Volume 5, Number 1: Spring 2022
Committee & Task Force Updates
Our committees and task forces have been busy throughout 2021 and 2022. Check out the updates below and join a task force.
Applied Cognition & TBI
Co-Chairs: Sonya Kim, Sonya.Kim@nyumc.org & Marianne Mortera, mm72@nyu.edu
The Applied Cognition TBI Task Force is continuing its mission to address cognitive rehabilitation research needs related to cognitive outcomes, tools, and measurements. Our research is focused on a TBI pharmacological measurement and outcomes evidence synthesis and review project. The task force has been in operation since 2015, where the original group was comprised of 12 active members. Currently, there are seven active members. Our original project was an umbrella review of 62 systematic reviews (SRs) of all pharmacological interventions with all outcomes in patients with TBI. This project produced a large database of study characteristics as well as findings from a study quality assessment using the AMSTAR rating scale, from which subsequent analyses have been performed. In addition, the task force has regularly presented its work at the ACRM Annual Meetings (3 symposia presentations in 2015, 2016 and 2017), generated one poster abstract, one peer reviewed journal publication in Brain Injury, an abstract submission for the 2020 annual meeting, and most recently submitted a revised second manuscript to Brain Injury, currently under review. A future project will involve updating our literature from our original database and examining SRs with randomized controlled trials and various outcomes following TBI rehabilitation.
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 Marianne Mortera for more details about the Taskforce current developments and meeting dates.
Biometrics and Biomarkers
Chair: Jan Niemeier, jniemeier@uabmc.edu or jniemeier@ackersonandassociates.com
We are pleased to be growing our membership and our task force now has 13 members. Our Task Force presented a symposium during the 2020 and 2021 Annual Conferences. We are presently working on a scoping review of composite biomarker studies using Covidence and will be working on a paper as that review concludes. We anticipate working on additional papers, are finalizing our symposium submission for the Conference this year, and some educational pages over 2022. Our task force meets on a monthly basis.
Any members interested in the upcoming projects should contact Jan Niemeier at jniemeier@uabmc.edu or jniemeier@ackersonandassociates.com
Long-Term Community Measurement
Chair: Shannon Juengst, shannon.juengst@memorialhermann.org
We continue to focus on our ongoing multi-group collaborative project, which includes Task Force members from the M-ISIG, Technology Networking Group, BI-ISIG, and Stroke ISIG. In the past, our group has produced a manuscript focusing on a literature review of mobile health technology.
Juengst SB, Terhorst L, Nabasny A, Wallace T, Weaver JA, Osborne CL, Burns SP, Wright B, Wen P-S, Kew C-LN, Morris J. Use of mHealth Technology for Patient-Reported Outcomes in Community-Dwelling Adults with Acquired Brain Injuries: A Scoping Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18(4):2173. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18042173
We are now proposing a new project and are looking for new members interested in describing the methods for measuring and analyzing within person variability in ecological momentary assessment (EMA) data. The task force is looking for members who have experience with EMA and want to write about approaches for measurement and analysis. Email Shannon if you are interested in joining this team!
Measurement Forum
Chair: Allan Kozlowski, allan.kozlowski@maryfreebed.com
The Measurement ISIG (M-ISIG) has identified an opportunity to provide a service to ACRM members and engage M-ISIG members by inviting and responding to measurement-related questions. We anticipate this service will be of particular interest to early career members, many of whom are graduate students, and seek to leverage the expertise of M-ISIG members on a voluntary basis.
The initial task for this group will be to develop a proposal for implementation of a Measurement Forum to run on the blog feature of the ACRM Membership platform, including a definition of scope, rules for respectful communication, management of incoming posts, and assignment to volunteer respondents.
Once approved, the Task Force will be responsible for implementation and ongoing management of the Measurement Forum. Email Allan, if you are interested in joining this team!
Rehab Measures Database
Chair: Allen Heinemann, aheinemann@sralab.org
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. This past year, the RMD Task Force added clinical practice guidelines, common data elements, and EDGE group recommendations to the RMD website and Author Toolkit. We also initiated “RMD Measure of the Week” social media campaign to increase engagement on Twitter, LinkedIN, and Facebook. Our LinkedIn membership is now over 200! Our weekly Twitter posts have 1255 followers! We are actively collaborating with new disciplines such as rehabilitation psychology and pediatrics. We continue to present regularly at the ACRM Annual Conference and publish instrument tear sheets in Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. For this year, we plan to:
* Collaborate with additional graduate programs in various rehabilitation disciplines
* Continue incorporating clinical practice guidelines and other professional recommendations into instrument summaries on the RMD website
* Update clinician and student educational modules on the RMD website
* Train and maintain student volunteers and collaborators to produce instrument summaries.
Please reach out to Allen if you are interested in joining the Task Force and/or contributing an instrument summary to RMD!
Stakeholder Engagement
Co-chairs: Jennifer Weaver, Jen.Weaver@colostate.edu and Allan Kozlowski, allan.kozlowski@maryfreebed.com
We are recruiting NEW MEMBERS!
The Measurement ISIG Stakeholder Engagement Task Force is seeking members with diverse backgrounds and an interest in stakeholder engagement to develop a Special Issue of Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation on the topic of person-centered measurement in rehabilitation. The Task Force will invite abstract submissions for the Special Issue for review of relevance to the topic, invite submissions of full articles, and assist with the peer review process.
Contact Jen Weaver, jen.weaver@colostate.edu, if you are interested in joining this task force.
Standards
Chair: Allan Kozlowski, allan.kozlowski@maryfreebed.com
In 2021, the Standards Task Force identified differences among measurement validity frameworks selected from a variety of rehabilitation professions and practice areas. From prior work the Task Force is developing a measurement validity framework for rehabilitation that will be suitable for application across all rehabilitation professions and practice areas. The purpose of such a framework is to promote common understanding of measurement concepts and applications. The task force has submitted a symposium abstract under review for the 2022 ACRM Conference.
If you are interested in joining the Standards Task Force, contact Al Kozlowski.
