Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · May 2016
Multicenter StudyEvaluating Physical Outcomes in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Survivors: Validity, Responsiveness, and Minimal Important Difference of 4-Meter Gait Speed Test.
To examine the reliability, validity, responsiveness, and minimal important difference of the 4-m gait speed test in acute respiratory distress syndrome survivors. ⋯ The 4-m gait speed is a reliable, valid, and responsive measure of physical function in acute respiratory distress syndrome survivors. The estimated minimal important difference will facilitate sample size calculations for clinical studies evaluating the 4-m gait speed test in acute respiratory distress syndrome survivors.
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Critical care medicine · May 2016
Validity and Feasibility Evidence of Objective Structured Clinical Examination to Assess Competencies of Pediatric Critical Care Trainees.
The purpose of this study was to provide validity and feasibility evidence for the use of an objective structured clinical examination in the assessment of pediatric critical care medicine trainees. ⋯ Validity and feasibility evidence in this study indicate that the use of the objective structured clinical examination scores can be a valid way to assess CanMEDS competencies required for independent practice in pediatric critical care medicine.
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Critical care medicine · May 2016
Individual and Clustered Rankability of ICUs According to Case-Mix-Adjusted Mortality.
The performance of ICUs can be compared by ranking them into a league table according to their risk-adjusted mortality rate. The statistical quality of a league table can be expressed as its rankability, the percentage of variation between ICUs attributable to unexplained differences. We examine whether we can improve the rankability of our league table by using data from a longer period or by grouping ICUs with similar performance constructing a league table of clusters rather than individual ICUs. ⋯ We conclude that, when using data from a single year, the rankability of a league table of Dutch ICUs based on risk-adjusted mortality rate was unacceptably low. We could improve the rankability of this league table by increasing the period of data collection or by grouping similar ICUs into clusters and constructing a league table of clusters of ICUs rather than individual ICUs. Ranking clusters of ICUs could be useful for identifying possible differences in performance between clusters of ICUs.