Ease of Caregiving for Children: Re-Validation of Psychometric Properties of the Measure for Children with Cerebral Palsy up to 11 Years of Age.

PURPOSE: To re-validate stability and hierarchal ordering of items, test-retest reliability, and construct validity of the Ease of Caregiving for Children measure for parents of children with cerebral palsy (CP) up to 11 years of age. METHODS: Participants were 613 parents of children with CP between 1.5 and 11 years of age. Parents completed Ease of Caregiving for Children and both parents and therapists classified children\u27s levels of gross motor, manual and communication functions. RESULTS: Rasch analysis indicated acceptable fit of items, stable item calibration, and logical ordering of items by difficulty. Test-retest reliability was good: ICC = 0.69 (95% CI 0.52-0.81). For construct validity, ease of caregiving was higher for parents of children with higher functioning compared to parents of children with lower functioning, p \u3c .001. CONCLUSIONS: Ease of Caregiving for Children is a unidimensional, reliable and valid measure of physical caregiving for parents of children with CP 1.5-11 years

Understanding participation of children with cerebral palsy in family and recreational activities.

AIMS: The primary aim of this study was to determine the effect of age, sex, gross motor, manual ability, and communication functions on the frequency and enjoyment of children\u27s participation in family and recreational activities. The secondary aim was to determine the relationships between motor and communication functions and participation. METHODS: Participants were 694 children, 1.5-12 years old, with cerebral palsy (CP) and their parents across the US and Canada. Parents rated children\u27s frequency and enjoyment of participation using the Child Engagement in Daily Life measure. Parents and therapists identified children\u27s level of function using Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), Manual Ability Classification System (MACS), and Communication Function Classification System (CFCS). RESULTS: Differences in frequency and enjoyment of participation were found based on children\u27s GMFCS, MACS, and CFCS levels but not age or sex. Children with higher gross motor, manual, and communication functions had higher frequency and enjoyment of participation, compared to children with lower functions. Frequency of participation was associated with GMFCS and CFCS levels whereas enjoyment of participation was only associated with CFCS level. IMPLICATIONS: Knowledge of child\u27s gross motor, manual ability, and communication functions of children with CP is important when setting goals and planning interventions for participation

7. Long term results of quadrangular autologous pericardial patch reconstruction of the pulmonary artery during arterial switch operation on post-

The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the technique of Quadrangular Fresh Autologous Pericardial Patch for the reconstruction of the pulmonary artery in Arterial Switch Operation (ASO) to prevent the post-operative pulmonary artery stenosis (PAS). A total of 287 consecutive infants with transposition of great arteries were treated with ASO in our center between January 2000 and September 2014. The mean age was (7.76days) and mean weight was (3.67kg). The new pulmonary arterial root was reconstructed with a fresh quadrangular autologous patch. The technique includes extensive mobilization of both pulmonary artery branches and direct suturing of the parch to 2/3 of the annulus of the new pulmonary artery trunk first, and then reconstruction finish by the re-suspension of the posterior commissure of the new pulmonary valve inside the patch. Patients were examined using trans-thoracic echocardiography consecutively at discharge form the hospital, and at 3–6 months and yearly after discharge. The mean follow up time was 78 months. The early mortality was 5.19% (17 patients), and there were no late mortality. The highest mortality was reported during the beginning of the pediatric surgical program. The mortality for the last 100 patients was 1%. The pressure gradient across the pulmonary valve in 249 patients (87%, was less than 20mmHg. Mild pulmonary stenosis (pressure gradient of 20–40mmHg) was present in 32 patients (11.14%) and moderate pulmonary stenosis with gradient 40–60mmHg was manifested in 4 patients (1.39%). Reconstruction of the new Pulmonary artery during the ASO, using the quadrangular autologous fresh pericardial patch, is effective and reproducible in reducing the incidence of post-operative pulmonary stenosis

Spinal Surgery Patients’ Preoperative Education Effects

Preoperative patient education (PE) has been used by many institutions to deal with patient anxiety, pain control, and overall satisfaction. Although the literature suggests PE’s effectiveness in joint reconstruction, data are missing in spinal surgery. This research  retrospectively analyzed patients having elective spinal surgery who underwent PE (spine pre-care class) from January 2016 to June 2016. Of the 160 patients surveyed, (36.5%) attended the class whereas (63.5%) did not. Results of the participants in the pre-care class, 86% were satisfied with their pain management versus 73% in the control group. There was also a trend for better overall satisfaction in the pre-care class group (88.1% vs 85, multiple regression analysis). Elderly women tend to be less satisfied with pain management and overall treatment. The study concluded that the implementation of PE has had a positive impact on patient satisfaction, especially in terms of pain management.

Longitudinal Changes in Physical Caregiving for Parents of Children with Cerebral Palsy.

Aims: To determine changes in physical caregiving for parents of children with cerebral palsy (CP) over a two-year period based on children’s gross motor function level and age. Methods: 153 parents of children with CP rated their physical caregiving using the Ease of Caregiving for Children three times over two years. Parents and assessors classified children’s gross motor function using the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS). Physical caregiving was compared at three test times among parents of children grouped by GMFCS level (I, II–III, and IV–V) and age (1.7–5.9 and 6–11 years) using a three-way mixed ANOVA. Results: Among all analyses, a two-way interaction was found between children’s GMFCS level and test time on ease of caregiving, p \u3c 0.01. Change over two-year period was found for parents of children in level I and II–III, p \u3c 0.01, but not parents of children in levels IV–V. At each test time, parents of children in level I reported the greatest ease of caregiving followed by parents of children in levels II–III, and levels IV–V, who reported the lowest ease of caregiving, p \u3c 0.001. Conclusions: Findings support evaluation and monitoring of physical caregiving for parents of children with CP over time

Patient perception and attitudes toward magnetic resonance imaging safety

BackgroundMagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners use strong, static and fast magnetic fields to form images. Due to rapid developments in MRI technology, several accidents have been recorded in hospitals worldwide as a result of insufficient knowledge about the dangers of MRI on the part of the patient or a failure to follow safety guidelines. This study evaluates patients’ perception and attitudes about MRI safety.AimsThis is a cross sectional study to evaluate the perception and attitudes of patients regarding MRI safety procedures.MethodsA 21 items questionnaire was collected from 119 patients in the MRI waiting area before the commencement of examination. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software (version 22.0, IBM Corp, Armonk, New York). The odds (OR) and 95 per cent confidence interval (CI) were used for analysis, the level of significance was set at p=0.05 using Chi-Square test to evaluate the relationship among the variables in the questionnaire.ResultsThe responses were collected from the patients and their relatives (46 male (38.6 per cent) and 73 female (61.4 per cent)). Approximately 71 per cent of the participants have already read or heard about MRI and the related safety aspects. 76 per cent of overall participants stated that they are aware of the need for preparation before an MRI exam with more awareness of MRI safety issues among younger patients (88 per cent). In this instance, females showed a higher level of knowledge (26 per cent) compared to males (11 per cent) with p=0.035.ConclusionPatients reported insufficient information about MRI safety which may increase the potential for accidents