Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation
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Arch Phys Med Rehabil · Jan 2003
Treatment of chronic lumbar diskogenic pain with intradiskal electrothermal therapy: a prospective outcome study.
To determine the clinical efficacy of intradiskal electrothermal annuloplasty in treating patients with chronic constant lumbar diskogenic pain who have not responded to at least 6 months of aggressive nonoperative care. ⋯ Intradiskal electrothermal annuloplasty offers a safe, minimally invasive treatment option for carefully selected patients with chronic lumbar diskogenic pain who have not responded to aggressive nonoperative care.
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This article compares a traditional biomedical model with an outcomes model for evaluating medical and rehabilitation care. The traditional model emphasizes diagnosis and disease-specific outcomes. In contrast, the outcomes model emphasizes life expectancy and health-related quality of life (QOL). ⋯ The outcomes model has been applied widely in rehabilitation research, but few studies estimate the benefits of treatments using QALYs. These methodologies can also serve as a basis for approaches to sharing medical decisions between patients and providers. Opportunities to apply these new methods are discussed.
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Arch Phys Med Rehabil · Dec 2002
Quality of life measurement in rehabilitation medicine: building an agenda for the future.
In November 2001, a conference convened to discuss the state of the science of measuring of quality of life (QOL) in rehabilitation medicine. The meeting brought together leading researchers in areas of behavioral health and physical medicine and rehabilitation to address the fragmentation that exists across specialty areas and disciplines. ⋯ The 5 topic areas included: (1) general versus targeted measurement, (2) QOL in policy development, (3) measuring QOL from the patient's perspective, (4) cultural aspects of QOL measurement, and (5) the future of QOL research. This introduction synthesizes the information presented at the conference and provides context to the articles contained in this 2-part supplement.
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Arch Phys Med Rehabil · Dec 2002
Clinical TrialIntrathecal baclofen therapy in children with cerebral palsy: efficacy and complications.
To describe the efficacy of intrathecal baclofen (ITB) therapy in the management of spasticity in young children with cerebral palsy (CP) and to identify risk factors for complications. ⋯ ITB therapy effectively reduced spasticity in children with CP. However, complications necessitating explantation can occur. Further research is needed to identify criteria describing the ideal pediatric candidate for ITB.