No abstract available.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the utility of using the Personal Assistance Services classification system (PAS-CS) that examines individuals with disabilities for services and government funding. To this end, this study also tests for significant differences in PAS-CS scores across disability grades and disability types. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted using the 2014 National Survey on People with Disabilities (NSPD) data set. We selected patients with three types of disabilities (physical disabilities, brain lesions, and visual impairments). We compared the average PAS-CS scores of patients with different disability types and grades using general linear models with multiple comparisons. RESULTS: A total of 4,810 patients were included in the analysis. Patients with brain lesions had the highest average PAS-CS scores in activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) domains. Patients with visual impairments had the highest average scores in ‘Disease-specific disability’ and ‘Social-environment’ domains. For patients with physical disabilities and visual impairments, no PAS-CS domains were significantly different between patients with disability grade III and those with disability grade IV (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The PAS-CS scores of disability grades were not equivalent among individuals with different disability types. The Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare currently only considers certain disability grades for PAS preeligibility, as a result disregarding the characteristics of different disability types. Thus, the current PAS-CS requires modifications.
Activities of Daily Living ; Brain ; Classification* ; Dataset ; Disability Evaluation ; Disabled Persons ; Financial Management ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Public Assistance ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Social Welfare ; Vision Disorders

No abstract available.
Observer Variation ; Humans

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a highly prevalent disease. Assessing treatment efficacy is critical in that clinical endpoints are properly evaluated. Clinical tools for symptoms severity assessment should be discriminative, predictive and evaluative. METHODS: In this study we compared a patient-oriented symptoms evaluation (ReQuest(TM)) vs a structured interview assessment initiated by a physician (sickness impact profile [SIP]). Both questionnaires were analyzed in a multidimensional space using latent factors. Five dimensions were found: 1 for the short ReQuest(TM) questionnaire and 4 for SIP. RESULTS: We included 1,522 women and 1,296 men; mean age was 36 +/- 7 years, and mean body mass index was 26 +/- 4. The score questionnaire assessment evaluation by physicians and patients did not correlate between them (between r = 0.03 and 0.26) except nausea and sleep disorder (r = 0.45 and 0.51) but both were sensitive enough to detect changes after treatment (P < 0.05). Medical specialty of the physician showed effect on the score of both, ReQuest(TM) and SIP evaluation. Questionnaire variance decomposition due to specialist was only 2% (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: While both evaluations are orthogonal (non-correlated), meaning patients and physicians measured diverse aspects of the same disease, they both were able to measure patient's improvement with treatment.
2-Pyridinylmethylsulfinylbenzimidazoles ; Body Mass Index ; Female ; Gastroesophageal Reflux ; Humans ; Monitoring, Physiologic ; Nausea ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Specialization ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To evaluate the effectiveness of pantoprazole magnesium (pantoprazole-Mg) 40 mg in the relief of esophageal and extra-esophageal symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), particularly night-time symptoms. METHODS: Patients (aged 18-50 years) with 3-month history of heartburn and/or acid regurgitation plus at least one other symptom in the last week were enrolled in a nationwide, prospective and observational study in Mexico. Patients received pantoprazole-Mg 40 mg once daily during 4 weeks. Symptoms were assessed through a physician-administered structured interview and the patient-completed ReQuest in Practice(TM) questionnaire. Night-time GERD was defined as arousal from sleep during the night due to GERD-associated symptoms. RESULTS: Out of 4,343 patients included at basal visit, 3,665 were considered for the effectiveness per protocol analysis. At baseline, patients had a median of 8 GERD related symptoms. Patients with night-time GERD symptoms (42.7%) were more likely to have extra-esophageal symptoms (P < 0.001) than other GERD patients. Pantoprazole-Mg 40 mg once daily for 4 weeks improved a broad range of GERD-associated symptoms from baseline (80% reduction on physicians assessments; 68-77% reduction on ReQuest in Practice(TM) dimensions), including both day- and night-time GERD symptoms; improvements were the greatest for extra-esophageal symptoms in patients with night-time symptoms. Pantoprazole-Mg was well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: Pantoprazole-Mg 40 mg significantly improved a broad range of esophageal and extra-esophageal GERD related symptoms including sleep disturbances, as well as well-being, in patients with daytime or night-time GERD, making it a good option for patients with GERD, especially when extra-esophageal and night-time symptoms are present.
Arousal ; Gastroesophageal Reflux* ; Heartburn ; Humans ; Magnesium* ; Mexico ; Observational Study ; Prospective Studies ; Proton Pump Inhibitors ; Surveys and Questionnaires