| 1. |
- Beer, Torfinn, 1992-
(författare)
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An epidemiological perspective on heart and lung weight in cardiac and intoxication deaths
- 2022
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The main purpose of a medico-legal autopsy is to determine the cause and manner of death. A forensic pathologist makes assessments of this using several sources of information, one of which is the discrepancy between measured organ weight and reference values. Of particular interest is the heart weight in heart disease and the weight of the lungs in fatal intoxications. In this thesis, a linear model of lung weight was created, but the model could at best explain only 13% of the variation in combined lung weight (Paper I). Unsurprisingly, this meant that the model was a poor definition of “normal” lung weight and could not be used to identify intoxication cases (Paper II). A ratio of lung weight to heart weight (LWHW ratio) also failed to differentiate intoxication cases from controls. The poor performance of these methods could plausibly have been due to fatal intoxications with only some substances being associated with increased lung weight, but an analysis showed that many common intoxicants were associated with heavier lungs than hanging deaths (Paper III). To establish heart weight references more applicable in a medico-legal autopsy population, a model of heart weight accounting for undiagnosed cardiac hypertrophy was created (Paper IV). The model showed that for a decedent of average the evidence that a was hypertrophic reached, substantial support at around 470 g.In conclusion, a definition of “heavy lungs” remains elusive. However, it seems to be a finding compatible with fatal intoxications with many substances and the low predictive value found may be due to study design. The heart weight model presented allows pathologists to assess the evidence of cardiac hypertrophy more easily than previously published models.
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| 2. |
- Styrke, Johan, 1980-
(författare)
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Traumatic brain injuries and whiplash injuries : epidemiology and long-term consequences
- 2012
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- BackgroundThe incidence of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) is about 500 cases per 100,000 inhabitants per year, a majority of which are mild TBI (MTBI). The incidence of whiplash injuries is about 300/100,000/year. There are several similarities between MTBI and whiplash injuries with regard to the causes of injury (traffic crashes and falls), the demographic profile of the injured (mostly young persons), and the type of symptoms exhibited by some of the injured (for example head/neck pain, fatigue, irritability, impaired cognitive functioning, and depression). Main aimTo investigate the epidemiology and long-term consequences in terms of symptoms, disability, and life satisfaction in cases of TBI and whiplash injuries in a well-defined population.Material and methodsData on frequencies and characteristics of TBI and whiplash injuries were extracted from the injury database at the emergency department (ED) of Umeå University Hospital (UUH). The results were presented as descriptive epidemiology.The 18-65 year-old persons who sustained an MTBI or whiplash injury in 2001, were provided a questionnaire three and five years after injury respectively, in which questions were asked about:Symptoms; Rivermead Post Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPQ) Disability; Rivermead Head Injury Follow Up Questionnaire (RHFUQ)Life satisfaction; LiSat-11A local reference population was used for comparison of the RPQ. A national cohort was used as reference for LiSat-11. Data on sick leave for the cases of whiplash injuries were analysed to calculate the cost to society for loss of productivity.ResultsIn 2001, the incidence of TBI was 354/100,000/year. The mean age was 23 and 55% were men. Ninety-seven percent of the injuries were classified as mild (Glasgow coma scale 13-15). The main causes were falls (55%) and traffic related injury events (30%). In 8% of the cases (17% of the elderly persons) an intracranial bleeding was detected by using CT.The 3-year follow-up of the MTBI patients showed that women had more symptoms and disability (~50%) than men (~30%). Both women and men had more symptoms and lower life satisfaction compared with the reference population.The incidence of traffic-related whiplash injuries in adults was 235/100,000/year and the annual incidences were relatively stable during 2000-2009. Combining the incidences with national insurance data showed that the proportion of insurance claims decreased during the period.When looking at whiplash trauma following all causes of injury in 2001, traffic crashes caused 61% of the injuries and falls caused 14%. Neck fractures occurred in 3% of the cases.Five years after whiplash injury, the injured persons had more symptoms and lower life satisfaction than the references. Sick leave ≥15 days was granted in 14% of the cases of whiplash injuries. The median number of sick days was 298 and the cost of loss of productivity during the follow-up was 5.6 million USD.The frequencies of symptoms were relatively alike when comparing subjects with whiplash injuries to subjects with MTBI.ConclusionTBI and whiplash injuries are common, especially among young people, and the injuries render long-term symptoms, disability, and impaired life satisfaction in up to 50% of the cases. Symptoms exhibited are alike between the two types of injuries. The cost to society for loss of productivity is high, and there is a need for enhanced preventive measures aiming at reducing traffic-related injuries, sports injuries, alcohol-related injuries, and falls. Physical, mental, and social factors are important and should be addressed when examining and treating patients with persisting symptoms following TBI and whiplash injuries.
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| 3. |
- Gerdle, Björn, et al.
(författare)
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Influences of Sex, Education, and Country of Birth on Clinical Presentations and Overall Outcomes of Interdisciplinary Pain Rehabilitation in Chronic Pain Patients : A Cohort Study from the Swedish Quality Registry for Pain Rehabilitation (SQRP)
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Medicine. - : MDPI. - 2077-0383. ; 9:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study investigates the effects of sex, education, and country of birth on clinical presentations and outcomes of interdisciplinary multimodal pain rehabilitation programs (IMMRPs). A multivariate improvement score (MIS) and two retrospective estimations of changes in pain and ability to handle life situations were used as the three overall outcomes of IMMRPs. The study population consisted of chronic pain patients within specialist care in the Swedish Quality Registry for Pain Rehabilitation (SQRP) between 2008 and 2016 at baseline (n = 39,916), and for the subset participating in IMMRPs (n = 14,666). A cluster analysis based on sex, education, and country of origin revealed significant differences in the following aspects: best baseline clinical situation was for European women with university educations and the worst baseline clinical situation was for all patients born outside Europe of both sexes and different educations (i.e., moderate-large effect sizes). In addition, European women with university educations also had the most favorable overall outcomes in response to IMMRPs (small effect sizes). These results raise important questions concerning fairness and equality and need to be considered when optimizing assessments and content and delivery of IMMRPs for patients with chronic pain.
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| 4. |
- Marklund, Ingela, 1970-
(författare)
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Lower-extremity constraint-induced movement therapy in individuals with stroke : improvements, experiences, and health-related quality of life
- 2023
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Stroke is the third-leading cause of disability worldwide, and there are rehabilitation needs not only in the first year but throughout the lifetime. The ability to walk is crucial in everyday life since it affects mobility, self-care, and social activities. National guidelines recommend treating impairments with repetitive task- and goal-oriented exercises. One form of highly intensive and task-specific treatment is constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT), a treatment method developed based on understanding brain plasticity with a behavioural explanatory model. There is insufficient evidence regarding CIMT for the lower extremities (LE-CIMT) since it has only been investigated in a few published studies involving only a small number of participants.Aim: The overall aims of this thesis were to explore the extent to which LE-CIMT (six hours per day for two weeks) can improve impaired body functions and limited activities, describe how the treatment is experienced, and investigate whether it affects the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in individuals with stroke.Methods: This thesis contains five papers that analysed data from two study populations using quantitative and qualitative research methods. A single-subject experimental study with five subjects and a longitudinal uncontrolled cohort study with 147 subjects with stroke treated with LECIMT and follow-up after three and six months were conducted. Subjects were assessed with Fugl–Meyer assessment, the Berg balance scale (BBS), single-leg stance, step test, timed up and go with and without dual-task, ten-metre (10MWT) and six-minute (6MWT) walk tests, one repetition maximum, and weight-bearing standing on two scales. Data were analysed with the two-standard deviation band method and linear mixed modelling, controlling for heterogeneity. Seven individual semistructured interviews were performed and analysed with qualitative content analysis to explore LE-CIMT experiences. Finally, a questionnaire including RAND-36 was sent out to former LE-CIMT participants, with 106 responses (response rate 65%). Data were compared with norm-baseddata and analysed with the summary independent-samples t-test. Univariable analysis was performed to investigate the linear relationships between RAND-36 health domain scores and the 6MWT result per 100meters, time since treatment, living alone, and need for home care. Independent t-tests were used for drop-out analyses.Results: Highly intensive LE-CIMT significantly improved motor function, strength, balance, dual-task ability, mobility, and walking ability in individuals in the sub-acute and chronic post-stroke phases. They maintained or improved their weight bearing on the more affected leg to provide a more symmetric distribution. The improvements remained at the three- and six-month follow-up. There was a significant interaction for time and age. Those who completed LE-CIMT within six months after their stroke onset had significantly greater improvements in 10MWT self-selected speed during the follow-up than those who completed LE-CIMT after at least seven months. Younger participants had higher BBS scores than older participants. The informants’ experiences generated the overall theme that LE-CIMT gave them knowledge about themselves and how their body works, facilitating the opportunity to live life more easily. There was still hope and opportunity for functional improvements to increase their independence and self-esteem. While LE-CIMT was intense and challenging, it was experienced as entirely necessary. The participants had significantly reduced HRQoL, overall and by sex in physical functioning, role-functioning physical, general health (not females), and social functioning compared to the general population. A significant relationship existed between their previous 6MWT result and the HRQoL physical functioning domain. Every 100-metre improvement in the 6MWT led to a 6.45 higher physical functioning score. No other significant associations were found. The dropout analysis showed no significant differences in characteristics between the participants and those who did not complete all three assessments or answer the questionnaire.Conclusion: LE-CIMT seems helpful in improving lower extremity body functioning and activities, even a long time after the stroke, leading to persistent improvements. The patients perceived LE-CIMT as entirely necessary. LE-CIMT may be a feasible treatment option and could be conducted in both day hospital rehabilitation and outpatient settings. Six minutewalk performance predicts physical functioning in HRQoL, emphasising the importance of mobility and gait training in rehabilitation after stroke.
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| 5. |
- Pietilä Holmner, Elisabeth, 1953-
(författare)
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Multimodal rehabilitation of patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain, focusing on primary care
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Chronic pain is a complex condition that has consequences both for individual people and for society. The individual often experiences impact on function, activity and participation. Society is affected by high healthcare and sick leave costs and a loss of workforce. Multimodal rehabilitation programmes (MMRP) have mainly been provided through specialist care but it is now also available through primary care. The overall aim of this thesis was to evaluate the effects of MMRP in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain and to explore patients’ and healthcare professionals’ experiences of MMRP.Study I: Aim: To evaluate the effects of an interdisciplinary team assessment and MMRP for patients with chronic pain in a specialist care setting. Design: Longitudinal cohort study. Method: Pain intensity, pain dimensions, anxiety and depression were measured at assessment and at the start and end of MMRP. A total of 93 women were evaluated. Result: Pain and pain-related measures were significantly improved both after the interdisciplinary assessment and after MMRP.Study II: Aim: To explore healthcare professionals’ experiences of MMRP in primary care. Design: Individual interviews, analysed with qualitative content analysis. Method: Fourteen healthcare professionals (11 women, 3 men) were interviewed about their work with MMRP. Result: Healthcare professionals considered that MMRP was useful but also challenging. It was difficult to select appropriate patients, and health care professionals felt they were torn between following healthcare legislation and the goals of MMRP. They had to deal with ethical dilemmas as well as decide what constitutes good results.Study III: Aim: To explore patients’ experiences of participating in MMRP in primary care. Design: Individual interviews, analysed with qualitative content analysis. Method: Twelve former patients (7 women and 5 men) were interviewed about their experiences of MMRP in primary care. Result: Patients in primary care experienced a complex, ongoing process of accepting chronic pain. Obtaining redress, learning about chronic pain, and experiencing fellowship with others with the same condition contributed to the acceptance process.Study IV: Aim: To evaluate the effects of MMRP in primary care at one-year follow-up for all patients together and for men and women separately and to identify predictive factors for being employable at follow-up. Design: Prospective longitudinal cohort study. Method: Pain, physical and emotional functioning, coping, health-related quality of life, work-related factors, sick leave extent and sickness compensation were evaluated prior to and one year after MMRP in 234 patients, 34 men and 200 women. Result: All patients improved significantly in most measures at one-year follow-up, and the effect was larger in women. Sick leave decreased while no significant difference was found for total sickness compensation. Patients’ self-reported rating of current work ability before MMRP was significantly associated with being employable at follow-up.General conclusions and implications: MMRP seems to be effective for patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain, both in specialist care and in primary care. MMRP was more effective for women than for men, and the reasons for this need to be investigated further. An interdisciplinary team assessment could also be beneficial for decreasing pain and pain-related measures. Patients in primary care experience a complex, ongoing process of accepting chronic pain. Healthcare professionals have to deal with conflicting emotions with regard to different commitments from healthcare legislation and the goals of MMRP.
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| 6. |
- Spinord, Linda, 1973-
(författare)
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Multimodal rehabilitation for patients with chronic pain in northern Sweden, focusing on gender and age
- 2021
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The overall aim of this thesis was to study outcomes and experiences of multimodal rehabilitation programmes (MMRP) for patients with chronic pain in northern Sweden, focusing on gender and age. This thesis is based on four studies that used both quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative studies (I-III) investigated patient-reported outcome measures (PROM) from the Swedish Quality Registry for Pain Rehabilitation (SQRP) collected during 2011-2016 at two specialist clinics in northern Sweden. Adults aged 18-65 years were included, n=436 (356 women and 83 men), divided into three age groups (18-30, 31-45 and 46-65 years of age). Data from the two programmes at three measurement occasions were used, at the start of MMRP, immediately after MMRP and at one-year follow-up. Descriptive and multivariate statistics were used in Studies I-III.The analyses were performed separately for women, men and three different age groups. In Study I, the analysis was performed in two steps: in the first step the two patient populations in the two MMRPs were analysed separately and in the next step, the patients in the two programmes were analysed together. In Studies (II-III), the patient in the programmes were analysed together. In Study IV, a qualitative design was used to explore how patients with chronic pain experienced staying at a residency during participation in MMRP. In Study IV, a grounded theory method with emergent design was used for data collection and analysis. Individual semi-structured interviews with 12 patients (8 women and 4 men) with experiences of MMRP were conducted.In Study I, patients improved regardless of the design of the MMRP in terms of pain intensity, emotional functioning, activity and physical functioning at the one-year follow-up. For both programmes, the women were found to improve in more variables than the men did.In Study II, all subgroups (men, women and age groups) improved in terms of pain intensity and emotional functioning immediately after MMRP. The results revealed that the men showed greater short-term improvements than the women did. The women improved in more variables at one-year follow-up than the men did. The youngest age group was found to have greater positive effects of MMRP in terms of pain intensity and emotional functioning, immediately after MMRP and at one-year follow-up, than the other two age groups.In Study III, a number of interacting factors influenced whether patients participating in MMRP ended up on full-time sick leave at one-year follow-up, or not. Sick leave at start was an important factor for all subgroups. For women at start, low physical functioning, low health-related quality of life, low work importance and low affective distress were related to full-time sick leave at one-year follow-up. The results showed that unemployed men who reported widespread pain were related to full-time sick leave at one-year follow-up. The 31-45 years age group, which reported high pain intensity, low emotional functioning and low activity and physical functioning, was related to full-time sick leave at one-year follow-up. Those in the 46-65 years age group with low education, low work importance, low belief in recovery and long duration of pain were found to be related to full-time sick leave at one-year follow-up.In Study IV, the analysis resulted in a core category “Finding my self-worth”, consisting of the four categories: “Space for myself”, “Mirroring myself”, “I am of value” and “Dealing with returning to everyday life”. The results showed that the patients who stayed at a residency during MMRP were more likely to be released from the obligations of chores in their everyday life at home. This created space and time for reflection and interaction with others. The patients’ participation in MMRP while staying at a residency contributed to experiences of awareness of their own value and the significance of taking care of themselves and changing their behaviour after returning home.In conclusion, the results showed that MMRP seems to be an effective method of treating patients with chronic pain, in terms of reduced pain, improved emotional functioning, activity and physical functioning and health. The results also revealed that men seemed to need more support after MMRP to sustain the effects of MMRP while woman were more likely to sustain the positive effects at one-year follow-up. Full-time sick leave for patients with chronic pain at one-year follow-up can be affected by a number of interacting factors and these factors differ for women, men and different age groups. The opportunity to be released from everyday obligations, enjoy time for reflection and interaction with others can contribute to personal awareness which facilitates the implementation of changes at home following MMRP.
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| 7. |
- Stenberg, Maud, 1957-
(författare)
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Severe traumatic brain injury : clinical course and prognostic factors
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) constitutes a major health problem and is a leading cause of long-term disability and death. Patients with severe traumatic brain injury, S-TBI, comprise a heterogeneous group with varying complexity and prognosis. The primary aim of this thesis was to increase knowledge about clinical course and outcome with regard to prognostic factors. Papers I, II and III were based on data from a prospective multicentre observational study from six neurotrauma centers (NCs) in Sweden and Iceland of patients (n=103-114), 18-65 years with S-TBI requiring neurosurgical intensive care or collaborative care with a neurosurgeon (the “PROBRAIN” study). Paper IV and V were performed on a regional subset (n=37).In Paper I, patients with posttraumatic disorders of consciousness (DOC) were assessed as regards relationship between conscious state at 3 weeks and outcomes at 1 year. The number of patients who emerged from minimally conscious state (EMCS) 1 year after injury according to status at 3 weeks were: coma (0/6), unresponsive wakeful syndrome (UWS) (9/17), minimally conscious state (MCS) (13/13), anaesthetized (9/11). Outcome at 1 year was good (Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended (GOSE>4) in half of the patients in MCS (or anaesthetized) at 3 weeks, but not for any of the patients in coma or UWS. In Paper II, the relationships between clinical care descriptors and outcome at 1 year were assessed. A longer length of stay in intensive care, and longer time between discharge from intensive care and admission to inpatient rehabilitation, were both associated with a worse outcome on the GOSE. The number of intervening care units between intensive care and rehabilitation, was not significantly associated with outcome at 1 year. In Paper III, the clinical course of cognitive and emotional impairments as reflected in the Barrow Neurological Institute Screen for Higher Cerebral Functions (BNIS) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were assessed from 3 weeks to 1 year together with associations with outcomes GOSE and Rancho Los Amigos Cognitive Scale-Revised (RLAS-R) at 1 year. Cognition improved over time and appeared to be stable from 3 months to 1 year. In Paper IV, clinical parameters, the clinical pathways from injury to 3 months after discharge from the NC in relation to outcomes 3 months post-injury. Ratings on the RLAS-R improved significantly over time. Eight patients had both “superior cognitive functioning” on the RLAS-R and “favourable outcome” on the GOSE. Acute transfers to the one regional NC was direct and swift, transfers for postacute rehabilitation scattered patients to many hospitals/hospital departments, not seldom by several transitional stages. In Paper V, an initial computerized tomography of the brain (CTi) and a further posttraumatic brain CT after 24 hours (CT24) were evaluated according to protocols for standardized assessment, the Marshall and Rotterdam classifications. The CT scores only correlated with clinical outcome measures (GOSE and RLAS-R) at 3 months, but failed to yield prognostic information regarding outcome at 1 year. A prognostic model was also implemented, based on acute data (CRASH model). This model predicted unfavourable outcomes for 81% of patients with bad outcome and for 85% of patients with favourable outcome according to GOSE at 1 year. When assessing outcomes per se, both GOSE and RLAS-R improved significantly from 3 months to 1 year. The papers in this study point both to the generally favourable outcomes that result from active and aggressive management of S-TBI, while also underscore our current lack of reliable instruments for outcome prediction. In the absence of an ability to select patients based on prognostication, the overall favourable prognosis lends support for providing active rehabilitation to all patients with S-TBI. The results of these studies should be considered in conjunction with the prognosis of long-term outcomes and the planning of rehabilitation and care pathways. The results demonstrate the importance of a combination of active, acute neurotrauma care and intensive specialized neurorehabilitation with follow-up for these severely injured patients.
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| 8. |
- Söderlund Schaller, Anne, 1967-
(författare)
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Impact of Pain and Evaluation of Education and Self-Care in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- It is not unusual for patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) to suffer from both tumor and treatment-related pain that is difficult to alleviate despite individualized pharmacological treatment.The presence of concomitant various dimensions of pain in patients during the often difficult period following radiotherapy (RT) has not been elucidated. Several aspects concerning the importance of relatives for HNC patients have been addressed. However, little attention has been given to how relatives perceive patients with HNC pain and it is important to further elucidate this sparsely studied topic. Knowledge about health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in this patient group during early RT is limited and needs to be assessed in relation to diagnosis and treatment. Self-care (SC) refers to what patients do on their own to achieve, maintain, and promote optimal health and may help reduce pain for several pain conditions. The impact of patient education and SC on pain and other common HNC symptoms need further clarification.The aims of this thesis were:to describe experiences and perceptions of pain in patients with HNC shortly after RTto describe how relatives perceived the patient’s situation, especially concerning pain, and how they experienced their own situationto identify factors that impact HR-QoL during early RTto develop effective pain management strategies, maintain activities of daily living, and promote HR-QoL in patients with HNC undergoing RT using patient education and SC instruction.In paper I patients with HNC described existential pain – expressed as fear of death, meaninglessness and guilt – already during and shortly after RT. Physical pain, psychological distress and social withdrawal played a significant role. Patients with HNC who were treated with RT should also proactively be offered treatment for the various dimensions of pain.In paper II relatives described their mental stress in response to a challenging situation that required their active support to help ease the patient's difficult condition. The interviews with relatives also revealed a lack of personal knowledge and frustration over the inability to participate in patient care, as well as inadequate support from the healthcare system. Early interventions from the healthcare system on behalf of the relatives may be necessary to meet these needs.In Paper III regression models revealed that pain intensity and symptoms of depression adversely affected HR-QoL in patients with HNC during early RT. Customized prehabilitation programs aimed at preventing pain and symptoms of depression could help preserve good HR-QoL.Paper IV assessed individual patient education and SC initiatives that resulted in a tendency for lower pain intensity during a portion of RT. One way to potentially enhance the benefits of education and SC could be to improve for example patient motivation and self-efficacy, as well as to optimize supportive efforts from caregivers.In conclusion, by identifying factors that can impact HR-QoL and evaluating the effect of patient education and SC, this thesis contributes to knowledge on perceived pain and the patient’s situation during and shortly after RT in patients with HNC and their relatives. This thesis points to the need for evaluation and further development of patient education and effective SC strategies for pain in patients with HNC undergoing RT, as well as for development and evaluation of support strategies for patients with pain and their families during and after RT.
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| 9. |
- Anderson Åhlfeldt, Douglas, et al.
(författare)
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Healthcare Professionals' Perceptions of and Attitudes towards a Standardized Content Description of Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Programs for Patients with Chronic Pain-A Qualitative Study
- 2023
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : Journal Issues Limited. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 20:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation (IPR) is a recommended treatment for people with chronic pain. An inadequate description of the content of IPR programs makes it difficult to draw conclusions regarding their effects. The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions and attitudes of healthcare professionals toward a content description of IPR programs for patients with chronic pain. Individual interviews with healthcare professionals (n = 11) working in IPR teams in Sweden were conducted between February and May 2019. Analysis of the interviews resulted in a theme: interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation is a complex intervention, with three categories: limitations in the description of IPR programs; lack of knowledge about IPR and chronic pain; and facilitating and hindering factors for using the content description of IPR programs. Conclusion: Healthcare professionals perceived that IPR programs could be described through a general content description. A general content description could enhance the quality of IPR programs through a better understanding of their content and a comparison of different IPR programs. Healthcare professionals also expressed the importance of a content description being a guide rather than a steering document.
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| 10. |
- Gerdle, Björn, et al.
(författare)
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The importance of emotional distress, cognitive behavioural factors and pain for life impact at baseline and for outcomes after rehabilitation - a SQRP study of more than 20,000 chronic pain patients
- 2019
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Pain. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 1877-8860 .- 1877-8879. ; 19:4, s. 693-711
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and aims Although literature concerning chronic pain patients indicates that cognitive behavioural variables, specifically acceptance and fear of movement/(re)injury, are related to life impact, the relative roles of these factors in relation to pain characteristics (e.g. intensity and spreading) and emotional distress are unclear. Moreover, how these variables affect rehabilitation outcomes in different subgroups is insufficiently understood. This study has two aims: (1) to investigate how pain, cognitive behavioural, and emotional distress variables intercorrelate and whether these variables can regress aspects of life impact and (2) to analyse whether these variables can be used to identify clinically meaningful subgroups at baseline and which subgroups benefit most from multimodal rehabilitation programs (MMRP) immediately after and at 12-month follow-up. Methods Pain aspects, background variables, psychological distress, cognitive behavioural variables, and two life impact variables were obtained from the Swedish Quality Registry for Pain Rehabilitation (SQRP) for chronic pain patients. These data were analysed mainly using advanced multivariate methods. Results The study includes 22,406 chronic pain patients. Many variables, including acceptance variables, showed important contributions to the variation in clinical presentations and in life impacts. Based on the statistically important variables considering the clinical presentation, three clusters/subgroups of patients were identified at baseline; from the worst clinical situation to the relatively good situation. These clusters showed significant differences in outcomes after participating in MMRP; the subgroup with the worst situation at baseline showed the most significant improvements. Conclusions Pain intensity/severity, emotional distress, acceptance, and life impacts were important for the clinical presentation and were used to identify three clusters with marked differences at baseline (i.e. before MMRP). Life impacts showed complex relationships with acceptance, pain intensity/severity, and emotional distress. The most significant improvements after MMRP were seen in the subgroup with the lowest level of functioning before treatment, indicating that patients with complex problems should be offered MMRP. Implications This study emphasizes the need to adopt a biopsychosocial perspective when assessing patients with chronic pain. Patients with chronic pain referred to specialist clinics are not homogenous in their clinical presentation. Instead we identified three distinct subgroups of patients. The outcomes of MMRP appears to be related to the clinical presentation. Thus, patients with the most severe clinical presentation show the most prominent improvements. However, even though this group of patients improve they still after MMRP show a complex situation and there is thus a need for optimizing the content of MMRP for these patients. The subgroup of patients with a relatively good situation with respect to pain, psychological distress, coping and life impact only showed minor improvements after MMRP. Hence, there is a need to develop other complex interventions for them.
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