Self- vs proxy-reported mobility using the mobility assessment tool-short form in elderly preoperative patients

Background

Mobility is fundamental to maintenance of an independent lifestyle and can predict clinical outcomes after health events among older individuals. However, certain clinical situations do not accommodate physical or self-assessments. This investigation examines whether proxy-reported assessments of function using the Mobility Assessment Tool-short (MAT-sf) form is a reliable alternative.

Methods

Sixty-six older persons (≥ age 70) and their proxies were enrolled. Proxies rated patients’ mobility using the MAT-sf as did the patients.

Results

The mean age of patients was 78.4 yr. (±6.2); 44% were female and 86% were white. Spouses made up 55% of the proxies, while 39% were children/in-laws. The correlation coefficient between patient and proxy MAT-sf scores was 0.81 (p?<?0.01); a comparison of the slope of the regression line relating patient- and proxy-reported MAT-sf to a line of identity showed disagreement (p?<?0.01), with proxy reports underreporting patient responses by 8.3% in lower mobility patients. The intra-class correlation characterizing agreement between repeated proxy reports 0.81.

Conclusion

Proxy reports of mobility in older patients have good reliability. However, in patients with poor mobility, the proxies tend to report a lower mobility than the patients.

     

Mothers and fathers’ experiences of high conflict past two years post separation: A systematic review of the qualitative literature

Abstract

Within a child custody context, this article systematically reviewed the available qualitative research of post separation, high conflict, co-parenting relationships. Separated parents’ experiences of high conflict were reportedly embedded in pervasive mistrust and disdain, and underpinned by concerns over differing parenting styles, or the other parent’s ability to adequately care for the child. The factors that potentially maintained conflict were parental concerns regarding the child’s safety and well-being when in the care of the other parent. The factor that potentially escalated conflict was disdain directed at the other parent’s concerns. Recommendations for future research and implications for social policy for these families are discussed.     

Communication in Online Forums About the Experience and Management of Relational Uncertainty in Military Life

Relational uncertainty is an undeniable aspect of military life, but the literature lacks knowledge about the lived experiences of military couples. We examined how individuals communicate in online forums about relational uncertainty in military life using a grounded theory approach to analyze 1,794 pages of threads. Results demonstrated that posters detected deception and/or recognized change, which led to volatile emotions, and ultimately prompted them to seek help for managing relational uncertainty. Posters dealt with their questions by engaging in self-care, justifying the partner’s behavior, postponing action, and doing relationship work. In reply, responders provided emotional support by offering comfort and reframing change. They provided informational support by recommending that posters acknowledge deception, take care of themselves, consider the partner’s perspective, defer major changes, and work on the relationship. These findings advance theorizing about relational uncertainty and social support; they also suggest guidelines for helping military couples manage relational uncertainty.     

Factors associated with mobile health information seeking among Singaporean women

This study examined effects of age and social psychological factors on women’s willingness to be mobile health information seekers. A national survey of 1,878 Singaporean women was conducted to obtain information on women’s mobile phone usage, experiences of health information seeking, and appraisals of using mobile phones to seek health information. Results showed that young, middle-aged, and older women exhibited distinct mobile phone usage behaviors, health information-seeking patterns, and assessments of mobile health information seeking. Factors that accounted for their mobile information-seeking intention also varied. Data reported in this study provide insights into mobile health interventions in the future.     

The manufacturing–services dynamic in economic development

This article addresses the debate on services‐led growth in which services are variously portrayed as a substitute for or as a leading or lagging complement to manufacturing. Following a survey of related empirical studies, it applies growth decomposition methods to data for 18 countries in Asia and Latin America for 1980–2005, focusing on manufacturing and services that make intensive use of information and communication technology. By grouping the countries into four categories according to aggregate labour productivity and employment growth, the authors seek to identify common structural characteristics of better and worse performing countries. They also consider the viability of the services‐led growth path in India in particular.     

Australian Workers’ Narratives about Emergency Relief and Employment Service Clients: Complex Issues,Simple Solutions

This paper illuminates two under-investigated, and often intersecting, frontline services accessed by unemployed people. It reports on the narratives of 32 Australian service providers working in emergency relief or employment services during 2012, including perceptions of clients’ presenting issues and problems, and rationale for intervention. Workers tended to use reductionist and individualistic terms to describe complex client issues suggesting self-motivation and personal responsibility were key to gaining employment or alleviating poverty. Clients were often viewed as having the power to change their circumstances, while workers appeared unaware of their positional power and drew from dominant conservative discourse about welfarism and unemployment to fortify their compliance requirements. The findings are discussed in relation to service delivery and reform.     

Dynamique industrie‐services et développement économique

Le rôle des services dans la croissance fait débat chez les économistes, qui y voient tantôt un substitut, tantôt un complément de l'industrie. Après un rappel des études empiriques sur la question, les auteurs décomposent la croissance dans dix‐huit pays d'Asie et d'Amérique latine pour la période 1980–2005, en mettant l'accent sur les activités qui reposent sur les technologies de l'information et de la communication. Ils recherchent ensuite les caractéristiques structurelles communes aux pays les plus performants et les moins performants en matière d'emploi et de productivité du travail et s'interrogent sur la viabilité de la croissance axée sur les services, en Inde notamment.     

The impact of mosses on the growth of neighbouring vascular plants,substrate temperature and evapotranspiration on an extensive green roof

Currently the majority of vegetation used on shallow extensive green roofs are species of Sedum, which are able to survive in the harsh green roof environment. While mosses frequently colonize green roofs in Europe, intentional planting of mosses on green roofs is less common, especially in North America. Mosses may contribute to the ecosystem services provided by green roofs, and may act as facilitators of vascular plants. This study examined the effect of three different moss species on soil temperature, water loss rates and the growth of neighbouring vascular plant species. Overall, the presence of mosses in this experiment impacted the neighbour species differently, suggesting that mosses are best used in particular species combinations. One species of grass showed a net benefit of moss neighbours, suggesting that facilitation may be operating. Mosses reduced soil temperature relative to bare substrates; net evapotranspiration of green roof modules planted with mosses varied depending on the identity of moss and neighbour species.     

Stopped in our tracks: From ‘giving an account’ to an ethics of recognition in feminist praxis

When the Western Australian government announced in 2010 that Indigenous people would be compensated for unpaid wages, a Yindjibarndi woman named Bigali Hanlon submitted an application to access her government files so that she could lodge a claim. At the age of four, Bigali was taken from her home in Mulga Downs, Western Australia to live in a church‐run hostel for ‘fair‐skinned’ Indigenous children until she was sent into indentured domestic service as a teenager. Three large files document her history. These files, combined with in‐depth interviews, and a film about Bigali and other Indigenous Australian people, Walking Tracks Back Home, form the basis of this article. In reflecting on the issues raised by Bigali's story, we draw on feminist writing on the costs associated with being called to give an account of oneself, considering how listening might form the basis of an ethics of recognition in feminist praxis.