Development and reproducibility of an instrument to assess behavioral and environmental aspects related to cyclist safety

Abstract In urgency and emergency services, the bicycle is the second means of transportation more widely used by the victims at the time of the accident. However, aspects associated with major and minor accidents are poorly understood. The aim was to develop an instrument and test its reproducibility, in order to evaluate behavioral and environmental aspects related to cyclist safety. The instrument was based on footage taken through a camera attached to the cyclist helmet and from a review of literature. Take part in the study academics that used the bicycle to travel at least once a week. Participants were instructed to indicate any safety-critical events on their way and situations of minor gravity based on the perception of real imminence of an accident. In order to identify aspects related to cyclist safety, the routes were divided in periods of 30 seconds. In order to test inter-rater reproducibility, two researchers received theoretical-practical training and performed the instrument in a sample of 100 periods. In order to evaluate the intra-rater reproducibility, one of the evaluators performed a second application after 07 days. The reproducibility of the categorical variables of the instrument were tested through general agreement and Kappa index. For the variables with continuous measuring range, the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was used. The percentage agreement varied between 88-100% and the Kappa values varied between 0.76-1.00. The ICC values ranged from 0.96-0.99. The developed instrument presents adequate reproducibility for use in research to evaluate the cyclist safety in urban contexts.

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Comparison of the Mayo Endoscopy Score and the Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopy Index of Severity and the Ulcerative Colitis Colonoscopy Index of Severity

Endoscopy International Open ◽

10.1055/a-1313-6968 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 09 (02) ◽

pp. E130-E136

Author(s):

María Belvis Jiménez ◽

Pedro Hergueta-Delgado ◽

Blas Gómez Rodríguez ◽

Belén Maldonado Pérez ◽

Luisa Castro Laria ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ulcerative Colitis ◽

Interobserver Variability ◽

Intraclass Correlation ◽

Weighted Kappa ◽

Clinical Situation ◽

Kappa Index ◽

Perfect Correlation ◽

Index Of Severity ◽

Severity Of The Disease ◽

Normal Clinical Practice

Abstract Background and study aims: Endoscopy plays an essential role in managing patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), as it allows us to visualize and assess the severity of the disease. As such assessments are not always objective, different scores have been devised to standardize the findings. The main aim of this study was to assess the interobserver variability between the Mayo Endoscopy Score (MES), Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopy Index of Severity (UCEIS) and Ulcerative Colitis Colonoscopy Index of Severity (UCCIS) analyzing the severity of the endoscopic lesions in patients with ulcerative colitis. Patients and methods: This was a single-cohort observational study in which a colonoscopy was carried out on patients with UC, as normal clinical practice, and a video was recorded. The results from the video were classified according to the MES, UCEIS and UCCIS by three endoscopic specialists independently, and they were compared to each other. The Mayo Endoscopy Score (MES) was used to assess the clinical situation of the patient. The therapeutic impact was analyzed after colonoscopy was carried out. Results: Sixty-seven patients were included in the study. The average age was 51 (SD ± 16.7) and the average MES was 3.07 (SD ± 2.54). The weighted Kappa index between endoscopists A and B for the MES was 0.8; between A and C 0.52; and between B and C 0.49. The intraclass correlation coefficient for UCEIS was 0.92 among the three endoscopists (CI 95 %: 0.83–0.96) and 0.96 for UCCIS among the three endoscopists (CI 95 % 0.94–0.97). A change in treatment for 34.3 % of the patients was implemented on seeing the results of the colonoscopy. Conclusions: There was an adequate, but not perfect, correlation between the different endoscopists for MES, UCEIS, UCCIS. This was higher with the last two scores. Thus, there is still some subjectivity to be minimized through special training, on assessing the seriousness of the endoscopic lesions in patients with UC.

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Dental Education Challenges during the COVID-19 Pandemic Period in Italy: Undergraduate Student Feedback, Future Perspectives, and the Needs of Teaching Strategies for Professional Development

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare9040454 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 454

Author(s):

Giuseppe Varvara ◽

Sara Bernardi ◽

Serena Bianchi ◽

Bruna Sinjari ◽

Maurizio Piattelli

Keyword(s):

Undergraduate Student ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Dental Education ◽

Student Feedback ◽

Categorical Variables ◽

Practical Training ◽

Learning Approaches ◽

New Methods ◽

E Learning

The COVID-19 pandemic literally stopped most human movement and activities as it initially spread, which included dental practices and dental education. This defined the need for significative changes in teaching and learning with the use of “e-learning” methods, also for traineeships. This study was designed to determine the undergraduate student perception of these new methods as part of their education. This involved 353 students attending the Dental School of the G. D’Annunzio University of Chieti–Pescara, from the first to the sixth years. A questionnaire in Italian and was set-up using “Google Forms” and sent by email to the students. The questionnaire was divided into three parts: the first part included questions for general information, including age, sex and year of course; the second part had multiple choice questions related to their evaluation of the e-learning teaching, using a scale of opinion in the replies to each question (e.g., “scarce”, “fair”, “satisfying”, “very good” and “excellent”); and the third part included two open questions to indicate the strengths and limitations of these new teaching and learning approaches. The categorical variables in the first and second parts of the questionnaire were evaluated using Chi squared tests, setting significance at p < 0.05, while the comments were evaluated qualitatively. The student feedback showed significant appreciation (p < 0.05) of the new methods and the efforts that the lecturers put in to provide lectures of as high a quality as possible. However, a lack of practical training was significantly perceived as an important problem in the structure of their new curriculum (p < 0.05). COVID-19 has been an epic tragedy that has hit the human population not only in terms of health and healthcare, but also quality of life. This includes the quality of dental education within universities. However, the pandemic can be seen to also represent motivation to invest in the necessary technological innovation to deliver the best possible education to our future dentists.

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Testing telediagnostic obstetric ultrasound in Peru: a new horizon in expanding access to prenatal ultrasound

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth ◽

10.1186/s12884-021-03720-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Marika Toscano ◽

Thomas J. Marini ◽

Kathryn Drennan ◽

Timothy M. Baran ◽

Jonah Kan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Excellent Agreement ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Intraclass Correlation ◽

Standard Of Care ◽

The United States ◽

Categorical Variables ◽

Continuous Variables ◽

Second Trimester ◽

Obstetric Ultrasound ◽

Biometric Measurements

Abstract Background Ninety-four percent of all maternal deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, and the majority are preventable. Access to quality Obstetric ultrasound can identify some complications leading to maternal and neonatal/perinatal mortality or morbidity and may allow timely referral to higher-resource centers. However, there are significant global inequalities in access to imaging and many challenges to deploying ultrasound to rural areas. In this study, we tested a novel, innovative Obstetric telediagnostic ultrasound system in which the imaging acquisitions are obtained by an operator without prior ultrasound experience using simple scan protocols based only on external body landmarks and uploaded using low-bandwidth internet for asynchronous remote interpretation by an off-site specialist. Methods This is a single-center pilot study. A nurse and care technician underwent 8 h of training on the telediagnostic system. Subsequently, 126 patients (68 second trimester and 58 third trimester) were recruited at a health center in Lima, Peru and scanned by these ultrasound-naïve operators. The imaging acquisitions were uploaded by the telemedicine platform and interpreted remotely in the United States. Comparison of telediagnostic imaging was made to a concurrently performed standard of care ultrasound obtained and interpreted by an experienced attending radiologist. Cohen’s Kappa was used to test agreement between categorical variables. Intraclass correlation and Bland-Altman plots were used to test agreement between continuous variables. Results Obstetric ultrasound telediagnosis showed excellent agreement with standard of care ultrasound allowing the identification of number of fetuses (100% agreement), fetal presentation (95.8% agreement, κ =0.78 (p < 0.0001)), placental location (85.6% agreement, κ =0.74 (p < 0.0001)), and assessment of normal/abnormal amniotic fluid volume (99.2% agreement) with sensitivity and specificity > 95% for all variables. Intraclass correlation was good or excellent for all fetal biometric measurements (0.81–0.95). The majority (88.5%) of second trimester ultrasound exam biometry measurements produced dating within 14 days of standard of care ultrasound. Conclusion This Obstetric ultrasound telediagnostic system is a promising means to increase access to diagnostic Obstetric ultrasound in low-resource settings. The telediagnostic system demonstrated excellent agreement with standard of care ultrasound. Fetal biometric measurements were acceptable for use in the detection of gross discrepancies in fetal size requiring further follow up.

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Measuring Physical Characteristics of Housing: The Built Environment Site Survey Checklist (BESSC)

Environment and Planning B Planning and Design ◽

10.1068/b3038 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 265-280 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Elizabeth Burton ◽

Scott Weich ◽

Martin Blanchard ◽

Martin Prince

Keyword(s):

Built Environment ◽

Intraclass Correlation ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Physical Characteristics ◽

Categorical Variables ◽

Urban Forms ◽

Intraclass Correlation Coefficients ◽

Site Survey ◽

Wide Range ◽

Measurement Tools

Empirical research in the built environment field is hampered by a lack of reliable measurement tools. The authors argue that there is a need for measures of built form that are objective, descriptive, comprehensive, reliable, practical, and address all environmental scales. They outline the development of an instrument to measure physical characteristics of housing for use in a study funded by the Wellcome Trust, on the effects of regeneration on mental health. The Built Environment Site Survey Checklist (BESSC) contains a wide range of items designed to be rated by built environment specialists for individual predetermined ‘housing areas’. The interrater reliability of the BESSC was tested using the κ and weighted κ statistics for categorical variables and item rankings and intraclass correlation coefficients for continuous measures. The majority of the items were found to be reliable and, although the instrument requires further refinement, it offers substantial potential for investigation of the relative merits of alternative urban forms and the generation of research-based design guidance.

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Reliability of the digital and printed format of a modified version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire in college students

Revista Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud UDES ◽

10.20320/rfcsudes.v2i2.59 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 97

Author(s):

Isabel Cristina Nuñez ◽

Leonardo Perilla ◽

Diana Mercedes Villarreal ◽

Gustavo Andrés Gómez

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

College Students ◽

International Physical Activity Questionnaire ◽

Intraclass Correlation ◽

Kappa Index ◽

Retest Reliability ◽

Physical Activity Questionnaire ◽

Test Retest Reliability ◽

Activity Questionnaire ◽

Print Format

Background: Programs that promote regular physical activity (PA) require reliable PA measurements methods to establish their effectiveness. Objective: To determine the test-retest reliability of digital and print format of International Physical Activity Questionnaire and to establish the reliability between both presentation formats. Methods: The digital and print format questionnaires were self-administered twice to a sample of 76 college students (20.6 ± 2.8 years), 4-7 days later they completed the formats again. Test-retest and between formats reliability was analyzed by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and weighted Kappa index (wK). Agreement between measurements was established by Bland-Altman method (B&A). Results: Test-retest reliability with ICC was excellent for both formats (digital: 0.77, print: 0.82) and acceptable by wK (digital: 0.61, print: 0.71). Agreement between measurements for both formats was low for PA vigorous and moderate categories. Between formats, reliability was excellent for first and second measurement. Conclusions: Although ICC confirmed excellent test-retest reliability, B&A showed a low level of agreement between measurements. Between formats reliability was excellent, and both formats provide similar information.

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The Walloon farmers position differently their ideal dairy production system between a global-based intensive and a local-based extensive model of farm

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0223346 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (12) ◽

pp. e0223346

Author(s):

Anne-Catherine Dalcq ◽

Thomas Dogot ◽

Yves Beckers ◽

Yves Brostaux ◽

Eric Froidmont ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Linear Models ◽

New Technologies ◽

Multiple Correspondence Analysis ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Global Market ◽

Categorical Variables ◽

Environmental Aspects ◽

Generalised Linear Models ◽

Environmental Initiatives ◽

Pearson Correlations

Dairy farming systems are evolving. This study presents dairy producers’ perceptions of their ideal future farm (IFF) to ensure revenue, and attempts to determine the reasons for this choice, the environmental aspects related to this choice, the proximity between the current farm and the IFF and the requirements for reaching this IFF. Just before the end of the European milk quota, a total of 245 Walloon dairy producers answered a survey about the characteristics of their IFF and other socio-environmental-economic information. A multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) was carried out using seven characteristics of the IFF (intensive vs. extensive, specialised vs. diversified, strongly vs. weakly based on new technologies, managed by a group of managers vs. an independent farmer, employed vs. familial workforce, local vs. global market, standard vs. quality-differentiated production) to observe the relationships between them. Based on the main contributors to the second dimension of the MCA, this axis was defined as an IFF gradient between the local-based extensive (LBE) producers (26%) and the global-based intensive (GBI) producers (46%). The differences of IFF gradient between modalities of categorical variables were estimated using generalised linear models. Pearson correlations were calculated between the scores on the IFF gradient and quantitative variables. Finally, frequencies of IFF characteristics and the corresponding characteristic for the current situation were calculated to determine the percentages of “unhappy” producers. Some reasons for the choice of IFF by the producers have been highlighted in this study. Environmental initiatives were more valued by LBE than GBI producers. Low similarity was observed between the current farm situation of the respondents and their IFF choice. LBE and GBI producers differed significantly regarding domains of formation (technical and bureaucratic vs. transformation and diversification respectively) and paths of formation (non-market vs. market respectively). Two kinds of farming systems were considered by dairy producers and some socioeconomic and environmental components differed between them.

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Call your doctor: prospective description study of telemedicine during the first COVID-19 outbreak in a Swiss primary care practice

10.21203/rs.3.rs-108798/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Joëlle Suillot ◽

Sophie Zuercher ◽

Lydie Zufferey ◽

Julien Sagez

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Primary Care Physicians ◽

Primary Care Practice ◽

Emergency Services ◽

Phone Call ◽

Categorical Variables ◽

Care Practice ◽

Or Groups ◽

Swiss Primary Care

Abstract Background: Telemedicine is a healthcare assistance method which has been promoted during the COVID-19 pandemic for the management of patients. The aim of this study is to quantify the type of request that primary care physicians are experiencing, as well as the healthcare assistance modalities and ultimately, how many physical consultations are necessary.Methods: We conducted a prospective, descriptive study in a primary care practice in Switzerland on telephone consultations related to COVID-19. The data collected included the reasons for the call, symptoms, healthcare assistance modalities and follow-up. The categorical variables are expressed as percentages of the total cases or groups.Results: We included 200 calls corresponding to 113 patients. The majority of patients (76.1%) were taken care of solely through telemedicine. The physical consultations were due to the need: for a swab test (12.4%), for a somatic assessment at the practice (9.7%) and for an emergency services consultation (1.8%). In 64.6% of cases, patient assistance required only one phone call. Calls lasted 7.85 minutes on average and were more frequent on Mondays (24%) and Fridays (18.5%). Calls led to the prescription of medication in 12.5% of cases, of a bronchodilator in 3% of cases and of an antibiotic in 0.5% of cases.Conclusion: A rigorous telephone follow-up strategy carried out by primary care physicians requires few physical consultations in patients showing symptoms of COVID-19.

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Características psicométricas do Questionário Newcastle de conhecimento em asma (NAKQ) para pais de crianças com asma

Scientia Medica ◽

10.15448/1980-6108.2017.2.25635 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 27 (2) ◽

pp. 25635 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Cristian Roncada ◽

Luísa Carolina Bischoff ◽

Bianca Martininghi Bugança ◽

Karina Soldera ◽

Thiago De Araujo Cardoso ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Schools ◽

Internal Consistency ◽

Intraclass Correlation ◽

Kappa Index ◽

Psychometric Characteristics ◽

Asthma Knowledge ◽

Knowledge Questionnaire ◽

Children With Asthma ◽

Minimum Score ◽

Cutting Point

*** Psychometric characteristics of the Newcastle Asthma Knowledge Questionnaire (NAKQ) for parents of children with asthma ***AIMS: To analyze the psychometric characteristics identified by the Newcastle Asthma Knowledge Questionnaire (NAKQ) in parents of children with asthma.METHODS: Parents of children with asthma were recruited in outpatient follow-up with pediatric pulmonologists. Parents of children with no asthma diagnosis were recruited from public schools in the same city. The NAKQ has 31 items, being 25 questions with answers "true" or "false", and six open questions. The minimum score for knowledge is of 0 (zero) points with a maximum score of 31 points. In addition, the questionnaire is given a cutting point ≥ 21 points to satisfactory levels (suitable) and 21 for unsatisfactory levels < (inappropriate). For the analysis of precision of the instrument, we adopted three criteria: a) internal consistency through the alpha Cronbach (αC) coefficient; b) intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC); and b) test-retest using the Kappa coefficient. For the questionnaire validation, we analyzed the current validity criteria.RESULTS: One hundred and fifty four parents participated in this study, with 62 (40.3%) children with asthma and 92 (59.7%) without asthma, with a mean of 35.6±10.03 years and 132 (85.7%) females. High school was the most prevalent education level (n=72; 46.8%). The αC coefficient was 0.72 and 0.70, for the group of parents of asthmatics and of non-asthmatic children, respectively. The ICC was 0.703 (CI95%: 0.042-0.111) for parents of asthmatics and 0.687 (CI95%: 0.588-0.772) for parents of non-asthmatic. The degree of consistency in responses to each item on the repeated questionnaires, with application of the Kappa index, obtained acceptable values in 25 (80.65%), with eight issues (25.81%) classified as "good" and 17 (54.84%) as "very good".CONCLUSIONS: The NAKQ presented good internal consistency and repeatability indices, showing to be a precise and valid tool for measuring the level of knowledge about the disease in parents of Brazilian children with asthma.

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Reproducibility of MRI Features of Uterine Leiomyomas: A Study on Interobserver Agreement and Inter-Method Agreement With Surgery

Canadian Association of Radiologists Journal ◽

10.1177/08465371211038546 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 084653712110385

Author(s):

Guilherme Castilho Sorensen de Lima ◽

Ulysses S. Torres ◽

Leticia Ferreira Bueno ◽

Gustavo Pedreira Rodi ◽

Larissa Rossini Favaro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Interobserver Agreement ◽

Intraclass Correlation ◽

Kappa Statistic ◽

Uterine Leiomyomas ◽

Categorical Variables ◽

Imaging Features ◽

Gynecology And Obstetrics ◽

Mri Features ◽

Method Agreement ◽

Figo Classification

Purpose: To evaluate interobserver agreement in the interpretation of different MRI features of uterine leiomyomas (UL) according to observers’ experience, and to assess the inter-method reproducibility (MRI versus surgery) regarding the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) classification. Methods: Retrospective study including UL patients who underwent MRI and surgical treatment. Four blinded observers (2 vs >10 years of experience) assessed UL regarding dimensions and volume; inner and outer mantles; FIGO classification; vascularization; degeneration; and diffusion-weighted imaging features. Uterine dimensions and volume were calculated. FIGO classification as ascertained by observers was compared to surgical findings. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) estimates were used for interobserver comparison of numerical variables, and kappa statistic for categorical variables. Results: Thirty-five patients (26y-73y) with 61 UL were included in the interobserver analyses, and 31 patients (54 UL) had available data allowing retrospective surgical FIGO classification for assessment of inter-method reproducibility. Both groups of observers had good to excellent agreement in assessing UL (ICC = 0.980-0.994) and uterine volumes (ICC = 0.857-0.914), mantles measurement (ICC = 0.797-0.920), and apparent diffusion coefficient calculation (ICC = 0.787-0.883). There was substantial agreement for both groups regarding FIGO classification (κ = 0.645-0.767). Vascularization, degeneration and restricted diffusion had lower agreement, varying from reasonable to moderate. Inter-method agreement was reasonable (κ = 0.341-0.395). Conclusions: Interobserver agreement of MRI for UL was higher for quantitative than qualitative features, with a little impact of observers’ experience for most features. MRI agreement with surgery was reasonable. Further efforts should be taken to improve interobserver and inter-method reproducibility for MRI in this scenario.

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The convergence meter

Canadian Geotechnical Journal ◽

10.1139/t85-081 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 22 (4) ◽

pp. 604-607 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

T. R. Stacey ◽

B. P. Wrench

Keyword(s):

Basic Unit ◽

Measuring Range ◽

Central Section ◽

Continuous Measuring

A simple, robust, telescopic instrument has been developed into an accurate tool for determining the closure movements in mine stopes. It consists of a central section graduated with a vernier scale, connected to a telescopic section that can be easily adjusted to provide a series of ‘steps’ or ‘ranges’ inside which small rock movements between permanently mounted studs can be measured. The instrument itself is taken away when not in use. The basic unit provides a continuous measuring range from 1.0 to 1.75 m, with a measuring sensitivity of 0.1 mm.

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