Physicians' perspectives and future vision on disability assessments by phone during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Physicians, who perform disability assessments for the Dutch Social Security Institute, were urged to conduct phone consultations from their homes to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the perspectives of physicians regarding phone consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, to explore physicians' views on a more widespread future use of phone consultations in the context of work disability assessments. METHODS: An electronic survey conducted from June to August 2020 included 41 statements categorized into themes previously identified in both the literature on physicians' phone consultations and emerging from daily practice. All 1081 physicians working at the Dutch Social Security Institute were invited by e-mail to participate in the survey. Participants indicated on a 5-point Likert scale whether they strongly disagreed, disagreed, neither agreed nor disagreed, agreed or strongly agreed with the statements. The collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: In general, physicians had become accustomed to perform phone consultations. Negative experiences included difficulties in getting an impression of patients and assessing patients' functional limitations. About half of physicians found that phone consultations took more effort, 61% asked more questions due to no direct patient observations. According to 67%, it is mostly necessary to perform an in-person consultation to adequately assess functional limitations of a patient with persistent medically unexplained physical symptoms. A great majority did not prefer telephone consultations to in-person consultations. However, more than half of physicians perceive a greater preference for phone consultations in the future than previously. 56% thought that replacement of in-person consultations with phone consultations in the future might lead to more complaints. CONCLUSIONS: Perspectives and future views varied among physicians performing disability assessments by phone. A majority of physicians experienced difficulties with different aspects of the assessment. Despite these difficulties, most physicians support to continue the wider use of phone consultations. To improve remote disability assessments it is required to gain more insights into conditions under which a phone assessment can be as diligent as an in-person assessment.

Energy expenditure and muscle activity during lying, sitting, standing, and walking in people with motor-incomplete spinal cord injury.

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional exploratory study. OBJECTIVES: To determine oxygen uptake (VO2), energy expenditure (EE), and muscle activity (MA) during lying (rest), sitting, standing, and walking among ambulatory individuals with spinal cord Injury (SCI) and to compare VO2, EE, and MA between individuals with different levels of ambulation. SETTING: Rehabilitation institution with a spinal cord injury unit. METHODS: A total of 22 adults with motor-incomplete SCI, ten in a low-ambulation group (non-functional or household walker) and 12 in a high-ambulation group (community or normal walker). VO2 was measured using indirect calorimetry. EE was expressed in metabolic equivalent of task (MET). MA was measured using a wireless surface electromyography device. RESULTS: Mean VO2 was 3.19 ml/kg/min. During lying and sitting, EE was below 1.5 METs for all participants. During standing, three participants of the low-ambulation group and none in the high-ambulation group showed MET values of >1.5. In the walking condition, all participants showed MET values above 1.5. MA during stance was higher compared to the sitting condition and significantly higher in the low-ambulation group compared to the high-ambulation group. CONCLUSION: Lying, supported- and unsupported sitting, without moving, appear to be sedentary behaviors for ambulatory individuals with a motor-incomplete SCI (MET values of <1.5 and a lack of MA). Walking, but not standing, is a moderate physical activity (>1.5 METs), which can be used by all individuals with motor-incomplete SCI to interrupt sedentary behavior.