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Introduction: One of the recent advances in assessing outcomes of medical care is the inclusion of the patient perspective. The term patient-reported outcome (PRO) is used to reflect the patient perceptions of disease and its consequences as well as of treatment and health-care provision. The development of PRO measures has advanced rapidly, and implementation in clinical research and practice is now underway. From an evaluation perspective, recommendations for the choice of PRO measures and an appraisal of the potential benefits of PRO data collection within specific health conditions are needed., Methods: Hemophilia is a rare and clinically well-defined health condition with established and cost-intensive treatment strategies, in which PRO assessment is increasingly recognized as important. For this reason, measurement of PROs in hemophilia focusing on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and patient preferences were reviewed to identify appropriate measures, to make recommendations for their choice, and to critically examine their impact in international hemophilia research and practice., Results: Using literature searches and expert discussion strategies, generic and targeted measures for HRQoL and patient preferences in adults and children with hemophilia were screened, and 20 were reviewed on the basis of their psychometric properties and international availability. Only a few of the 20 measures have been used in clinical settings or research related to persons with hemophilia., Conclusion: Consequently, an increased use of these measures is recommended to understand patient views on disease and treatment and to judge the impact of PROs for improvements in health care.

Objective: Over the past decade, chiropractic colleges have introduced clinical prevention services (CPS) training. This has included an updated public health curriculum and procedures for student interns to determine the need for preventive services and to provide these services directly or through referral to other health professionals. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a program to train chiropractic interns to deliver CPS to patients., Methods: Program evaluation used retrospective chart review, comparing the proportion of patients receiving CPS recommendations before and after implementation of the program. The main outcome measures were the percentage of appropriate CPS recommendations based upon chart reviews., Results: Chart reviews in 2006 indicated appropriate CPS recommendations in 47.4% of cases (295/623). Chart reviews in 2007, after an additional year of sustained implementation of procedures to ensure intern and faculty accountability, showed appropriate counseling recommendations in 87% of files (137/156)., Conclusions: Requiring interns to attend didactic presentations on CPS had no measurable effect on their performance. Major improvements occurred after a series of clinically relevant training interventions; new forms and audit procedures were implemented to increase intern and clinical faculty accountability.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential association between anemia associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the ability for older nursing home (NH) residents with these conditions to perform basic activities of daily living (ADL)., Design: This is a multicenter, retrospective, observational study utilizing data abstracted from medical charts, laboratory records, and Minimum Data Set (MDS) records from the 1-year period before the date of data abstraction., Setting: 24 NHs in the United States., Participants: Older (>or=65 years of age) NH residents with CKD (not receiving dialysis) who were not comatose and were alive as of the day of data abstraction were included in this analysis., Measurements: Resident demographics, hemoglobin, and estimated glomerular filtration rate records, and ADL items were abstracted from the medical charts, laboratory records, and MDS. The prevalence of CKD and anemia associated with CKD was evaluated from laboratory records. The relationship between CKD, anemia, and ADLs was assessed through a repeated resampling (bootstrap) analysis., Results: CKD was present in 45.7% of the residents. Of these, 60.5% had anemia. Residents with CKD and anemia were more likely to require limited or extensive assistance in performing ADLs such as bed mobility, transfer, walk in room, walk in corridor, locomotion on unit, dressing, and toilet use. Conversely, a greater proportion of residents with CKD but without anemia required no or slight supervision in performing these ADLs., Conclusion: CKD and anemia associated with CKD are common in older NH residents. The data suggest that older NH residents with CKD and anemia require greater assistance in performing ADLs than residents with CKD alone. These data support the importance of evaluating the older NH population for CKD and anemia. As with all retrospective analyses, study limitations must be considered in the interpretation of these results.

Introduction: This study explores the extent to which consumers seek wellness care when choosing chiropractors whose practice methods are known to include periodic evaluative and interventional methods to maintain wellness and prevent illness., Methods: Using an international convenience sample of Sacro-Occipital Technique (SOT) practitioners, 1316 consecutive patients attending 27 different chiropractic clinics in the USA, Europe and Australia completed a one-page survey on intake to assess reason for seeking care. A forced choice response was obtained characterizing the patient's reason for seeking chiropractic care., Results: More than 40% of chiropractic patient visits were initiated for the purposes of health enhancement and/or disease prevention., Conclusion: Although prudence dictates great caution when generalizing from this study, if confirmed by subsequent research among other similar cohorts, the present results may lend support to continued arguments of consumer demand for a more comprehensive paradigm of chiropractic care, beyond routine musculoskeletal complaints, that conceptualizes the systemic, nonspecific effects of the chiropractic encounter in much broader terms.

Background: While generic health status measures quantify the impact of all patients' diseases on their health-related quality of life, disease specific measures focus on only one of the many conditions that a patient may have. If a patient has two diseases with similar clinical manifestations, they may respond differently to a disease-specific instrument if one of their conditions improves while the other worsens or remains stable, thus undermining the instruments in that patient population. We sought empirical evidence of the reliability and validity (including responsiveness) of the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ), a disease-specific measure for heart failure (HF), among HF patients with and without anemia, a condition that has similar symptoms to HF., Methods: This work used a prospective cohort study of 811 HF outpatients from 58 U.S. centers with a baseline assessment of anemia of whom 698 were followed for 3 months with serial health status measures., Results: Among participants, 268 (33%) were anemic. The construct validity of the KCCQ was supported by showing similar correlations with the New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification in patients with and without anemia (P value for interaction = 0.38). The internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.92 and 0.93 for anemic and non-anemic patients, respectively) and test-retest reliability (mean 3-month change scores in stable patients = -2.8 [SD = 1.4] and -0.5 [SD = 0.8], P = 0.14) were similar. Estimates of responsiveness were also similar., Conclusion: This study provides empirical evidence that the psychometric properties of the KCCQ are similar in patients with or without anemia, a potentially confounding clinical condition in patients with heart failure.

Objective: Syndromes causing mechanical low back pain (MLBP) continue to plague the US health care system. One hypothesis is that flatfeet are a risk factor for MLBP. This pilot study evaluated whether subjects with flatter feet are at greater risk for MLBP than subjects without flatter feet., Methods: Fifty-eight subjects (16-70 years old) were allocated to a group diagnosed with 2 or more episodes of MLBP or with no history of MLBP. A blind assessor measured navicular drop (ND) using navicular height (NH) and calcaneal eversion (CE). Based on a range of reported data, flatfoot was defined as a possible risk factor for MLBP with ND greater than 3, 8, and/or 10 mm, and/or greater than 6 degrees CE., Results: According to chi2 analysis, risk of MLBP appeared similar between groups (P > .05). There was no significant difference (P > .05) between continuous variables (t tests, Pearson r and r2) with one exception, correlation of increasing CE with increasing ND (P = .0001). Power was generally low (<0.80). Likelihood ratios and Fisher exact tests supported the chi2 analysis., Conclusions: In this study, flatfeet did not appear to be a risk factor in subjects with MLBP. However, small sample size, low power, broader age range, low prevalence of flatfeet (>10 mm ND), and lesser back pain severity make these data tentative. Further research is needed.

Purpose: To determine whether a 10-Item Neuro-Ophthalmic Supplement increases the capacity of the 25-Item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25) to capture self-reported visual dysfunction in patients with neuro-ophthalmologic disorders., Design: A cross-sectional survey to examine the characteristics of a 10-Item Neuro-Ophthalmic Supplement to the 25-Item NEI-VFQ-25 in a cohort of patients with neuro-ophthalmologic disorders., Methods: The 10-Item Neuro-Ophthalmic Supplement was designed previously by our research group by survey and focus-group methods. In the present study, the NEI-VFQ-25 and 10-Item Supplement were administered concurrently to patients and disease-free control subjects. High-contrast visual acuities with patient usual distance correction were measured with the use of Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) charts., Results: Diagnoses for patients (n = 215) included optic neuritis, multiple sclerosis, idiopathic intracranial hypertension, ischemic optic neuropathy, stroke, ocular myasthenia gravis, ocular motor palsies, and thyroid eye disease. Scores for the 10-Item Supplement had a significant capacity to distinguish patients vs disease-free control subjects that was independent of the NEI-VFQ-25 composite score (odds ratio in favor of patient vs control status for 10-point worsening in Supplement scores: 2.7 [95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6, 4.6]; P < .001, logistic regression models that account for NEI-VFQ-25 composite score, age, and gender). Patients with visual dysfunction (binocular Snellen equivalents worse than 20/20) had significantly lower mean scores (9-21 points lower); these differences remained significant after accounting for age and gender (P >or= .001, linear regression). Supplement items and composite scores demonstrated appropriate degrees of internal consistency reliability., Conclusion: The 10-Item Neuro-Ophthalmic Supplement demonstrates a capacity to capture self-reported visual dysfunction beyond that of the NEI-VFQ-25 alone, which supports validity for this new scale. The use of the 10-Item Supplement in clinical trials and epidemiologic studies will examine its capacity to demonstrate treatment effects in longitudinal cohorts.

Purpose: To determine rates of follow-up eye and health care in the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study (LALES), a population-based sample of Latinos., Methods: Participants received a complete ophthalmic examination and were referred to a local healthcare provider for follow-up care, if ocular or systemic disease was found. Participants receiving referrals were later contacted by telephone and interviewed in their language of choice (English or Spanish) by a trained bilingual interviewer, to determine follow-up rates, and to discuss the barriers preventing follow-up care., Results: Of 430 referred participants, 335 (78%) completed the follow-up survey; 278 (68%) of the responders obtained follow-up care. Among the 108 (32%) individuals who did not seek follow-up care, 54 (50%) cited cost of care as the main reason, while 30 (28%) indicated a lack of knowledge as to where to go for care, and 18 (17%) indicated the unavailability of health care. Logistic regression analyses (controlling for acculturation, co-morbid conditions, and patients' prior knowledge of their diagnoses) revealed that participants with insurance coverage, diagnosis with a systemic disease, and higher educational level were more likely to have received follow-up care., Conclusion: More than two thirds of the participants reported seeking the recommended follow-up care. Although cost, availability of services, and convenience of accessing care were found to be major barriers to obtaining health care, higher education, insurance coverage, and prior knowledge of the disease, were associated with receiving recommended care. Knowledge of barriers to seeking health care is important when developing community based healthcare programs directed toward the Latino population.

Purpose: To examine satisfaction with access to health care in two populations, one with HIV and one with TB, and examine the effect of having a regular doctor and sociodemographic characteristics., Design: Cross-Sectional survey., Patients: A sample of HIV inpatients hospitalized at seven Los Angeles sites (N = 217) and TB outpatients chosen randomly from the Los Angeles County TB Registry Census (N = 313)., Analysis: We performed bivariate and multivariate regression analyses of satisfaction with access to care on gender, race/ethnicity, age, education, income, insurance, and having a regular doctor., Main Outcome Measures: A six-item scale of satisfaction with access to care (range 0-100; Cronbach's alpha 0.87)., Results: The mean satisfaction with access score for the HIV sample was significantly lower than the TB sample (53.5 vs. 61.2, p<0.001). The HIV sample multivariate analysis (including all the variables) showed that increasing age (p<0.021 and having a regular doctor (p<0.002) were associated with better access, and that low income (p<0.005) was associated with poor access. In the TB sample analysis, only increasing age was associated with better satisfaction with access to care (p< 0.01)., Conclusion: HIV patients receiving care in the private sector reported less satisfaction with access to care compared to TB patients receiving care in the public health sector. The traditional factors of socio-economic status and having a regular doctor were associated with satisfaction with access-to-care in the HIV sample but not the TB sample. Our findings suggest that certain characteristics of the TB public health programs may explain these differences and suggests that, perhaps, the existence of a similar public health program for vulnerable low-income populations with HIV would improve their satisfaction with access, as well.

Purpose: To characterize binocular visual acuity summation and inhibition in participants of a population-based ocular epidemiologic study., Methods: A complete ophthalmic examination of Latinos, aged 40 or more years, measured binocular and monocular distance visual acuities by a standard early-treatment diabetic retinopathy study (ETDRS) protocol. The proportions of participants who demonstrated binocular summation (i.e., binocular visual acuity was better than the better eye visual acuity by five or more letters), binocular inhibition (i.e., binocular visual acuity was worse than the better eye visual acuity by five or more letters), and visual impairment (visual acuity worse than 20/40) were calculated., Results: In 1831 individuals, on average, binocular visual acuity was better than better eye visual acuity. Prevalence rates of binocular summation and inhibition were 21% and 2%, respectively. Compared with participants less than 65 years old or those with equivalent interocular visual acuity, older participants (> or =65 years) and those with interocular differences in visual acuity were more likely to demonstrate binocular inhibition (P < 0.01). The rate of visual impairment was significantly lower, when using binocular visual acuity than when using better eye or the American Medical Association (AMA) algorithm (5.2% vs. 6.9% and 9.5%, respectively P < 0.01). Participants with binocular inhibition had greater self-reported problems with driving activities (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: The large proportion of individuals demonstrating binocular summation and inhibition suggests that in clinical or research settings, binocular visual acuity should be considered a primary measure of visual impairment, because it better equates the state in which the person usually functions.

Background: Many standardized survey instruments are initially developed in English-speaking populations. These instruments may not be culturally appropriate for other ethnic groups, such as Latinos., Methods: The Los Angeles Latino Eye Study (LALES) was designed to determine the prevalence of blindness, visual impairment, and ocular diseases; risk factors for these diseases; and general and ocular healthcare use among non-institutionalized adult Latinos in suburban Los Angeles County, California. The LALES investigators used focus groups to develop questionnaires and to devise culturally sensitive methods for implementing this epidemiologic study in a Latino population. Eighty-four respondents were administered the in-home questionnaire and then scheduled into one of 6 in-home focus groups, allowing participants to reflect in groups about the study, their participation, and the state of the instruments and the translations., Findings: Overall, respondents reported that the questionnaire was well written, easy to understand, and very clear. Recommendations from participants included: 1) keep questions brief; 2) minimize the number of response choices; 3) keep phrasing clear; 4) simplify technical terms; 5) provide test results immediately after the clinical examination; and 6) hire Spanish-speaking staff to increase participants' trust and confidence., Conclusion: Focus groups assisted in yielding a culturally appropriate survey research tool and methodology for this population-based study in a Latino community.