Measurement invariance across chronic conditions: a systematic review and an empirical investigation of the Health Education Impact Questionnaire (heiQ™).

To examine whether lack of measurement invariance (MI) influences mean comparisons among different disease groups, this paper provides (1) a systematic review of MI in generic constructs across chronic conditions and (2) an empirical analysis of MI in the Health Education Impact Questionnaire (heiQ™)

Influence of contour scans on surface roughness and pore formation using Scalmalloy® manufactured by laser powder bed fusion (PBF‐LB)

The scandium modified aluminium alloy Scalmalloy® is specifically developed for the use in laser‐based powder bed fusion (PBF‐LB). It is supposed to show potential in the production of lightweight structures due to its high specific strength compared to other aluminium alloys. A limiting factor is the high surface roughness of additively manufactured parts, which has a negative influence on its mechanical properties, especially under cyclic loads. In order to reduce the surface roughness, methods of design of experiments (DoE) are applied to develop contour parameters. Additionally, the formation of pores in keyhole‐mode welding and strategies to reduce the porosity in the contour area are investigated. The surface roughness of vertical walls can be reduced down to Ra 0.9 J mm⁻¹ but keyhole pores start to form applying EL >0.6– 0.75 J mm⁻¹. Two contour parameter sets in different EL‐ranges are developed that can be used to reduce the surface roughness compared to parameter sets without contour scans, without increasing the porosity in the contour area. Their impact on the mechanical properties has to be further investigated

Determination of the s‐phase formation coefficient of plasma nitrided austenitic steel

Plasma nitriding is an effective surface hardening treatment for austenitic stainless steels. During plasma nitriding, s‐phase formation takes place which is not only responsible for high hardness and wear resistance but also for good corrosion resistance. In order to estimate the thickness of the s‐phase for austenitic stainless steel in a plasma nitriding process, an empirical model is devised. A number of plasma nitriding processes of austenitic stainless steel (304 L) were carried out with varying treatment temperature from 360 °C to 450 °C and process duration ranging from 10 hours to 24 hours with constant pressure, voltage, pulse‐to‐pause‐ratio and gas mixture. A time‐temperature dependent s‐phase formation coefficient is determined by measuring the thickness of the s‐phase using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GDOES). The developed model is verified by three controlled experiments. This model fits the thickness of the s‐phase with an error of less than 6 %

Evaluation of a self-management patient education program for patients with fibromyalgia syndrome: study protocol of a cluster randomized controlled trial

Background Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a complex chronic condition that makes high demands on patients’ self-management skills. Thus, patient education is considered an important component of multimodal therapy, although evidence regarding its effectiveness is scarce. The main objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of an advanced self-management patient education program for patients with FMS as compared to usual care in the context of inpatient rehabilitation. Methods/Design We conducted a multicenter cluster randomized controlled trial in 3 rehabilitation clinics. Clusters are groups of patients with FMS consecutively recruited within one week after admission. Patients of the intervention group receive the advanced multidisciplinary self-management patient education program (considering new knowledge on FMS, with a focus on transfer into everyday life), whereas patients in the control group receive standard patient education programs including information on FMS and coping with pain. A total of 566 patients are assessed at admission, at discharge and after 6 and 12 months, using patient reported questionnaires. Primary outcomes are patients’ disease- and treatment-specific knowledge at discharge and self-management skills after 6 months. Secondary outcomes include satisfaction, attitudes and coping competences, health-promoting behavior, psychological distress, health impairment and participation. Treatment effects between groups are evaluated using multilevel regression analysis adjusting for baseline values. Discussion The study evaluates the effectiveness of a self-management patient education program for patients with FMS in the context of inpatient rehabilitation in a cluster randomized trial. Study results will show whether self-management patient education is beneficial for this group of patients

Influence of Contour Scans on Surface Roughness and Pore Formation using Scalmalloy Manufactured by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (PBF--LB)

The scandium modified aluminium alloy Scalmalloy\circledR is specifically developed for the use in laser-based powder bed fusion (PBF-LB). It is supposed to show potential in the production of lightweight structures due to its high specific strength compared to other aluminium alloys. A limiting factor is the high surface roughness of additively manufactured parts, which has a negative influence on its mechanical properties, especially under cyclic loads. In order to reduce the surface roughness, methods of design of experiments (DoE) are applied to develop contour parameters. Additionally, the formation of pores in keyhole-mode welding and strategies to reduce the porosity in the contour area are investigated. The surface roughness of vertical walls can be reduced down to Ra \textless 7\textgreekmm using contour scans with a line energy EL \textgreater0.9J mm-1 but keyhole pores start to form applying EL \textgreater0.6-- 0.75J mm-1. Two contour parameter sets in different EL-ranges are developed that can be used to reduce the surface roughness compared to parameter sets without contour scans, without increasing the porosity in the contour area. Their impact on the mechanical properties has to be further investigated

A view down under: Self-management initiatives and patient education in Australia

The growing burden of chronic disease and the current nature of healthcare systems which are structurally ill-equipped to cater to the complex needs of patients with chronic conditions has led to governments and healthcare providers seeking alternative ways to improve patients own capacity to actively self-manage their chronic condition. In Australia, there has been a focus on patient education and self-management programs within the healthcare system to achieve this. These programs aim to empower patients through providing information and teaching skills and techniques to improve self-care and doctor-patient interaction with the ultimate goal of improving quality of life. Patient education and self-management programs have been supported through several national government initiatives and implemented within the healthcare setting. This paper describes the current position of patient education and self-management within the Australian healthcare system. It further describes a new collaboration project between an Australian and a German research team which aims at translating an assessment questionnaire used in Australia for the evaluation of self-management programs, the 'Health Education Impact Questionnaire' ('heiQ'); this instrument is expected to be of significant use in the German rehabilitative system

Measurement of stable changes of self-management skills after rehabilitation: a latent state-trait analysis of the Health Education Impact Questionnaire (heiQ™)

To assess stable effects of self-management programs, measurement instruments should primarily capture the attributes of interest, for example, the self-management skills of the measured persons. However, measurements of psychological constructs are always influenced by both aspects of the situation (states) and aspects of the person (traits). This study tests whether the Health Education Impact Questionnaire (heiQ™), an instrument assessing a wide range of proximal outcomes of self-management programs, is primarily influenced by person factors instead of situational factors. Furthermore, measurement invariance over time, changes in traits and predictors of change for each heiQ™ scale were examined

The correlation between vocational school students’ test motivation and the performance in a standardized test of economic knowledge: using direct and indirect indicators of test motivation

Abstract Background In this study, the correlation between test motivation and performance on an economic knowledge test was investigated. To this end, the economic knowledge of 1018 students in vocational schools in Germany was assessed using a standardized test, and their self-reported test motivation and interest in receiving feedback on their performance on the test functioned as indicators of test motivation. The expectancy-value model served as the theoretical basis, while this paper followed Knekta and Eklöf (J Psychoeduc Assess 33(7):662–673, 2015) and focused on invested effort in particular. Further, the number of missing values on the test was examined as a potential external criterion for test motivation. The correlation between gender and test motivation being a subject of frequent discussion in the literature, gender was incorporated as a control variable into the modeling. Methods and results Three structural equation models of the results show that self-reported test motivation (direct indicator) and the number of missing values on the test (external criterion) correlated significantly with the economic knowledge test score achieved. Interest in receiving feedback (indirect indicator) had no significant correlation with the economic knowledge test score. However, there is a positive correlation between interest in receiving feedback and self-reported test motivation. The analyses taking into account gender show that there is no correlation between gender and interest in receiving feedback or gender and self-reported test motivation. There are, however, correlations between gender and the economic knowledge test score as well as between gender and the number of missing values. Conclusions The findings underline the importance of a differentiated view on the assessment of correlations between test motivation and test performance. Thereby, dividing indicators of test motivation into direct (self-reported test motivation) and indirect (interest in receiving feedback) indicators, as well as taking into account the external criterion (number of missing values), in particular, were seen as the value added by this study