Resource Bank: A monthly compilation of news you can use
Resource Bank
Site links patients to clinical trials
Two information services companies recently launched a new service designed to match patients to appropriate clinical trials spanning all disease areas. CenterWatch in Boston and HealthExchange in Stamford, CT, developed www.centerwatch.com, which features information on more than 40,000 ongoing clinical trials across a wide range of disease areas, profiles of research centers, as well as listings of investigational drugs and their results in clinical trials. In addition, visitors may receive active assistance in finding a clinical trial that fits their needs.
Site helps seniors beat blues
The Late-Life Depression Evaluation and Treatment Center at the University of Pittsburgh (PA) Medical Center (UPMC) recently launched a web site that connects older adults to information about mental health problems and provides an avenue to find help.
The site, www.latelifedepression.org, offers detailed information on many common geriatric mental health problems, including depression, anxiety disorders, grief and insomnia. The site is maintained by a team from the Intervention Research Center for Late-Life Mood Disorders, a clinical research center directed by Charles F. Reynolds III, MD, professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
In addition to information about late-life mood disorders, the site offers links to other mental health resources on the Internet, information on referrals, and opportunities to participate in research studies.
Geriatric mental health disorders such as depression are featured on individual pages within the site with descriptions, facts and myths, information on common treatments, and articles by staff psychiatrists. In addition to patient information, the site also provides health care professionals with information about the Late-Life Evaluation and Treatment Center and how to refer patients.
Quick mental exam made easier
Psychological Assessment Resources in Lutz, FL, recently released a new version of the popular Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) originally developed by Marshall F. Folstein, MD, Susan E. Folstein, MD, and Paul R. McHugh, MD. PAR’s new version represents the current standard form of the examination based on the original concept now commonplace in the literature, with minor subsequent modification by the authors, and reference to population-based norms.
The MMSE is a quick, cost-effective measure of an individual’s cognitive mental state. It can be used by a variety of health care professionals to screen for cognitive impairment, estimate the severity of cognitive impairment at a given point in time, follow the course of cognitive changes in an individual over time, and to document an individual’s response to treatment.
PAR’s new "all-in-one" test form includes a detachable sheet with stimuli for the MMSE’s comprehension, reading, writing, and drawing tasks. The form also includes alternative item substitutions for administration in special circumstances. Each package of forms contains a pocket-size user’s guide, which provides detailed instructions for administration and scoring for each MMSE task, as well as recommended cutoff scores for use in classifying the severity of cognitive impairment. The guide also provides population-based norms useful for comparing an individual’s MMSE total score with the appropriate reference group, or for interpreting the scores of individuals who are illiterate, who have had less than nine years of schooling, or who are 80 years of age or older.
The MMSE is $35 for 50 administrations and the user’s guide. To order, call (800) 331-8378.
Send us Resource Bank items
If you have a new resource, conference, or seminar of interest to other case managers, send items for publication to Russ Underwood, Managing Editor, Case Management Advisor, P.O. Box 740056, Atlanta, GA 30374. Phone: (404) 262-5521. Fax: (404) 262-5447. E-mail: [email protected].
Information on conferences and seminars should be received at least 12 weeks before the event to meet publication deadlines.
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