Integration of health services improves multiple healthcare outcomes among HIV-infected people who inject drugs in Ukraine. Quality of life in Brazil: normative values for the Whoqol-bref in a southern general population sample A comparison of the WHOQOL-100 and the WHOQOL-BREF in detecting change in quality of life following liver transplantation Correlation between changes in quality of life and symptomatic improvement in Chinese patients switched from typical antipsychotics to olanzapine Exercise is associated with better quality of life in patients on TSH-suppressive therapy with levothyroxine for differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Community-based treatment for opioid dependent offenders: a pilot study. A randomized, controlled trial of fall prevention programs and quality of life in older fallers. Changes in quality of life in chronic psychiatric patients: A comparison between EuroQol (EQ-5D) and WHOQoL Metformin improved health-related quality of life in ethnic Chinese women with polycystic ovary syndrome Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and yoga for drug-refractory epilepsy: A randomized controlled trial Determinants of objective and subjective quality of life in first-time-admission schizophrenic patients in Poland: a longitudinal study Effects of Supervised Exercise Therapy in Patients Receiving Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer Beating Bipolar: exploratory trial of a novel Internet-based psychoeducational treatment for bipolar disorder. Outpatient methadone maintenance treatment program. Quality of life and health of opioid-dependent persons in Lithuania. Psychiatric morbidity, quality of life, and disability in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy patients before and after anterior temporal lobectomy The Effects of an Emotional Intelligence Program on the Quality of Life and Well-Being of Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Effect of speech therapy as adjunct treatment to continuous positive airway pressure on the quality of life of patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Effect of a comprehensive plan for periodontal disease care on oral health-related quality of life in patients with periodontal disease in Taiwan Helping carers to care--the 10/66 dementia research group's randomized control trial of a caregiver intervention in Russia. Efficacy and Safety of Ledipasvir/Sofosbuvir With and Without Ribavirin in Patients With Chronic HCV Genotype 1 Infection Receiving Opioid Substitution Therapy: Analysis of Phase 3 ION Trials. Cost-utility analysis of methadone maintenance treatment in Lithuania. Effects of nurse-delivered home visits combined with telephone calls on medication adherence and quality of life in HIV-infected heroin users in Hunan of China. Novel occupational therapy interventions may improve quality of life in older adults with dementia
BACKGROUND People who inject drugs ( PWID ) experience poor outcomes and fuel HIV epidemics in middle-income countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia . We assess integrated/co-located ( ICL ) healthcare for HIV-infected PWID , which despite international recommendations , is neither widely available nor empirically examined . METHODS A 2010 cross-sectional study r and omly sample d 296 HIV-infected opioid-dependent PWID from two representative HIV-endemic regions in Ukraine where ICL , non-co-located ( NCL ) and harm reduction/outreach ( HRO ) setting s are available .  ICL setting s provide onsite HIV , addiction , and tuberculosis services , NCLs only treat addiction , and HROs provide counseling , needles/syringes , and referrals , but no opioid substitution therapy ( OST ) . The primary outcome was receipt of quality healthcare , measured using a quality healthcare indicator ( QHI ) composite score representing percentage of eight guidelines -based recommended indicators met for HIV , addiction and tuberculosis treatment . The secondary outcomes were individual QHIs and health-related quality -of-life ( HRQoL ) . RESULTS On average , ICL- participants had significantly higher QHI composite scores compared to NCL- and HRO- participants ( 71.9 % versus 54.8 % versus 37.0 % , p<0.001 ) even after controlling for potential confounders . Compared to NCL- participants , ICL- participants were significantly more likely to receive antiretroviral therapy ( 49.5 % versus 19.2 % , p<0.001 ) , especially if CD4 ≤ 200 ( 93.8 % versus 62.5 % p<0.05 ) ; guideline -recommended OST dosage ( 57.3 % versus 41.4 % , p<0.05 ) ; and isoniazid preventive therapy ( 42.3 % versus 11.2 % , p<0.001 ) . Subjects receiving OST had significantly higher HRQoL than those not receiving it ( p<0.001 ) ; however , HRQoL did not differ significantly between ICL- and NCL- participants . CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that OST alone improves quality -of-life , while receiving care in integrated setting s collectively and individually improves healthcare quality indicators for PWID Purpose Normative data for WHOQOL-bref are scarce in the literature and unavailable in Latin American countries . The main objective of this study was to provide normative scores of WHOQOL-bref in a general population sample in Brazil and to describe differences in mean scores according to some socio-demographic characteristics . Methods WHOQOL-bref was applied to a r and omly selected sample of the general population of Porto Alegre . Participants were literate people aged 20 to 64 years . The question naires were self-administered in the presence of an interviewer in the respondent ’s home . Results The response rate was 68 % , and the final sample contained 751 respondents ( 38 % men , 62 % women ) .  Low quality of life was observed in the following subgroups : female gender , lower economic class , lower educational level , and the subgroup reporting a chronic medical condition . The mean scores of the WHOQOL-bref and percentiles of scores are reported as normative data for the general population . Conclusion Our results can be useful to research ers using the WHOQOL-bref to compare their results with normative data from a r and omly selected sample of general population . Additionally , the ability of WHOQOL-bref to discriminate different population subgroups makes it an important tool to identify vulnerable groups in epidemiological surveys The World Health Organization has recently produced a generic quality of life measure – the WHOQOL-100 , together with an abbreviated version , the WHOQOL-BREF . Preliminary data suggest that the WHOQOL BREF provides a valid and reliable alternative to the lengthier WHOQOL-100 . In the present study , the sensitivity to change of both versions was tested pre- and 3 months post liver transplantation in fifty patients and also in twenty-one non-transplanted liver disease controls .  Quality of Life domains on both measures were highly correlated , and were sensitive to change following transplant and remained stable on repeat assessment in non-transplanted control patients . However , the sensitivity to change was significantly reduced for the Social domain in the WHOQOL BREF . It is concluded that the WHO-QOL-BREF is a useful alternative to the WHOQOL-100 in evaluating quality of life improvement following major therapeutic interventions for Physical , Psychological and Environmental domains of life quality . However , research ers interested in measuring the Social aspects of life quality may be best advised to use the lengthier WHOQOL-100 Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between changes in symptoms and changes in self-reported quality of life among Chinese patients with schizophrenia who were switched from a typical antipsychotic to olanzapine during usual outpatient care . Patients and methods This post hoc analysis was conducted using data from the Chinese subgroup ( n=475 ) of a multicountry , 12-month , prospect i ve , noninterventional , observational study . The primary publication previously reported the efficacy , safety , and quality of life among patients who switched from a  typical antipsychotic to olanzapine . Patients with schizophrenia were included if their symptoms were inadequately controlled with a typical antipsychotic and they were switched to olanzapine .  Symptom severity was measured using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale ( BPRS ) and the Clinical Global Impressions-Severity scale ( CGI-S ) . Health-Related Quality of Life ( HRQOL ) was assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life – Abbreviated ( WHOQOL-BREF ) . Paired t-tests were performed to assess changes from baseline to endpoint . Pearson ’s correlation coefficients ( r ) were used to assess the correlations between change in symptoms ( BPRS and CGI-S scores ) and change in HRQOL ( WHOQOL-BREF scores ) . Results Symptoms and HRQOL both improved significantly over the 12 months of treatment ( P<0.001 ) . Significant correlations were observed between changes from baseline to end of study on the BPRS and the CGI-S and each of the WHOQOL-BREF four domain scores and two overall quality -of-life questions . The correlation coefficients ranged from r=−0.45 to r=−0.53 for the BPRS and WHOQOL-BREF . The correlation coefficients were slightly smaller between the CGI-S and WHOQOL-BREF , ranging from r=−0.33 to r=−0.40 . Conclusion For patients with schizophrenia , assessing quality of life has the potential to add valuable information to the clinical assessment that takes into account the patient ’s own perspective of well-being OBJECTIVE To evaluate if a supervised exercise training program improves the quality of life ( QoL ) of differentiated thyroid carcinoma ( DTC ) patients on TSH-suppressive therapy with levothyroxine ( L-T4 ) . SUBJECTS AND METHODS Initially , a cross-sectional study was performed to compare the QoL and the health-related quality of life ( HRQoL ) between sub clinical hyperthyroidism ( SCH ) patients ( n = 33 ) and euthyroid subjects ( EU ; n = 49 ) . In the prospect i ve phase of the study , SCH patients were r and omized in a non-blinded fashion to either participate ( SCH-Tr = trained patients ; n = 16 ) or not ( SCH-Sed = untrained patients ; n = 17 ) in a supervised exercise training program . The exercise program consisted of 60 minutes of aerobic and stretching exercises , twice a week , during twelve weeks . The QoL was assessed by the application of the WHOQOL-Bref , and the SF-36 was used to assess the HRQoL. RESULTS SCH patients had statistically lower scores than EU on the " physical " domain of WHOQOL-Bref , besides " physical function " , " role-physical " , " bodily pain " , " general health " , " vitality " , " role-emotional " , and " mental-health " domains of SF-36 . After three months , SCH-Tr patients showed improvement in the " physical " and " psychological " domains of WHOQOL-Bref ( p < 0.05 ) , and in the " physical function " , " role-physical " , " bodily pain " , " vitality " and " mental health " domains of SF-36 . CONCLUSION Patients on TSH-suppressive therapy with L-T4 for DTC had impaired QoL and HRQoL compared to EU , but it was improved after 3-months of an exercise training program . Exercise seems to play an important role in the follow-up of DTC patients , since it seems to minimize the adverse effects of the treatment on QoL and BACKGROUND Primary care opioid substitution treatment ( OST ) has not been compared to program-based OST for community-supervised offenders . OBJECTIVE The purpose of this project was to compare primary care to specialist supervised OST for opioid dependent offenders in terms of substance use and HIV risk outcomes . METHODS This project r and omly assigned 15 jail diversion participants to either : ( i ) primary care buprenorphine OST , ( ii ) specialist facility buprenorphine OST , or ( iii ) specialist facility methadone OST . Participation lasted 13.5 months ( 12-month active treatment plus a post-participation visit ) . RESULTS All subjects endorsed 0 days of opioid use in the previous 14 at follow-up . Specialty care reduced HIV risk ( Risk Assessment Battery composite score ) over 6 months ( -.24 ± .17 ) compared to primary care ( .02 ± .14 ; p = .032 ) . CONCLUSION Findings support primary care OST feasibility for a community-supervised offender sample . Specialist care may facilitate improvements in secondary outcomes , such as HIV risk behaviors . SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE Further research is needed to clarify ( i ) the role of primary care in addicted offender management , and ( ii ) the matching of offenders , based upon history and co-morbidity , to care coordination conditions OBJECTIVES To compare the effects of three fall-prevention programs ( education ( ED ) , home safety assessment and modification ( HSAM ) , and exercise training ( ET ) ) on quality of life ( QOL ) , functional balance and gait , activities of daily living ( ADLs ) , fear of falling , and depression in adults aged 65 and older . DESIGN A 4-month r and omized trial . SETTING R and omized , controlled trial . PARTICIPANTS One hundred fifty participants who had experienced a recent fall . MEASUREMENTS QOL was assessed according to the brief version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life instrument ( WHOQOL-BREF ) , functional balance and gait according to functional reach and Tinetti balance and gait , ADLs according to the Older Americans Re sources and Services question naire , fear of falling according to a visual analog scale , and depression level according to the Geriatric Depression Scale . RESULTS The score changes for the ET group were 2.1 points greater on the physical domain ( 95 % confidence interval (CI)=-1.2 - 5.3 ) , 3.8 points greater on the psychological domain ( 95 % CI=0.7 - 7.0 ) , and for the WHOQOL-BREF , 3.4 points greater on the social domain ( 95 % CI=0.7 - 6.1 ) and 3.2 points greater on the environmental domain ( 95 % CI=0.6 - 5.7 ) than for the ED group . The score change for each domain of the WHOQOL-BREF for the HSAM group was greater than that for the ED group , although these results were not statistically significant . The ET group also had greater improvements in functional reach , Tinetti balance and gait , and fear of falling than the ED group . CONCLUSION The QOL outcome supports the superiority of ET over the other two interventions in older people who have recently fallen . This finding also parallels those gathered from the functional measures It has often been postulated that simple , short question naires are unable to reflect complex changes in well-being of individuals with chronic psychiatric disorders . To investigate these assumptions we included two recently developed instruments to measure quality of life  ( the WHOQoL-Bref and the EuroQoL EQ-5D ) in a r and omised control trial ( RCT ) in which two treatment conditions were compared . Aims of the study were to assess the sensitivity and validity of these  quality of life (QoL)-instruments  , to establish their relationship and to examine the predictors of changes in QoL. Subjective changes in QoL were measured on three assessment s waves in a period of 18 months and compared to objective changes in psychopathology and social functioning in a sample of 76 chronic schizophrenic patients who participated in the RCT . Results indicated that both WHOQoL-Bref and EuroQoL EQ-5D are capable of detecting changes in QoL over time in physical and psychological well-being . The instruments partly measure the same aspects of QoL , indicated by 50 % common variance on total scores . Reduction of positive psychotic symptoms appeared to be the most important factor in improving QoL. The weighted TTO-score of EuroQoL-5D , which is often used as an index in economic evaluations of health care , did however not correspond with these changes , which indicates that it is less sensitive to changes in social and psychological well-being . It ’s use as the core measure in ( economic ) health evaluation in the field of psychiatry therefore seems less appropriate Background Few studies have assessed whether the amelioration of the clinical signs of polycystic ovary syndrome ( PCOS ) achieved by treatment leads to improvement in the health-related quality of life ( HRQoL ) of patients . This study was aim ed to examine the HRQoL of ethnic Chinese women with PCOS who received metformin treatment .  Methods This prospect i ve study was conducted at a medical center in Taiwan . Study participants aged 18–45 years were diagnosed as having PCOS according to the Rotterdam criteria , and all received metformin treatment .  Their HRQoL was assessed using generic ( WHOQOL-Bref ) and PCOS-specific ( Chi-PCOSQ ) instruments . Mixed effect models were used to examine the effects of metformin on repeatedly measured HRQoL. Additional analyses using stratified patients characteristics ( overweight vs. normal ; hyper and rogenism vs. non-hyper and rogenism ) were done . Results We recruited 109 participants ( 56 % were overweight , 80 % had hyper and rogenism ) . Among the domain scores of WHOQOL-Bref , the psychological domain score was the lowest one ( 12.64 ± 2.2 , range 4–20 ) . Weight ( 3.25 ± 1.59 , range 1–7 ) and infertility ( 3.38 ± 1.93 , range 1–7 ) domain scores were relatively low among the domain scores of Chi-PCOSQ . Overweight and hyper and rogenic patients had significantly lower HRQoL as compared with those of normal weight and non-hyper and rogenic patients , respectively . Metformin significantly improved the physical domain of WHOQOL-Bref ( p = 0.01 ) , and the infertility ( p = 0.043 ) and acne and hair loss aspects ( p = 0.008 ) of PCOS-specific HRQoL. In the subgroup analysis , significantly improved HRQoL  following metformin treatment appeared for only overweight and hyper and rogenism subgroups . Conclusions Metformin might improve health-related quality of life of polycystic ovary syndrome women  by ameliorating psychological disturbances due to acne , hair loss and infertility problems , especially for overweight and hyper and rogenic patients OBJECTIVE There is a need for controlled outcome studies on behavioral treatment of epilepsy . The purpose of this study was to evaluate Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ( ACT ) and yoga in the treatment of epilepsy . METHODS The design consisted of a r and omized controlled trial with repeated measures ( N=18 ) . All participants had an EEG-verified epilepsy diagnosis with drug-refractory seizures . Participants were r and omized into one of two groups : ACT or yoga . Therapeutic effects were measured using seizure index ( frequency x duration ) and quality of life ( Satisfaction with Life Scale , WHOQOL-BREF ) . The treatment protocol s consisted of 12 hours of professional therapy distributed in two individual sessions , two group sessions during a 5-week period , and booster sessions at 6 and 12 months posttreatment . Seizure index was continuously assessed during the 3-month baseline and 12-month follow-up . Quality of life was measured after treatment and at the 6-month and 1-year follow-ups . RESULTS The results indicate that both ACT and yoga significantly reduce seizure index and increase quality of life over time . ACT reduced seizure index significantly more as compared with yoga . Participants in both the ACT and yoga groups improved their quality of life significantly as measured by one of two quality -of-life instruments . The ACT group increased their quality of life significantly as compared with the yoga group as measured by the WHOQOL-BREF , and the yoga group increased their quality of life significantly as compared with the ACT group as measured by the SWLS . CONCLUSIONS The results of this study suggest that complementary treatments , such as ACT and yoga , decrease seizure index and increase quality of life Objectives This study involved a naturalistic , prospect i ve project assessing objective and subjective dimensions of quality of life ( QoL ) and the range of its putative determinants in first-episode schizophrenia . Methods Seventy-four patients , mean age 24.7 years , participated in the study . The patients were assessed 1 month following the first hospitalisation ( Time 1 ) , 12 months later ( Time 2 ) , and 4–6 years after Time 1 ( Time 3 ) . The Social Functioning Scale and World Health Organisation Quality of Life-BREF ( WHOQOL-BREF ) were applied to evaluate objective and subjective QoL , respectively . The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale was used to examine psychopathological status , and the Global Assessment Scale was applied to evaluate social adjustment prior to hospitalisation . Results The objective and subjective QoL was relatively low at Time 1 . Over time , the objective QoL improved in three domains , decreased in one domain , and remained stable in three domains . The subjective QoL did not change . The most important predictors of both dimensions of QoL were psychopathology and duration of untreated psychosis . Conclusions Because psychopathology seems to have the greatest impact on the QoL , there is a need to develop community psychosocial treatment to reduce these symptoms and to support patients in the early phase of the disease Purpose Postoperative radiotherapy for breast cancer has a number of associated complications . This study examined whether supervised moderate-intensity exercise could mitigate the complications that occur during radiotherapy . Patients and Methods Forty women were r and omized before radiotherapy after various operations for breast cancer . Seventeen patients who were assigned to the exercise group performed supervised moderate-intensity exercise therapy for 50 min 3 times per week for 5 weeks . Twenty-three patients in the  control group were asked to perform self-shoulder stretching exercise . The World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF ( WHOQOL-BREF ) , brief fatigue inventory ( BFI ) , range of motion ( ROM ) of the shoulder , and pain score were assessed before and after radiotherapy . Results There were no significant differences noted at baseline between groups . In the exercise group , there was an increase in the WHOQOL-BREF and shoulder ROM and decrease in BFI and pain score after radiotherapy . On the other h and , patients in the control group showed decrease in the WHOQOL-BREF and shoulder ROM and increase in BFI and pain score after radiotherapy . There were statistically significant differences in the changes in the WHOQOL , BFI , shoulder ROM , and pain score between the groups . Conclusion Patients receiving radiotherapy for breast cancer may benefit in physical and psychological aspects from supervised moderate-intensity exercise therapy OBJECTIVES Psychoeducational approaches are promising interventions for the long-term management of bipolar disorder . In consultation with professionals , patients , and their families we have developed a novel web-based psychoeducational intervention for bipolar disorder called Beating Bipolar . We undertook a preliminary exploratory r and omized trial to examine efficacy , feasibility and acceptability . METHODS This was an exploratory r and omized controlled trial of Beating Bipolar ( current controlled trials registration number : IS RCT N81375447 ) . The control arm was treatment-as-usual and the a priori primary outcome measure was quality of life [ measured by the brief World Health Organization Quality of Life ( WHOQOL-BREF ) scale ] . Secondary outcomes included psychosocial functioning , insight , depressive and manic symptoms and relapse , and use of healthcare re sources . Fifty participants were r and omized to either the Beating Bipolar intervention plus treatment-as-usual or just treatment-as-usual .  The intervention was delivered over a four-month period and outcomes were assessed six months later . RESULTS There was no significant difference between the intervention and control groups on the primary outcome measure ( total WHOQOL-BREF score ) but there was a modest improvement within the psychological subsection of the WHOQOL-BREF for the intervention group relative to the control group . There were no significant differences between the groups on any of the secondary outcome measures . CONCLUSIONS Beating Bipolar is potentially a safe and engaging intervention which can be delivered remotely to large numbers of patients with bipolar disorder at relatively low cost . It may have a modest effect on psychological quality of life . Further work is required to establish the impact of this intervention on insight , knowledge , treatment adherence , self-efficacy and self-management skills BACKGROUND The evaluation of quality of life and self-perceived health represents an assessment of the impact of treatment on patient functioning and well-being . OBJECTIVE Our aim was to explore the impact of methadone maintenance treatment on quality of life and self-perceived health of opioid-dependent persons in Lithuania . METHODS A total of 102 opioid-dependent patients were recruited in the study . A prospect i ve follow-up study design was used . To assess quality of life , the WHOQOL-BREF 26-item version was used . The impact of methadone maintenance treatment on self-perceived health was assessed by Opiate Treatment Index ( OTI ) . RESULTS Following 6 months of methadone maintenance treatment , significant improvements in physical ( P=0.004 ) , psychological ( P=0.004 ) , and environmental ( P=0.048 ) components of quality of life were observed ; no statistically significant improvements were found in social component of quality of life . Study participants reported lower rates of medical morbidity associated with injection ( P<0.001 ) , cardiorespiratory ( P=0.034 ) , musculoskeletal ( P<0.001 ) , neurological ( P=0.013 ) , gastrointestinal ( P<0.001 ) , and general health ( P<0.001 ) . CONCLUSIONS Methadone maintenance treatment substantially reduces morbidity associated with opioid dependence and improves the quality of life of patients Considerable interest has been focused on the psychiatric complications of medically refractory temporal lobe epilepsy ( TLE ) before and after epilepsy surgery .  The aim of the present study was to evaluate the psychiatric status , quality of life , and level of disability in medically refractory mesial temporal lobe epilepsy ( MTLE ) patients , a homogenous subgroup of patients with TLE , before and after anterior temporal lobectomy ( ATL ) . The study population consisted of 22 patients with medically refractory MTLE who were c and i date s for ATL . Patients were examined before surgery as well as in the third and sixth months of the postoperative period . Psychiatric diagnosis was determined by using SCID-I. To rate the severity of psychiatric disorders , BPRS , HDRS , and HARS were employed on each visit . WHO-DAS-II and WHOQOL-BREF were used to determine the level of disability and quality of life . Preoperatively , six patients had a psychiatric diagnosis . Three months after surgery , six of the patients had psychiatric diagnoses . Five of these six patients had not been previously diagnosed . There was no significant difference between preoperative and postoperative follow-up evaluations in terms of HDRS , HARS , and BPRS ratings . With respect to the total scores and domains of WHO-DAS-II , the change in pre- and postoperative evaluations was statistically significant only for the social life attendance domain . There was no significant difference in the mean scores on the WHOQOL-BREF domains or on the first question about general evaluation of quality of life . For the second question on the level of satisfaction with health , the difference between the three ratings was statistically significant . Preoperative and postoperative rates of psychiatric disorders in our sample were low . While social phobia was frequently seen preoperatively , the postoperative period was spearheaded by major depressive disorder . The decrease in disability in attendance to social life and improvement in the quality of health were in concordance with the literature , indicating the positive results of surgical treatment of epilepsy on quality of life . This study suggests that surgical intervention might be one of the causes of postoperative psychiatric disorders in patients with MTLE Purpose The purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of an emotional intelligence program on the health-related quality of life and well-being of individuals with type 2 diabetes . Methods The BarOn Emotional Intelligence Scale ( EQ-I ) , WHO Well-Being Question naire ( WHO-WBQ-22 ) , WHO Quality of Life Measure ( WHOQOL-Bref ) , and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Health Survey ( SF-36 ) were administered to 184 patients with type 2 diabetes who volunteered to participate . Thirty-six patients with the lowest test scores on the WHO-WBQ-22 , WHOQOL-Bref , and SF-36 were r and omized into study and control groups ( 18 patients each ) . A 12-week emotional intelligence program was administered to the study group . At the end of the program , scales were readministered to both groups and again at 3 and 6 months . Results There were no differences between the quality of life , well-being , and emotional intelligence levels of the study and control groups before the commencement of the program ( P > .05 ) . At the conclusion of the program , quality of life , well-being , and emotional intelligence levels of study group patients increased in comparison with those in the control group ( P < .001 ) . The positive effect of the program on study groups ' quality of life , wellbeing , and emotional intelligence persisted at the 3- and 6-month follow-up . Conclusion The emotional intelligence program may have positive effects on quality of life and well-being of individuals with type 2 diabetes BACKGROUND Patients with obstructive sleep apnea ( OSA ) exhibit reduced quality of life ( QoL ) due to their daytime symptoms that restricted their social activities . The available data for QoL after treatment with continuous positive airway pressure ( CPAP ) are inconclusive , and few studies have assessed QoL after treatment with speech therapy or other methods that increase the tonus of the upper airway muscles or with a combination of these therapies . The aim of our study was to assess the effect of speech therapy alone or combined with CPAP on QoL in patients with OSA using three different question naires . METHODS Men with OSA were r and omly allocated to four treatment groups : placebo , 24 patients had sham speech therapy ; speech therapy , 27 patients had speech therapy ; CPAP , 27 patients had treatment with CPAP ; and combination , 22 patients had treatment with CPAP and speech therapy . All patients were treated for 3 months . Participants were assessed before and after treatment and after 3 weeks of a washout period using QoL question naires ( Functional Outcomes of Sleep Question naire [ FOSQ ] , World Health Organization Quality of Life [ WHOQoL-Bref ] , and Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey [ SF-36 ] ) . Additional testing measures included an excessive sleepiness scale ( Epworth sleepiness scale [ ESS ] ) , polysomnography ( PSG ) , and speech therapy assessment . RESULTS A total of 100 men aged 48.1±11.2 ( mean±st and ard deviation ) years had a body mass index ( BMI ) of 27.4±4.9 kg/m(2 ) , an ESS score of 12.7±3.0 , and apnea-hypopnea index ( AHI ) of 30.9±20.6 . After treatment , speech therapy and combination groups showed improvement in the physical domain score of the WHOQoL-Bref and in the functional capacity domain score of the SF-36 . CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that speech therapy alone as well as in association with CPAP might be an alternative treatment for the improvement of  QoL  in patients with OSA Abstract A comprehensive plan for periodontal disease ( PD ) care in Taiwan provides non-surgical and supportive periodontal treatment . The aim of this study was to determine whether the care plan could improve the oral health-related quality of life of patients with PD . This study was conducted by purposive sampling and a quasi-experimental design . Patients with PD were assigned to either comprehensive periodontal treatment ( n = 32 ) or a simple cleaning regimen ( n = 32 ) . Their oral health-related quality of life ( OHRQoL ) was measured using the Taiwanese version of the Brief World Health Organization Quality of Life ( WHOQOL-BREF ) scale ( general QoL ) and the Oral Health Impact Profile ( OHIP-14 ) ( OHRQoL ) . Both scales were completed 14 , 28 , and 90 days after the initial assessment . The extent of PD in the experimental group was determined again at the end of the study . On the 28-item WHOQOL-BREF scale , the scores of the experimental group were higher than those of the control group on 5 items and the environmental domain at 14 days . There was a significant improvement in the experimental group on 2 items at 28 days and at 90 days after periodontal treatment ( both P < .05 ) . No difference was found between the 2 groups in score on the OHIP-14 ; however , there was a significant improvement in the experimental group in total score at 28 and 90 days after periodontal treatment ( both P < .05 ) . The number of teeth with probing depth ≥5 mm and the percentage of dental plaque were both significantly reduced after the intervention ( both P < .001 ) . Patients with a comprehensive plan for PD care showed some improvement in QoL , including in the environmental domain , and on the total score for OHRQoL. Comprehensive periodontal treatment also alleviated periodontal symptoms OBJECTIVES Dementia is a rapidly growing public health problem in low and middle income countries . There is an urgent need , in the absence of formal services , to develop interventions design ed to improve the lives of people with dementia , and their families . This study tests the effectiveness of the 10/66 caregiver intervention among people with dementia , and their carers . DESIGN A single blind parallel group r and omized controlled trial ( IS RCT N41039907 ) . SETTING Moscow . PARTICIPANTS Sixty family caregivers of people aged 65 and over with dementia were r and omized to receive the intervention and medical care as usual ( n = 30 ) or medical care as usual only ( n = 30 ) . Caregiver and person with dementia outcomes were assessed at baseline and after 6 months . INTERVENTION The caregiver education and training intervention was delivered over five , weekly , half-hour sessions and was made up of three modules : ( i ) assessment ( one session ) ; ( ii ) basic education about dementia ( two sessions ) ; and ( iii ) training regarding specific problem behaviors ( two sessions ) . MEASUREMENTS Dementia was diagnosed using DSM-IV criteria . Caregiver : Zarit Carer Burden Interview ; carer psychological distress ( SRQ 20 ) ; and carer Quality of Life ( WHOQOL-BREF ) . Person with dementia : Behavioural and Psychological symptoms ( NPI-Q ) ; quality of life ( DEMQOL ) . RESULTS Caregivers in the intervention group reported large and statistically significant net improvements at 6-month follow-up in burden compared to controls . No group differences were found on caregiver psychological distress and patient and caregiver quality of life . CONCLUSIONS The low-level intervention seems to be as , if not more , effective than similar interventions applied in high income countries BACKGROUND Interferon-based hepatitis C virus ( HCV ) therapy is safe and effective among people receiving opioid substitution therapy ( OST ) , but treatment uptake remains low . Our aim was to evaluate the impact of OST and drug use during therapy on completion , adherence , sustained virologic response ( SVR12 ) , and safety of ledipasvir/sofosbuvir ± ribavirin . METHODS The phase 3 ION studies evaluated a fixed-dose combination of ledipasvir/sofosbuvir ± ribavirin administered for 8 , 12 , or 24 weeks in patients with chronic HCV genotype 1 . People with clinical ly significant drug use ( prior 12 months ) or noncannabinoids detected at screening by urine drug tests ( not explained by prescriptions ) were ineligible . Stored sample s were available from ION-1 for retrospective testing for illicit drugs by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay . RESULTS Among 1952 patients enrolled in the ION studies , 4 % ( n = 70 ) were receiving OST . Among those receiving ( n = 70 ) and not receiving OST ( n = 1882 ) , there was no difference in treatment completion ( 97 % vs 98 % ; P = .40 ) , ≥80 % adherence ( 93 % vs 92 % ; P = 1.00 ) , SVR12 ( 94 % vs 97 % ; P = .28 ) , and serious adverse events ( 4 % vs 3 % ; P = .43 ) , respectively . Among participants in the ION-1 trial , 23 % ( n = 196 ) used illicit drugs during therapy ( 15 % cannabinoids alone ; 8 % other illicit drugs ± cannabinoids ) . There was no difference in treatment completion , ≥80 % adherence , SVR12 , or serious AEs in those with no drug use during treatment compared with those who used cannabinoids and /or other illicit drugs . No cases of HCV reinfection were observed in the 24 weeks following treatment . CONCLUSIONS OST and drug use during HCV therapy did not impact treatment completion , adherence , SVR12 , or safety . CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION ION-1 ( NCT01701401 ) ; ION-2 ( NCT01768286 ) ; and ION-3 ( NCT01851330 ) BACKGROUND Economic evaluations in health care involve the identification , measurement , valuation , and then comparison of the costs ( inputs ) and outcomes of treatments or preventive activities . The aim was to analyze the cost-utility of six-month methadone maintenance treatment program in a Lithuanian primary health care setting . METHODS A prospect i ve study design was used . All the information was obtained through the vali date d question naires at the baseline and 3- and 6-month follow-ups . WHOQOL-BREF was used to assess the quality of life ; the costs were assessed using the DATCAP methodology from the perspective of a patient and outpatient clinic during follow-up period . RESULTS A total of 102 opioid-dependent patients were recruited in the study ; 512 follow-up patient-months were obtained . The methadone maintenance treatment has significantly improved physical , psychological , and environmental components of quality of life during follow-up . Total program costs were 61 288.87 EUR . Cost paid by a patient comprised about 31 % of total program costs . Cost per quality -adjusted life-month ( QALM ) for physical domain was 2227.55 EUR ; for psychological domain , 1879.50 EUR ; for social domain , 5467.64 EUR ; and for environmental domain , 4626.47 EUR . Costs per QALM and quality -adjusted life-year ( QALY ) for total quality of life in the maintenance program were 2864.00 EUR and 34 368.00 EUR , respectively . CONCLUSIONS Our results showed that 6-month methadone maintenance program was effective in the terms of quality -of-life improvement .  Methadone maintenance treatment program was less effective in terms of cost per QALY AIMS AND OBJECTIVES This study aim ed to examine the effects of nurse-delivered home visits combined with telephone intervention on medication adherence , and quality of life in HIV-infected heroin users . BACKGROUND Drug use is consistently reported as a risk factor for medication non-adherence in HIV-infected people . DESIGN An experimental , pretests and post-tests , design was used : baseline and at eight months . METHODS A sample of 116 participants was recruited from three antiretroviral treatment sites , and 98 participants completed the study . They were r and omly assigned to two groups : 58 in the experimental group and 58 in the control group . The experimental group received nurse-delivered home visits combined with telephone intervention over eight months , while the control group only received routine care . The question naire of Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS ( CPCRA ) Antiretroviral Medication Self-Report was used to assess levels of adherence , while quality of life and depression were evaluated using Chinese versions of World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument-Abbreviated version ( WHOQOL-BREF ) and Self-rating Depression Scale , respectively . Data were obtained at baseline and eight months . RESULTS At the end of eight months , participants in the experimental group were more likely to report taking 100 % of pills ( Fisher 's exact = 14.3 , p = 0.0001 ) and taking pills on time ( Fisher 's exact = 18.64 , p = 0.0001 ) than those in the control group . There were significant effects of intervention in physical ( F = 10.47 , p = 0.002 ) , psychological ( F = 9.41 , p = 0.003 ) , social ( F = 4.09 , p = 0.046 ) and environmental ( F = 4.80 , p = 0.031 ) domains of WHOQOL and depression ( F = 5.58 , p = 0.02 ) . CONCLUSIONS Home visits and telephone calls are effective in promoting adherence to antiretroviral treatment and in improving the participants ' quality of life and depressive symptoms  in HIV-infected heroin users . RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE It is important for nurses to recognise the issues of non-adherence to antiretroviral treatment in heroin users . Besides st and ard care , nurses should consider conducting home visits and telephone calls to ensure better health outcome of antiretroviral treatment in this population Background Dementia is a major health problem in advancing age with no definitive treatment . Occupational therapy interventions are recognized strategies in treatment of dementia . Quality of life ( QOL ) assessment has been reliably used as an objective index of an individual ’s well being pertaining to interventions in dementia . A r and omized controlled trial was conducted to study the effects of a novel occupational therapy program in improving QOL of subjects having mild to moderate dementia . Methodology 273 subjects older than 60 years were screened . 196 were excluded having cognitive impairment with no dementia ( CIND ) . Remaining 77 subjects after satisfying DSM IV criteria for diagnosis of dementia were included in the study and were r and omly assigned to experimental and control groups . Experimental group received a novel occupational therapy regimen along with medical treatment , while control group received only medical treatment for 5 weeks . Outcome measures included st and ard occupational therapy assessment and WHOQOL-BREF . Subjects were assessed at baseline and post intervention . Result The mean age of participants was 69.39 years with male preponderance ( 80.5 % male , 19.5 % female ) . The quality of life ( QOL ) scores of physical and psychological domain in experimental groups significantly increased from 37.30 ± 5.42 and 45.13 ± 3.52 to 45.43 ± 7.32 and 51.50 ± 6.46 respectively . The QOL scores in social and environmental domains did not change significantly . The QOL scores in control groups declined in all domains with statistical significance found in social and environmental domain . ( 29.67 ± 4.58 and 38.49 ± 1.77 to 28.45 ± 5.26 and 38.18 ± 2.15 respectively ) . Conclusion This novel occupational therapy program  improved the short term physical performance and psychological well being domain of quality of life in older adults with dementia . An improved physical performance is achieved by physical exercise of novel program and it creates sense of independency , increased motivation , positive outlook and reduced behavioral and psychological symptoms . The long term effects of the intervention can be ascertained in a study with longer period of intervention and follow-up . Trial registration [ CTRI/2014/01/004290
Dosage of pharmacologic medication and length of follow-up did not affect changes in domain scores .
WHOQOL-BREF and ASI domain scoring is a useful tool in measuring overall quality of life and levels of addiction among OST participants .
BACKGROUND Opioid substitution treatment ( OST ) can increase quality of life ( WHOQOL-BREF ) and reduce addiction severity index ( ASI ) scores among participants over time .
OST program participants have noted that improvement in quality of life is one of the most important variables to their reduction in drug use .
However , there is little systematic underst and ing of WHOQOL-BREF and ASI domain changes among OST participants in low and middle-income countries ( LMIC ) .