OBJECTIVES:To determine preoperative factors predictive of improvement in pain and function after elective implant removal. We hypothesized that patients undergoing orthopaedic implant removal to relieve pain would have significant improvements in both pain and function.DESIGN:Prospective cohort study.SETTING:Level I Trauma Center.PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS:One hundred eighty-nine patients were enrolled after consenting for orthopaedic implant removal to address residual pain. One hundred sixty-three were available for 3-month follow-up.MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENT:Preoperative and postoperative outcome measures including Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) scores were compared. Preoperative scores, surgeon prediction of pain improvement, and palpable implants were analyzed as predictors of outcomes.RESULTS:Median PROMIS physical function and pain interference scores and visual analogue scale significantly improved by 6, 8, and 2 points, respectively (P < 0.001 for all). Worse preinjury scores predicted improvement in respective postoperative outcomes (P < 0.001 for all). Surgeon prediction of improvement was associated with improved PROMIS pain interference (P = 0.005), patient subjective assessment of pain improvement (P = 0.03), and subjective percent of pain remaining at 3 months (P = 0.02). Implant superficial palpability was not predictive for any postoperative outcomes.CONCLUSIONS:Although the primary indication for implant removal in this population was pain relief, many patients also had a clinically relevant improvement in physical function. In addition, patients who start with worse global indices of pain and function are more likely to improve after implant removal. This suggests that implant-related pain directly contributes to global dysfunction.LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:Therapeutic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Objective: To compare the early pain and functional outcomes of operative fixation versus nonoperative management for minimally displaced complete lateral compression (LC; OTA/AO 61-B1/B2) pelvic fractures. Design: Prospective clinical trial. Setting: Two academic trauma centers. Patients: Forty-eight adult patients with LC pelvic ring injuries with <10 mm of displacement were treated nonoperatively and 47 with surgical fixation. Sixty percent of participants were randomized. Seventy-three percent of the fractures were displaced <5 mm, and 71% were LC-1 patterns. Intervention: Operative fixation versus nonoperative management. Main Outcome Measurements: The primary outcome was patient-reported pain using the 10-point Brief Pain Inventory. Functional outcome was measured using the Majeed pelvic score. Outcomes were analyzed using hierarchical Bayesian models to compare the average treatment effect from injury to 12 and 52 weeks postinjury. The probability of the mean treatment benefit exceeding a clinically important difference was determined. Results: The 3-month average treatment effect of surgery compared with nonoperative management was a 1.2-point reduction in pain [95% credible interval (CrI): 0.4–1.9] and an 8% absolute improvement in the Majeed score (95% CrI: 3%–14%). Similar results persisted to 1 year. Patients with initial fracture displacement ≥5 mm experienced a larger reduction in pain (2.2, 95% CrI: 0.9–3.5) compared with those patients with less initial displacement (0.9, 95% CrI: 0.1–1.8). Conclusion: On average, surgical fixation likely provides a small improvement in pain and functional outcome for up to 12 months. Patients with ≥5 mm of posterior pelvic ring displacement are more likely to experience clinically important improvements in pain. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Introduction: It is unclear whether cost-based decisions to improve the value of surgical care (quality:cost ratio) affect patient outcomes. Our hypothesis was that surgeon-directed reductions in surgical costs for tibial plateau fracture fixation would result in similar patient outcomes, thus improving treatment value. Methods: This was a prospective observational study with retrospective control data. Surgically treated tibial plateau fractures from 2013 to October 2014 served as a control (group 1). Material costs for each case were calculated. Practices were modified to remove allegedly unnecessary costs. Next, cost data were collected on similar patients from November 2014 through 2015 (group 2). Costs were compared between groups, analyzing partial articular and complete articular fractures separately. Minimum follow-up (f/u) was 1-year. Outcomes data collected include Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) physical function (PF) and pain interference domains, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, visual analog pain scale, infection, nonunion, unplanned return to surgery, demographics, injury characteristics, and comorbidities. Results: Group 1 included 57 partial articular fractures and 57 complete articular fractures. Group 2 included 37 partial articular fractures and 32 complete articular fractures. Median cost of partial articular fractures decreased from $1,706 to $1,447 (P= 0.025), and median cost of complete articular fractures decreased from $2,681 to $2,220 (P= 0.003). Group 1 had 55 patients who consented to clinical f/u, and group 2 had 39. Median PROMIS PF score was 40 for group 1 and was 43 for group 2 (P= 0.23). There were no significant differences between the groups for any clinical outcomes, demographics, injury characteristics, or comorbidities. Median f/u in group 1 was 31 months compared with 15 months in group 2 (P< 0.0001). Discussion: We have demonstrated that surgeons can improve value of surgical care by reducing surgical costs while maintaining clinical outcomes.
Objectives: To compare pain after operative versus nonoperative pelvic ring injuries with unilateral sacral fractures. Design: Prospective, multicenter, observational. Setting: Sixteen trauma centers. Patients/Participants: Skeletally mature patients with pelvic ring injury and minimally displaced unilateral zone 1 or 2 sacral fractures and without anteroposterior compression injuries. Main Outcome Measurements: Pelvic displacement was documented on injury plain radiographs and computed tomography scans; a 10 point Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was used to evaluate pain was obtained in the anterior and posterior pelvic ring during the time of union (12 weeks). Results: One hundred ninety-four patients with unilateral sacral fractures displaced less than 5 mm, mean age of 38.7, and mean Injury Severity Score of 14.5 were included. Ninety-nine percent had lateral compression injuries, and 62% were in zone 1. Seventy-four percent were treated nonoperatively. Nonoperative patients had more zone 1 fractures (71%, P = 0.004). Nonoperative patients reported mean VAS 2.7 points higher in the posterior pelvis (P = 0.01) and 1.9 points higher anteriorly (P = 0.11) 24 hours after injury compared with patients treated operatively. After 3 months, nonoperative patients reported higher VAS scores than operative patients: 4.0 versus 2.9 posteriorly (P = 0.019) and 3.2 versus 2.3 anteriorly (P = 0.035). Conclusions: For sacrum fractures with minimal or no displacement, slight differences in the VAS were noted within 24 hours after injury or surgery, but limited differences were seen at 3 months for either operatively treated minimally or undisplaced sacrum fractures. It is unknown whether this represents clinical relevance. These differences were below the minimally important clinical difference for VAS scores for other orthopaedic conditions. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Objectives: To quantify the acute immunologic biomarker response in multiply injured patients with axial and lower extremity fractures and to explore associations with adverse short-term outcomes including organ dysfunction and nosocomial infection (NI). Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Level 1 academic trauma center. Patients: Consecutive multiply injured patients, 18–55 years of age, with major pelvic and lower extremity orthopaedic injuries (all pelvic/acetabular fractures, operative femur and tibia fractures) that presented as a trauma activation and admitted to the intensive care unit from April 2015 through October 2016. Sixty-one patients met inclusion criteria. Intervention: Blood was collected upon presentation to the hospital and at the following time points: 8, 24, 48 hours, and daily during intensive care unit admission. Blood was processed by centrifugation, separation into 1.0-mL plasma aliquots, and cryopreserved within 2 hours of collection. Main Outcome Measurements: Plasma analyses of protein levels of cytokines/chemokines were performed using a Luminex panel Bioassay of 20 immunologic mediators. Organ dysfunction was measured by the Marshall Multiple Organ Dysfunction score (MODScore) and nosocomial infection (NI) was recorded. Patients were stratified into low (MODS ≤ 4; n = 34) and high (MODS > 4; n = 27) organ dysfunction groups. Results: The MODS >4 group had higher circulating levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), and monokine induced by interferon gamma (MIG) compared with the MODS ≤4 group at nearly all time points. MODS >4 exhibited lower levels of IL-21 and IL-22 compared with MODS ≤4. Patients who developed NI (n = 24) had higher circulating concentrations of IL-10, MIG, and high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) compared with patients who did not develop NI (n = 37). Conclusions: Temporal quantification of immune mediators identified 8 biomarkers associated with greater levels of organ dysfunction in polytrauma patients with major orthopaedic injuries. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
The support provided by family and friends is integral to patient motivation and clinical outcomes across health care populations. However, little is known about factors that promote or interfere with the type of support offered.ObjectiveThis research examined factors associated with collaborative versus directive support among carers of adults with eating disorders.MethodParticipants were mothers, fathers, partners, friends, and siblings (N=141) of eating disorder patients in hospital or residential treatment. Two methodologies were used to assess directive and collaborative support stance: a questionnaire of support behaviors and coded responses to clinical vignettes. Measures of interpersonal functioning, psychiatric distress, caregiving experience, and closeness with their loved one were also completed.ResultsAlthough carers rated a collaborative stance as more helpful than a directive stance, 60% of responses to the clinical vignettes were directive. Across both methodologies, collaborative support behaviors were associated with beliefs about helpful support and with a less vindictive and cold interpersonal style. Whereas use of a directive support stance was exclusively associated with negative caregiving experiences, collaborative responses were associated with both positive and negative experiences.DiscussionAlthough the benefits of collaborative support have been well established, this is the first study to examine factors associated with the use of support stance. Findings suggest a number of ways to help carers create and maintain collaborative relationships, including addressing beliefs and interpersonal style and capitalizing on both positive and negative experiences with their loved one. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.(Int J Eat Disord 2017; 50:498-505)
OBJECTIVEThis pilot study investigated the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of a peer-led dissonance-based eating disorders (ED) prevention/risk factor reduction program with high school girls.METHODNinth grade girls (n = 50) received the peer-led program within the school curriculum. A quasi-experimental design was used to assess changes in ED risk factors preintervention and postintervention compared with waitlist control. Participants were followed through 3-month follow-up.RESULTSPeer-leader adherence to an intervention manual tailored for this age group was high. The intervention was rated as highly acceptable, with a large proportion of participants reporting that they enjoyed the program and learned and applied new information. Intervention participants exhibited significantly greater pre-post reductions in a majority of risk-factor outcomes compared to waitlist controls. When groups were combined to assess program effects over time there were significant pre-post reductions in a majority of outcomes that were sustained through 3-month follow-up.DISCUSSIONThis pilot study provides tentative support for the effectiveness of using peer leaders to implement an empirically supported ED risk factor reduction program in a high school setting. Additional research is needed to replicate results in larger, better-controlled trials with longer follow-up.
Clinical acumen is often used to assess families' motivation prior to initiating pediatric obesity management due to a lack of available tools. The purpose of this pilot study was to (i) develop and (ii) pilot test the "Readiness and Motivation Interview for Families" (RMI-Family) in pediatric weight management. We conducted 5 focus groups with parents (n = 15), youth with obesity (n = 11), and health care providers (n = 8) to explore perceptions of barriers to making healthy behaviour changes, which led to the creation of the RMI-Family as a semi-structured interview. Five domains (treat foods, overeating, emotional eating, total physical activity, and screen time) emerged from the focus groups to inform the development of the RMI-Family, which was then pilot tested with a sample of youth with obesity and their parents (n = 11 dyads). Interviewers administered the RMI-Family to youth (age 12.8 ± 1.7 years; body mass index [BMI] z-score: 2.71 ± 0.43) and parents (age 47.1 ± 3.7 years; BMI: 33.5 ± 10.1 kg/m(2)). The RMI-Family was feasible to administer, easily understood by families, and may be a useful tool for assessing families' motivation. Research is underway to determine the psychometric properties and utility of the RMI-Family in predicting clinical outcomes in pediatric weight management.
Readiness for change, as assessed by the readiness and motivation interview (RMI), predicts a number of clinical outcome variables in eating disorders including enrollment in intensive treatment, symptom change, dropout, and relapse. Although clinically useful, the training and administration of the RMI is time consuming. The purpose of this research was to (a) develop a self-report, symptom-specific version of the RMI, the readiness and motivation questionnaire (RMQ), that can be used to assess readiness for change across all eating disorder diagnoses and (b) establish its psychometric properties. The RMQ provides stage of change, internality, and confidence scores for each of 4 eating disorder symptom domains (restriction, bingeing, and cognitive and compensatory behaviors). Individuals (N = 244) with current eating disorder diagnoses completed the RMQ and measures of convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity. Similar to the RMI scores, readiness scores on the RMQ differed according to symptom domain. Regarding criterion validity, RMQ scores were significantly associated with ratings of anticipated difficulty of recovery activities and completion of recovery activities. The RMQ contributed significant unique variance to anticipated difficulty of recovery activities, beyond those accounted for by the RMI and a questionnaire measure of global readiness. The RMQ is thus an acceptable alternative to the RMI, providing global and domain-specific readiness information when time or cost prohibits use of an interview.
OBJECTIVEIndividuals with eating disorders are often ambivalent about recovery, and previous research has shown that readiness for change predicts enrollment in intensive treatment, symptom change, dropout, and relapse. Given the demonstrated importance of readiness for change, researchers and clinicians have turned to investigating interventions designed to enhance motivation. The purpose of this research was to determine the efficacy of Readiness and Motivation Therapy (RMT), a five-session individual preparatory intervention for individuals with eating disorders.METHODParticipants completed the Readiness and Motivation Interview and measures of eating disorder symptomatology, self-esteem, and psychiatric symptoms at intake. One hundred eighty-one participants were randomly assigned to the treatment (RMT) or wait-list control condition and were reassessed at 6-week and 3-month follow-up; 113 completed assessments at all three time points and primary analyses were based on these individuals.RESULTSSurprisingly, improvements in readiness for change, depression, drive for thinness, and bulimia symptoms occurred over time in both RMT and control conditions. However, at post and at follow-up, individuals who received RMT were less likely to have high ambivalence than were those from the control condition.DISCUSSIONRMT may be of benefit to highly reluctant, clinically challenging patients and help them make better use of future, action-oriented treatment.
OBJECTIVETo compare the descriptive and clinical utility of two classification systems: DSM-IV eating disorder diagnoses and proposed symptom profiles. The symptom profiles are based on the presence of overvalued ideas about shape/weight, as well as combinations of three key eating disorder symptoms (e.g. body mass index (BMI) above or below threshold and the presence or absence of bingeing and purging behaviours).METHODThe two systems were compared on their ability to offer descriptively useful information in classifying individuals with eating disorders. In addition, we examined our system's unique contribution to clinical outcome and its relation to readiness for change.RESULTSClassifying individuals via symptom profiles provided information about eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS), a prevalent, heterogeneous and under-researched diagnostic category. Symptom profiles outperformed the DSM-IV diagnostic system in the ability to account for variation in patients' decision to enrol in treatment, performing comparably to readiness for change.CONCLUSIONClassifying individuals according to symptom profile and readiness for change appears to have more descriptive and clinical utility than the current diagnostic system.
BACKGROUND:In eating disorders (EDs), treatment outcome measurement has traditionally focused on symptom reduction rather than functioning or quality of life (QoL). The Eating Disorders Quality of Life Scale (EDQLS) was recently developed to allow for measurement of broader outcomes. We examined responsiveness of the EDQLS in a longitudinal multi-site study.METHODS:The EDQLS and comparator generic QoL scales were collected in person at baseline, and 3 and 6 months from 130 participants (mean age 25.6 years; range 14-60) in 12 treatment programs in four Canadian provinces. Total score differences across the time points and responsiveness were examined using both anchor- and distribution-based methods.RESULTS:98 (75%) and 85 (65%) responses were received at 3 and 6 months respectively. No statistically significant differences were found between the baseline sample and those lost to follow-up on any measured characteristic. Mean EDQLS total scores increased from 110 (SD = 24) to 124.5 (SD = 29) at 3 months and 129 (SD = 28) at 6 months, and the difference by time was tested using a general linear model (GLM) to account for repeated measurement (p < .001). Responsiveness was good overall (Cohen's d = .61 and .80), and confirmed using anchor methods across 5 levels of self-reported improvement in health status (p < .001). Effect sizes across time were moderate or large for for all age groups. Internal consistency (Chronbach's alpha=.96) held across measurement points and patterns of responsiveness held across subscales. EDQLS responsiveness exceeded that of the Quality of Life Inventory, the Short Form-12 (mental and physical subscales) and was similar to the 16-dimension quality of life scale.CONCLUSIONS:The EDQLS is responsive to change in geographically diverse and clinically heterogeneous programs over a relatively short time period in adolescents and adults. It shows promise as an outcome measure for both research and clinical practice.
OBJECTIVE:To examine factors associated with improvements in readiness for change as a function of body mass index (BMI) in individuals assessed for eating disorders treatment.METHOD:Participants (n = 128) completed the Readiness and Motivation Interview (RMI) and measures of psychiatric and eating disorder symptoms, quality of life, and self-esteem at baseline and at 5-month follow-up.RESULTS:Participants whose readiness for change showed improvements in psychiatric symptom severity, global self-esteem, and in the importance of friendships as a determinant of self-esteem. Only those with a normal baseline BMI (20 kg/m(2) or greater) improved in eating disorder symptoms and quality of life, and reported increased importance of personal development and decreased importance of shape and weight as determinants of self-esteem.CONCLUSION:Correlates of readiness differed between low and normal BMI participants, suggesting that weight status may be an important variable to consider in preparing highly ambivalent individuals for treatment.
The Readiness and Motivation Interview (RMI) is a semistructured interview measure of readiness and motivation to change that can be used for all eating disorder diagnoses. The RMI has demonstrated excellent psychometric properties and has both clinical and predictive utility in adult samples. This study examined the psychometric properties of the RMI in a younger population, namely, 12- to 18-year-old girls with eating disorders. Study participants (N = 65) completed the RMI and measures of convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity. Adolescents with eating disorders were able to conceptualize and articulate their readiness for change and to report the extent to which change efforts were for themselves versus for others. RMI readiness profiles across eating disorder symptom domains in adolescents were comparable to those in adults, with higher reported readiness to change binge eating than to change dietary restriction or compensatory strategies. Differences in internal consistency between adult and adolescent samples are discussed. Interviewing adolescents early in treatment about readiness may assist clinicians in forming an alliance with this difficult-to-engage population, while also providing valuable information for treatment planning.
BACKGROUND:In eating disorders (EDs) treatment, outcome measurement has traditionally focused on symptom reduction rather than functioning or quality of life (QoL). Generic QoL measures lack sensitivity for some diagnoses and many not be responsive in eating disorder patients. This article describes the development and validation of a condition-specific QoL measure for adolescents and adults with eating disorders--the Eating Disorders Quality of Life Scale (EDQLS).METHODS:Multi-source and multi-stage methods were used to develop the EDQLS, with participation of patients with EDs, their family members and ED treatment providers. Sources for domain and item development included 39 articles, 12 patient and 10 treatment provider interviews, and 31 first person narratives from the internet. Four stages of validation and pre-testing involving 17 patients, 10 family members and 18 providers reduced 233 items to 40 items in 12 domains. These items were pilot tested in 41 ED patients.RESULTS:The final instrument was then validated in a 12 site sample of 171 individuals aged 14-60 with EDs. All items showed good dispersion. The total raw mean score was 110 out of 200 (SD 27.6) with higher scores indicating better QoL. Internal consistency was excellent (Cronbach's alpha = .96) and subscale internal consistency ranged from alpha .36 to .79 providing evidence for a strong overall construct and some multi-dimensionality. Validity was supported by significant differences in mean EDQLS according to severity levels on the EDI-2 (F = 95.3, p <.001) and the BSI (F = 86.9, p <.001). EDQLS scores were positively associated with time in treatment (F = 4.65, p = .01) suggesting responsiveness. A strong positive association was also found between EDQLS scores and stage of change (F = 15.1 p <.001). Pearson's correlations between the EDQLS and criterion instrument scores were .71 for the SF-12 mental subscale, .61 for the QoLI and .78 for the 16D, supporting construct validity. Exploratory principal components and item response theory analyses identified only a few poor fitting items.CONCLUSION:The EDQLS has promising psychometric characteristics and may be useful for evaluating ED treatment effectiveness.