Review
Oncology
Julia M. M. Reilly, Lisa Marie Ruppert
Summary: The recent literature has focused on the post-acute care needs of cancer patients in the acute inpatient rehabilitation setting, with a particular emphasis on the neurologic cancer population. Recent trends in inpatient cancer rehabilitation show lower admission functional status and shorter lengths of stay, but a high percentage of patients are still discharged to the community.
CURRENT ONCOLOGY REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Rehabilitation
Kara Kallies, Timothy R. Dillingham, Adam Edelstein, Eric Hume, Daniel Polsky, Roy Schwartz, Emily L. McGinley, Liliana E. Pezzin
Summary: The study evaluates the impact of the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) policy on the post-acute care trajectory of patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) over a 90-day period. The findings suggest that patients treated in CJR areas were less likely to return to the community after receiving post-acute care in an institution. However, there were no significant differences in the escalation of care among patients treated in bundling areas post-CJR implementation.
ARCHIVES OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION
(2022)
Article
Orthopedics
Troy B. Amen, Adriana P. Liimakka, Bhav Jain, Samuel S. Rudisill, Hany S. Bedair, Antonia F. Chen
Summary: The study investigated disparities in total joint arthroplasty (TJA) utilization after referral to orthopaedic providers among patients with diagnosed hip or knee osteoarthritis. The findings showed that white patients diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis were more likely to undergo total knee arthroplasty (TKA) compared to black and Hispanic patients. Similar disparities were observed among patients with diagnosed hip osteoarthritis and total hip arthroplasty (THA). These findings highlight the existence of racial and ethnic disparities in TJA utilization even after referral to an orthopaedic surgeon.
JOURNAL OF ARTHROPLASTY
(2023)
Article
Rehabilitation
Sinyoung Park, Jing Xu, Mindi R. Manes, Allison Carrier, Raine Osborne
Summary: A study on a rehabilitation hospital found that the personal issues domain is the most important factor in determining patient satisfaction scores, overall quality of care, and willingness to recommend the hospital to others.
ARCHIVES OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Hsing-Ching Huang, Liu-Ing Bih, Ming-Miau Tsai, Tzu-Ling Chang, Wan-Chun Liao, Chung-Liang Lai
Summary: Taiwan's nationwide post-acute care program for patients with traumatic brain injury aims to maximize functional recovery and facilitate patients' return to their homes and communities. A pilot study retrospectively evaluated the program's effectiveness and found significant functional improvement among patients, with 96% of them being able to return to their communities after participating in the program.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GENERAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Shira H. Fischer, Regina A. Shih, Tara L. McMullen, Maria O. Edelen, Sangeeta C. Ahluwalia, Emily K. Chen, Sarah E. Dalton, Susan Paddock, Anthony Rodriguez, Debra Saliba, Stella Mandl, Teresa Mota
Summary: This study developed a set of standardized assessment data elements for evaluating the medication reconciliation process, which was tested across PAC settings. Results demonstrated high feasibility in terms of data completeness and completion time, as well as moderate to high reliability among assessors.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Adam Simning, Jessica Orth, Thomas Caprio, Yue Li, Jinjiao Wang, Helena Temkin-Greener
Summary: The study examined the percentage of post-acute care residents in skilled nursing facilities who did not receive timely primary care provider services, with 40% found to not have a timely visit. Factors such as racial minority and rural county status were associated with lower odds of receiving timely PCP services. Additionally, female sex, surgical hospitalization, and receipt of home health services were associated with increased odds of achieving perfect 30-day home time after discharge.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION
(2021)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Yeunkyung Kim, Caroline Thirukumaran, Helena Temkin-Greener, Robert Holloway, Elaine Hill, Yue Li
Summary: This study examines the impact of the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) on institutional post-acute care (PAC) use and variations by race/ethnicity and payer status. The findings suggest that hospital participation in the MSSP is associated with slightly increased institutional PAC use for ischemic stroke patients. Additionally, MSSP-participating hospitals are more likely to discharge racial minority patients for elective total joint arthroplasty (TJA) and dual-eligible patients for ischemic stroke to institutional PAC.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION
(2022)
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Jonathan S. Theros, Katelyn B. Zumpf, Tara Lagu, Saieesh Rao, Brian J. Nasca, Allen W. Heinemann, Michael B. Shapiro, Karl Y. Bilimoria, Anne M. Stey
Summary: Post-acute care following SCI or TBI has a significant impact on neurological function recovery. Inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) show better outcomes and lower mortality rates compared to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). This study explores the access to inpatient rehabilitation based on insurance and estimates the associated costs.
JOURNAL OF NEUROTRAUMA
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Mattia Morri, Riccardo Ruisi, Vincenzo Peccerillo, Natalia Franchini, Antonella Orlandi Magli, Cristiana Forni
Summary: This study aims to describe the early functional results for patients undergoing hip and knee replacements during the reopening of healthcare services and compare them with the outcomes before the pandemic. The study found that the reorganization and treatment pathway did not affect the functional outcome achieved by patients who underwent joint replacement.
Article
Rehabilitation
Michael W. O'Dell, Abhishek Jaywant, Megan Frantz, Ruchi Patel, Erica Kwong, Karen Wen, Michael Taub, Marc Campo, Joan Toglia
Summary: This study aimed to describe functional changes after inpatient stroke rehabilitation using the AM-PAC, which showed significant group differences in functional changes across the first year post-discharge, with substantial heterogeneity at an individual level. It underscores the need to consider individual-level outcomes when evaluating progress or outcomes in stroke rehabilitation.
ARCHIVES OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION
(2021)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Ann Reddy, Linda Resnik, Janet Freburger, Daniel E. Ciolek, David R. Gifford, Margarite J. Whitten, Rosa R. Baier
Summary: This study surveyed professionals in post-acute and long-term care to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rehabilitation care and related research needs. Results showed rapid changes in care delivery, negative impact on patients' motivation and physical function, new access barriers and increased costs, and uncertainty about sustaining changes in delivery and payment. Future research should focus on evaluating the impact on care, outcomes, and costs in these settings.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION
(2021)
Article
Rehabilitation
Adam R. Kinney, James E. Graham, Addie Middleton, Jessica Edelstein, Jordan Wyrwa, Matt P. Malcolm
Summary: This study investigated the association between mobility status and acute care physical therapy utilization, and whether this relationship varied across sociodemographic factors and insurance type. The findings showed that patients with mobility limitations were more likely to receive physical therapy, and among patients with greater mobility status, older patients and those without a significant other were more likely to receive physical therapy. Furthermore, the study also indicated that among patients with mobility limitations, those who were younger, had significant others, and had private insurance were more likely to receive physical therapy.
ARCHIVES OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION
(2022)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Daniel Siconolfi, Maria O. Edelen, Tara L. McMullen, Steven Martino, Sangeeta C. Ahluwalia, Emily K. Chen, Sarah E. Dalton, Susan Paddock, Anthony Rodriguez, Debra Saliba, Stella Mandl, Teresa Mota
Summary: Depression symptoms have negative impacts on quality of life and treatment adherence among patients in post-acute care settings. This study tested a new assessment approach (PHQ-2 to 9) and found it to be feasible, with relatively common depression symptoms among this patient population.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Debbie Y. Madhok, Robert M. Rodriguez, Jason Barber, Nancy R. Temkin, Amy J. Markowitz, Natalie Kreitzer, Geoffrey T. Manley
Summary: This study found that most patients with mild TBI, with a GCS score of 15 and a negative head CT scan, did not fully recover at 2 weeks and 6 months after the injury. Emergency department clinicians should recommend 2-week follow-up visits to identify patients with incomplete recovery and facilitate rehabilitation.
Article
Statistics & Probability
Eddy Kwessi, Lloyd J. Edwards
Summary: This paper proposes the use of a signed-rank objective function to analyze artificial neural networks. The authors prove that the variance of the gradient of the learning process is bounded as a function of the number of patterns and/or outputs, thus preventing the occurrence of gradient explosion phenomenon. Simulations demonstrate the efficacy of this method in reproducing chaotic behaviors from biological models and improving the accuracy of the learning process compared to the least squares objective function. Additionally, the application of this approach in regression settings on two real datasets, one small and the other large, is considered.
COMMUNICATIONS IN STATISTICS-SIMULATION AND COMPUTATION
(2022)
Article
Rehabilitation
Daniel Kuhman, Lloyd J. Edwards, Harrison Walker, Christopher P. Hurt
Summary: The purpose of this study was to establish a novel and clinically feasible assessment of lower-extremity dexterity for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), and to validate its criterion and construct validity. The results showed significant relationships between lower-extremity dexterity and measures of gait, mobility, and upper-extremity dexterity. This assessment tool provides a simple and objective way to measure lower-extremity function in PD patients, and has the potential to be implemented in clinical settings.
DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION
(2023)
Article
Rehabilitation
Heather Fritz, Ryan Jones, Malcolm P. Cutchin
Summary: This study aimed to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic shaped health management occupations of older African Americans. The study found that these individuals utilized key health management occupations to reduce their risk of COVID-19 infection, and perceived some benefits of the pandemic on health and well-being.
OTJR-OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY JOURNAL OF RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Jaya S. Khushalani, Mark Holmes, Suhang Song, Aziza Arifkhanova, Randy Randolph, Sharita Thomas, Diane M. Hall
Summary: This study examines the impact of rural hospital closures on hospitalization rates for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC) and emergency care sensitive conditions (ECSC). The findings suggest that closures can lead to increases in ACSC admissions and decreases in ECSC admissions, with a subsequent effect on in-hospital mortality rates.
JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Gerontology
Yi-Han Liao, Li-Jung Elizabeth Ku, Li-Fan Liu, Chung-Yi Li
Summary: The utilization rate of respite care in Taiwan is low, and there have been few studies on the effects of in-home respite care on caregiver burden. This study used Taiwan's long-term care plan 1.0 database to examine the impact of in-home respite care on caregiver burden. Results showed that caregiver burden scores decreased significantly after receiving in-home respite care for more than 14 days.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED GERONTOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Yu-Ching Chen, Yi-Han Liao, Li-Jung Elizabeth Ku, Jung-Der Wang
Summary: This study investigated the impact of the P4P program and the continuity of care index (COCI) on the risk of lower extremity amputations (LEA) among diabetics. The results showed that participating in the P4P program and increasing COCI may reduce the risk of amputation for DM patients.
BMC HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Katherine E. M. Miller, Courtney H. Van Houtven, Erin E. Kent, Donna Gilleskie, G. Mark Holmes, Valerie A. Smith, Sally C. Stearns
Summary: This study examined the impact of the Veterans Health Administration's Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers on caregiver health and healthcare utilization. The results showed that the implementation of the program was associated with increased health diagnoses and service utilization among caregivers.
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Erin Fraher, Cristen P. P. Page, Emily M. M. Hawes, Evan Galloway, Shweta Pathak, Lauren Tomola, George M. M. Holmes
Summary: The purpose of this study is to describe the characteristics of Rural Residency Planning and Development (RRPD) Programs, compare the characteristics of counties with and without RRPD programs, and identify rural places where future RRPD programs could be developed. The study found that RRPD programs are often affiliated with family medicine programs and medical schools, and RRPD counties have larger populations, higher population densities, and a higher percentage of non-White or Hispanic populations compared to non-RRPD counties. These findings can be used to address health disparities and workforce maldistribution.
JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Randolph S. Marshall, David S. Liebeskind, John Huston III, Lloyd J. Edwards, George Howard, James F. Meschia, Thomas G. Brott, Brajesh K. Lal, Donald Heck, Giuseppe Lanzino, Navdeep Sangha, Vikram S. Kashyap, Clarissa D. Morales, Dejania Cotton-Samuel, Andres M. Rivera, Adam M. Brickman, Ronald M. Lazar
Summary: High-grade carotid artery stenosis may cause hemodynamic impairment and lead to cortical thinning in the ipsilateral hemisphere. A relative time-to-peak delay on MRI was found to be associated with cortical thinning in that hemisphere.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Qian Li, Kadambari Vijaykumar, Scott E. Phillips, Shah S. Hussain, Nha V. Huynh, Courtney M. Fernandez-Petty, Jacelyn E. Peabody Lever, Jeremy B. Foote, Janna Ren, Javier Campos-Gomez, Farah Abou Daya, Nathaniel W. Hubbs, Harrison Kim, Ezinwanne Onuoha, Evan R. Boitet, Lianwu Fu, Hui Min Leung, Linhui Yu, Thomas W. Detchemendy, Levi T. Schaefers, Jennifer L. Tipper, Lloyd J. Edwards, Sixto M. Leal, Kevin S. Harrod, Guillermo J. Tearney, Steven M. Rowe
Summary: Clinical evidence supports the importance of ciliary function in COVID-19 pathogenesis. This study found that SARS-CoV-2 infection led to a decrease in mucociliary transport (MCT) in the airways of hamsters, causing pathological injury in the lung parenchyma. Monitoring of physiological, virological, and pathological changes revealed a descending infection pattern from upper airways to lower airways to lung parenchyma.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Soyeon Cheon, Chung-Yi Li, Jiann-Shing Jeng, Jung-Der Wang, Li-Jung Elizabeth Ku
Summary: The aim of this study was to estimate the quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE) and loss-of-QALE for patients with ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke in South Korea, and to compare them between genders. The survival function of stroke patients was estimated and extrapolated to lifetime. The QALE was estimated using the EuroQol 5-dimension (EQ-5D) questionnaire. The results showed that stroke has a significant impact on life in Korea, especially for males who survived hemorrhagic stroke. Further studies are needed to quantify the burden of stroke and the long-term care needs from a societal perspective.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE
(2023)
Editorial Material
Health Care Sciences & Services
Kristin L. L. Reiter, Susie Gurzenda, Kristie Thompson, G. Mark Holmes, George H. H. Pink
JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Scott R. Plotkin, Jeffrey Allen, Girish Dhall, Jian L. Campian, D. Wade Clapp, Michael J. Fisher, Rakesh K. Jain, James Tonsgard, Nicole J. Ullrich, Coretta Thomas, Lloyd J. Edwards, Bruce Korf, Roger Packer, Matthias A. Karajannis, Jaishri O. Blakeley
Summary: In this prospective multicenter phase II study, the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of bevacizumab for maintenance therapy in persons with NF2-SWN and hearing loss due to VS were evaluated. The results showed that maintenance bevacizumab (5 mg/kg every 3 weeks) was associated with high rates of hearing and tumor stability during 18 months of follow-up. No new unexpected adverse events related to bevacizumab were identified in this population.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Chi-Hao Wu, Li-Jung Elizabeth Ku, Chien-Yu Lin, Ta-Jung Chung, Hui-Ju Liu, Ting-Hsing Chao, Szu-Chun Yang
Summary: This study estimated the time and transportation costs associated with LDCT screening and diagnostic lung procedures in Taiwan. The costs of informal healthcare sector were US$126.4, US$290.7, and US$749.8 for LDCT screening, non-surgical procedures, and surgical procedures, respectively.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Ya-Hui Chang, Yen -Chin Chen, Li-Jung Elizabeth Ku, Yu-Tsung Chou, Hung-Yu Chen, Hui-Chen Su, Chieh-Hsiu Liu, Yi-Lin Wu, Hsiang-Ju Cheng, Yi-Ching Yang, Chung-Yi Li
Summary: This study found an association between sleep health and intrinsic capacity (IC) among older adults. Good sleep quality was associated with stronger IC, while poor sleep quality was associated with weaker IC. Therefore, interventions to improve sleep health and prevent IC decline are recommended to improve the health outcomes of older adults.