Inter-rater reliability of the Johns Hopkins Highest Level of Mobility Scale (JH-HLM) in the intensive care unit

BackgroundThe Johns Hopkins Highest Level of Mobility (JH-HLM) scale is used to document the observed mobility of hospitalized patients, including those patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting.ObjectiveTo evaluate the inter-rater reliability of the JH-HLM, completed by physical therapists, across medical, surgical, and neurological adult ICUs at a single large academic hospital.MethodsThe JH-HLM is an ordinal scale for documenting a patient’s highest observed level of activity, ranging from lying in bed (score = 1) to ambulating >250 feet (score = 8). Eighty-one rehabilitation sessions were conducted by eight physical therapists, with 1 of 2 reference physical therapist rater simultaneously observing the session and independently scoring the JH-HLM. The intraclass correlation coefficient was used to determine the inter-rater reliability.ResultsA total of 77 (95%) of 81 assessments had perfect agreement. The overall intraclass correlation coefficient for inter-rater reliability was 0.98 (95% confidence interval: 0.96, 0.99), with similar scores in the medical, surgical, and neurological ICUs. A Bland–Altman plot revealed a mean difference in JH-HLM scoring of 0 (limits of agreement: ?0.54 to 0.61).ConclusionThe JH-HLM has excellent inter-rater reliability as part of routine physical therapy practice, across different types of adult ICUs.     

Urban legends series: oral manifestations of HIV infection

Human immunodeficiency virus‐related oral lesions (HIV‐OLs), such as oral candidiasis (OC) and oral hairy leukoplakia (OHL), have been recognized as indicators of immune suppression since the beginning of the global HIV epidemic. The diagnosis and management of HIV disease and spectrum of opportunistic infection has changed over the past 30 years as our understanding of the infection has evolved. We investigated the following controversial topics: (i) Are oral manifestations of HIV still relevant after the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)? (ii) Can we nowadays still diagnose HIV infection through oral lesions? (iii) Is the actual classification of oral manifestations of HIV adequate or does it need to be reviewed and updated? (iv) Is there any novelty in the treatment of oral manifestations of HIV infection? Results from extensive literature review suggested the following: (i) While HAART has resulted in significant reductions in HIV‐OLs, many are still seen in patients with HIV infection, with OC remaining the most common lesion. While the relationship between oral warts and the immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome is less clear, the malignant potential of oral human papillomavirus infection is gaining increasing attention. (ii) Effective antiretroviral therapy has transformed HIV from a fatal illness to a chronic manageable condition and as a result expanded screening policies for HIV are being advocated both in developed and in developing countries. Affordable, reliable, and easy‐to‐use diagnostic techniques have been recently introduced likely restricting the importance of HIV‐OLs in diagnosis. (iii) The 1993 EC‐Clearinghouse classification of HIV‐OLs is still globally used despite controversy on the relevance of periodontal diseases today. HIV‐OL case definitions were updated in 2009 to facilitate the accuracy of HIV‐OL diagnoses by non‐dental healthcare workers in large‐scale epidemiologic studies and clinical trials. (iv) Research over the last 6 years on novel modalities for the treatment of HIV‐OLs has been reported for OC and OHL.     

Infektionsschutzrecht

Background

Legal regulations concerning infection protection have been repeatedly revised in the last few years. At the national level the regulations for notifable diseases were recently broadened to include the suspicion of disease, the disease and death due to mumps, pertussis, rubella including congenital rubella and varicella (chickenpox). In addition notification deadlines were shortened in the new regulations and the information to be reported was expanded. At the “Bundesländer” level, there are also new regulations which expand notification concerning diseases and are extended to other contagious diseases. In addition, infection protection also includes measures to prevent and combat contagious diseases.

Objective

This article describes the current legal situation.     

General anxiety symptoms after acute lung injury: Predictors and correlates

Objective

Acute lung injury (ALI) is common in the intensive care unit (ICU), typically requiring life support ventilation. Survivors often experience anxiety after hospital discharge. We evaluated general anxiety symptoms 3 months after ALI for: (1) associations with patient characteristics and ICU variables, and (2) cross-sectional associations with physical function and quality of life (QOL).

Methods

General anxiety was assessed as part of a prospective cohort study recruiting patients from 13 ICUs at four hospitals in Baltimore, MD using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale — Anxiety Subscale (HAD-A), with associations evaluated using multivariable linear and logistic regression models.

Results

Of 152 patients, 38% had a positive screening test for general anxiety (HAD-A ≥ 8). Pre-ICU body mass index and psychiatric comorbidity were associated with general anxiety (OR, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06 (1.00, 1.13) and 3.59 (1.25, 10.30), respectively). No ICU-related variables were associated with general anxiety. General anxiety was associated with the number of instrumental ADL dependencies (Spearman's rho = 0.22; p = 0.004) and worse overall QOL as measured by EQ-5D visual analog scale (VAS) (rho = − 0.34; p < 0.001) and utility score (rho = − 0.30; p < 0.001), and by the SF-36 mental health domain (rho = − 0.70; p < 0.001) and Mental Component Summary score (rho = − 0.73; p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Many patients have substantial general anxiety symptoms 3 months after ALI. General anxiety was associated with patient characteristics and impaired physical function and quality of life. Early identification and treatment of general anxiety may enhance physical and emotional function in patients surviving critical illnesses.