Assessing manual dexterity: pilot study of a new instrument

Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) is an effective treatment for children with autism. However, it is known that some parents struggle to fully implement the program, and providers are not always able to identify the specifics of each family’s individualized challenges. The purpose of this pilot study was to begin the process of developing a new instrument, the EIBI Parental Self-Efficacy (EPSE) Scale, to help providers better assess and assist parents in regard to EIBI implementation. The methodology included four phases: scale construction, expert review, pretest administration, and a large sample pilot study (N = 192). The final 29-item EPSE Scale contained strong reliability properties (Cronbach’s alpha = .900). Factor analysis established five subscales: Family Well-Being, Preparing for Successful Sessions, Team Participation, Not Giving Up, and Working with your Child. Following this pilot study, future research is recommended to refine and validate the EPSE Scale as a useful clinical tool for EIBI providers.

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Effectiveness of Tele Rehabilitation on Manual Dexterity and its Impact on Quality of Life in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease: A Pilot Study

Indian Journal of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy - An International Journal ◽

10.37506/ijpot.v14i2.2643 ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Manual Dexterity

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Validation of Noninvasive Absolute Intracranial Pressure Measurements in Traumatic Brain Injury and Intracranial Hemorrhage

Operative Neurosurgery ◽

10.1093/ons/opy088 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 186-196 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Jenny C Kienzler ◽

Rolandas Zakelis ◽

Sabrina Bäbler ◽

Elke Remonda ◽

Arminas Ragauskas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Brain Injury ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Intracranial Pressure ◽

Intracranial Hemorrhage ◽

Patient Specific ◽

Paired Data ◽

Secondary Damage ◽

New Instrument ◽

Data Points

Abstract BACKGROUND Increased intracranial pressure (ICP) causes secondary damage in traumatic brain injury (TBI), and intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). Current methods of ICP monitoring require surgery and carry risks of complications. OBJECTIVE To validate a new instrument for noninvasive ICP measurement by comparing values obtained from noninvasive measurements to those from commercial implantable devices through this pilot study. METHODS The ophthalmic artery (OA) served as a natural ICP sensor. ICP measurements obtained using noninvasive, self-calibrating device utilizing Doppler ultrasound to evaluate OA flow were compared to standard implantable ICP measurement probes. RESULTS A total of 78 simultaneous, paired, invasive, and noninvasive ICP measurements were obtained in 11 ICU patients over a 17-mo period with the diagnosis of TBI, SAH, or ICH. A total of 24 paired data points were initially excluded because of questions about data independence. Analysis of variance was performed first on the 54 remaining data points and then on the entire set of 78 data points. There was no difference between the 2 groups nor was there any correlation between type of sensor and the patient (F[10, 43] = 1.516, P = .167), or the accuracy and precision of noninvasive ICP measurements (F[1, 43] = 0.511, P = .479). Accuracy was [−1.130; 0.539] mm Hg (CL = 95%). Patient-specific calibration was not needed. Standard deviation (precision) was [1.632; 2.396] mm Hg (CL = 95%). No adverse events were encountered. CONCLUSION This pilot study revealed no significant differences between invasive and noninvasive ICP measurements (P < .05), suggesting that noninvasive ICP measurements obtained by this method are comparable and reliable.

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I. Introducing a New Instrument for Rating Observed Behaviour∗ and the Rationale of the Psychological Impairment Concept

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/s0007125000291538 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 155 (S7) ◽

pp. 68-70 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

Hugo Biehl ◽

Kurt Maurer ◽

Assen Jablensky ◽

John E. Cooper ◽

Toma Tomov

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Natural History ◽

Prospective Study ◽

Functional Psychosis ◽

New Instrument ◽

Observed Behaviour ◽

Psychological Impairment ◽

A Prospective Study ◽

Social Disabilities

Based on the experience with the International Pilot Study on Schizophrenia (IPSS) (WHO 1973, 1979), the WHO Division of Mental Health and Centres in Sofia, Groningen and Mannheim, joined by expertise from Nottingham and Zurich, conceived a prospective study to assess the ‘natural history’ (Ciompi, 1980a, b; Watt et al, 1983; Biehl, 1987) of psychological impairments and social disabilities in patients with functional psychosis in different socio-cultural environments (Jablensky et al 1980).

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Entrepreneurial Intentions among Higher Education Students in Finland and Spain

Economics ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-8468-3.ch041 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 759-775

Author(s):

Elina Varamäki ◽

Erno Tornikoski ◽

Sanna Joensuu ◽

Kari Ristimäki ◽

Andreu Blesa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Country Of Origin ◽

Entrepreneurial Intentions ◽

First Year ◽

Education Students ◽

First Year Students ◽

New Instrument ◽

Empirical Context ◽

Undergraduate Programs

The purpose of this article is to present the results of a pilot study in which the new instrument was developed and tested to measure the formation of entrepreneurial intentions in multi-country context. The developed instrument was largely based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen (1991). In the pilot study, the authors were also paying attention to two issues, namely (i) whether the level of entrepreneurial intentions varies as a function of country of origin, (ii) whether the relative importance of the three antecedents of entrepreneurial intentions varies as a function of country of origin, and (iii) whether the background variables exercise similar effects on the formation of entrepreneurial intentions in different countries. The empirical context of the pilot study is made of two higher education institutions (one in Finland, one in Spain) and concerns their first-year students at undergraduate programs. In the end of this paper, the authors will discuss the implications of the empirical observations of their pilot study.

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Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of suction-tip forceps, a new tool for laparoscopic surgery, in patients with gastric cancer: Preliminary results from a prospective trial

10.21203/rs.2.17093/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Nobuyuki Sakurazawa ◽

Jun-ichiro Harada ◽

Fumihiko Ando ◽

Hiroki Arai ◽

Komei Kuge ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gastric Cancer ◽

Laparoscopic Surgery ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Tissue Damage ◽

Access Time ◽

Dual Function ◽

Safety And Efficacy ◽

Prospective Pilot Study ◽

Suction Tube ◽

New Instrument

Abstract Background Laparoscopic surgery is widely accepted as minimally invasive surgery; however, obstacles to its functional optimization remain. One such challenge is that each surgical port can accommodate only one instrument at a time. Complex manipulations are therefore necessary to exchange one laparoscopic tool with another during surgery (e.g., removal of forceps and placement of a suction tube), which increases operation times and risk to patients. We developed a new laparoscopic instrument that functions as both forceps and a suction tube, which renders intraoperative tool exchange unnecessary. This prospective pilot study was undertaken to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this novel dual-function device in laparoscopic surgery for gastric cancer. Methods This single-center prospective pilot study was undertaken with 15 patients who required laparoscopic distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer. To assess patient safety, intraoperative video was used to document any tissue damage associated with the new instrument. To evaluate instrument efficacy, we measured the time interval between the start of bleeding and the start of aspiration (“suction access time”) and compared this time with that of a conventional surgical setup. Results All procedures were successful, and no excess tissue damage occurred during surgery with the suction-tip forceps. Bleeding occurred 158 times. Suction access time was significantly shorter in cases of bleeding when the suction-tip forceps were used (2.01 seconds) than when an ordinary suction tube was used for aspiration (12.5 seconds; P < 0.01). Conclusion These findings suggest that our new suction-tip forceps are a useful, safe, and efficacious operative tool. This surgical innovation may considerably simplify gastric laparoscopic surgery. This pilot study was registered with Japan Clinical Trial Registration on June 22, 2017 (registration number: UMIN000027879).

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