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Task Force Updates

Our task forces were busy during 2019 and many of them have and will continue to generate products such as conference presentations, publications, instrument summaries, and Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Information & Education Pages. We want our members to get involved to either lead or join a task force. This past year, one of our task forces came about due to a need for Rasch Reporting Guidelines. If you feel that there is something needed, join one of our regularly scheduled calls.

(Left to right): Allen Heinemann, Jennifer Weaver, Trudy Mallinson, Allan Kozlowski, Shannon Juengst, Ann Van de Winckel, and Janet Niemeier

Applied Cognition & TBI

Marianne Mortera

Marianne Mortera

Patricia Heyn image

Patricia Heyn

Chairs: Patricia Heyn & Marianne Mortera

The Applied Cognition & TBI Task Force is continuing its mission to address cognitive rehabilitation research needs related to cognitive outcomes, tools, and measurements. The AC TBI Task Force is almost five years old and has about 10 active members working diligently on a TBI pharmacological measurement and outcomes evidence synthesis and review project.

We are currently working on evaluating more than 60 systematic reviews/meta-analysis of pharmacological interventions for traumatic brain injury (from peds to adult) to appraise key outcomes related to rehabilitation and the quality of the published reviews. We have already generated and published a scoping review report and we are in the process to evaluate this unique database, based on data extracted from the included reviews, to generate a practice guideline report. We have a second manuscript in preparation. We are always looking for new members as they bring insight into how we can analyze the database. If you are interested in participating, please join us and contact Patricia Heyn for more details about the task force current developments and meeting dates.

Applied Cognition & Geriatrics

Sandra Kletzel image

Sandra Kletzel

Chair: Sandra Kletzel

The Applied Cognition and Geriatrics Task Force continues to make progress towards its mission to evaluate cognitive geriatric related rehabilitation research, in terms of outcomes, tools and measurement, with the goal to translate evidence into practice. The AC Geriatric Task Force was formed nearly 5 years ago by a diverse group of nationally and internationally represented rehabilitation researchers. Our group has published a scoping review, an I/E page, and we present one symposium annually at the ACRM conference. We are currently following up with our review of brain gaming for older adults with cognitive impairment by evaluating the accumulating evidence via a meta-analysis.

We are currently welcoming new members for 2020 to help us target new areas of interest for the group.  If you are interested in participating, please join us and contact Sandra Kletzel for more details about the task force, current developments, and meeting dates.

Biometrics and Biomarkers

Janet Niemeier

Janet Niemeier

Chair: Jan Niemeier

This task force reduced its meetings in 2019 but has re-grouped with resilience. The goal for 2020 is to complete a mapping review to demonstrate the potential for biometrics and biomarkers to enhance measurement and application of findings in rehabilitation research. We are interested in new members that can add to this proposed project.

Curriculum

Shannon Juengst image

Shannon Juengst

Lauren Terhorst image

Lauren Terhorst

Chairs: Lauren Terhorst & Shannon Juengst

The Curriculum Task Force has been busy the past year. We previously developed a framework for recommended measurement components in rehabilitation science program curricula, both for clinical training programs and research (PhD) programs. We developed and sent out a survey to assess the current state of measurement education in rehabilitation science programs. We have collected information on courses taught in rehabilitation science programs from University websites and have identified specific people within each program who teach measurement related content and will be best able to answer our survey. The courses have been categorized based on the nature and level of measurement content included, refine our survey, and redistribute it to those identified as the best contacts within each program.

We have revised the survey and methodology and have started to gather data on a larger sample. We still need to analyze data from the revised survey to describe the state of measurement education. We wish to add more members to our task force as we begin to analyze data and disseminate results.

Knowledge Translation

Jennifer Weaver image

Jennifer Weaver

​Chair: Jennifer Weaver

This inaugural task force had its first meeting in 2019. We have seven members who are actively engaged. This task force assists with content for the Pre to Post newsletter and identifies areas where measurement needs to be translated into action. This past year we have been collaborating with Rehab Measures Database task force to write a paper on the CDE crosswalk with RMD instrument summaries. Our members also contribute to the Pre to Post Measurement Spotlight articles. In 2020, we plan to write an Information Education page and submit an ACRM symposium proposal. is a newly forming group that will be led by the MNG Communications Officer. As a new group, we see alignment with existing task forces in that our goal is to translate new knowledge into practice as it relates to measurement.

We are excited to see new members join this Task Force and facilitate the knowledge translation of measurement.

Long-Term Community Measurement

Shannon Juengst image

Shannon Juengst

Chair: Shannon Juengst

What started out as a proposed mental health assessment task force morphed into a broader task force looking at long-term and community-based assessment. This past year we organized a multi-group collaborative project including MNG, Technology Networking Group, BI-ISIG, and Stroke ISIG Task Forces.

We are conducting a review of the literature on the use of mobile health technology for assessment for individuals with acquired brain injury.  We are actively looking for increased membership to help us with this project.

Rasch Analysis Guideline Development

Ann Van de Winckel image

Ann Van de Winckel

Trudy Mallinson

Trudy Mallinson

Chairs: Trudy Mallinson & Ann Van de Winckel

This task force has two strong leaders and a committed team that has met consistently throughout 2019. The purpose of the task force was to develop reporting guidelines for studies using Rasch Analysis. The initial guidelines were presented as a symposium at the ACRM Annual Conference and the IOMC Pre-Conference. The feedback ascertained at both meetings will be incorporated into the finalized manuscript. Once this manuscript is under review the members plan to transition into the Terminology Task Force.

Rehab Measures Database

Allen Heinemann image

Allen Heinemann

Chair: Allen Heinemann

The Rehabilitation Measures Database (RMD) Task Force formed in 2016 to develop and enhance the content of the RMD, an online summary of instruments used by rehabilitation nurses, therapists and physicians, to help them select standard assessments to monitor patient progress. The RMD collaborates with various institutions to enhance measurement and assessment content through contribution of instrument summaries to the RMD online database. The RMD Task Force assisted in developing an Author Toolkit for instrument summaries, published instrument summary “tear sheets” in Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, conducted a “crosswalk” project to integrate NINDS’ Common Data Elements, and has increased its LinkedIn members (100+!). In 2020, we want to engage new members so more employment-related instrument summaries are created and incorporate the CDE crosswalk into RMD for greater clinical utility.

Please reach out to the Chair if you are interested in joining the Task Force and/or contributing an instrument summary to RMD!

Standards

Allan Kozlowski image

Allan Kozlowski

Chair: Allan Kozlowski

The Standards Task Force (STF) of the ACRM Measurement Networking Group (MNG) has reconstituted after hiatus. A framework has been established to review the concept of validity and terminology. Our wish for 2020 is that we submit a manuscript for peer review. We anticipate an influx of new members once the Rasch Reporting Guidelines Task Force completes their manuscript.

If you are interested in the Standards Task Force, contact Al Kozlowski.