OBJECTIVES To evaluate the best available evidence on volume-outcome effect of pancreatic surgery by a systematic review of the existing data and to determine the impact of the ongoing plea for centralization in The Netherlands. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA Centralization of pancreatic resection (PR) is still under debate. The reported impact of hospital volume on the mortality rate after PR varie...

BACKGROUND We implemented a community-run and GP-supervised self-care for minor illnesses (CGPSC) program in a mountainous area where medical resources for caring for minor illnesses were scarce. In this paper, we reported the residents' experiences and evaluations of this program. METHODS The CGPSC program was implemented through easy-access self-care medical spots (ESCMSs) that were set up ...

BACKGROUND Results of previous studies have shown that exercise training can improve cognitive functions in healthy older people. Some studies have demonstrated that long-term combination exercise training can facilitate memory function improvement better than either aerobic or strength exercise training alone. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether short-term combination exercise training ca...

BACKGROUND Health-related quality of life is increasingly recognised as an important outcome measure that complements existing measures of clinical effectiveness. The education available on this subject for different healthcare professionals is varied. This article describes the design, implementation and evaluation of a Special Study Module on Health-Related Quality of Life for undergraduate m...

This study examined the correlates of objective social isolation from extended family members and friends among older adults. The analysis is based on the older adult sub-sample of the National Survey of American Life (n = 1321). Multinomial logistic regression analyses examined race/ethnicity, demographics, functional health and family and friend network factors as correlates of objective isol...

OBJECTIVES A proposed method for bridging the gap between clinically relevant epilepsy outcome measures and quality-adjusted life years is to derive utility scores for epilepsy health states. The aim of this study is to develop such a utility-function and to investigate the impact of the epilepsy outcome measures on utility. METHODS Health states, based on clinically important epilepsy attrib...

BACKGROUND The Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL) utility instrument was psychometrically developed for the general population. This study aimed to explore its potential as an osteoarthritis (OA) outcome measure. METHODS WOMAC, Lequesne index, SF-36, Visual analogue scales and the AQoL were administered to 222 people with OA. The ability of each questionnaire to detect differences between g...

This case study report demonstrates the use of motion analysis with a modification of the Box and Blocks test. The goal was to quantify observed improvements in compensatory movements and simultaneous control in a subject using different prostheses before and after targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR) surgery. This is a single case study with data collection using a body-powered prosthesis pre-T...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Patient-reported outcome measures have been found useful in many disciplines but have received limited evaluation after stroke. The current study investigated the relationship that patient-reported measures have with standard impairment and disability scales after stroke. METHODS Patients with motor deficits after stroke were scored on standard assessments including the...