1·18); and DALYs from 31·7 million (30·2-33·3) to 42·5 million (39·9-45·6). In 2013, viral hepatitis was the seventh (95% UI seventh to eighth) leading cause of death worldwide, compared with tenth (tenth to 12th) in 1990.
INTERPRETATION: Viral hepatitis is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Unlike most communicable diseases, the absolute burden and relative rank of viral hepatitis increased between 1990 and 2013. The enormous health loss attributable to viral hepatitis, and the availability of effective vaccines and treatments, suggests an important opportunity to improve public health.
FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
METHOD: Quantitative studies published in English until May 2023 were sought by searching seven electronic databases: Web of Science, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Scopus, Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection. This review included studies that identified participants as individuals with disabilities and reported the overall (non) compliance with the 24-HMG among children and adolescents with disabilities.
RESULTS: A total of 13 studies, involving 21,101 individuals (65.95% males), aged 6 to 21 years from 9 countries, were included in the analysis. In general, 7% (95%CI: 0.05-0.09, p
METHOD: The relationship between chronic disease and disability (independent and dependent variables) was examined using logistic regression. To demonstrate variability in activity performance with functional impairment, graphing was used. The relationship between functional impairment, activity performance, and social participation was examined graphically and using ANOVA. The impact of cognitive deficits was quantified through stratifying by dementia.
RESULTS: Disability is strongly related to chronic disease (Wald 25.5, p < .001), functional impairment with activity performance (F = 34.2, p < .001), and social participation (F= 43.6, p < .001). With good function, there is considerable variability in activity performance (inter-quartile range [IQR] = 2.00), but diminishes with high impairment (IQR = 0.00) especially with cognitive deficits.
DISCUSSION: Environment modification benefits those with moderate functional impairment, but not with higher grades of functional loss.