[Measuring quality of life in nursing home residents with severe dementia: psychometric properties of the QUALID scale]. / Het meten van kwaliteit van leven bij ernstig demente verpleeghuisbewoners: psychometrische eigenschappen van de QUALID-schaal.

The Quality of Life in Late Stage Dementia (QUALID) Scale is an instrument to measure quality of life in patients with severe dementia over the last week by means of an interview with a nurse or nurse aid. We interviewed nurse aids on 48 patients with severe dementia in two nursing homes in The Netherlands to determine the psychometric properties of the Dutch translation of the QUALID. Test- retest reliability was good with an Concordance Correlation Coefficient (CCC) of 0.82, (95% Confidence Interval, CI 0.70 - 0.90); interrater reliability was moderate, with an CCC of 0.49 (CI: 0.17-0.72). There was a significant, but low correlation between QUALID ratings and discomfort ratings as observed with the Discomfort Scale-Dementia of Alzheimer Type (DS-DAT), amounting 0.32 (CI: 0.04 - 0.56). The QUALID seems appropriate for measuring quality of life in patients with advanced dementia, when one and the same rater monitors a patient over time in a longitudinal study.

Infant size and relative placental weight at birth.

In 811 unselected term infants, the ratios of placental weight to (a) body weight, (b) head circumference and (c) body length were assessed as possible determinants of infant size at birth. Unlike the placentofetal weight ratio, the ratio of placental weight to either head circumference of body length proved an excellent predictor of infant size, ponderal index and skinfold thickness. Infants with a relatively small placenta at term were growth-retarded when compared to infants with relatively large placentas. It is suggested that the ratio of placental weight to either head circumference or body length at term reflects not only relative placental size but also the functional capacity of the placenta to meet the nutritional demands of the fetus.