Europa medicophysica
-
Europa medicophysica · Mar 2007
Quality of life in aphasia: Greek adaptation of the stroke and aphasia quality of life scale - 39 item (SAQOL-39).
Health-related quality of life (HRQL) measures are becoming increasingly popular in evaluating health care interventions and services. The stroke and aphasia quality of life scale-39 item (SAQOL-39) is an English questionnaire that measures HRQL in people with aphasia. There is currently no measure to assess the HRQL of Greek-speaking people with aphasia. This study began the cross-cultural adaptation of the SAQOL-39 into Greek, by translating and linguistically validating the instrument. ⋯ By employing the Mapi approach to linguistic validation, a close matching between the original and the Greek version of the SAQOL-39 was ensured. The Greek SAQOL-39 is accessible and acceptable to people with aphasia. Further research is needed on the psychometric properties of the Greek SAQOL-39 and on its appropriateness as a clinical outcome measure.
-
Europa medicophysica · Mar 2007
Prognostic factors in prosthetic rehabilitation of bilateral dysvascular above-knee amputee: is the stump condition an influencing factor?
The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic factors for rehabilitation outcome in bilateral dysvascular lower limb amputees, specifically to ascertain how the stump condition can influence the mobility outcome. ⋯ In our homogeneous group of bilateral amputees, age reduced the possibility of improving the level of autonomy. Good stump quality is one of the major determinants of mobility outcome. Efforts should be made to minimize stump complications. In particular, incorrect positioning of the stump, which is responsible for hip flexor retraction, should be avoided after surgery.
-
Europa medicophysica · Sep 2006
Quality of life and aphasia. Multicentric standardization of a questionnaire.
It is important to assess aphasics' quality of life in order to plan a rehabilitation treatment. To date such a tool is still missing for Italian patients. This paper reports normative data of the Italian version of SAQOL-39, a British questionnaire aimed to assess aphasics' quality of life. It consists of 39 items, divided into 4 subdomains (Physical, Communication, Psychosocial and Energy). ⋯ In authors' opinion, the Italian SAQOL-39 shares many psychometric features with the English one. This questionnaire seems to be suitable for clinical practice.
-
Europa medicophysica · Sep 2006
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyPain relief in early rehabilitation of rotator cuff tendinitis: any role for indirect suprascapular nerve block?
The purpose of the trial was to evaluate the efficacy of suprascapular nerve block (SSNB) to relieve the shoulder pain, ameliorate recovery after physiotherapy and reduce disability due to a rotator cuff tendinitis (RCT). A prospective, randomized, comparison cross over investigation was performed in the setting of a large inpatient rehabilitation unit with more than 200 admissions annually. ⋯ The results indicate that combining nerve block with standard rehabilitative therapy may improve the final outcome of painful RCT. It decreased the severity and frequency of the perceived pain, improved the compliance with physiotherapy, restored more normal sleep patterns, and increased compliance with the rehabilitation program. This result proves to be an effective, safe and inexpensive therapeutic option for patients suffering from painful disabling shoulder tendinitis.
-
Europa medicophysica · Jun 2006
Long-term functional outcome measures in corticosteroid-treated complex regional pain syndrome.
The aim of this paper was to assess the effects of low-dose systemic corticosteroid therapy in complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), to measure the long-term functional outcome, and to evaluate an arbitrary scale of severity of CRPS. ⋯ Corticosteroid therapy in CRPS provides a short-term response to the pain with a low risk of side effects. The improvement in all the variables considered persisted at one-year follow-up. The arbitrary scale of clinical severity of CRPS should be further tested in order to propose it as an instrument for use in following the course of CRPS.