'I was in control of it from the start: A qualitative study of mens experiences of positive adjustment following a heart attack

A qualitative design was used to explore the experience of positive adjustment following a heart attack. Ten men attending a cardiac rehabilitation programme completed in-depth semi-structured interviews. An overarching theme: ‘I was in control of it from the start’ emerged with six subthemes, relating to intrapersonal and interpersonal factors and processes. The subthemes reflected the importance of identifying controllable versus non-controllable factors and employing adaptive coping strategies

A prospective service evaluation of acceptance and commitment therapy for patients with refractory epilepsy

Objective: The aims of this service evaluation were to explore the effectiveness of a psychotherapeutic treatment for patients with epilepsy based on the acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) approach and to assess whether this treatment is likely to be cost-effective. Method: We conducted an uncontrolled prospective study of consecutive patients with refractory epilepsy referred for outpatient psychological treatment to a single psychotherapist because of emotional difficulties related to their seizure disorder. Participants were referred by consultant neurologists, neuropsychologists, or epilepsy nurses, completed a set of validated self-report questionnaires (Short Form - 12 version 2, Generalized Anxiety Disorder - 7, Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy, Work and Social Adjustment Scale, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale), and reported their seizure frequency at referral, the end of therapy, and six months posttherapy. Patients received a maximum of 20 sessions of one-to-one psychological treatment supported by a workbook. Cost-effectiveness was estimated based on the calculation of quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gains associated with the intervention. Results: Sixty patients completed the prepsychotherapy and postpsychotherapy questionnaires, among whom 41 also provided six-month follow-up data. Patients received six to 20 sessions of psychotherapy (mean = 11.5, S.D. = 9.6). Psychotherapy was associated with significant medium to large positive effects on depression, anxiety, quality of life, self-esteem, and work and social adjustment ( ps < .001), which were sustained six months after therapy. The mean cost of the psychotherapy was £445.6, and, assuming that benefits were maintained for at least six months after the end of therapy, the cost per QALY was estimated to be £11,140 (€14,119, $18,016; the cost per QALY would be half this amount if the benefits lasted one year). Conclusion: The findings of this pilot study indicate that the described psychotherapeutic intervention may be a cost-effective treatment for patients with epilepsy. The results suggest that a randomized controlled trial of the psychotherapy program is justified

Level-set based extraction and tracking of meteorological objects in satellite images

The level set technique is a shape extraction procedure that works by expanding a starting point or curve and aggregating new points, according to geometric, mathematical, and statistic criteria. This technique has proved to be effective for the extraction of significant objects from various types of images including meteorological images. Using the same technique we developed a system to extract and track meteorological structures of interest, from satellite image sequences. Modifications at various levels have been made on the original algorithm in order to fit it to this particular application. The authors explain what are the distinguishing features of the developed algorithm and show some interesting result

An Italian experience in the ICF implementation in rehabilitation: preliminary theoretical and practical considerations

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) in its complete form cannot be adopted in clinical rehabilitative practice due to its complexity and size. Ongoing international research is aimed at validating and verifying the reliability of simplified instruments derived from the ICF (ICF Core Sets). An Italian multicentre study was recently conducted with these aims. The purpose of this article is to present some qualitative considerations on ICF Core Sets implementation