Low back pain: a call for action.

Low back pain is the leading worldwide cause of years lost to disability and its burden is growing alongside the increasing and ageing population.1Because these population shifts are more rapid in low-income and middle-income countries, where adequate resources to address the problem might not exist, the effects will probably be more extreme in these regions. Most low back pain is unrelated to specific identifiable spinal abnormalities, and our Viewpoint, the third paper in this Lancet Series,2,3is a call for action on this global problem of low back pain

Factors associated with non-attendance at exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation

Background Despite its well-established positive effects, exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (exCR) is underused in patients following an acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The aim of the study was to identify factors associated with non-attendance at exCR in patients post-AMI in a large Swedish cohort. Methods A total of 31,297 patients who have suffered an AMI, mean age 62.4 ± 4 years, were included from the SWEDEHEART registry during the years 2010–2016. Comparisons between attenders and non-attenders at exCR were done at baseline for the following variables: age, sex, body mass index, occupational status, smoking, previous diseases, type of index cardiac event and intervention, and left ventricular function. Distance of residence from the hospital and type of hospital were added as structural variables in logistic regression analyses, with non-attendance at exCR at one-year follow-up as dependent, and with individual and structural variables as independent variables. Results In total, 16,214 (52%) of the patients did not attend exCR. The strongest predictor for non-attendance was distance to the exCR centre (OR 1.75 [95% CI: 1.64–1.86]). Other predictors for non-attendance included smoking, history of stroke, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), AMI or diabetes, male sex, being retired vs. being employed, and being followed-up at a county hospital. Patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and those intervened with PCI or CABG were more likely to attend exCR. Conclusions A distance greater than 16 km was associated with increased probability of non-attendance at exCR, as were smoking, a higher burden of comorbidities, and male sex. A better understanding of individual and structural factors can support the development of future rehabilitation services.Correction in: BMC SPORTS SCIENCE MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION, Volume: 11, Issue: 1, Article Number: 24, DOI: 10.1186/s13102-019-0135-7</p

Validity, internal consistency and self-rated change of the patient enablement instrument in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain

Objective: Patient enablement reflects patient's understanding of and coping with illness. The aim of this study was to investigate the content validity, construct validity, internal consistency and selfrated change (SRC) of the Patient Enablement Instrument (PEI) in patients with whiplash-associated disorders, cervical radiculopathy and mixed chronic pain treated in different settings. Design: Psychometric analyses. Participants: Patients with disabling non-malignant chronic musculoskeletal pain. Methods: Participants answered questionnaires on disability (Neck Disability Index (NDI) or Functional Rating Index (FRI)), anxiety/depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; HADS) and general health (EuroQol; EQ-5D). Content validity, construct validity (confirmatory factor analysis), internal consistency and cut-off for SRC were investigated for the PEI after treatment. The SRC value was the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve optimal cut-off point. Results: After treatment all items were completed by 516 patients (mean standard deviation (SD) age 45.1 years (SD 10.1), women 75% (n=385)). The 1-factor PEI model had approximate fit to the data. The internal consistency Cronbach's alpha was between 0.878 and 0.929 for the 3 groups. Correlations between the PEI and the NDI/FRI, HADS and EQ-5D were fair to good. The SRCROC for whiplash-associated disorders, cervical radiculopathy and mixed chronic pain groups was 5, 6 and 4 points in the PEI, respectively. Conclusion: The PEI showed fair content validity, construct validity and internal consistency. However, the scale needs further development to improve measurement of change

Negative impact and positive value in caregiving: Validation of the COPE Index in a six-country sample of carers

Purpose: The present study attempts to further validate the COPE Index on a large sample of carers drawn from six European countries. Design and Methods: We used a cross-sectional survey, with approximately 1,000 carers recruited in each of six countries by means of a common standard evaluation protocol. Our saturation recruitment of a designated quota of carers occurred by means of several channels, in identified geographical zones within countries. Interviews were carried out with primary informal carers by use of a common assessment tool. We subjected items of the COPE Index to principal component analysis and we assessed emergent components through the use of Cronbach’s alpha reliability procedures. We examined factor components as summative scales for confirmatory correlations with caregiving and psychological variables. Results: Three components emerged, which we identified as the negative impact of caregiving, the positive value of caregiving, and the quality of support for caregiving. Internal consistency was good for negative impact and satisfactory for positive value and quality of support. Negative value was most consistently and strongly correlated with caregiving and psychological variables, although we did find diverse associations between these variables and the COPE Index subscales. Implications: The COPE Index is a brief, first-stage assessment of some sophistication that can enable health and social care professionals to develop appropriately targeted interventions to enhance the positive aspects of the caregiving experience and quality of support, as well as reduce the negative impacts of caregiving

A core outcome set for research and clinical practice in women with pelvic girdle pain: PGP-COS

10.1371/journal.pone.0247466PLOS ONE16