UNLABELLED The aim was to evaluate the effect of Eco-CIMT in young children with unilateral cerebral palsy in a randomized controlled crossover design. The training was implemented within the regular pediatric services, provided by the child's parents and/or preschool teacher and supervised by the child's regular therapist. METHODS Twenty-five children (mean age 28.8 months [SD 11.2], 72% mal...

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to compare the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) and the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) as measures of change in children who received early intervention services. METHODS Thirty-four children were stratified into 2 groups according to the presence of gross motor delay. The PEDI and MSEL were administered 3 times: at an average a...

BACKGROUND Computer reminders are increasingly being applied in efforts to improve quality and patient safety. However, research is still needed to establish the effectiveness of different kinds of reminders in various settings. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of computer reminders for improving adherence to a quality assessment scheme for point-of-care testing in general practic...

AIM To investigate whether participation in a clinical audit and education session would improve GP management of patients who smoke. METHODS GPs who participated in an associated smoking cessation research program were invited to complete a three-stage clinical audit. This process included a retrospective self-audit of smoking cessation management practices over the 6 months prior to commenc...

Randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of collaborative care in a Dutch occupational healthcare setting: 126 workers on sick leave with major depressive disorder were randomised to usual care (n = 61) or collaborative care (n = 65). After 3 months, collaborative care was more effective on the primary outcome measure of treatment response (i.e. reduction in symptoms of ≥50%) o...

PURPOSE To describe the development of an educational programme for physiotherapists in the Netherlands, two toolkits of measurement instruments, and the evaluation of an implementation strategy. METHOD The study used a controlled pre- and post-measurement design. A tailored educational programme for the use of outcome measures was developed that consisted of four training sessions and two to...

In medical research, particularly in the field of rheumatology, there is great interest about the concept of responsiveness of outcome measures as a sign of changes in the patient's health status. However, the terminology sorrounding this concept and the methods of analysis are confusing and lacking in consensus. We present a review about the concept and analysis of responsiveness taking into a...

The health care marketplace is beginning to demand that providers develop and provide outcomes data. But implementing a process of collecting outcomes data can be very labor intensive. Planning must include defining outcomes, understanding how outcomes are used in analysis and decision-making activities, identifying data sources, and identifying the users.

Several studies comparing adult musicians and non-musicians have provided compelling evidence for functional and anatomical differences in the brain systems engaged by musical training. It is not known, however, whether those differences result from long-term musical training or from pre-existing traits favoring musicality. In an attempt to begin addressing this question, we have launched a lon...

Documentation of clinical outcomes is increasingly expected in delivery of prosthetic services and devices. However, many outcome measures suitable for use in clinical care and research have not been psychometrically tested with prosthesis users. The aim of this study was to determine test-retest reliability, mode-of-administration (MoA) equivalence, standard error of measurement (SEM), and min...