Journal of clinical epidemiology
-
Multicenter Study
The use of weekly text messaging over 6 months was a feasible method for monitoring the clinical course of low back pain in patients seeking chiropractic care.
This study critically evaluates a new method of collecting frequent data using mobile phones and text messages. Fluctuating conditions such as low back pain (LBP) need frequent monitoring to describe the clinical course in detail and to account for individual and subgroup variations. ⋯ Weekly text messages are a useful method of data collection to examine the clinical course of LBP in the primary care sector.
-
To estimate the number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published annually that evaluate the impact of diagnostic tests on patient outcomes to gauge the extent of available randomized evidence assessing the effectiveness of diagnostic tests. ⋯ RCTs of diagnostic tests that evaluate patient outcomes are rare. Consequently recommendations on the use of diagnostic tests can rarely be made on the basis of randomized comparisons, lower grade evidence frequently being the best available.
-
The validity of the underlying cause of death on death notification forms was assessed by comparing it to the underlying cause determined independently from medical records. ⋯ Current cause-specific mortality levels should be cautiously interpreted. Death certification training is required to improve the validity of mortality data.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
"Might" or "suggest"? No wording approach was clearly superior in conveying the strength of recommendation.
To compare different wording approaches for conveying the strength of health care recommendations. ⋯ No wording approach was clearly superior in conveying the strength of recommendation. Guideline developers need to make the connection between the wording and their intended strength explicit.
-
To compare responsiveness based on item response theory (IRT) with that based on conventional scoring for two patient-reported outcomes measures in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS); the short disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand (QuickDASH) measure, and the 6-item CTS symptoms scale (CTS-6). ⋯ IRT-based scoring showed high responsiveness for the QuickDASH and CTS-6, and the ES were larger than those estimated using conventional scoring.