Does Instrumented Movement Analysis Alter, Objectively Confirm, or Not Affect Clinical Decision-making in Musicians with Focal Dystonia?

2008 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 99-106
Author(s):  
Maurizio Ferrarin ◽  
Marco Rabuffetti ◽  
Marina Ramella ◽  
Maurizio Osio ◽  
Enrico Mailland ◽  
...  

Focal dystonia (FD) is a movement disorder that frequently affects instrumental musicians. Distinguishing between primary dystonic movement and secondary compensatory abnormal movement is crucial for the correct treatment planning in FD. Such distinction is complex in musicians because of the complexity, speed, and smallness of involved movement. The goal of the current study was to assess the influence of instrumented movement analysis (MA) in treatment decision-making in musician's FD. A group of 18 musicians with FD was instrumentally analyzed in an MA laboratory equipped with optoelectronic and electromyographic (EMG) acquisition systems. The muscle(s) primarily responsible for the dystonic movement or posture (trigger muscle) was identified on the basis of clinical assessment alone and, in a second phase, with the additional information provided by instrumented assessment. Comparison between clinical and instrumented assessment outcomes and the subjective rating of found differences were then analyzed. In 67% of patients, instrumental assessment changed the decision made by clinical assessment, indicating identification of a different trigger muscle or allowing for a more specific identification. In 28% of patients, instrumental assessment confirmed the outcome of the clinical assessment, with an increase in the confidence level of the clinical decision. The most frequent change was an improved specification of which finger flexor muscle (superficialis or profundus) was triggering the dystonic movement. Although caution is needed due to the non-blinded design of the present study, our results suggest that instrumented movement analysis is a useful complementary tool to clinical assessment in treatment planning for musician's focal dystonia—its use might change the identification of the muscles primarily responsible for dystonic movements as well as increase the confidence level of the clinician in treatment decision-making.

2009 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. e8-e9
Author(s):  
M. Ferrarin ◽  
M. Rabuffetti ◽  
M. Ramella ◽  
M. Osio ◽  
E. Mailland ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 109-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven D Stovitz ◽  
Ian Shrier

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) calls on clinicians to incorporate the ‘best available evidence’ into clinical decision-making. For decisions regarding treatment, the best evidence is that which determines the causal effect of treatments on the clinical outcomes of interest. Unfortunately, research often provides evidence where associations are not due to cause-and-effect, but rather due to non-causal reasons. These non-causal associations may provide valid evidence for diagnosis or prognosis, but biased evidence for treatment effects. Causal inference aims to determine when we can infer that associations are or are not due to causal effects. Since recommending treatments that do not have beneficial causal effects will not improve health, causal inference can advance the practice of EBM. The purpose of this article is to familiarise clinicians with some of the concepts and terminology that are being used in the field of causal inference, including graphical diagrams known as ‘causal directed acyclic graphs’. In order to demonstrate some of the links between causal inference methods and clinical treatment decision-making, we use a clinical vignette of assessing treatments to lower cardiovascular risk. As the field of causal inference advances, clinicians familiar with the methods and terminology will be able to improve their adherence to the principles of EBM by distinguishing causal effects of treatment from results due to non-causal associations that may be a source of bias.


1990 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.J. Elderton

Re-restoring teeth is an important component of operative dentistry, and the perceived presence of Re-restoring caries is a major reason for undertaking it. In the absence of a diagnosis of secondary caries, a morphological discrepancy at the margin of a restoration commonly provides the necessary justification for replacement. However, several studies have demonstrated enormous variation among dentists, both in their diagnosis of secondary caries and in the clinical decisions they make regarding whether or not to restore or re-restore. Many of these decisions must have been wrong. Decisions to re-restore teeth have been shown to be particularly idiosyncratic, and some patients apparently become involved in a repeat restoration cycle whereby the more restorations they have, the more re-restorations they receive. The desire by some dentists to replace large numbers of restorations, for reasons other than the presence of disease, shows a fallibility of operative treatment. At the same time it suggests that these dentists have considerable faith in this aspect of dental care. There would appear to be a prima facie case for investigating more deeply the factors involved in the clinical assessment of restorations. It should then be possible to improve the standard of diagnosis and treatment decision-making, especially with respect to the need to re-restore teeth.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 503-509
Author(s):  
Marlene Pereira Garanito ◽  
Vera Lucia Zaher-Rutherford

ABSTRACT Objective: To carry out a review of the literature on adolescents’ participation in decision making for their own health. Data sources: Review in the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS) and PubMed databases. We consider scientific articles and books between 1966 and 2017. Keywords: adolescence, autonomy, bioethics and adolescence, autonomy, ethics, in variants in the English, Portuguese and Spanish languages. Inclusion criteria: scientific articles, books and theses on clinical decision making by the adolescent patient. Exclusion criteria: case reports and articles that did not address the issue. Among 1,590 abstracts, 78 were read in full and 32 were used in this manuscript. Data synthesis: The age at which the individual is able to make decisions is a matter of debate in the literature. The development of a cognitive and psychosocial system is a time-consuming process and the integration of psychological, neuropsychological and neurobiological research in adolescence is fundamental. The ability to mature reflection is not determined by chronological age; in theory, a mature child is able to consent or refuse treatment. Decision-making requires careful and reflective analysis of the main associated factors, and the approach of this problem must occur through the recognition of the maturity and autonomy that exists in the adolescents. To do so, it is necessary to “deliberate” with them. Conclusions: International guidelines recommend that adolescents participate in discussions about their illness, treatment and decision-making. However, there is no universally accepted consensus on how to assess the decision-making ability of these patients. Despite this, when possible, the adolescent should be included in a serious, honest, respectful and sincere process of deliberation.


2004 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cláudio Rodrigues Leles ◽  
Maria do Carmo Matias Freire

A critical problem in the decision making process for dental prosthodontic treatment is the lack of reliable clinical parameters. This review discusses the limits of traditional normative treatment and presents guidelines for clinical decision making. There is a need to incorporate a sociodental approach to help determine patient's needs. Adoption of the evidence-based clinical practice model is also needed to assure safe and effective clinical practice in prosthetic dentistry.


1998 ◽  
Vol 37 (02) ◽  
pp. 201-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. E. Waitzfelder ◽  
E. P. Gramlich

AbstractThe Hawaii Quality and Cost Consortium began a project in 1993 to implement and evaluate interactive videodisk programs to assist in clinical decision-making for breast cancer. Communication problems between physicians and patients, limitations of available outcomes data and varying preferences of individual patients can result in treatment outcomes that are less than satisfactory. Shared Decision-making Programs (SDPs) were developed by the Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making (FIMDM) in Hanover, New Hampshire, to assist in the treatment decision-making process. Utilizing interactive videodisks, the programs provide patients with clear, unbiased information about available treatment options. With this information, patients can become more active participants in making treatment decisions. The SDPs for breast cancer were implemented at two sites in Hawaii. Evaluation data from 103 patients overwhelmingly indicate that patients find the programs clear, balanced and very good or excellent in terms of the amount of information presented and overall rating.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 2123-2133
Author(s):  
Philipp Mandel ◽  
Mike Wenzel ◽  
Benedikt Hoeh ◽  
Maria N. Welte ◽  
Felix Preisser ◽  
...  

Background: To test the value of immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining in prostate biopsies for changes in biopsy results and its impact on treatment decision-making. Methods: Between January 2017–June 2020, all patients undergoing prostate biopsies were identified and evaluated regarding additional IHC staining for diagnostic purpose. Final pathologic results after radical prostatectomy (RP) were analyzed regarding the effect of IHC at biopsy. Results: Of 606 biopsies, 350 (58.7%) received additional IHC staining. Of those, prostate cancer (PCa) was found in 208 patients (59.4%); while in 142 patients (40.6%), PCa could be ruled out through IHC. IHC patients harbored significantly more often Gleason 6 in biopsy (p < 0.01) and less suspicious baseline characteristics than patients without IHC. Of 185 patients with positive IHC and PCa detection, IHC led to a change in biopsy results in 81 (43.8%) patients. Of these patients with changes in biopsy results due to IHC, 42 (51.9%) underwent RP with 59.5% harboring ≥pT3 and/or Gleason 7–10. Conclusions: Patients with IHC stains had less suspicious characteristics than patients without IHC. Moreover, in patients with positive IHC and PCa detection, a change in biopsy results was observed in >40%. Patients with changes in biopsy results partly underwent RP, in which 60% harbored significant PCa.


2014 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 501-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camila Pachêco-Pereira ◽  
Graziela De Luca Canto ◽  
Paul W. Major ◽  
Carlos Flores-Mir

ABSTRACTObjective: To determine in which clinical scenarios digital models are valid as replacements for plaster models during orthodontic treatment decision-making process and treatment planning.Materials and Methods: An attempt to identify all pertinent published information was made. Retained articles were those where a decision-making process leading to differential orthodontic treatment plans based on either method were compared. The search was tailored for PubMed and adapted for EMBASE, MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, LILACS, and Web of Science. A partial grey literature search was conducted through Google Scholar. References lists of the included articles were screened for potential relevant studies. The methodology of selected studies was evaluated using the Quality Assessment Tool for Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS).Results: Only two studies were finally selected for the qualitative and quantitative synthesis. QUADAS results scores from selected studies ranged from 61% to 83% of 11 items evaluated. In one, the overall treatment plan regarding orthognathic surgery for Class II malocclusion changed in 13% to 22% of the cases. In the other one, 6% of the orthodontic treatment plans changed.Conclusion: Digital models could be used to replace plaster models in Class II malocclusion treatment planning.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e18329-e18329
Author(s):  
Kyounga Lee ◽  
Seon Heui Lee ◽  
Anita Preininger ◽  
JungHo Shim ◽  
Gretchen Jackson

e18329 Background: Watson For Oncology (WFO) is an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that presents therapeutic options to oncologists and patients at 9 hospitals in Korea. The earliest user is Gachon University Gil Medical Center (GMC), where the tumor board (MDT) is fully integrated with WfO (MDT-WfO). GMC patients and oncologists may select one of the treatment choices presented by MDT-WfO or choose to follow recommendations of one or more oncologists at GMC augmented by WfO (non-MDT-WfO). This study is aimed at determining the satisfaction of patients who pursue shared decision-making through the MDT-WfO approach. Methods: Cancer patients enrolled in this IRB-approved study and treated at GMC between March and September of 2018 were surveyed. All patients rated satisfaction levels from 1-10 after treatment decision-making was completed, with 1 indicating the lowest level of satisfaction and 10 the highest. For each question, the average satisfaction score for patients in the MDT-WfO group was compared to the mean for patients in the non-MDT-WfO group, with a t-test for significance. Results: There were 9 cancer types treated at GMC from March through September of 2018. Of the of 290 patients enrolled in this study, 130 (44.8%) selected MDT-WfO and 160 (55.2%) did not. Overall, patients that interacted with MDT-WfO viewed GMT more positively (86.9%) after treatment decisions had been made than patients in the non-MDT-WfO group (71.3%).Although patients did not report significantly differing levels of satisfaction for most survey questions, there was a significant difference in terms of satisfaction with the explanation they received from the medical staff. Satisfaction level for this item was 9.52 with MDT-WfO and 9.22 points without ( p = 0.029). Conclusions: Patients reported greater satisfaction in the explanations they received in the MDT-WfO group, consistent with their more positive impression of GMT after treatment decisions were made. More studies are needed to determine if the increase in the level of satisfaction for this item is due to explanations from MDT unrelated or related to WfO. More studies on how WfO is used differently by the tumor board and individual oncologists may provide a unique perspective on how WfO is integrated into the MDT.


Sarcoma ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
H. S. Femke Hagenmaier ◽  
Annelies G. K. van Beeck ◽  
Rick L. Haas ◽  
Veroniek M. van Praag ◽  
Leti van Bodegom-Vos ◽  
...  

Background. With soft-tissue sarcoma of the extremity (ESTS) representing a heterogenous group of tumors, management decisions are often made in multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings. To optimize outcome, nomograms are more commonly used to guide individualized treatment decision making. Purpose. To evaluate the influence of Personalised Sarcoma Care (PERSARC) on treatment decisions for patients with high-grade ESTS and the ability of the MDT to accurately predict overall survival (OS) and local recurrence (LR) rates. Methods. Two consecutive meetings were organised. During the first meeting, 36 cases were presented to the MDT. OS and LR rates without the use of PERSARC were estimated by consensus and preferred treatment was recorded for each case. During the second meeting, OS/LR rates calculated with PERSARC were presented to the MDT. Differences between estimated OS/LR rates and PERSARC OS/LR rates were calculated. Variations in preferred treatment protocols were noted. Results. The MDT underestimated OS when compared to PERSARC in 48.4% of cases. LR rates were overestimated in 41.9% of cases. With the use of PERSARC, the proposed treatment changed for 24 cases. Conclusion. PERSARC aids the MDT to optimize individualized predicted OS and LR rates, hereby guiding patient-centered care and shared decision making.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document