Effectiveness of a structured short intervention against stigmatisation in chronic visible skin diseases: Results of a controlled trial in future educators

People with skin diseases suffer from stigmatisation. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate an intervention against stigmatisation of people affected for medical students. The new intervention was evaluated using a randomised controlled design. Effectiveness was assessed at three time points. Data from 127 participants were analysed. Regarding the outcome ‘social distance’, a significant difference between the measurement-points was observed for the intervention group (χ2(2) = 54.32, p < 0.001) which also showed a significant effect on the agreement to negative stereotypes (F(1.67, 118.67) = 23.83, p < 0.001, partial η² = 0.25). Regarding the outcome ‘agreement to disease-related misconceptions’, a significant difference between the measurement-points was observed for the intervention group (χ2(2) = 46.33, p < 0.001); similar results were found for the outcome ‘stigmatising behaviour’ (F(1.86, 131.89) = 6.16, p = 0.003, partial η² = 0.08). Results should encourage medical faculties to invest in such courses to prevent stigmatisation.

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A short intervention targeting psychosomatic care in older adults with complex health care needs–results of a randomized controlled trial

International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry ◽

10.1002/gps.5017 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 34 (2) ◽

pp. 272-279 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Beate Wild ◽

Wolfgang Herzog ◽

Dieter Schellberg ◽

Friederike Böhlen ◽

Hermann Brenner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Health Care ◽

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Health Care Needs ◽

Care Needs ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Psychosomatic Care ◽

Short Intervention

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Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis Using a Full-Body Blue Light Device (AD-Blue): Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.11911 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Christian Kromer ◽

Viktoria P Nühnen ◽

Wolfgang Pfützner ◽

Sebastian Pfeiffer ◽

Hans-Joachim Laubach ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Atopic Dermatitis ◽

Blue Light ◽

Skin Diseases ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Ethics Committee ◽

Inflammatory Skin Diseases ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

The University ◽

Full Body

BACKGROUND Irradiation with visible blue light (wavelength 400-495 nm) is a promising, effective, and safe new treatment option for chronic inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. OBJECTIVE We will perform a multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, 3-armed, prospective, randomized controlled trial to investigate the efficacy and safety of full-body blue light devices (wavelengths: 415 nm and 450 nm) compared with that of placebo irradiation for the treatment of atopic dermatitis. METHODS We are planning to enroll a total of 150 patients at the University hospitals in Göttingen (Germany), Marburg (Germany), and Geneva (Switzerland). RESULTS The trial was approved by the lead ethics committee of the medical faculty of the University of Göttingen (21/11/16). Further approvals were obtained from local and federal authorities (ethics committee Marburg, Cantonal Commission for Research Ethics Geneva, Suisse Medic, and Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte). CONCLUSIONS We will disseminate the results in a peer-reviewed journal. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03085303; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03085303 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/73ucqkkA1) INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPOR PRR1-10.2196/11911

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Comparison of clotrimazole 1% cream with 50% tea tree oil extract in a cream base for the treatment of tinea corporis/cruris: A randomized controlled trial

Nepal Journal of Dermatology Venereology & Leprology ◽

10.3126/njdvl.v13i1.14301 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 24-30

Author(s):

Achyut Pokharel ◽

C Yaptinchay ◽

A E Thaebtharm

Keyword(s):

Skin Diseases ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Tinea Corporis ◽

Membrane Properties ◽

Tea Tree Oil ◽

Mycological Cure ◽

Tea Tree ◽

Intention To Treat ◽

Associated Function

Background: Tinea cruris and corporis are common diseases and can be widespread. Estimated lifetime probability of contracting the disease is as high as 10-20%. Dermatophytic infections are one of the three most frequently observed skin diseases among poor communities in tropical countries. Tea tree oil exerts its antifungal activity by altering membrane properties and compromising membrane associated function resulting in clinical improvement and mycological cure of superficial dermatophytes. Objectives: The aim of this study is to determine the efficacy and safety of tea tree oil 50% in a cream base compared with clotrimazole 1% cream for the treatment of tinea corporis or cruris. Material and Methods: Sixty patients were enrolled in the study and randomized into tea tree oil and clotrimazole groups with 30 patients in each group. Both groups were instructed to apply cream two times a day after cleaning with soap for 4 weeks. The patients were asked to follow-up every 2 weeks for photography, microscopic and clinical assessment. Before enrollment, patient signed a written consent form. Results: Using intention to treat analysis, the assessment of mycological cure, clinical cure, global physician assessments and overall patient perception were done. There were no statistical difference of all the parameters between tea tree oil group and clotrimazole group. Conclusion: Tea tree oil 50% cream is safe and as effective as clotrimazole 1% cream for the treatment of tinea corporis or cruris.NJDVL Vol. 13, No. 1, 2015 Page: 24-30

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Treatment Fidelity Procedures for an Aphasia Intervention Within a Randomized Controlled Trial: Design, Feasibility, and Results

American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology ◽

10.1044/2019_ajslp-cac48-18-0227 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (1S) ◽

pp. 412-424

Author(s):

Elissa L. Conlon ◽

Emily J. Braun ◽

Edna M. Babbitt ◽

Leora R. Cherney

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Treatment Protocol ◽

Treatment Fidelity ◽

Protocol Adherence ◽

Study Condition ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Aphasia Therapy ◽

Percent Accuracy ◽

Over Time

Purpose This study reports on the treatment fidelity procedures implemented during a 5-year randomized controlled trial comparing intensive and distributed comprehensive aphasia therapy. Specifically, the results of 1 treatment, verb network strengthening treatment (VNeST), are examined. Method Eight participants were recruited for each of 7 consecutive cohorts for a total of 56 participants. Participants completed 60 hr of aphasia therapy, including 15 hr of VNeST. Two experienced speech-language pathologists delivered the treatment. To promote treatment fidelity, the study team developed a detailed manual of procedures and fidelity checklists, completed role plays to standardize treatment administration, and video-recorded all treatment sessions for review. To assess protocol adherence during treatment delivery, trained research assistants not involved in the treatment reviewed video recordings of a subset of randomly selected VNeST treatment sessions and completed the fidelity checklists. This process was completed for 32 participants representing 2 early cohorts and 2 later cohorts, which allowed for measurement of protocol adherence over time. Percent accuracy of protocol adherence was calculated across clinicians, cohorts, and study condition (intensive vs. distributed therapy). Results The fidelity procedures were sufficient to promote and verify a high level of adherence to the treatment protocol across clinicians, cohorts, and study condition. Conclusion Treatment fidelity strategies and monitoring are feasible when incorporated into the study design. Treatment fidelity monitoring should be completed at regular intervals during the course of a study to ensure that high levels of protocol adherence are maintained over time and across conditions.

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Phonomotor Versus Semantic Feature Analysis Treatment for Anomia in 58 Persons With Aphasia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2019_jslhr-l-18-0257 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 62 (12) ◽

pp. 4464-4482 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Diane L. Kendall ◽

Megan Oelke Moldestad ◽

Wesley Allen ◽

Janaki Torrence ◽

Stephen E. Nadeau

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Response Latency ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Semantic Knowledge ◽

Semantic Feature ◽

Feature Analysis ◽

Group Differences ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Confrontation Naming ◽

Semantic Feature Analysis

Purpose The ultimate goal of anomia treatment should be to achieve gains in exemplars trained in the therapy session, as well as generalization to untrained exemplars and contexts. The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of phonomotor treatment, a treatment focusing on enhancement of phonological sequence knowledge, against semantic feature analysis (SFA), a lexical-semantic therapy that focuses on enhancement of semantic knowledge and is well known and commonly used to treat anomia in aphasia. Method In a between-groups randomized controlled trial, 58 persons with aphasia characterized by anomia and phonological dysfunction were randomized to receive 56–60 hr of intensively delivered treatment over 6 weeks with testing pretreatment, posttreatment, and 3 months posttreatment termination. Results There was no significant between-groups difference on the primary outcome measure (untrained nouns phonologically and semantically unrelated to each treatment) at 3 months posttreatment. Significant within-group immediately posttreatment acquisition effects for confrontation naming and response latency were observed for both groups. Treatment-specific generalization effects for confrontation naming were observed for both groups immediately and 3 months posttreatment; a significant decrease in response latency was observed at both time points for the SFA group only. Finally, significant within-group differences on the Comprehensive Aphasia Test–Disability Questionnaire ( Swinburn, Porter, & Howard, 2004 ) were observed both immediately and 3 months posttreatment for the SFA group, and significant within-group differences on the Functional Outcome Questionnaire ( Glueckauf et al., 2003 ) were found for both treatment groups 3 months posttreatment. Discussion Our results are consistent with those of prior studies that have shown that SFA treatment and phonomotor treatment generalize to untrained words that share features (semantic or phonological sequence, respectively) with the training set. However, they show that there is no significant generalization to untrained words that do not share semantic features or phonological sequence features.

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The Link Between Verbal Short-Term Memory and Anomia Treatment Gains

American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology ◽

10.1044/2019_ajslp-18-0176 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 1039-1052

Author(s):

Reva M. Zimmerman ◽

JoAnn P. Silkes ◽

Diane L. Kendall ◽

Irene Minkina

Keyword(s):

Short Term Memory ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Treatment Success ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Language Performance ◽

Short Term ◽

Term Memory ◽

Treatment Gains ◽

Post Hoc

Purpose A significant relationship between verbal short-term memory (STM) and language performance in people with aphasia has been found across studies. However, very few studies have examined the predictive value of verbal STM in treatment outcomes. This study aims to determine if verbal STM can be used as a predictor of treatment success. Method Retrospective data from 25 people with aphasia in a larger randomized controlled trial of phonomotor treatment were analyzed. Digit and word spans from immediately pretreatment were run in multiple linear regression models to determine whether they predict magnitude of change from pre- to posttreatment and follow-up naming accuracy. Pretreatment, immediately posttreatment, and 3 months posttreatment digit and word span scores were compared to determine if they changed following a novel treatment approach. Results Verbal STM, as measured by digit and word spans, did not predict magnitude of change in naming accuracy from pre- to posttreatment nor from pretreatment to 3 months posttreatment. Furthermore, digit and word spans did not change from pre- to posttreatment or from pretreatment to 3 months posttreatment in the overall analysis. A post hoc analysis revealed that only the less impaired group showed significant changes in word span scores from pretreatment to 3 months posttreatment. Discussion The results suggest that digit and word spans do not predict treatment gains. In a less severe subsample of participants, digit and word span scores can change following phonomotor treatment; however, the overall results suggest that span scores may not change significantly. The implications of these findings are discussed within the broader purview of theoretical and empirical associations between aphasic language and verbal STM processing.

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