Arthritis care and research : the official journal of the Arthritis Health Professions Association
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
The utility of trained arthritis patient educators in the evaluation and improvement of musculoskeletal examination skills of physicians in training.
To determine the level of examination skills of internal medicine residents and to assess whether an intervention by trained persons with arthritis could have a greater impact on their examination skills than participation in an ambulatory care training experience. ⋯ Internal medicine residents carried out the musculoskeletal examination poorly. However, an intervention by arthritis educators improved the musculoskeletal examination skills of internal medicine residents significantly and more effectively than the standard clinical teaching in a rheumatology outpatient clinic. The impact of the arthritis educator intervention persisted for at least 5 weeks.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Preoperative education for total hip and knee replacement patients.
Psychoeducational preparation is known to improve postoperative outcome. We tested two common psychoeducational procedures in elderly orthopedic patients, examining how best to match interventions to patients by psychological type. ⋯ The importance of attending to the patient's psychological state and level of preparation before orthopedic surgery is reinforced. Patients who exhibit most denial and highest anxiety may benefit from educational interventions, but patients' directly expressing desire for information may be a poor guide in deciding which patients would benefit, compared with more formal psychological testing for denial and anxiety.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Effects of epidural steroid injection on pain due to lumbar spinal stenosis or herniated disks: a prospective study.
To describe the extent of pain relief two weeks after an epidural steroid injection in patients with herniated disks and lumbar spinal stenosis, and to identify predictors of changes in pain ratings in each population. ⋯ LSS patients have worse response to ESIs than HD patients. The poor response to ESI in patients with LSS underscores the need for randomized controlled trials of ESI in this population.
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Comparative Study
The relationships of cognitive coping and pain control beliefs to pain and adjustment among African-American and Caucasian women with rheumatoid arthritis.
Ethnic groups may experience or report pain differently; thus, we compared ethnic differences on pain coping strategies and control beliefs, and the relationships of these variables to health status, among women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). ⋯ There are ethnic differences in the use of coping strategies that should be acknowledged when helping RA patients cope with their disease, but control beliefs and several coping strategies predict pain and adjustment, regardless of ethnicity.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
A problem-based education program for patients with rheumatoid arthritis: evaluation after three and twelve months.
To develop and evaluate the effect of a new arthritis education program based on a previous study. ⋯ A structured patient education program had positive impact for 3 months, and some improvements were maintained for 12 months. We suggest that patient education should become an integrated part of the total management of rheumatoid arthritis.