Verbal communication among Alzheimer's disease patients, their caregivers, and primary care physicians during primary care office visits

Objective

Primary care visits of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) often involve communication among patients, family caregivers, and primary care physicians (PCPs). The objective of this study was to understand the nature of each individual's verbal participation in these triadic interactions.

Methods

To define the verbal communication dynamics of AD care triads, we compared verbal participation (percent of total visit speech) by each participant in patient/caregiver/PCP triads. Twenty-three triads were audio taped during a routine primary care visit. Rates of verbal participation were described and effects of patient cognitive status (MMSE score, verbal fluency) on verbal participation were assessed.

Results

PCP verbal participation was highest at 53% of total visit speech, followed by caregivers (31%) and patients (16%). Patient cognitive measures were related to patient and caregiver verbal participation, but not to PCP participation. Caregiver satisfaction with interpersonal treatment by PCP was positively related to caregiver's own verbal participation.

Conclusion

Caregivers of AD patients and PCPs maintain active, coordinated verbal participation in primary care visits while patients participate less.

Practice implications

Encouraging verbal participation by AD patients and their caregivers may increase the AD patient's active role and caregiver satisfaction with primary care visits.     

Improving informed consent to chemotherapy: a randomized controlled trial of written information versus an interactive multimedia CD-ROM

Objective

This randomized controlled trial aimed to determine whether an interactive CD-ROM improved cancer patients’ recall of chemotherapy treatment information over standard written information, and whether demographic, cognitive, and psychological factors better predicted recall than this format of delivery.

Methods

One-hundred-and-one new patients about to commence chemotherapy were randomized to receive written information or a CD-ROM containing treatment information before giving informed consent. Patients’ recall, concentration, short-term memory, reading comprehension, anxiety, depression, and coping styles were assessed with standardized measures pre-treatment. Seventy-seven patients completed tests for recall of treatment information before their second chemotherapy session.

Results

Intention-to-treat analyses indicated no significant differences between the written information and CD-ROM groups across recall questions about number of drugs received (p = .43), treatment length (p = .23), and treatment goal (p = .69). Binary logistic regressions indicated that for groups combined different variables predicted each of the recall questions.

Conclusion

An interactive CD-ROM did not improve cancer patients’ recall of treatment information enough to warrant changes in consent procedures.

Practice implications

Different variables predicted recall of different treatment aspects highlighting the complex nature of attempting to improve patient recall. Attending to the effect of depression on patient knowledge and understanding appears paramount.     

Effect of <Emphasis Type="Italic">BDNF</Emphasis> Val66Met Polymorphism on Digital Working Memory and Spatial Localization in a Healthy Chinese Han Population

Cognitive abilities are complex human traits influenced by genetic factors. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a unique polypeptide growth factor, has an influence on the differentiation and survival of neurons in the nervous system. A single-nucleotide polymorphism (rs6265) in the human gene, resulting in a valine to methionine substitution in the pro-BDNF protein, was thought to associate with psychiatric disorders and might play roles in the individual difference of cognitive abilities. However, the specific roles of the gene in cognition remain unclear. To investigate the relationships between the substitution and cognitive abilities, a healthy population-based study and the PCR-SSCP method were performed. The results showed the substitution was associated with digital working memory (p = 0.02) and spatial localization (p = 0.03), but not with inhibition, shifting, updating, visuo-spatial working memory, long-term memory, and others (p > 0.05) among the compared genotype groups analyzed by general linear model. On the other hand, the participants with BDNF ^GG had higher average performance in digital working memory and spatial localization than the ones with BDNF ^AA. The findings of the present work implied that the variation in BDNF might play positive roles in human digital working memory and spatial localization. Pingyuan Gong and Anyun Zheng contributed equally to this work.     

Increasing self-esteem: Efficacy of a group intervention for individuals with severe mental disorders

BackgroundIndividuals with psychosis are known to have a lower self-esteem compared to the general population, in part because of social stigma, paternalistic care, long periods of institutionalization and negative family interactions. This study aimed at assessing the efficacy of a self-esteem enhancement program for individuals with severe mental illness and at analyzing the results in their European context.MethodA randomized cross-over study including 54 outpatients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia from Geneva, Switzerland, was conducted. Twenty-four were recruited from an outpatient facility receiving traditional psychiatric care whereas 30 came from an outpatient facility with case-management care. Psychosocial, diagnostic and symptom measures were taken for all the subjects before treatment, after treatment, and at 3-months' follow-up.ResultsResults indicated significant positive self-esteem module effects on self-esteem, self-assertion, active coping strategies and symptom for the participants receiving case-management care. Results were not significant for those receiving traditional care. However, 71% of all participants expressed satisfaction with the module.ConclusionIndividuals with schizophrenia appear to be benefit from the effects of the self-esteem module, particularly when they are involved in a rehabilitation program and followed by a case manager who liaises with the other partners of the multidisciplinary team. This encourages reconsidering the interventions' format and setting in order to ensure lasting effects on the environment and in turn on coping, self-esteem and overall empowerment.     

Family history of affective illness in schizophrenia patients: Symptoms and cognition

This study examined the relationship between having a family history of affective disorder and neuropsychological functioning and PANSS symptoms in schizophrenia patients falling into four exclusive family history groups (affective spectrum disorders, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, both, or neither). Schizophrenia patients with a family history of affective illness had the best performance on IQ tests and executive function measures. Symptoms showed fewer family history group differences. Schizophrenia patients with a family history of affective disorder may be a distinct subtype in the group of schizophrenias and may be biologically more similar to patients with serious affective disorder.     

缺血性脑卒中后非痴呆认知功能障碍的危险因素

目的 探讨缺血性脑卒中后非痴呆认知功能障碍(cognitive impairment no dementia,CIND)的危险因素.方法 以19～80岁汉族初发缺血性脑卒中患者为研究对象,起病后3个月采用简易智能量表和美国精神疾病统计和诊断于册第4版修订本进行认知测定,利用单因素和多元Logistic回归分析研究CIND患者的危险因素.结果 185例研究对象纳入统计分析,42例诊断为CIND,占22.7%.多因素Logistic回归分析发现,大面积和中等面积梗死(OR:4.687,P＜0.05;OR:4.734,P＜0.05)、糖尿病(OR:2.887,P＜0.05)是缺血性卒中后CIND的独立危险因素.结论 糖尿病、梗死面积是缺血性脑卒中后CIND的独立危险因素.     

颞叶癫痫患者认知功能及其影响因素的研究

目的观察颞叶癫痫患者的认知功能状况,并进一步探讨社会人口学、临床发作、癫痫样放电等因素对患者认知功能的影响。方法对129例颞叶癫痫患者和90名健康对照者进行韦氏成人智力量表中国修订本(WAIS-RC)和临床记忆量表测定。结果颞叶癫痫患者总智商(full intelligence quotient,FIQ)、言语智商(verbal intelligence quotient,VIQ)、操作智商(performance intelligence quotient,PIQ)及记忆商(memory quotient,MQ)均明显低于健康对照者(P<0.001)。癫痫患者文化程度越高,其IQ及MQ越高(P<0.01);癫痫患者发作越频繁,其IQ及MQ越低(P<0.01);癫痫患者癫痫样放电越明显,其IQ及MQ越低(P<0.01)。多元逐步回归分析显示,影响患者FIQ和MQ的因素依次为发作频率和脑电图癫痫样放电。结论颞叶癫痫患者存在不同程度的认知功能障碍。关注颞叶癫痫患者的认知功能以及合理选择治疗方法、尽快控制癫痫发作是避免和减少患者认知功能损害的重要前提。     

认知行为治疗对产后抑郁症的疗效分析

目的探讨认知行为治疗对产后抑郁症患者的功能失调性认知和抑郁症状的疗效。方法对48例产后抑郁症患者进行8周的认知行为治疗,对照组的45例产后抑郁症给予健康宣教等一般治疗,采用功能失调性态度问卷（DAS）、汉密尔顿抑郁量表（HAMD）等进行评估。结果治疗后干预组的DAS总分及脆弱性、完美化、依赖性及自主性态度等因子分均显著低于对照组（P〈0．05或0．01）,且干预组治疗前后的DAS总分及脆弱性、完美化、依赖性及自主性态度等因子分也有显著性差异（P〈0．05或0．01）;干预组总有效率为89．6％,对照组总有效率为53．3％（t=6．37,P〈0．01）。治疗后两组的HAMD总分有极显著性差异（t=6．37,P〈0．01）。结论认知行为治疗能显著改善产后抑郁症的功能失调性认知,对产后抑郁有较好的疗效。     

肢体缺血后处理改善脑梗死预后和认知障碍

目的 观察肢体缺血后处理（RIPostC）对急性脑梗死神经功能的治疗作用及其对认知障碍的影响,且探讨适宜的疗程。方法 收录发病72 h以内、未溶栓的急性前循环梗死患者,随机分为4组,即RIPostC 10 d组、RIPostC 14 d组和对照10 d组、对照14 d组,并分别进行4个循环的充气和放气。比较美国国立卫生研究院卒中量表（NIHSS）评分、脑梗死体积（入院时、10 d时、14 d时和90 d时）,改良Rankin量表（mRS）评分（入院时、90 d时良好转归率）,简易智能精神状态检查量表（MMSE）和蒙特利尔认知评估量表（MoCA）（14 d时、90 d时认知障碍率）。结果 纳入89例符合标准的急性脑梗死患者（44例RIPostC组,45例对照组）,在RIPostC 10 d组中仅有1例不能耐受而放弃治疗,对照组完全耐受。在对照组中,3名患者复发脑梗死（分别为30 d时、65 d时和78 d时）,而在RIPostC各亚组中均没有发生任何相关的心脑血管事件。在90 d时,与对照10 d组和对照14 d组相比,RIPostC 10 d组和RIPostC 14 d组的NIHSS评分均显著性降低（P<0.05）;梗死体积分别减少33.7%和37.2%,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）;mRS的良好转归率明显增高（P<0.05）;MoCA、MMSE认知障碍率显著性降低（P<0.05）。与RIPostC 10 d组相比,RIPostC 14 d组中NIHSS评分、mRS的良好转归率无明显变化,差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）。结论 急性脑梗死后进行RIPostC具有很好的耐受性、安全性及可行性,能减少脑梗死体积,减少残疾,改善预后。同时,也能够改善脑梗死后认知功能障碍。但RIPostC 10 d和14 d对脑梗死神经功能的治疗作用及其对认知障碍的影响无显著差别,所以,RIPostC治疗10 d是较为合适的治疗疗程。