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Query: EC:2.3.1.107 (DAT)
 1,471 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

An objective scale for measuring discomfort in noncommunicative patients with advanced Alzheimer's disease was empirically generated from the perspectives of nursing staff practicing on special care Alzheimer units and was judged to have content validity. On the basis of a pilot test, the discomfort scale was reduced to nine items. Quantifiable scoring procedures and a rater training program were developed. The scale (DS-DAT) was tested longitudinally for 6 months with 82 subjects at two sites. Psychometric properties, measurement issues, and recommendations for use in practice and research are discussed.
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PMID:Assessment of discomfort in advanced Alzheimer patients. 152 21

The role of the observer in the reliability of the Dutch Discomfort Scale-Dementia of Alzheimer Type (DS-DAT). The Discomfort Scale of Dementia of the Alzheimer Type (DS-DAT) is an instrument to assess discomfort in severely demented patients. No data on the reliability of assessment using a Dutch translation were available. In this paper, we analyse the role of the observer in the reliability of rating. This is of importance for studies in which many physicians perform multiple assessments. Twenty-eight nursing home physicians in training rated the DS-DAT in five nursing home patients with dementia presented on videotape. This was repeated after five months. All the physicians were previously trained in the use of the instrument. The results were statistically analysed using random effects analysis of variance. The Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was 0.74 for inter-observer reliability and 0.97 for intra-observer reliability. Variance between subsequent assessments was small, but physicians appeared to differ somewhat among themselves in the way they rated the videotaped patients. A future complete reliability assessment of rating the DS-DAT in clinical practice would involve patient variation as well, scoring patients in clinical practice.
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PMID:[The role of observer for the reliability of Dutch version of the Discomfort Scale-Dementia of Alzheimer Type (DS-DAT)]. 1145 71

The Discomfort Scale--Dementia of Alzheimer Type (DS-DAT) is an instrument to assess discomfort in patients with severe dementia by observing patients' behaviour during five minutes. Trained nursing home physicians collected data of 662 pneumonia patients with dementia. The data were used to test the validity of a Dutch translation of the DS-DAT as a measure of discomfort. Internal consistency of the nine-item instrument was favourable (Cronbach's alpha ranged between 0.82 and 0.84 for different times during and following the pneumonia), and factor analyses indicated measurement of a single concept. Furthermore, as hypothesised, discomfort appeared moderately associated with acute illness. Nursing home physicians' assessment of DS-DAT scores therefore appeared a suitable method to assess discomfort in severely demented psychogeriatric nursing home patients for research purposes. For use in individual patients, results are probably too strongly affected by the chosen time fluctuations of assessment. For this purpose, the current rater assessment instructions should be adapted and tested.
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PMID:[Measuring discomfort in patients with dementia. Validity of a Dutch version of the Discomfort Scale--dementia of Alzheimer type (DS-DAT)]. 1261 Dec 89

The Discomfort Scale--Dementia of Alzheimer Type (DS-DAT) measures discomfort in severely demented patients with scores on nine items with behavioral descriptors. Direct observation of behaviour is the preferred method in severely demented patients, but is not feasible for some types of research. Alternatively, a patient's score may be assessed 'retrospectively', scoring an overall picture of the patient. To assess validity and reliability of such retrospective assessments, five observers--three nursing home physicians and two paramedicals--gave a DS-DAT score for 77 nursing home patients by direct observation, and, two weeks later, retrospectively. The mean score of the five observers was not different. The Intra-class Correlation Coefficient for intra-observer reliability was 0.50 for the five observers, and 0.55 for the three nursing home physicians. Our study demonstrated the possibility of a reasonably valid, but moderately reliable retrospective assessment of the Dutch version of the DS-DAT. Appropriate training of nursing home physicians who know their patients well may be required for this.
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PMID:[Retrospective assessment of the Dutch version of the Discomfort Scale--Dementia of Alzheimer Type (DS-DAT): is estimation sufficiently valid and reliable?]. 1500 57

This study examined the concept of seating discomfort in a population of full-time wheelchair users with intact sensation. The goal was to construct a tool that would quantify seating discomfort experienced by wheelchair users. Ten participants were interviewed using ethnographic interview techniques. Data were analyzed using a cross-classifying matrix to examine commonalities among the 10 participants' responses. There were 16 discomfort and 13 comfort descriptors used by the participants. Of these, eight discomfort and five comfort descriptors were selected to include in the Wheelchair Seating Discomfort Assessment Tool (WcS-DAT). The discomfort descriptors selected were: aches and pains, need to move, pressure points, feeling poorly positioned, unable to concentrate, instability, not comfortable, and feeling too hot, cold or damp. The comfort descriptors selected were: absence of discomfort, feeling good, having no pain, able to concentrate, and feeling stable. The WcS-DAT also includes general information, such as the amount of time spent sitting and whether the individual was transferred into the chair properly--factors thought to affect discomfort--and ratings of discomfort intensity--in general and differentiated by body area. The WcS-DAT is a comprehensive tool for quantification of wheelchair seat discomfort for this population.
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PMID:Development of a consumer-driven Wheelchair Seating Discomfort Assessment Tool (WcS-DAT). 1509 77

Discomfort is a common problem for wheelchair users. Few researchers have investigated discomfort among wheelchair users or potential solutions for this problem. One of the impediments to quantitative research on wheelchair seating discomfort has been the lack of a reliable method for quantifying seat discomfort. The purpose of this study was to establish the test-retest reliability, internal item consistency, and concurrent validity of a newly developed Wheelchair Seating Discomfort Assessment Tool (WcS-DAT). Thirty full-time, active wheelchair users with intact sensation were asked to use this and other tools in order to rate their levels of discomfort in a test-retest reliability study format. Data from these measures were analyzed in SPSS using an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) model (2,k) to measure the test-retest reliability. Cronbach's alpha was used to examine the internal consistency of the items within the WcS-DAT. Concurrent validity with similar measures was analyzed using Pearson product-moment correlations. ICC scores for all analyses were above the established lower bound of .80, indicating a highly stable and reliable tool. In addition, alpha scores indicated good consistency of all items without redundancy. Finally, correlations with similar tools, such as the Chair Evaluation Checklist and the Short Form of the McGill Pain Questionnaire, were significant at the .05 level, and many were significant at the .001 level. These results support the use of the WcS-DAT as a reliable and stable tool for quantifying wheelchair seating discomfort. Its application will enhance the ability to assess and to research this important problem and will provide a means to validate the outcomes of specialized seating interventions for the study population of wheelchairs users.
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PMID:Test-retest reliability, internal item consistency, and concurrent validity of the wheelchair seating discomfort assessment tool. 1639 14

Dementia patients frequently die after a pneumonia or prolonged intake problems. Maintaining comfort is a goal of palliative care in end-stage dementia. To compare discomfort in dementia patients dying after a pneumonia with patients dying after intake problems, and to assess associations with treatment, we combined 2 Dutch prospective studies. We selected 559 pneumonia patients and 166 patients with intake problems who had no pneumonia. Discomfort was observed with the Discomfort Scale - Dementia of Alzheimer Type (DS-DAT). Linear regression was performed with the dependent DS-DAT levels shortly before death in 314 patients who died within 2 weeks. Compared with discomfort in patients with intake problems, unadjusted and adjusted discomfort in patients with pneumonia was higher both at t 0 and before death. In adjusted analyses, antibiotic treatment (mostly oral) was associated with less discomfort before death (beta -1.1, CI -2.2 - -0.03), while invasive rehydration (received by only 8 patients) was associated with more discomfort (beta 3.5, CI 0.6 - 6.3). Death from pneumonia may cause great suffering in dementia patients. If confirmed in a study with different case mix and treatments, antibiotics may be used to decrease discomfort even when death is imminent.
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PMID:Discomfort in dementia patients dying from pneumonia and its relief by antibiotics. 1906 50