scholarly journals Cognitive Assessment and Rehabilitation for Pediatric-Onset Multiple Sclerosis: A Scoping Review

Children ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 183
Author(s):  
Wei-Sheng Lin ◽  
Shan-Ju Lin ◽  
Ting-Rong Hsu
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Cognitive Assessment ◽  
Cognitive Rehabilitation ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Systematic Research ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Clinical Issue ◽  
Pediatric Onset

Cognitive impairment is increasingly recognized as an important clinical issue in pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS). However, variations regarding its assessment and remediation are noted in clinical arena. This scoping review aims to collate available evidence concerning cognitive assessment tool and cognitive rehabilitation for pediatric MS. We performed a systematic search of electronic databases (MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL Plus, and Web of Science) from inception to February 2020. Reference lists of included articles and trial registers were also searched. We included original studies published in English that addressed cognitive assessment tools or cognitive rehabilitation for pediatric-onset MS. Fourteen studies fulfilled our inclusion criteria. Among them, 11 studies evaluated the psychometric aspects of various cognitive assessment tools in the context of pediatric MS, and different neuro-cognitive domains were emphasized across studies. There were only three pilot studies reporting cognitive rehabilitation for pediatric-onset MS, all of which used home-based computerized programs targeting working memory and attention, respectively. Overall, more systematic research on cognitive assessment tools and rehabilitation for pediatric MS is needed to inform evidence-based practice. Computer-assisted cognitive assessment and rehabilitation appear feasible and deserve further studies.

scholarly journals The Rationale for Monitoring Cognitive Function in Multiple Sclerosis: Practical Issues for Clinicians

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christos Bakirtzis ◽  
Panagiotis Ioannidis ◽  
Lambros Messinis ◽  
Grigorios Nasios ◽  
Elina Konstantinopoulou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Cognitive Rehabilitation ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Systematic Evaluation ◽  
Presenting Symptoms ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Medication Side ◽  
Multiple Sclerosis Patients

About half of patients with multiple sclerosis exhibit cognitive impairment which negatively affects their quality of life. The assessment of cognitive function in routine clinical practice is still undervalued, although various tools have been proposed for this reason. In this article, we describe the potential benefits of implementing cognitive assessment tools in routine follow -ups of MS patients. Early detection of changes in cognitive performance may provide evidence of disease activity, could unmask depression or medication side-effects and provide suitable candidates for cognitive rehabilitation. Since apathy and cognitive deficiencies are common presenting symptoms in Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy, we discuss the utility of frequent monitoring of mental status in multiple sclerosis patients at increased risk. In addition, we propose a relevant algorithm aiming to incorporate a systematic evaluation of cognitive function in every day clinical practice in multiple sclerosis.

scholarly journals A Scoping Review of Modifiable Risk Factors in Pediatric Onset Multiple Sclerosis: Building for the Future

Children ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. 146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Pétrin ◽  
Max Fiander ◽  
Prenitha Doss ◽  
E. Yeh
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Vitamin D ◽  
Relapse Rate ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Full Text ◽  
Lifestyle Factors ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Modifiable Lifestyle Factors ◽  
Pediatric Onset

Knowledge of the effect of modifiable lifestyle factors in the pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) population is limited. We therefore conducted a scoping review, following the framework provided by Arksey and O’Malley. Four databases were searched for pediatric MS and modifiable lifestyle factors using index terms and keywords, from inception to May 2018. All quantitative and qualitative primary articles were included and limited to English and full text. Of the 7202 articles identified and screened, 25 full-text articles were relevant to our objective and were included. These articles focused on diet obesity, physical activity, and sleep. In cross-sectional analyses, these lifestyle factors were associated with increased risk of pediatric onset MS (POMS), and increased disease activity. Diet, particularly vitamin D and vegetable intake, was associated with reduced relapse rate. Obesity was linked to increased risk of POMS, and physical activity was associated with reduced relapse rate and sleep/rest fatigue. Thus, available studies of lifestyle related outcomes in pediatric MS suggest specific lifestyle related factors, including obesity, higher vitamin D levels, and higher physical activity may associate with lower disease burden in POMS. Studies reviewed are limited by their observational designs. Future studies with longitudinal and experimental designs may further clarify the role of modifiable lifestyle factors in this population.

scholarly journals Emergency care education in South Africa and the unique requirement of physical preparedness: A scoping review

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dagmar Muhlbauer ◽  
Craig Vincent-Lambert ◽  
Yoga Coopoo
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Emergency Care ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Knowledge Gap ◽  
Care Education ◽  
Narrative Literature Review ◽  
Task Oriented

Introduction The Bachelor Degree in Emergency Medical Care (BEMC) is a unique program in that students operate in both emergency care and rescue contexts, unlike international paramedic degree programs which focus only on emergency care. The learning activities associated with the rescue content are physically strenuous and therefore BEMC students need to be physically and mentally prepared to engage in diverse austere environments. Although South African BEMC programs have a common medical rescue curriculum, approaches to the training and assessment of physical preparedness vary between the institutions. The objective of this research was to explore the knowledge gap through the review of literature that describes the unique physical preparedness requirements in the field of emergency care education. Methods We conducted a scoping review in the form of a narrative literature review. Results Seventy-five (n) articles were initially identified, however, only four were relevant to the objective of this study. This highlighted the paucity of literature describing the unique physical fitness requirements of the BEMC program and the current challenges experienced by educators in the field. Conclusion While physical preparedness training exists in higher education institutes and there are assessments conducted at these higher education institutes, none of these assessment tools have yet been scientifically validated which creates a challenge for educators. The current knowledge gap within EMC education is therefore the absence of a scientifically validated task-oriented physical preparedness assessment tool which addresses the desired physical attributes and abilities of EMC students linked to the BEMC curriculum and associated learning experiences.

scholarly journals CogniSoft: A Platform for the Automation of Cognitive Assessment and Rehabilitation of Multiple Sclerosis

Computers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 93
Author(s):  
Dessislava Petrova-Antonova ◽  
Ivaylo Spasov ◽  
Yanita Petkova ◽  
Ilina Manova ◽  
Sylvia Ilieva
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Cognitive Assessment ◽  
Cognitive Rehabilitation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cognitive Disorders ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
Machine Learning Algorithms ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Economic Research ◽  
Medical Software

Cognitive disorders remain a major cause of disability in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). They lead to unemployment, the need for daily assistance, and a poor quality of life. The understanding of the origin, factors, processes, and consequences of cognitive disfunction is key to its prevention, early diagnosis, and rehabilitation. The neuropsychological testing and continuous monitoring of cognitive status as part of the overall evaluation of patients with MS in parallel with clinical and paraclinical examinations are highly recommended. In order to improve health and disease understanding, a close linkage between fundamental, clinical, epidemiological, and socio-economic research is required. The effective sharing of data, standardized data processing, and the linkage of such data with large-scale cohort studies is a prerequisite for the translation of research findings into the clinical setting. In this context, this paper proposes a software platform for the cognitive assessment and rehabilitation of patients with MS called CogniSoft. The platform automates the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) test and diagnostic tests for the evaluation of memory and executive functions based on the nature of Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS), as well as implementing a set of games for cognitive rehabilitation based on BICAMS. The software architecture, core modules, and technologies used for their implementation are presented. Special attention is given to the development of cognitive tests for diagnostics and rehabilitation. Their automation enables better perception, avoids bias as a result of conducting the classic paper tests of various neurophysiologists, provides easy administration, and allows data collection in a uniform manner, which further enables analysis using statistical and machine learning algorithms. The CogniSoft platform is registered as medical software by the Bulgarian Drug Agency and it is currently deployed in the Neurological Clinic of the National Hospital of Cardiology in Sofia, Bulgaria. The first experiments prove the feasibility of the platform, showing that it saves time and financial resources while providing subjectivity in the interpretation of the cognitive test results.

scholarly journals Cognitive Assessment Tools Recommended in Geriatric Oncology Guidelines: A Rapid Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 3987-4003
Author(s):  
Gina Tuch ◽  
Wee Kheng Soo ◽  
Ki-Yung Luo ◽  
Kinglsey Frearson ◽  
Ek Leone Oh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Care ◽  
Cognitive Assessment ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Geriatric Oncology ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
Clinical Settings ◽  
Care Experience ◽  
Clock Drawing Test ◽  
Cancer Guidelines

Cognitive assessment is a cornerstone of geriatric care. Cognitive impairment has the potential to significantly impact multiple phases of a person’s cancer care experience. Accurately identifying this vulnerability is a challenge for many cancer care clinicians, thus the use of validated cognitive assessment tools are recommended. As international cancer guidelines for older adults recommend Geriatric Assessment (GA) which includes an evaluation of cognition, clinicians need to be familiar with the overall interpretation of the commonly used cognitive assessment tools. This rapid review investigated the cognitive assessment tools that were most frequently recommended by Geriatric Oncology guidelines: Blessed Orientation-Memory-Concentration test (BOMC), Clock Drawing Test (CDT), Mini-Cog, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ). A detailed appraisal of the strengths and limitations of each tool was conducted, with a focus on practical aspects of implementing cognitive assessment tools into real-world clinical settings. Finally, recommendations on choosing an assessment tool and the additional considerations beyond screening are discussed.

scholarly journals Creating a Tool for Assessing Domestic Violence Risk and Impact Among TANF Clients

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan J. Steiner ◽  
Laura Johnson ◽  
Andrea Hetling ◽  
Hsiu-Fen Lin ◽  
Judy L. Postmus
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Emotional Health ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Systematic Research ◽  
Policy And Practice

The Family Violence Option (FVO), a provision of the 1996 welfare legislation, allows states to waive certain program requirements for domestic violence (DV) survivors in order to protect them from danger or penalties. The absence of a standardized method for assessing risk and impact has been an impediment to states’ use of the FVO, particularly in the granting of waivers. The purpose of this study was to address this limitation by developing and testing a risk and impact assessment tool for DV survivors applying for waivers under the FVO. Therefore, a collaborative effort between state administrators and researchers was formed which included input from welfare staff and DV advocates. Background research included reviews of validated risk assessments and FVO policies, as well as primary data from focus groups and surveys with staff from the state human services organization, county welfare agencies, and DV organizations. A tool was then created with 131 questions covering demographics, abuse experiences, partner access and risk, perceptions of safety, and emotional health, and piloted in four counties. Two hundred and thirty-seven completed assessments were analyzed using descriptive statistics, principal component analysis, and feedback from assessors. The final tool (n= 95 items) was informed by validated evidence and frontline practice wisdom, recommended to improve FVO utilization and survivor outcomes. From this study, the authors recommend that other states seeking changes to their FVO risk assessment policy and practice explore collaborative partnerships between practitioners and researchers in order to make decisions informed by best practices and systematic research. They should also pursue cross departmental training of risk assessment tools to prevent a siloed approach to FVO implementation.

scholarly journals A self-administered, artificial intelligence (AI) platform for cognitive assessment in multiple sclerosis (MS)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyed-Mahdi Khaligh-Razavi ◽  
Maryam Sadeghi ◽  
Mahdiyeh Khanbagi ◽  
Chris Kalafatis ◽  
Seyed Massood Nabavi
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Cognitive Dysfunction ◽  
Cognitive Assessment ◽  
Cognitive Rehabilitation ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Retest Reliability ◽  
Test Retest Reliability

Abstract Background Cognitive impairment is common in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Accurate and repeatable measures of cognition have the potential to be used as markers of disease activity. Methods We developed a 5-minute computerized test to measure cognitive dysfunction in patients with MS. The proposed test – named the Integrated Cognitive Assessment (ICA) – is self-administered and language-independent. 91 MS patients and 83 healthy controls (HC) took part in Substudy 1, in which each participant took the ICA test and the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS). We assessed ICA’s test-retest reliability, its correlation with BICAMS, its sensitivity to discriminate patients with MS from the HC group, and its accuracy in detecting cognitive dysfunction. In Substudy 2, we recruited 48 MS patients, 38 of which had received an 8-week physical and cognitive rehabilitation programme and 10 MS patients who did not. We examined the association between the level of serum neurofilament light (NfL) in these patients and their ICA scores and Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) scores pre- and post-rehabilitation. Results The ICA demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability (r=0.94), with no learning bias, and showed a high level of convergent validity with BICAMS. The ICA was sensitive in discriminating the MS patients from the HC group, and demonstrated high accuracy (AUC = 95%) in discriminating cognitively normal from cognitively impaired participants. Additionally, we found a strong association (r=-0.79) between ICA score and the level of NfL in MS patients before and after rehabilitation. Conclusions The ICA has the potential to be used as a digital marker of cognitive impairment and to monitor response to therapeutic interventions. In comparison to standard cognitive tools for MS, the ICA is shorter in duration, does not show a learning bias, and is independent of language.

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