A Mobile Health App for the Collection of Functional Outcomes After Inpatient Stroke Rehabilitation: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Monitoring the functional status of poststroke patients after they transition home is significant for rehabilitation. Mobile health (mHealth) technologies may provide an opportunity to reach and follow patients post discharge. However, the feasibility and validity of functional assessments administered by mHealth technologies are unknown. Objective This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, validity, and reliability of functional assessments administered through the videoconference function of a mobile phone–based app compared with administration through the telephone function in poststroke patients after rehabilitation hospitalization. Methods A randomized controlled trial was conducted in a rehabilitation hospital in Southeast China. Participants were randomly assigned to either a videoconference follow-up (n=60) or a telephone follow-up (n=60) group. We measured the functional status of participants in each group at 2-week and 3-month follow-up periods. Half the participants in each group were followed by face-to-face home visit assessments as the gold standard. Validity was assessed by comparing any score differences between videoconference follow-up and home visit assessments, as well as telephone follow-up and home visit assessments. Reliability was assessed by computing agreements between videoconference follow-up and home visit assessments, as well as telephone follow-up and home visit assessments. Feasibility was evaluated by the levels of completion, satisfaction, comfort, and confidence in the 2 groups. Results Scores obtained from the videoconference follow-up were similar to those of the home visit assessment. However, most scores collected from telephone administration were higher than those of the home visit assessment. The agreement between videoconference follow-up and home visit assessments was higher than that between telephone follow-up and home visit assessments at all follow-up periods. In the telephone follow-up group, completion rates were 95% and 82% at 2-week and 3-month follow-up points, respectively. In the videoconference follow-up group, completion rates were 95% and 80% at 2-week and 3-month follow-up points, respectively. There were no differences in the completion rates between the 2 groups at all follow-up periods (X21=1.6, P=.21 for 2-week follow-up; X21=1.9, P=.17 for 3-month follow-up). Patients in the videoconference follow-up group perceived higher confidence than those in the telephone follow-up group at both 2-week and 3-month follow-up periods (X23=6.7, P=.04 for 2-week follow-up; X23=8.0, P=.04 for 3-month follow-up). The videoconference follow-up group demonstrated higher satisfaction than the telephone follow-up group at 3-month follow-up (X23=13.9; P=.03). Conclusions The videoconference follow-up assessment of functional status demonstrates higher validity and reliability, as well as higher confidence and satisfaction perceived by patients, than the telephone assessment. The videoconference assessment provides an efficient means of assessing functional outcomes of patients after hospital discharge. This method provides a novel solution for clinical trials requiring longitudinal assessments. Trial Registration chictr.org.cn: ChiCTR1900027626; http://www.chictr.org.cn/edit.aspx?pid=44831&htm=4.

A Mobile Health App for the Collection of Functional Outcomes After Inpatient Stroke Rehabilitation: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Monitoring the functional status of poststroke patients after they transition home is significant for rehabilitation. Mobile health (mHealth) technologies may provide an opportunity to reach and follow patients post discharge. However, the feasibility and validity of functional assessments administered by mHealth technologies are unknown. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, validity, and reliability of functional assessments administered through the videoconference function of a mobile phone–based app compared with administration through the telephone function in poststroke patients after rehabilitation hospitalization. METHODS A randomized controlled trial was conducted in a rehabilitation hospital in Southeast China. Participants were randomly assigned to either a videoconference follow-up (n=60) or a telephone follow-up (n=60) group. We measured the functional status of participants in each group at 2-week and 3-month follow-up periods. Half the participants in each group were followed by face-to-face home visit assessments as the gold standard. Validity was assessed by comparing any score differences between videoconference follow-up and home visit assessments, as well as telephone follow-up and home visit assessments. Reliability was assessed by computing agreements between videoconference follow-up and home visit assessments, as well as telephone follow-up and home visit assessments. Feasibility was evaluated by the levels of completion, satisfaction, comfort, and confidence in the 2 groups. RESULTS Scores obtained from the videoconference follow-up were similar to those of the home visit assessment. However, most scores collected from telephone administration were higher than those of the home visit assessment. The agreement between videoconference follow-up and home visit assessments was higher than that between telephone follow-up and home visit assessments at all follow-up periods. In the telephone follow-up group, completion rates were 95% and 82% at 2-week and 3-month follow-up points, respectively. In the videoconference follow-up group, completion rates were 95% and 80% at 2-week and 3-month follow-up points, respectively. There were no differences in the completion rates between the 2 groups at all follow-up periods (<i>X</i>²₁=1.6, <i>P</i>=.21 for 2-week follow-up; <i>X</i>²₁=1.9, <i>P</i>=.17 for 3-month follow-up). Patients in the videoconference follow-up group perceived higher confidence than those in the telephone follow-up group at both 2-week and 3-month follow-up periods (<i>X</i>²₃=6.7, <i>P</i>=.04 for 2-week follow-up; <i>X</i>²₃=8.0, <i>P</i>=.04 for 3-month follow-up). The videoconference follow-up group demonstrated higher satisfaction than the telephone follow-up group at 3-month follow-up (<i>X</i>²₃=13.9; <i>P</i>=.03). CONCLUSIONS The videoconference follow-up assessment of functional status demonstrates higher validity and reliability, as well as higher confidence and satisfaction perceived by patients, than the telephone assessment. The videoconference assessment provides an efficient means of assessing functional outcomes of patients after hospital discharge. This method provides a novel solution for clinical trials requiring longitudinal assessments. CLINICALTRIAL chictr.org.cn: ChiCTR1900027626; http://www.chictr.org.cn/edit.aspx?pid=44831&amp;htm=4.

HIGHER -THEORY OF FORMS I. FROM RINGS TO EXACT CATEGORIES

We prove the analog for the $K$ -theory of forms of the $Q=+$ theorem in algebraic $K$ -theory. That is, we show that the $K$ -theory of forms defined in terms of an $S_{\bullet }$ -construction is a group completion of the category of quadratic spaces for form categories in which all admissible exact sequences split. This applies for instance to quadratic and hermitian forms defined with respect to a form parameter.

Evaluation of a Multi-Session Group Designed to Prevent Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Minors: The “My Life My Choice” Curriculum

The commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) of children is a consequential public health and criminal justice problem, but no CSE prevention programs have been evaluated. The Boston-based My Life My Choice (MLMC) program offers a multisession psychoeducation group to girls who are identified as “at-disproportionate-risk” for CSE victimization and trains other agencies throughout the U.S. to offer this curriculum. The curriculum was designed to improve knowledge about the commercial sex industry and shift-related attitudes and behaviors. The current project was a multi-year, multi-site evaluation to assess the effectiveness of the MLMC prevention group. Using a one-group longitudinal design, changes in participant behavior and CSE knowledge were measured at baseline ( n = 354), upon group completion ( n = 296), and 3 months after group completion ( n = 241). The sample was 95% female-identified, 28% Black/African American, 26% White/non-Hispanic, 25% Hispanic/Latina, and 22% other race. The mean age of participants was 15.6 years old. Approximately 28% identified as bisexual, and 10% identified as lesbian, asexual, pansexual, or other. In multivariable-adjusted models, participants reported fewer episodes of sexually explicit behavior at follow up as compared to baseline (relative risk [RR]: 0.52, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.37-0.72 at Follow-up 1, and 0.53, 95% CI: 0.35-0.82 at Follow-up 2). Participants were 24% less likely to report dating abuse at Follow-up 2 as compared to baseline ( p = .06). In addition, as compared to baseline, participants were 40% more likely to have given help or information about CSE to a friend at Follow-up 2, and participants demonstrated increased knowledge and awareness about CSE and its harms over the follow-up period. Although additional evaluation using a comparison group and long-term follow up would increase confidence that observed changes are attributable to the group instead of other factors, results suggest that the MLMC curriculum may be effective in reducing the risk of CSE and improving other conditions for youth who are at-disproportionate-risk of CSE.

Linear Algebra and Differential Calculus in Pseudo-Intervals Vector Space

In this paper one proposes to use a new approach of interval arithmetic, the so-called pseudo- intervals [1, 5, 13]. It uses a construction which is more canonical and based on the semi-group completion into the group, and it allows to build a Banach vector space. This is achieved by embedding the vector space into free algebra of dimensions higher than 4. It permits to perform linear algebra and differential calculus with pseudo-intervals. Some numerical applications for interval matrix eigenmode calculation, inversion and function minimization are exhibited for simple examples.