Interviewing elderly in nursing homes: Respondent and survey characteristics as predictors of item nonresponse

Survey methodology is applied regularly in medical, nursing or social science studies examining elderly populations. Research in nursing home residents, where age-related or pathological declines in cognitive function are highly prevalent, faces several methodological challenges. The quality of survey data may be subject to population-specific measurement errors. In this article, data of two studies about pain in nursing homes are used to examine which respondent-, survey- and item characteristics predict item nonresponse. Chances for non-substantial answers are higher for older residents, for females and for those with more cognitive impairment. If residents are in pain, valid answers are more likely. Chances for item nonresponse are less if interviewed by interviewers who are familiar to the respondents. Nonresponse increases with question length and order, and in case questions were preceded by a filter. Less nonresponse is observed for dichotomous answer formats and in case more words per answer were used. These effects are considerably influenced by the respondents’ cognitive state and capacity. Results let us assume that respondent, interviewer and item characteristics affect the data quality in nursing home populations significantly

A case report of COVID-19 monitoring in the Austrian professional football league

Since the beginning of the COVID -19 pandemic, many contact sport teams are facing major challenges to safely continue training and competition. We present the design and implementation of a structured monitoring concept for the Austrian national football league. 146 professional players from five clubs of the professional Austrian football league were monitored for a period of 12 weeks. Subjective health parameters, PCR- test results and data obtained from a geo-tracking app were collected. Simulations modelling the consequences of a COVID-19 case with increasing reproduction number were computed. No COVID -19 infection occurred during the observation period in the players. Infections in the nearer surroundings lead to increased perceived risk of infection. Geo tracking was particularly hindered due to technical problems and reluctance of users. Simulation models suggested a hypothetical shut-down of all training and competition activities. A structured monitoring concept can help to continue contact sports safely in times of a pandemic. Cooperation of all involved is essential. Trial registration: ID: DRKS00022166 15/6/2020 https://www.who.int/ictrp/search/en/

BMC Geriatrics / Effects of age and cognitive function on data quality of standardized surveys in nursing home populations

Background Data quality is of special concern when it comes to survey research in nursing homes. Very little is known about specifics of cognitively impaired elderly in responding to survey questions. This study examines effects of cognitive impairment, age, gender, and interview duration on the data quality in a sample of 659 nursing home residents (NHR). Methods Within a cross-sectional design, survey methodology was used to evaluate the pain situation in 13 nursing homes. Residents were stratified into NHR with no/mild (Mini-Mental State Examination MMSE: 1830) and NHR with moderate (MMSE: 1017) cognitive impairment. Data quality is measured by item nonresponse (INR). Correlation analyses, ANCOVA, linear and logistic regression models are applied. Results Neither interview duration nor gender have effects on item nonresponse. Age accounts for higher INR (=0.12, p5% for residents with moderate cognitive impairment is 3.8-times (p<0.001) of that for those with no/mild impairment. Conclusions Surveys are adequate for residents with no/mild cognitive impairment but data quality is threatened in residents with moderate impairments. Precision and validity of responses from NHR with progressed cognitive impairment are potentially limited and results may be biased. The results clearly do support the need for a multidisciplinary ‘general theory of the question/answer-process which has to be also inclusive for cognitively impaired elderly persons.(VLID)440095

A Prospective Multicentre Study to Improve Postoperative Pain: Identification of Potentialities and Problems.

Many studies still indicate insufficient pain management after surgery, e.g., in patients after small- or medium-size operations. Yet it is still uncertain if postoperative pain based on patient-related outcomes can be improved by implementing guideline-related programmes in a multicentre approach. Adult patients in six hospitals in one German city were included in this prospective study. Data collection took place twice in each hospital, once before and once after implementation of concepts and in-house training. Pain and pain-related aspects were assessed one day after surgery and compared between the pre- and post-test group including subgroup analysis of certain surgical procedures by using Student's t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests and chi-square tests (alphatwo-tailed = 0.05). Overall, pain at rest and during movement was slightly lower after the intervention. Significant changes were observed after thoracic surgery, small joint surgery and other minor surgical procedures. The rather moderate decrease in pain likely relates to a reasonable pre-existing pain management and to detached improvements in certain patient subgroups. Interestingly, specific analyses revealed significantly lower post-test pain as compared to pre-test pain only in patients without pre-existing chronic pain. Side effects related to pain medication were significantly lower after intervention. Our data show, for the first time, benefits of a perioperative teaching programme in a multicentre approach. Pain ratings improved mainly in specific subgroups of patients, e.g., small surgical procedures and patients without preoperative pain. Thus, general improvement is possible but special attention should be paid to the group of patients with preoperative pain

Postoperative pain ratings for those procedures with significant effects due to the intervention after a. joint surgery (s), b. thorax surgery (s, m, l) and c. tumour (skin) surgery (s).

<p>Pain intensity distribution is displayed using boxplots and statistically tested with Mann-Whitney-U-test; proportion above NRS-cutoffs is displayed using barcharts and statistically tested with chi-square test; ** p<0.01, * p<0.05, ^T p<0.10.</p

Selected surgery subgroups for pre-post-comparison of pain intensity.

<p>Selected surgery subgroups for pre-post-comparison of pain intensity.</p

Flow chart of survey response rates for pre- and post-test.

<p>Flow chart of survey response rates for pre- and post-test.</p

Severity of symptoms associated with pain and pain treatment for surgical subgroups with differences in pain ratings after intervention.

<p>Severity of symptoms associated with pain and pain treatment for surgical subgroups with differences in pain ratings after intervention.</p

Postoperative pain ratings (NRS) at rest and during movement in the pre-intervention and post-intervention group–total sample and selected surgical groups.

<p>Postoperative pain ratings (NRS) at rest and during movement in the pre-intervention and post-intervention group–total sample and selected surgical groups.</p

Training contents during intervention phase.

<p>Training contents during intervention phase.</p