Linda Klein

Outcomes of motor vehicle crashes with fracture: a pilot study of early rehabilitation interventions.

AIM To determine the effects of early rehabilitation interventions on the physical, psychological and vocational outcomes of patients presenting to the Emergency Department with fracture resulting from a motor vehicle crash. METHOD Prospective non-randomized cohort controlled trial. Seventy-six subjects were enrolled and formed 2 groups. The control group received usual care, and the intervention group received a consultation with a rehabilitation physician and was offered pain management, physiotherapy, psychological treatment and further specialist referrals if indicated. The battery of outcome measures covering pain, psychological assessment, return to work and return to driving was performed at the same time intervals for both cohorts. RESULTS Significant (p < 0.05) improvement was seen in pain levels at 12 weeks in the intervention group compared to control group. The intervention group showed a significantly better rate of return to normal work compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS Early proactive rehabilitation can benefit patients with fractures resulting from motor vehicle crashes. This pilot study suggests the need for further investigation of the recovery from fractures among such patients.

Improving mobility and reducing disability in older people through early high-dose vitamin d replacement following hip fracture: a protocol for a randomized controlled trial and economic evaluation.

Hypovitaminosis D is particularly common among older people with a proximal femoral (hip) fracture and has been linked with poorer lower extremity functioning, falls, and fractures. There is evidence that disability severity and fall rates may be reduced by adequate vitamin D replacement. However, the ideal regimen for vitamin D administration to have these benefits in older people who have been in the hospital has not been established. This randomized controlled trial will investigate the effects of an oral vitamin D loading dose with maintenance oral vitamin D and calcium on lower extremity function (gait velocity), correction of hypovitaminosis D, falls, and fractures among older people after hip fracture surgery. The cost-effectiveness of the REVITAHIP program from the health and community service provider’s perspective will also be established, as will predictors of adherence with the treatment. A total of 450 older people who have recently had a hip fracture requiring surgical intervention will be screened to achieve 250 participants for the study. Participants will have no medical contraindications to vitamin D replacement. The primary outcome measure will be mobility-related disability as measured with the 2.4-m gait velocity test. Secondary measures will be 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) levels at 2, 4, and 26 weeks, number of falls and fractures, and additional measures of mobility, disability, quality of life, health system and community–service contact, adherence to the intervention, and adverse events. After surgical fixation and being deemed medically stable, participants will be randomly allocated to an intervention or placebo-control group. Participants of the intervention group will receive initial oral 250 000 IU (5 × 50 000 IU) vitamin D3 tablets. Both groups will receive oral maintenance vitamin D3 and calcium and will follow the usual hip fracture rehabilitation pathway. The study will determine the impact of a vitamin D loading dose on mobility-related disability in older people following hip fracture and will discuss the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a loading dose vitamin D replacement more generally. The results will have direct implications for future use of vitamin D therapy for this high-risk group.

‘To teach or not to teach?’ Factors that motivate and constrain Australian emergency medicine physicians to teach medical students

Clinical teaching in the ED is crucial to the education of medical students. We attempted to identify and describe Australian emergency physicians who are currently clinical teachers and to elicit the factors that motivate and constrain them to teach.

Early rehabilitation after hospital admission for road trauma using an in-reach multidisciplinary team: a randomised controlled trial

Objective: To investigate the impact of an in-reach rehabilitation team for patients admitted after road trauma. Design: Randomised control trial of usual care versus early involvement of in-reach rehabilitation team. Telephone follow-up was conducted by a blind assessor at three months for those with minor/moderate injuries and six months for serious/severe injuries. Setting: Four participating trauma services in New South Wales, Australia. Subjects: A total of 214 patients admitted during 2012-2015 with a length of stay of at least five days. Intervention: Provision of rehabilitation services in parallel with ward based therapy using an in-reach team for the intervention group. The control group could still access the ward based therapy (usual care). Main measures: The primary outcome was acute length of stay. Secondary outcomes included percentage requiring inpatient rehabilitation, function (Functional Independence Measure and Timed Up and Go Test), psychological status (Depression Anxiety and Stress Score 21), pain (Orebro Musculoskeletal Pain Questionnaire) and quality of life (Short Form-12 v2). Results: Median length of stay in acute care was 13 days (IQR 8-21). The intervention group, compared to the control group, received more physiotherapy and occupational therapy sessions (median number of sessions 16.0 versus 11.5, P=0.003). However, acute length of stay did not differ between the intervention and control groups (median 15 vs 12 days, P=0.37). There were no significant differences observed in the secondary outcomes at hospital discharge and follow-up. Conclusion: No additional benefit was found from the routine use of acute rehabilitation teams for trauma patients over and above usual care.

The ROARI project – Road Accident Acute Rehabilitation Initiative: a randomised clinical trial of two targeted early interventions for road-related trauma

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of an Early Rehabilitation Intervention (ERI ) versus a Brief Education Intervention (BEI) following road trauma. Primary objective: return to work or usual activities at 12 weeks (for minor/moderate injury) and 24 weeks for major injury. Secondary objectives: Reduction in pain, anxiety, depression, disability and incidence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and improved quality of life. Design: A multi-site single-blinded stratified randomized clinical trial (RCT). Methods: 184 patients (92 in each arm) were recruited over 18 months and followed for 12 weeks (minor/moderate injury) and 24 weeks (major injury). Screening questionnaires at 2-4 weeks and follow-up interviews by phone for all outcome measures were undertaken. For those in the ERI group with a positive screen for high risk of persistent symptoms, an early assessment and intervention by a Rehabilitation Physician was offered. Those in the BEI group were sent written information and advised to see their GP. Results: 89.4% of injuries were mild in this cohort. At 12 weeks 73.8% and 69.1% of patients in the ERI and the BEI groups respectively had returned to work or usual activities. There were no significant differences between the two intervention groups with respect to the primary or any secondary outcome measures. Conclusion: This is the first RCT of an ERI following road trauma in Australia. A targeted ERI is as effective as a BEI in assisting those with mild/moderate trauma to return to work or usual activities.

Rehabilitation and education are underutilized for mild stroke and TIA sufferers

Abstract Purpose: Transient ischemic attack (TIA) and mild stroke represent a large proportion of cerebrovascular events, at high risk of being followed by recurrent, serious events. The importance of early education addressing risk management, secondary prevention and lifestyle modifications is the centerpiece of further stroke prevention. However, delivering education and rehabilitation to this population can be complex and challenging. Methods: Via synthesis of a narrative review and clinical experience, we explore the unique and inherent complexities of rehabilitation management and education provision for patients following mild stroke and TIA. Results: A considerable proportion of TIA/mild stroke survivors have ongoing rehabilitation needs that are poorly addressed. The need for rehabilitation in these patients is often overlooked, and available assessment tools lack the sensitivity to identify common subtle impairments in cognition, mood, language and fatigue. Active and accessible education interventions need to be initiated early after the event, and integrated with ongoing rehabilitation management. Priority areas in need of future development in this field are highlighted and discussed. Implications for rehabilitation Survivors of mild stroke and TIA have ongoing unmet rehabilitation needs and require a unique approach to rehabilitation and education. Rehabilitation needs are difficult to assess and poorly addressed in this cohort, where available assessment tools lack the sensitivity required to identify subtle impairments. Education needs to be initiated early after the event and involve active engagement of the patient in order to improve stroke knowledge, mood and motivate adherence to lifestyle modifications and secondary prevention. Rehabilitation physicians are currently an underutilized resource, who should be more involved in the management of all patients following TIA or mild stroke.

When should students learn about ethics, professionalism and patient safety?

Background  Medical education curricula are required to teach ethics, professionalism and patient safety, but there is no clear evidence as to when these topics should be introduced. The Personal and Professional Development (PPD) theme incorporates these topics, and is integrated throughout our postgraduate medical programme, but we were particularly interested in knowing when and how to introduce them to year‐1 students. We describe an intensive PPD programme in the context of broader issues associated with the appropriate timing of PPD curricula in a medical programme.

Contemporary Pain Management in Elderly Patients after Hip Fracture Surgery: Cross sectional analyses at Baseline of a Randomised Controlled Trial

Background:Adequate pain management following hip fracture surgery reduces length of stay, reduces incidence of delirium, promotes recovery, and improves mobility. Previous research suggests that hip fracture pain is undertreated in some patient subgroups, and that hypovitaminosis D can further aggravate pain which could hinder active rehabilitation. We provide a cross-sectional analysis of the baseline characteristics of participants in the REVITAHIP study with the aim of documenting pain intensity and its associations after hip fracture and to explore the characteristics of people who report higher levels of pain. Method:We analyzed the baseline characteristics with a focus on pain scores in patients admitted with a hip fracture (undergoing surgery) to 3 teaching hospitals over New South Wales, Australia, between January 2011 and April 2013. Patients were evaluated using the Verbal Rating Scale (VRS). Secondary measures including 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels at baseline, hip fracture subtype, type of surgical intervention, quality of life score, and cognitive and mobility status were correlated with the VRS using the Pearson correlation, ANOVA, and regression analysis. Results:The 218 participants had a mean age of 83.9±7.2 years and 77.1% were women of whom 16.0% had a Mini Mental State Examination score of ⩽23 of 30. The mean and SD VRS pain score was 3.5±2.3. More than half (61.9%, n=113) had VRS≥3 and 18.1% (n=52) had VRS≥5. Using the EuroQOL pain subscore, 78.1% had moderate pain or discomfort and 7.9% had extreme pain or discomfort. Using a multivariate regression model, postoperative VRS was significantly higher in persons with a higher comorbidity count, those previously living independently alone, and surgical fixative modality with hemiarthroplasty. Conclusions:Overall, the levels of pain reported by this cohort are acceptable although approximately 10% to 15% had higher than reasonable levels of pain. This study provides an insight into pain assessment and management by identifying certain patient subtypes who are vulnerable to undertreatment of pain.