Cross-Cultural Validation of Health and Quality of Life Measures for Children in Hong Kong.

Objective: The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL™) 4.0 is a health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measure designed for clinical practice and research, health policy evaluation, and general population surveys. There is a dearth of instruments measuring quality of life in children which are available in Chinese and validated for Chinese populations. Therefore, this study attempted to establish the Hong Kong populations' norms for the Chinese version of PedsQL™ and examined the psychometric properties of the measure for this population. Methods: Sixty-nine children (aged 7 to 12 years) and their parents completed the child self-report and the parent proxy report, respectively, of the PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Module. To evaluate construct validity, a group comparison of children with special educational needs (SEN) (n = 21) and those with typical development (TD) (n = 48) was conducted. Differences based on age group and gender and parent-child agreement on the perception of the child's HRQOL were also examined. Results: Children with SEN had a lower quality of life perception than those with TD in the physical, social, and schooling domains. No significant differences in emotional health were found between the two groups. The differences between the children with SEN and with TD varied based on age group and gender. The differences between the parents' and children's perceptions of the children's HRQOL were insignificant in this sample. Conclusion: Norms for the Chinese version of the PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Module for the Hong Kong population were established in the study, and both the child self-report and parent proxy report were found to be reliable and valid for this population.

Nasogastric tube placement with video-guided laryngoscope: A manikin simulator study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate video-guided laryngoscopy for nasogastric tube placement. METHODS: This was an observational comparative study performed in a hospital. The participants included volunteers from the medical staff (physicians and nurses) experienced with nasogastric intubation, and non-medical staff (medical students, pharmacists and emergent medical technicians) with knowledge of nasogastric intubation but lacking procedural experience. Medical and non-medical hospital staff performed manual, laryngoscope-assisted and video-guided laryngoscope nasogastric intubation both in the presence and in the absence of an endotracheal tube, using a manikin. Nasogastric intubation times were compared between groups and methods. RESULTS: Using the video-guided laryngoscope resulted in a significantly shorter intubation time compared to the other 2 methods, both with and without an endotracheal tube, for the medical and non-medical staff alike (all p < 0.05). For the medical staff, mean nasogastric intubation time was significantly shorter using video-guided laryngoscope without endotracheal intubation, direct laryngoscope with endotracheal intubation and video-guided laryngoscope with endotracheal intubation compared to manual intubation without endotracheal intubation (0.49, 0.63 and 0.72 vs. 5.63, respectively, p ≤ 0.008). For non-medical staff, nasogastric intubation time was significantly shorter using video-guided laryngoscope without endotracheal intubation, direct laryngoscope with endotracheal intubation and video-guided laryngoscope with endotracheal intubation compared to manual intubation without endotracheal intubation (1.67, 1.58 and 0.95 vs. 6.9, respectively, p ≤ 0.002). And mean nasogastric intubation time for video-guided laryngoscope endotracheal intubation was significantly shorter for medical staff than for non-medical staff (0.49 vs. 1.67 min, respectively, p = 0.041). CONCLUSION: Video-guided laryngoscope reduces nasogastric intubation time compared to manual and direct laryngoscope intubation, which promotes a consistent technique when performed by experienced medical and previously untrained non-medical staff.

[Factors associated with self-care behaviors in middle-aged adults and elderly with diabetes mellitus].

BACKGROUND: Adequate self-care behavior in diabetic individuals is essential to reduce the progress of the condition and reduce diabetes related complications. Continued research to understand the factors associated with self-care behaviors is needed in order to reduce health care costs and the social burdens associated with diabetes. PURPOSE: To investigate factors associated with self-care behaviors in individuals with diabetes in the community. METHODS: Researchers used secondary data analysis to assess survey data on diabetic individuals obtained from the Community Integrated Screening conducted by the Meishan Township Public Health Center and adult health examinations. Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression analyses evaluated the independent factors associated with self-care behaviors. RESULTS: A total of ninety-seven individuals with Type 2 diabetes met the inclusion criteria. Mean age was 67.1 years and 37.1% was male. Results from multiple linear regression analysis indicated self-care behavior as poorer in individuals who drank alcohol during the past six months (p=.001), smoked cigarettes during the past six months (p=.015), and/or practiced religious or spiritual beliefs (p=.003). CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Findings from this study can help understand factors affecting self-care behaviors in individuals with diabetes in the community. Medical and public health units should focus on providing effective advice on smoking and drinking cessation to individuals with diabetes. Units should also clarify potential conflicts between individuals' self-care behaviors and their religious or spiritual beliefs.