RESUMEN

IMPORTANCE: There is an evidence-based need to assess the validity and reliability/precision of the revised American Occupational Therapy Association's Fieldwork Performance Evaluation (FWPE) items for the occupational therapy student (OTS) and the occupational therapy assistant student (OTAS). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate evidence of validity in relation to response processes, internal structure, and precision of the FWPEs. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study design. SETTING: OTS and OTAS fieldwork practice settings, United States. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred sixty-seven fieldwork educators participated in total, providing 228 OTS evaluations and 39 OTAS evaluations. OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: A Rasch model was used to evaluate aspects of validity and precision. RESULTS: The rating scales provided evidence of the tools' overall validity. Thirty-two of 37 items on the FWPE for the OTS, and 27 of 31 items on the FWPE for the OTAS demonstrated acceptable fit, but the evidence of unidimensionality in the subscales and in the total scales was not fully supported. The total/reduced FWPE scales were able to separate students into at least four distinct groups of fieldwork performance. The relationships between the current and revised FWPEs indicate that the new scales measure different but related constructs of student fieldwork performance, compared with the current version. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The findings support that the revised FWPEs for the OTS and OTAS demonstrate preliminary evidence of internal structure, response processes, and precision, supporting evidence-based practice in fieldwork evaluations. What This Article Adds: This article highlights evidence demonstrating the validity and precision of the revised American Occupational Therapy Association's Fieldwork Performance Evaluation items and supports academic and fieldwork settings for occupational therapy students and occupational therapy assistant students.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: Frozen shoulder is a common, poorly understood condition affecting the shoulder joint, with poor long-term outcomes in some in relation to pain and mobility. Understanding the pathophysiology of frozen shoulder at a cellular level and a molecular level may help in the development of novel treatments. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of studies examining the cellular, molecular, and metabolic findings in frozen shoulder. METHODS: A literature search was conducted using Embase, CINAHL (Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature), and PubMed using relevant terms. Studies were included if they assessed cellular, molecular, or metabolic alterations in tissue or blood samples of patients with frozen shoulder. RESULTS: Of 4,794 studies identified, 25 were included for analysis. Histological findings included nonspecific chronic inflammation and the proliferation of fibroblasts, adipocytes, and blood vessels. Molecular studies showed increased pro-inflammatory mediators, reduced matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), and increased activity of factors promoting fibroblast activation and nerve growth. Metabolic alterations included an increase in blood lipids. CONCLUSIONS: Frozen shoulder is thought to occur after a primary insult to the shoulder triggers a complex cascade and upregulation of growth factors and cytokines with an increased turnover of the extracellular matrix, activation of myofibroblasts with deposition of collagen, and reduced matrix degradation. The presence of a background pro-inflammatory state (e.g., patients with diabetes or hyperlipidemia) may exacerbate these abnormalities. Further work assessing patients in early stages of the disease and comparing the inflammatory or fibrogenic characteristics of the shoulder capsule with those of the other joints may help to determine the initiating factors and to explain the predisposition of the shoulder to stiffness. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Our findings may form the basis for identifying new targets for the clinical management of frozen shoulder.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

IMPORTANCE: Occupational therapy education and practice has changed over time; however, items on the American Occupational Therapy Association's (AOTA's) Fieldwork Performance Evaluations (FWPEs) for the Occupational Therapy Student (OTS) and Occupational Therapy Assistant Student (OTAS) have not been updated in more than two decades. OBJECTIVE: To explore evidence of validity in relation to test content of the revised FWPEs for the OTS and OTAS. DESIGN: A qualitative study using cognitive interviews was conducted to gather perspectives on the revised FWPEs, including updated items and a proposed rating scale. A content analysis approach was used to link patterns in responses to stable, meaningful constructs to further align and refine content of the tool before further validation. SETTING: Fieldwork sites and academic settings. PARTICIPANTS: Eighteen fieldwork educators (FWEs) and academic fieldwork coordinators. RESULTS: Seven areas for refinement were identified: (1) relevance to a variety of practice settings, (2) overlapping and redundant items, (3) long item statements, (4) double- and triple-barreled item statements, (5) alignment between OTS and OTAS items, (6) further alignment with AOTA and Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education documents and contemporary practice, and (7) wording and features of the proposed rating scale. The findings guided revisions of FWPE content. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Cognitive interviewing was a critical step in refining the FWPE items to support content validity. The issues identified may not have been detected using traditional approaches to survey development and therefore were critical in maximizing the validity and usefulness of the final items, which will ultimately benefit fieldwork educators and students. WHAT THIS ARTICLE ADDS: This study resulted in refinements to FWPE items before the next step in the validation process, ultimately improving the final FWPE items. In addition, this article outlines a process that other researchers can use to validate similar tools.

Asunto(s)

Asunto(s)

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

PURPOSE: Safety-net clinics' use and assessment of patient-assistance programs (PAPs) were studied. METHODS: A multistate telephone survey was conducted on the basis of issues identified during 10 case-study interviews of safety-net clinics serving primarily uninsured and publicly insured patients. Interviewed were pharmacists and other staff taking primary responsibility for helping patients apply to PAPs. RESULTS: Of 339 survey candidates, 215 provided complete interviews (63% response rate). Ninety-three percent of the completed interviews were with clinics in California, Texas, and Florida. Forty percent of the clinics reported that at least 75% of their patients lacked drug insurance coverage. There was a significant positive relationship between a clinic's likelihood of using PAPs and the percentage of its patients lacking drug coverage. PAPs consumed 12 hours of pharmacist time per month and 99 hours of other staff time per month. Clinics most frequently cited program requirements changing without notice and unrealistic income-documentation rules as potential barriers to PAP use and indicated that consistent eligibility criteria and standardized application procedures were needed. CONCLUSION: A survey of safety-net clinics indicated that PAPs help fill a major gap in health insurance coverage but that consistent eligibility criteria and application procedures are needed.

Asunto(s)

Asunto(s)