To examine changes in functional status and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) during inpatient stroke rehabilitation to examine the associations between changes in the two measures.
Two ...independently collected databases were combined for a retrospective analysis. One contained the objectively assessed FIM score; the other contained the subjectively assessed Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short form (SF-36). Admission and discharge scores were compared using paired-samples t tests. Associations between the FIM outcomes and the SF-36 outcomes were assessed by means of Pearson's product-moment correlations.
One hundred sixteen patients were represented in both databases. Mean age was 71.4 yrs; 59 (51.1%) were female. All FIM scores, four of eight SF-36 domains, and one summary component score showed statistically significant improvement during the course of rehabilitation. Changes in SF-36 were not strongly associated with changes in FIM score, with only 6 of 90 correlations attaining statistical significance.
Functional status and HRQOL improved considerably over the course of rehabilitation. However, there was poor association between the two outcomes. Both instruments offer insights into outcomes of inpatient rehabilitation, but they are complementary rather than overlapping.
The objective of this study was to determine the output, in‐vitro, solution of a concentrated solution of flunisolide from two different nebulisers under simulated breathing conditions. The BimboNeb ...and Nebula nebulisers were used to nebulise 2.6 mL of flunisolide solution (600 μg). Particle size was determined by inertial impaction and the total output of drug from the nebulisers under simulated breathing conditions was measured using a sinus flow pump. Two different breathing patterns were used, simulating nebuliser use by a child and an adult. The mass median aerodynamic diameter of flunisolide particles from the BimboNeb and Nebula were both 3.9 μm. With the simulated paediatric breathing pattern, both nebulisers delivered similar amounts of flunisolide (56.4 μg (s.d. 1.4μg) and 56.1 μg (5 μg) over 5 min from the BimboNeb and Nebula, respectively). With the adult breathing pattern, flunisolide delivery from the BimboNeb was increased to 88.9 μg (3.3 μg), but delivery from the Nebula was only slightly increased to 64.6 μg (1.4 μg). With both nebulisers, little drug was released after 5 min of nebulisation. Both nebulisers delivered 9–15 % of the nominal dose of flunisolide to the breathing simulator, a similar percentage to previous studies with budesonide and more than previous studies with beclometasone. Drug delivery from the BimboNeb, but not the Nebula, was affected by the simulated breathing pattern. This study suggests that drug delivery from nebulisers is dependent upon the interaction between the nebuliser, the drug and the patient.
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