International psychogeriatrics
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Multicenter Study
The Pain Catastrophizing Scale-short form: psychometric properties and threshold for identifying high-risk individuals.
The Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) measures three aspects of catastrophic cognitions about pain-rumination, magnification, and helplessness. To facilitate assessment and clinical application, we aimed to (a) develop a short version on the basis of its factorial structure and the items' correlations with key pain-related outcomes, and (b) identify the threshold on the short form indicative of risk for depression. ⋯ The short-PCS may be used in lieu of the full scale and as a brief screen to identify individuals with serious catastrophizing.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Validation of the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS) in a multicultural sample across five Western European countries: diagnostic accuracy and normative data.
ABSTRACTBackground:With increasing cultural diversity and growing elderly immigrant populations in Western European countries, the availability of brief cognitive screening instruments adequate for assessment of dementia in people from diverse backgrounds becomes increasingly important. The aim of the present study was to investigate diagnostic accuracy of the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS) in a multicultural sample and to calculate normative data as a basis for demographic adjustment of RUDAS scores.
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Palliative care for nursing home residents with advanced dementia is often sub-optimal due to poor communication and limited care planning. In a cluster randomized controlled trial, registered nurses (RNs) from 10 nursing homes were trained and funded to work as Palliative Care Planning Coordinators (PCPCs) to organize family case conferences and mentor staff. This qualitative sub-study aimed to explore PCPC and health professional perceptions of the benefits of facilitated case conferencing and identify factors influencing implementation. ⋯ The facilitated approach explored in this study addressed known barriers to case conferencing. However, current business models in the sector make it difficult for case conferencing to receive the required levels of nursing qualification, training, and time. A collaborative nursing home culture and ongoing relationships with health professionals are also prerequisites for success. Further studies should document resident and family perceptions to harness consumer advocacy.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Psychometric evaluation of the DMSS-4 in a cohort of elderly post-operative hip fracture patients with delirium.
Delirium is a common neuropsychiatric syndrome with considerable heterogeneity in clinical profile. Rapid reliable identification of clinical subtypes can allow for more targeted research efforts. ⋯ The DMSS-4 provides a rapid method of identifying motor-defined clinical subtypes of delirium and appears to be a reliable alternative to the more detailed and time-consuming original DMSS and DSI methods of subtype attribution. The DMSS-4, so far translated into three languages, can be readily applied to further studies of causation, treatment and outcome in delirium.
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Multicenter Study
Sleep and agitation in nursing home residents with and without dementia.
The prevalence of dementia in Australian nursing homes is high. A large proportion of residents express themselves through agitated behaviors, with substantial interpersonal and day-to-day variance. One factor that may increase agitation is poor sleep. The current study aimed to determine if sleep influences symptoms of agitation in nursing home residents, and whether this effect differed by dementia status. As benzodiazepines are used widely as hypnotic medication, their impact was also considered. ⋯ These results suggest that sleep could play an important role in explaining agitation, but more research is needed to explore the relationship between sleep and benzodiazepines in nursing home residents.