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Background Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT) is a physiotherapist‐led individualized intervention for people with people with non‐specific chronic low back pain (CLBP), involving biopsychosocial pain education, graded movement exposure and lifestyle coaching. Methods A multicentre randomized controlled trial (RCT), including 206 participants with CLBP in Ireland, supported CFT’s effectiveness for reducing disability, but not pain, compared to a group exercise and education intervention. In this study, causal mediation analysis was used to determine whether the effect of CFT on disability and the lack of effect on pain (relative to a group exercise and education intervention) is mediated by certain psychological and lifestyle factors. Hypothesized mediators measured were pain self‐efficacy, stress, fear of physical activity, coping, depression, anxiety and sleep, at 6 months. The outcomes measured were functional disability and pain intensity at 12 months. Results This causal mediation study shows that the majority of benefit of CFT (relative to a group exercise and education intervention) for disability is due to increasing pain self‐efficacy. Conclusion Conclusion: CFT did not improve the majority of the hypothesized mediators (stress, fear of physical activity, coping, depression, anxiety and sleep) and these mediators were not associated with either disability or pain. Unfortunately, the proportion of missing data in this study is substantial and these findings can only be considered hypothesis‐generating. Therefore, future research should examine replicating the results of this study to verify the role of self‐efficacy and other proposed mediators (e.g. stress, coping, sleep, fear) on clinical outcomes. Significance An exploration of seven potential mediators was undertaken to determine the effect of Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT) on disability and pain intensity in individuals with chronic low back pain compared to a group exercise and education intervention. CFT improved pain self‐efficacy, which was associated with disability and pain outcomes. CFT did not improve the other six potential mediators (stress, fear of physical activity, coping, depression, anxiety and sleep) and these were not associated with disability or pain. The proportion of missing data in this study is substantial and these findings should be considered hypothesis‐generating only.

Background Malnutrition is common among older adults and is associated with adverse outcomes but remains undiagnosed on healthcare admissions. Older adults use emergency departments (EDs) more than any other age group. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with malnutrition on admission and with adverse outcomes post-admission among older adults attending an Irish ED. Methods Secondary analysis of data collected from a randomised controlled trial exploring the impact of a dedicated team of health and social care professionals on the care of older adults in the ED. Nutritional status was determined using the Mini Nutritional Assessment- short form. Patient parameters and outcomes included health related quality of life, functional ability, risk of adverse health outcomes, frailty, hospital admissions, falls history and clinical outcomes at index visit, 30-day and 6-month follow up. Aggregate anonymised participant data linked from index visit to 30-days and 6-month follow-up were used for statistical analysis. Results Among 353 older adults (mean age 79.6 years (SD = 7.0); 59.2% (n = 209) female) the prevalence of malnutrition was 7.6% (n = 27) and ‘risk of malnutrition’ was 28% (n = 99). At baseline, those who were malnourished had poorer quality of life scores, functional ability, were more frail, more likely to have been hospitalised or had a fall recently, had longer waiting times and were more likely to be discharged home from the ED than those who had normal nutrition status. At 30-days, those who were malnourished were more likely to have reported another hospital admission, a nursing home admission, reduced quality of life and functional decline than older adults who had normal nutrition status at the baseline ED visit. Differences between the MNA SF and 6-month outcomes were similar but not statistically significant. Conclusion Over one-third of older adults admitted to an Irish ED are either malnourished or at risk of malnourishment. Malnutrition was associated with a longer stay in the ED, functional decline, poorer quality of life, increased risk of hospital admissions and a greater likelihood of admission to a nursing home at 30 days. Trial registration Protocol registered in ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT03739515, first posted November 13, 2018.

Aims Despite the fact that community reintegration is rapidly becoming a significant area of clinical, policy and research concern, research into reintegration after spinal cord injury (SCI) within the UK is sparse. This small-scale pilot study aimed to explore the experiences of reintegration for people living with SCI in the UK, and how rehabilitation was perceived to have helped or hindered this reintegration. Methods Seven participants between 5–12 years, post-SCI, and who lived in the community were recruited from local sport and activity groups. All participants took part in a single semi-structured interview. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and sent to each respondent for validation. Transcripts were then analysed. Findings Themes that emerged regarding the individuals' experiences of reintegration and rehabilitation were: restoring independence, regaining life roles, understanding and redefining, individuals' and family and friends' attitudes, professionals' attitude and approach, dissatisfaction and unmet needs, transition to home, and lack of community rehabilitation and follow-up services. Conclusions Although only a small-scale study, the findings suggest potential areas for improving SCI rehabilitation. They also support further research that will establish whether current rehabilitation services are successful in meeting the needs of those with SCI.

AimsTo systematically review studies from Irish prisons that estimate the prevalence of major mental illness, alcohol and substance misuse, and homelessness at the time of committal.MethodsHealthcare databases were searched for studies quantifying the point prevalence for each outcome of interest. Searches were augmented by scanning of bibliographies and searches of governmental and non-governmental websites. Proportional meta-analyses were completed for each outcome.ResultsWe found eight, six and five studies quantifying the point prevalence of major mental illness, substance misuse, and homelessness respectively. Considerable heterogeneity was found for each subgroup (except psychosis where substantial heterogeneity was observed) and random effects models were used to calculate pooled percentages. The pooled percentage for psychotic disorder was 3.6% [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.0–4.2%], for affective disorder 4.3% (95% CI 2.1–7.1%), for alcohol use disorder 28.3% (95% CI 19.9–37.4%), for substance use disorder 50.9% (95% CI 37.6–64.2%) and for those who were homeless on committal 17.4% (95% CI 8.7–28.4%).ConclusionsEstimates for the prevalence of psychotic illness and substance abuse amongst Irish prisoners are in keeping with international estimates of morbidity in prisons, whilst those for affective disorders are lower. The prevalence of homelessness in committal to Irish prisons is higher than some international estimates. Rates for psychoses, alcohol and substance misuse as well as homelessness in Irish prisons are significantly higher than the general population prevalence of these vulnerabilities. A need for service development is discussed.

Pain significantly restricts the quality of life and well-being of older adults. With our increasingly ageing population, it is important to examine whether differing classes of biopsychosocial risk factors can predict the development of pain in older adults. Latent class analysis provides a model-based approach to identifying underlying subgroups in a population, based on some measured characteristics. In this study, latent class analysis was used to identify biopsychosocial risk classes in people aged 50 years and older, from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, who reported not often being troubled by pain at wave 1 and completed the 2-year follow-up at wave 2 (n = 4458). Four classes were identified based on 11 potential risk factors at wave 1. These classes were characterised as "Low Risk," "Physical Health Risk," "Mental Health Risk," and "High Risk." The Low-Risk class accounted for over half the sample (51.2%), whereas the High-Risk class represented 7.8% of the sample. At follow-up (wave 2), 797 (17.9%) participants reported being troubled by pain. Associations between the biopsychosocial risk classes and developing pain were examined using logistic regression, adjusting for sociodemographic variables. The High-Risk class was more likely to develop pain compared with the Low-Risk class (adjusted OR = 3.16, 95% CI = 2.40-4.16). These results add to existing data in other populations supporting the role of a range of biopsychosocial risk factors that increase the risk of developing pain. These findings have important implications for the identification, and potential moderation, of these risk factors.

Background: Pain is common in older adults, and associated with increased morbidity and reduced quality of life. Recent research has highlighted different classes of older adults with pain, each with differing impacts on their life. It has not yet been investigated if, and how, such classes change over time and what influences individuals to prospectively transition to a profile of either improved or worsened pain impact. Methods: Latent transition analysis (LTA) is a longitudinal model-based approach to identifying underlying subgroups in a population. LTA was used to model the change in pain of people aged 50 and above, from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, across three waves (n = 5,925). The LTA model was extended to include biopsychosocial covariates to predict transition probabilities between classes over time. Results: Three latent classes were identified based on three pain indicators (pain presence; pain affects daily life; pain requires medication) and were characterized as "No Pain", "Low-Moderate Impact Pain" and "High Impact Pain". Results indicate that the pain class of many changes over time. However, poor physical or mental health increased the risk of transitioning to a more severe pain class, from Wave 1 to Wave 2 and Wave 2 to Wave 3. Conclusions: These findings show the change in pain of older adults over time, with both marked improvement and deterioration being observed. Critically, the predictors of individuals transitioning between classes reflect the breadth of biopsychosocial factors involved in pain. Significant Statement: This article identified differing classes of pain in older adults, using latent transition analysis. The analysis demonstrated how the pain classes of older adults are broadly consistent over time, however both improvement and deterioration in pain impact were observed. Transitions between classes were associated with several biopsychosocial factors. These results have important implications for the health and quality of life of older adults. Consideration of health, lifestyle and socio-demographic factors may enhance assessment and management of pain in older adults.

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