scholarly journals The Biomechanics and Optimization of the Needle-Syringe System for Injecting Triamcinolone Acetonide into Keloids

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Vo ◽  
Marc Doumit ◽  
Gloria Rockwell

Purpose. Injecting triamcinolone acetonide (TA) into a keloid is physically challenging due to the density of keloids. The purpose was to investigate the effects of various syringe and needle combinations on the injection force to determine the most ergonomic combination. Materials and Methods. A load cell was used to generate and measure the injection force. Phase 1: the injection force of 5 common syringes was measured by injecting water into air. The syringe that required the lowest injection force was evaluated with various needle gauges (25, 27, and 30 G) and lengths (16, 25, and 38 mm) by injecting TA (40 mg/mL) into air. The needle-syringe combination with the lowest injection force (CLIF) was deemed the most ergonomic combination. Phase 2: comparisons between the CLIF and a standard combination (SC) were performed by injecting TA into air and tap water into a keloid specimen. Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and independent t-test were used. Results. Increasing the syringe caliber, injection speed, and needle gauge and length significantly increased the injection force (p value < 0.001). The SC required a maximum force of 40.0 N to inject water into keloid, compared to 25.0 N for the CLIF. Injecting TA into keloid using the SC would require an injection force that was 103.5% of the maximum force female thumbs could exert compared to 64.8% for the CLIF. ICC values were greater than 0.4. Conclusions. The 1 mL polycarbonate syringe with a 25 G, 16 mm needle (CLIF) was the most ergonomic combination. The SC required a substantial injection force, which may represent a physical challenge for female thumbs.

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan L. Riemann ◽  
Kelsey Piersol ◽  
George J. Davies

Context: Single leg balance testing is a commonly used tool in sports medicine; however, there has been no consensus on trial duration needed to obtain reliable measures. Objective: This investigation sought to determine the minimum trial duration required to obtain the highest intrasession single and average trial reliability for single leg balance testing on stable and unstable surfaces using dominant and nondominant limbs. Design: Intrasession reliability.Setting:Biomechanics laboratory. Participants: 70 healthy (35 men, 35 women), physically active young adults aged 22.8 ± 2.8 y divided into 3 subgroups (n = 10, 30, 30) across a 3-phase study. Methods:3 phases of single leg balance testing were performed. For phase 1, the duration of time each participant could maintain posture on each limb/surface were computed. Phase 2 considered performance for 6 cumulative time intervals (5s, 10s, 15s, 20s, 25s, 30s). Phase 3 served to solidify results of phase 2 by computing reliability of 15s trials. Main outcome measures: Overall stability index of the center of pressure and platform tilt. Results: Intraclass correlation coefficients for phase 2 ranged from .74 (5s interval for nondominant limb on unstable surface) to .94 (20s interval for nondominant limb on stable surface). Phase 3 intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from .66 to .78 for single trial and .85 to .92 for 3 trial average with coefficients of variation ranging from 23.9% to 40.4% for single trial and 13.8% to 23.0% for 3 trial average. Conclusions:These results ultimately suggest 15s as the optimal trial duration to provide reliable measures while reducing compensatory event occurrence.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. e045988
Author(s):  
Shane Sinclair ◽  
Thomas F Hack ◽  
Cara C MacInnis ◽  
Priya Jaggi ◽  
Harrison Boss ◽  
...  

ObjectivesCompassion is a key indicator of quality care that is reportedly eroding from patients’ care experience. While the need to assess compassion is recognised, valid and reliable measures are lacking. This study developed and validated a clinically informed, psychometrically rigorous, patient-reported compassion measure.DesignData were collected from participants living with life-limiting illnesses over two study phases across four care settings (acute care, hospice, long term care (LTC) and homecare). In phase 1, data were analysed through exploratory factor analysis (EFA), with the final items analysed via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in phase 2. The Schwartz Center Compassionate Care Scale (SCCCS), the revised Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS-r) and Picker Patient Experience Questionnaire (PPEQ) were also administered in phase 2 to assess convergent and divergent validity.Setting and participants633 participants were recruited over two study phases. In the EFA phase, a 54-item version of the measure was administered to 303 participants, with 330 participants being administered the final 15-item measure in the CFA phase.ResultsBoth EFA and CFA confirmed compassion as a single factor construct with factor loadings for the 15-item measure ranging from 0.76 to 0.86, with excellent test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient range: 0.74–0.89) and excellent internal reliability (Cronbach’s alpha of 0.96). The measure was positively correlated with the SCCCS (r=0.75, p<0.001) and PPEQ (r=0.60, p<0.001). Participants reporting higher experiences of compassion had significantly greater well-being and lower depression on the ESAS-r. Patients in acute care and hospice reported significantly greater experiences of compassion than LTC residents.ConclusionsThere is strong initial psychometric evidence for the Sinclair Compassion Questionnaire (SCQ) as a valid and reliable patient-reported compassion measure. The SCQ provides healthcare providers, settings and administrators the means to routinely measure patients experiences of compassion, while providing researchers a robust measure to conduct high-quality research.


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. e31-e32
Author(s):  
Alexa Eberle ◽  
Philippe Jouvet ◽  
Sylvie Charette ◽  
Bryan Provost

Abstract BACKGROUND Nursing workload evaluation tools are designed to determine adequate staffing for a given shift. Only retrospective tools that do not predict the number of nurses needed to start a shift exist. A prospective nursing workload evaluation tool (SJ score), developed by a group of nurses with items based on previously published retrospective scores and clinical experience, includes 16 weighted sections (scored from 0 to >100 with 1 point ≈ 5 min nurse workload). OBJECTIVES This study’s aim is to assess the reliability and validity of the SJ score in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). DESIGN/METHODS Inclusion criteria: children admitted in a PICU, age < 18 yo. Exclusion criteria: already included 3 times in this study (phase 1 only) or children discharged 2 hr after the beginning of the nurse shift studied. Children were scored for 8 hr nursing shifts. Phase 1 (pilot validation) required simultaneous prospective SJ scoring by the nurse in charge (NIC) and chief nurse (SC), then a retrospective SJ score by an independent trained investigator (AE). Phase 2 (validation in the real context of the PICU), which used an improved SJ score, required that each child had an SJ score prospectively by the NIC of the previous shift, then retrospectively by the NIC of the dedicated shift. Statistical analysis included the intraclass correlation (ICC) and a Bland Altman plot. Bland Altman was considered acceptable if mean difference was closed to 0. For ICC: 0.40<ICC<0.59_Fair, 0.60<ICC<0.74_Good, 0.75<ICC<1_Excellent. RESULTS 165 patients’ shifts observations were performed in phase 1. In the comparison between the prospective score performed by the NIC and SC, the Bland Altman mean difference was -0.03 with limits of agreement between -3.63 and 3.58, and the ICC was good: 0.63 with 95%confidence interval (95ICC) from 0.40 to 0.93. In the comparison between the prospective score of the NIC and AE retrospective score, the ICC was fair: 0.52 with 95ICC from 0.32 to 0.78. In phase 2, 2599 patients’ shifts were studied. The Bland Altman mean difference was 0.21 with limits of agreement between -10.5 and 10.9, and the ICC was excellent: 0.86 with 95ICC from 0.85 to 0.87. CONCLUSION The SJ score prospectively predicted well nursing workload in a single PICU. Additional studies are needed to determine the validity in other PICUs.


Author(s):  
Anas Ababneh ◽  
Kathleen Finlayson ◽  
Peter Lazzarini ◽  
Helen Edwards

The main aims of this study were cross-cultural adaptation and reliability testing of an Arabic version of Foot Care Confidence Scale (FCCS), Foot Care Outcomes Expectations Scale (FCOES), Patient Interpretation of Neuropathy Scales (PINS), Neuropathy-specific Quality of Life Scales (NQOLS), and offloading-related Visual Analog Scales (VAS). Two phases of translation and reliability testing were conducted in Jordan. Phase 1 included 2 forward and backward translations with 2 panel consensuses (translators, clinicians, and experts). In Phase 2, Cronbach’s alpha ( α) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were used to test the internal consistency and stability (test–retest) of the Arabic scales in a sample of a total of 90 Jordanian participants with diabetic foot ulcers. Phase 1 resulted in Arabic translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the study scales. Phase 2 resulted in acceptable internal consistency of the translated scales ( α = 0.74-0.91), except for the PIN “self/practitioner blame” and “acute ulcer onset” scales ( α = 0.57, 0.49, respectively). Test–retest results (ICC) were: FCCS (0.85); FCOES (0.78); PINS (0.043-0.85); NQOLS (0.76-0.90); and offloading-related VAS (0.43-0.90). This study showed evidence of cultural appropriateness and reliability of most of the translated scales, for possible future implementation for the Arabic population.


Author(s):  
Lorna Langstaff ◽  
Allan Clark ◽  
Mahmoud Salam ◽  
Carl M. Philpott

Abstract Introduction Olfactory testing must be culturally adapted to be relevant to the target population. This study aimed to validate the Sniffin’ Sticks test for the UK setting. Methods A cohort study was conducted at a tertiary olfactory dysfunction clinic. Phase 1—healthy volunteers underwent the original German identification test followed by a UK adapted version. Phase 2—patients with olfactory dysfunction underwent the extended smell test (TDI) including the new descriptors. Outcome measures included differences in identification test (phase 1), retest reliability and differences in scores before and after treatment. Results A total of 31 healthy volunteers and 87 patients were recruited (6 and 31 males, respectively). Phase 1—mean identification scores showed a small improvement after descriptor adaptations (13.77 and 14.57, p = 0.0029). Phase 2—41 untreated participants had a mean identification score of 7.31 at both intervals (95% CI: − 1.15 to 1.15, p > 0.999). The mean change in treated participants was 1.88 (0.70 to 3.06, p = 0.0224). TDI score difference between treated and untreated groups was 6.63 (2.48 to 10.79, p = 0.0023). The intraclass correlation coefficient for untreated patients was high for both TDI score (ICC = 0.82, 95% CI 0.57 to 0.93) and identification score (ICC = 0.80, 0.52 to 0.93); CIs suggest the reliability is moderate to excellent. Conclusions This study confirms the validity of the descriptor adaptations of the identification component of the Sniffin’ Sticks test to distinguish between health and disease. Implications The Sniffin’ Sticks test can now reliably be used for clinical assessment of British patients, modifying only the descriptors.


2010 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 349-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger O. Kollock ◽  
James A. Onate ◽  
Bonnie Van Lunen

Abstract Context: Insufficient lower extremity strength may be a risk factor for lower extremity injuries such as noncontact anterior cruciate ligament tears. Therefore, clinicians need reliable instruments to assess strength deficiencies. Objective: To assess the intrarater, interrater, intrasession, and intersession reliability of a portable fixed dynamometer in measuring the strength of the hip and knee musculature. Design: Crossover study. Setting: Sports medicine research laboratory. Patients or Other Participants: Three raters (A, B, C) participated in this 2-phase study. Raters A and B tested 11 healthy college graduate students (2 men, 9 women) in phase 1. Raters A and C tested 26 healthy college undergraduate students (7 men, 19 women) in phase 2. Main Outcome Measure(s): The dependent variables for the study were hip adductor, hip abductor, hip flexor, hip extensor, hip internal rotator, hip external rotator, knee flexor, and knee extensor peak force. Results: The phase 1 intrasession intraclass correlation coefficients for sessions 1, 2, and 3 ranged from 0.88 to 0.99 (SEM  =  0.08–3.02 N), 0.85 to 0.99 (SEM  =  0.26–3.88 N), and 0.92 to 0.96 (SEM  =  0.52–2.76 N), respectively. Intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.57 to 0.95 (SEM  =  1.72–13.15 N) for phase 1 intersession values, 0.70 to 0.94 (SEM  =  1.42–9.20 N) for phase 2 intrarater reliability values, and 0.69 to 0.88 (SEM  =  1.20–8.50 N) for phase 2 interrater values. Conclusions: The portable fixed dynamometer showed good to high intrasession and intersession reliability values for hip and knee strength. Intrarater and interrater reliability were fair to high, except for hip internal rotation, which showed poor reliability.


2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (12) ◽  
pp. 1277-1284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Cody ◽  
Carol A. Mancuso ◽  
Aoife MacMahon ◽  
Anca Marinescu ◽  
Jayme C. Burket ◽  
...  

Background: Many authors have reported on patient satisfaction from foot and ankle surgery, but rarely on expectations, which may vary widely between patients and strongly affect satisfaction. In this study, we aimed to develop a patient-derived survey on expectations from foot and ankle surgery. Methods: We developed and tested our survey using a 3-phase process. Patients with a wide spectrum of foot and ankle diagnoses were enrolled. In phase 1, patients were interviewed preoperatively with open-ended questions about their expectations from surgery. Major concepts were grouped into categories that were used to form a draft survey. In phase 2, the survey was administered to preoperative patients on 2 occasions to establish test-retest reliability. In phase 3, the final survey items were selected based on weighted kappa values for response concordance and clinical relevance. Results: In phase 1, 94 preoperative patients volunteered 655 expectations. Twenty-nine representative categories were discerned by qualitative analysis and became the draft survey. In phase 2, another 60 patients completed the draft survey twice preoperatively. In phase 3, 23 items were retained for the final survey. For retained items, the average weighted kappa value was 0.54. An overall score was calculated based on the amount of improvement expected for each item on the survey and ranged from zero to 100, with higher scores indicating more expectations. For patients in phase 2, mean scores for both administrations were 65 and 66 and approximated normal distributions. The intraclass correlation coefficient between scores was 0.78. Conclusion: We developed a patient-derived survey specific to foot and ankle surgery that is valid, reliable, applicable to diverse diagnoses, and includes physical and psychological expectations. The survey generates an overall score that is easy to calculate and interpret, and thus offers a practical and comprehensive way to record patients’ expectations. We believe this survey may be used preoperatively by surgeons to help guide patients’ expectations and facilitate shared decision making. Level of Evidence: Level II, cross-sectional study.


2021 ◽  
Vol 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Débora Rainho De Oliveira ◽  
Thaís De Oliveira Mallet ◽  
João Victor Barbieri Ferronatto ◽  
Eduardo Raposo Monteiro

Background: The oscillometric monitor is a noninvasive method used for measuring blood pressure in dogs and cats. Despite widely used, there is a large variability in the accuracy of oscillometric monitors, which may also be influenced by the location of the blood pressure cuff. The Doppler ultrasound is another non-invasive method that was shown to measure blood pressure with good accuracy and precision in small animals. The present study aimed to determine the agreement between systolic arterial pressure (SAP) measured by the Prolife P12 oscillometric monitor with two cuff locations and the Doppler ultrasound in anesthetized dogs.Materials, Methods & Results: Dogs scheduled for routine anesthetic procedures were included in the study, which was carried out in two phases. In Phase 1, SAP values measured by the Doppler were compared with those measured by the Prolife P12 monitor with the cuff placed at the thoracic limb for both methods. In Phase 2, SAP values measured by the Doppler were compared with those measured by the Prolife P12 monitor, with the cuff placed at the thoracic limb for the Doppler and at the base of the tail for the P12. The cuff width corresponded to approximately 40% of limb or tail circumference. On all occasions, three consecutive measurements of SAP were recorded, followed by a single measurement of SAP by the P12, and then other three measurements were performed with the Doppler. The arithmetic mean of the six SAP measurements with the Doppler was compared with the SAP value measured by the P12 monitor (paired measurements). Agreement between SAP values measured by the Doppler and the P12 monitor was analyzed by the Bland Altman method for calculation of the bias (Doppler – P12) and standard deviation (SD) of the bias. The percentages of differences between the methods with an error ≤ 10 mmHg and ≤ 20 mmHg and Pearson’s correlation coefficients were also calculated. Results were compared with the criteria from the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) for validation of noninvasive blood pressure methods. A total of 33 dogs were included in Phase 1 and 15 were included in Phase 2. During Phases 1 and 2, 179 and 87 paired measurements were recorded, respectively. Most of the measurements were recorded during normotension (SAP = 90-130 mmHg): 113/179 in Phase 1 and 52/87 in Phase 2. The bias (± SD) for Phases 1 and 2 were -2.7 ± 14.1 mmHg and 7.2 ± 25.8 mmHg. The percentages of differences ≤ 10 mmHg and ≤ 20 mmHg were: Phase 1, 61% and 83%; Phase 2, 41% and 70%. Correlation coefficients were 0.81 and 0.67 for Phases 1 and 2, respectively. According to the ACVIM criteria, maximum values accepted for bias are 10 ± 15 mmHg, the percentages of differences ≤ 10 mmHg and ≤ 20 mmHg should be ³ 50% and ³ 80%, respectively, and the correlation coefficient should be ³ 0.9. Discussion: When the blood pressure cuff was placed at the thoracic limb, SAP values measured by the P12 monitor met most of the ACVIM criteria, demonstrating good agreement with SAP values measured by the Doppler. The only requirement not met was the correlation coefficient which was 0.81 whereas the recommended is ³ 0.9. Conversely, when the cuff was placed at the base of the tail, SAP values measured by the P12 monitor did not meet most of the ACVIM criteria indicating that, in anesthetized dogs, SAP measurements with the P12 monitor should be performed with the cuff placed at the thoracic limb. One limitation of this study was that most measurements fell in the normotensive range and the results should not be extrapolated for hypotensive and hypertensive conditions. In conclusion, the Prolife P12 oscillometric monitor demonstrated good agreement with SAP values measured by the Doppler and provides acceptable values in normotensive anesthetized dogs.Keywords: arterial blood pressure, nonivasive blood pressure, anesthetic monitoring.Título: Pressão arterial sistólica em cães anestesiados - concordância entre mensurações por dois métodos não invasivosDescritores: pressão arterial, pressão arterial não invasiva, monitoração anestésica.


TEM Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 63-68
Author(s):  
Sawanan Dangprasert

The purposes of this study were (1) to develop the tutoring application integrated with selfdirected learning to improve statistical analysis skills; (2) to compare the learners’ pretest and posttest taken from their learning achievements; (3) to compare the learners’ pretest and posttest taken from their statistical analysis skills; (4) to investigate the correlations of statistical analysis skills and learning achievements, and (5) to investigate the correlations of statistical analysis skills and the frequency of using this application. The research methodology divided into 2 major phases included Phase 1: The development of tutoring application integrated with self-directed learning to improve learners’ statistical analysis skills, and Phase 2; The investigation of using the tutoring application. The data were statistically analyzed through using mean, t-test, and Pearson‘s correlation coefficient. The findings of the study revealed that the learners’ scores of their posttest with its significant difference of .01, according to the comparison of learners’ statistical analysis skills, were higher than that of their pretest.


2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecka Ahl ◽  
Anne Harding-Bell

Background: Development of the speech audit tool Cleft Audit Protocol for Speech Augmented (CAPS-A) facilitated intercenter comparison of speech outcomes following cleft palate repair. The CAPS-A protocol recommends consensus listening by 3 speech and language therapists, 2 of whom must be CAPS-A trained. Allowing 15 minutes per sample, 15 to 20 samples can be assessed each day. Centers typically have resources to audit 15 to 75 samples per year but not to report speech outcomes of larger data sets for research. This 3-phased outcome study examines how the implementation of the CAPS-A protocol might be modified without compromising reliability. Methodology: In phase 1, 2 external listeners independently rated 42 speech samples; in phase 2, 2 external listeners consensus listened 25% of 140 samples before 1 listener independently rated the remainder; phase 3 compared 124 Great Ormond Street Speech Assessment (GOS.SP.ASS’98) records from live assessments with CAPS-A-rated video samples. Results: Hypernasality, nasal airflow, and passive cleft speech characteristics were rated to identify signs of velopharyngeal dysfunction across all phases. Phase 1 demonstrated suboptimal correlation, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) ranging between 0.39 and 0.72. However, the “modified” CAPS-A consensus listening process in phase 2 achieved a mean ICC of 0.91. Phase 3 revealed only moderate agreement between GOS.SP.ASS’98 and CAPS-A. Conclusion: A large data set of speech samples was successfully managed by establishing good interrater reliability on 25% of the data, which calibrated the listeners and validated a decision for only 1 of 2 listeners to rate the remaining speech samples. The recommended implementation of the CAPS-A protocol can therefore be modified for more efficient speech outcome reporting.


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