Controlling for occasion-specific effects when assessing the test–retest reliability of self-report health questionnaires

OBJECTIVE: This study proposes a method for self-report health questionnaires to adjust test-retest reliability for changes during the test-retest interval based on an external measure, and to distinguish such changes from random response errors. METHODS: In our application, eighty participants completed the Symptoms of Illness Checklist (SIC) on two occasions, two weeks apart, immediately before interviews given on each occasion by one of two physicians in a crossover design. The physician interview scores served as external measures, and structural equation modeling was used to estimate the parameters of a model that corrected for the occasion-specific effect of participants' responses using information from the interviews. RESULTS: Correcting for changes in symptoms during the test-retest interval increased SIC test-retest reliability from .744 to .804 and significantly improved model fit (chi2(diff)(1) = 30.78, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest methods that can improve the evaluation of self-report health questionnaire test-retest reliability by identifying changes using an external measure, and distinguishing these from random response errors; these increased the estimated SIC test-retest reliability and indicated that the SIC was indeed able to measure changes over the studied time interval. This method can be applied across a broad range of questionnaires.     

预防艾滋病健康教育媒体材料效果评价比较研究

目的评价4种预防艾滋病健康教育媒体材料的信息传播效果和材料效果。该材料由课题组于2003-2005年间设计制作，包括“艾滋病知识”折页、“了解艾滋病”海报、“预防艾滋病健康教育手册”和“认识艾滋病”宣教片等4种。方法2005年12月在珠海市选取小学以上文化程度的18～60岁外来工为测试对象，随机分组对4种材料分别进行评价，各调查了251、248、257和252人，共1008人。通过问卷调查了解受访者的一般情况和对材料信息的可接受性、通俗性和材料形式的生动性等8项指标的评价，采用分级定量赋分的方法进行量化评分，采用SPSS10．1统计软件进行统计分析、比较。结果4种材料的信息传播效果和材料效果总得分平均值分别为74．2±15．0、77．7±13．5、73．0±13．8和77．2±13．6，得分最高的是海报，为77．7±13．5分，最低的是手册，为73．0±13．8分，差异有统计学意义，这种差异主要体现在信息传播效果的差异，而材料效果的差异无统计学意义。通俗性、简明性、生动性和可接受性是影响得分高低的主要因素。结论海报是最适合用于城市外来工进行预防艾滋病健康教育的传播材料，其次是宣教片。     

Graduate Education in the Field of Substance Abuse

Abstract: Twenty-six part-time students from a variety of professional backgrounds are enrolled in the first year of a Graduate Diploma in Social Science (Drug Dependence) at the Phillip Institute of Technology in Victoria. The course is conducted under the auspices of the School of Social Work and commenced in 1984. It is argued that the graduates from this unique course could play a key role in providing personnel to fill positions in the areas of clinical work, staff development, drug education, programme development and management and research.     

健康教育对宫颈糜烂妇女治疗依从性的研究

目的 探讨多种形式的健康教育对提高宫颈糜烂治疗依从性的作用。方法 将确诊为宫颈糜烂的120例患者随机分为研究组、对照组。均给予相应的治疗。研究组增加健康教育内容。两组患者同时观察复诊率、治愈率、对医疗服务的满意程度、疾病的认知情况。结果 研究组增加健康教育后，患者复诊率、治愈率、诊疗满意程度、疾病认知情况均较对照组高(P＜O．05)。结论 健康教育能提高宫颈糜烂患者的治疗依从性，获得较高的治愈率。     

Methodological issues in music interventions in oncology settings: A systematic literature review

This paper is part of a systematic literature review and presents methodological issues within studies, investigating therapeutic applications of music in cancer patients. This review focuses on published international research from the USA, Canada, Australia and European countries using four electronic databases: PSYCHINFO, WEB OF SCIENCE, MEDLINE and SCIENCEDIRECT. Thirty-two papers were identified and each paper was coded in terms of sample type, basic research question, research design and methodological details, results and implications for future research. This paper addresses questions related to study design and methodology. It explores and discusses the relative advantages and disadvantages of various approaches.     

Predictors of mortality in an aging community-based cohort in Korea

Background: Multiple factors related to specific dimensions of health – general, physical and mental – contribute to mortality in the elderly, but their relative contributions to mortality risk is not well‐known. The objectives of this prospective population‐based cohort study were to measure mortality rates and to identify predictors of mortality in community‐dwelling men and women aged 65 years or older in Korea by examining self assessments of general health, objective medical burden, and measurement of cognition, mood and function. Methods: A total of 1245 elderly (529 men; 716 women) were followed up longitudinally for 3.5 years. Fixed predictor variables observed at baseline examined in Cox proportional hazards models were age, sex, education, chronic medical illnesses, self‐rated health, basic activities of daily living, depression measured by the Geriatric Depression Scale, and cognition measured by the Mini‐Mental State Examination. Results: Mortality rates were similar to those of the 2001 Korean population. Older age, male sex, poor self‐rated health and presence of cerebrovascular disease were significant predictors of mortality. Presence of ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease at baseline predicted mortality in men, but not in women. Depression predicted mortality only when chronic medical illnesses were excluded from the model. Conclusions: Subjective self‐rated health and objective medical burden are strong independent predictors of mortality in this elderly community population, in addition to age and sex.     

Diabetes Education: Whose Priorities Are Met?

Two hundred Type 2 diabetic patients newly referred to the diabetes centre at a large university teaching hospital were studied over an 8-month period. Patients completed a diabetes knowledge questionnaire, and specified their educational priorities by selecting six diabetes-related topics from a list of 14. After giving 1 h of individual education and using the same list, the educators selected six topics which they considered to be most important for that particular patient to know. Choice of educational priorities differed between the patients and the corresponding educator (p less than 0.001). In only 38% of cases did the educators' first three priorities coincide with those of the patients. The major discrepancies were in the selection of 'sick day management' and 'complications', especially favoured by patients, as against 'oral hypoglycaemic agents' and other therapy-related topics, especially favoured by educators. Diabetes knowledge was a determinant of educational priority for patients (p less than 0.001) but not educators. In contrast, only the educators' overall choices were affected by duration of diabetes (p less than 0.001). Diabetes treatment type influenced both patients' and educators' selection of priorities (p less than 0.001). We conclude that an educational strategy which relies on health professionals' perceptions to determine what diabetic patients need to know may be inadequate.     

Assessment in undergraduate psychiatric education

An assessment of medical students' psychiatric performance demonstrated no association between the ability to rate psychopathology or to observe interview behaviour and traditional written methods of academic achievement. This is in accordance with those few studies which have addressed this issue and indicates that there may well be at least three independent skills involved in clinical decision-making: the ability to engage in interpersonal interaction and elicit information; and the ability to acquire and use academic knowledge. This is consistent with work suggesting that maturational and learning processes influence clinical reasoning, and demonstrates that each component should be addressed in assessing students in psychiatry.     

Evaluating podiatry services: Testing a treatment specific measure of health status

This study reports on the preliminary testing of a new measure designed for use alongside EQ-5D in evaluating outcomes in podiatry: the Podiatry Health Questionnaire (PHQ). Individuals aged 18 years or more, receiving podiatry services in clinic or domicilliary locations across four NHS Trusts in Yorkshire and Humberside UK took part in a questionnaire survey. Respondents reported high levels of problems on all six PHQ dimensions. Correlations suggested that the PHQ and EQ-5D were measuring distinct constructs. The levels on each dimension were well defined in terms of self-rated morbidity on the PHQ visual analogue scale (PHQ_vas) and the EQ-5D_vas, although PHQ_vas appeared to be slightly more sensitive to changes in health on the dimensions. There was a strong relationship between clinicians' Podiatry Clinical Score rating and reported symptoms for four out of six PHQ dimensions and PHQ_vas. The PHQ was able to distinguish respondents in terms of their self-reported morbidity in EQ-5D and in terms of their morbidity as assessed by clinicians. It is suggested that the respondent completed PHQ appears to be a useful new measure for assessing foot-related health. However, further investigation of the psychometric properties of the measure is required.     

区域性卫生规划文献分析与评价

目的：对1990年至2002年6月期间在各种刊物上发表的区域性卫生规划的论文进行分析。方法：采用文献分析法，对论文发表的刊物、时间、作者所在地和单位、论文的主题和类别进行分析。结果：论文发表的刊物主要是卫生管理类、卫生经济、卫生政策、卫生资源等国家级刊物；发表的年份主要集中在1998年以后的几年中；作者所在的地区以北京、上海和山东最多；作者的单位以卫生行政单位和大专院校居多；论文的主题是以卫生资源配置居多；论文的类别以描述性的分析最多，理论研究其次。结论：应加强对区域性卫生规划实施评价和卫生资源配置方法的研究，不断总结经验，进一步推动区域性卫生规划的开展。