Cerebral palsy (CP) is a complex neurological condition characterized by motor dysfunction affecting millions worldwide. This comprehensive review delves into the critical role of assessment in managing CP. Beginning with exploring its definition and background, we elucidate the diverse objectives of CP assessment, ranging from diagnosis and goal setting to research and epidemiology. We examine standard assessment scales and tools, discuss the challenges inherent in CP assessment, and highlight emerging trends, including integrating technology, personalized medicine, and neuroimaging. The applications of CP assessment in clinical diagnosis, treatment planning, research, and education are underscored. Recommendations for the future encompass standardization, interdisciplinary collaboration, research priorities, and professional training. In conclusion, we emphasize the importance of assessment as a compass guiding the care of individuals with CP, issuing a call to action for improved assessment practices to shape a brighter future for those affected by this condition.

OBJECTIVE: Various clinical outcome assessments (COAs) are used in clinical research to assess and monitor treatment efficacy in pediatric attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) trials. It is unclear whether the concepts assessed are those that are important to patients and their caregivers. The concepts measured by commonly used COAs in this population have not been explicitly compared.
METHODS: We conducted reviews of the qualitative literature to extract information on pediatric ADHD-related concepts reported by pediatric patients, parents, and teachers. Using these concepts, we developed a conceptual framework of pediatric ADHD using both the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) criteria and the additional symptoms and behavioral impacts identified in the literature. We searched for COAs that have been used in pediatric ADHD research and mapped their items based on their conceptual underpinning.
RESULTS: Of the 27 COAs found in the empirical literature, 4 COAs assessed only DSM symptoms. The most comprehensive coverage of our conceptual framework was seen in the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham Rating Scale-DSM-IV (SNAP-IV). Eighteen COAs were used in at least 1 clinical trial: ADHD-Rating Scale-IV (ADHD-RS-IV) was used most often (n=77), followed by SNAP-IV (n=50), Swanson, Kotkin, Agler, M-Flynn, and Pelham Scale (SKAMP; n=31), Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale (WFIRS; n=24), and Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Rating Scale (VADRS; n=15).
CONCLUSIONS: We identified symptoms and behavioral impacts from qualitative studies in pediatric ADHD that are not included in DSM-based criteria. Most COAs used in pediatric ADHD clinical trials measure only those symptoms listed in the DSM. While these COAs can measure symptom severity, they may not assess the full range of symptoms and impacts important to patients and their caregivers. Future research is needed to measure all concepts important to patients and caregivers within ADHD clinical trials.

UNASSIGNED: The increase in the elderly population is causing changes and challenges that demand a comprehensive public health response. A specific characteristic of the elderly is their frailty. Today\'s problems with identifying levels of frailty are being resolved by numerous tools in the form of frailty assessment scales. This systematic review establishes which frailty assessment scales for the elderly are being used and what their applicability in primary care is like in Slovenia and around the world.
UNASSIGNED: Documents published after 2010 were searched for in the PubMed database using keywords and other specific criteria.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 177 search hits were obtained based on various search strings. The final analysis included 28 articles, of which three were systematic literature reviews. These three covered quantitative studies, mainly consisting of observational cross-sectional surveys or cohort studies. Three other studies featured non-systematic literature reviews. Quantitative studies (mainly cross-sectional surveys or cohort studies) prevailed among the remaining 22 articles. One study had a qualitative design (Delphi method). The main outcome measures observed by all studies were frailty assessment scales for the elderly, the majority of which were evaluated on a sample of the elderly.
UNASSIGNED: None of the assessment scales examined are used as the gold standard for primary care. A variety of tools are being used in clinical practice to assess frailty in elderly patients, highlighting the need for standardization and guidelines. This requires evaluating the current assessment scales in terms of validity and reliability, and suitably improving them.
UNASSIGNED: Povečan delež starejšega prebivalstva povzroča spremembe in prinaša izzive, kar zahteva celovit odziv na področju javnega zdravja. Specifičnost starostnikov je tudi njihova krhkost. Ta za posameznika pomeni večje tveganje za negativne rezultate, povezane z zdravjem. Ugotavljanje krhkosti daje teoretični okvir, v katerem lahko zdravnik primarnega zdravstvenega varstva oblikuje celovit pristop ocenjevanja in zdravljenja starejšega bolnika s kompleksno multimorbidnostjo na preprost in strukturiran način. Težave določanja stopnje krhkosti danes rešujejo številna orodja v obliki ocenjevalnih lestvic krhkosti. Slovenija se je v letu 2017 pridružila Evropski komisiji pri Skupnem evropskem ukrepanju za preprečevanje starostne krhkosti in oslabljenosti »Joint Action«. Eden izmed predlogov ukrepov in aktivnosti je tudi razviti, implementirati in spremljati sistem presejanja na krhkosti po posameznih področjih. Sicer z merjenjem krhkosti lahko pridobimo uporabne podatke, a je za oblikovanje informacij pomemben izbor ustreznega, veljavnega instrumenta. Pojavlja se vprašanje o količini in kakovosti uporabe ocenjevalnih lestvic krhkosti starostnikov. Namen sistematičnega pregleda literature je ugotoviti, katere ocenjevalne lestvice merjenja krhkosti starostnika se uporabljajo in kakšna je domnevna uporabnost na primarni ravni v svetu in v Sloveniji.
UNASSIGNED: Sistematično je bila pregledana literatura, objavljena po letu 2010, o ocenjevalnih lestvicah krhkosti starostnika. Iskanje dokumentov je potekalo v bibliografski bazi PubMed po določenih kriterijih s ključnimi besedami: frailty, elderly, evaluation scale, primary, frailty scale, frailty screening in primary care.
UNASSIGNED: Vseh zadetkov glede na različne iskalne nize je bilo 177. V končno analizo se je uvrstilo 28 člankov, od tega trije sistematični pregledi literature. Ti vključujejo kvantitativne raziskave, v večini opazovalne presečno pregledne ali kohortne študije. Tri raziskave so nesistematični pregledi literature. Med 22 drugimi raziskavami prevladujejo raziskave s kvantitativnimi zasnovami, v večini so presečno pregledne ali kohortne študije. Ena študija ima kvantitativno zasnovo, zbiranje podatkov pa je potekalo z delfsko metodo. Opazovani izidi vseh študij so ocenjevalne lestvice starostnikov. V večini so jih raziskovalci vrednotili na vzorcu starostnikov.
UNASSIGNED: Zaradi starajočega se prebivalstva je potreba po ureditvi področja merjenja krhkosti starostnikov s pomočjo ocenjevalnih lestvic vse večja. Za ugotavljanje krhkosti starejših se v praksi uporablja toliko orodij, da je potreba po standardizaciji in smernicah velika. Nobena izmed ocenjevalnih lestvic nima vloge zlatega standarda uporabe za primarno raven. Pred implementacijo v slovenski prostor je potrebno obstoječe ocenjevalne lestvice vrednotiti po kriterijih veljavnosti in zanesljivosti ter jih primerno izboljšati.