Browsing by Author "Madasa, Vuyolwethu"

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    Survival and secondary medical conditions of persons with traumatic spinal cord injury in South Africa
    (University of the Western Cape, 2018) Madasa, Vuyolwethu; Joseph, Conran
    Background: A spinal cord injury (SCI) results in a change, either temporary or permanent, in the cord’s normal motor, sensory or autonomic function. In addition, secondary medical complications are common, following an SCI. As such, mortality risk in the spinal cord community remains higher, when compared to the general population. Understanding the complexity of factors related to mortality, remains paramount. Aim: The overarching aim was to assess mortality and secondary medical complications, four years after traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) in the City of Cape Town, South Africa. Secondarily, factors associated with mortality and the development of secondary medical complications were assessed. Methods: A prospective, population-based design was used. The study population consisted of all respondents with TSCI, who were enrolled in an earlier incidence study that was conducted in 2013/2014. For this follow-up study, an inclusive sampling strategy was used. All eligible respondents (N=145), or a family member of the deceased, were initially telephonically contacted and requested to complete a valid and reliable interview-administered questionnaire, to be completed face-to-face, or telephonically. Of those patients who were deceased, a close family member, or former caretaker was asked to participate in this current study. In order to aid the generalisability of the findings to the immediate source population, every non-responder with information available from baseline data collected in 2013/2014, were accounted for. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the cohort and to present the mortality rate, as well as point-prevalence of secondary medical complications. Inferential statistics, namely, bivariate logistic regression analysis, were used to identify factors associated with mortality and the development of secondary medical complications.
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    Systematic scoping review protocol for clinical prediction rules (CPRs) in the management of patients with spinal cord injuries
    (BMJ, 2019) Joseph, Conran; Jeftha, Tarryn; Madasa, Vuyolwethu; Boggenpoel, Blake
    Introduction The upsurge in the use of clinical prediction models in general medical practice is a result of evidencebased practice. However, the total number of clinical prediction rules (CPRs) currently being used or undergoing impact analysis in the management of patients who have sustained spinal cord injuries (SCIs) is unknown. This scoping review protocol will describe the current CPRs being used and highlight their possible strengths and weaknesses in SCI management. Methods and analysis Arksey and O’Malley’s scoping review framework will be used. The following databases will be searched to identify relevant literature relating to the use of CPRs in the management of patients who have sustained an SCI: PubMed, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), ScienceDirect, EBSCOhost, Medline, OvidMedline and Google Scholar. Grey literature as well as reference lists of included studies will be searched. All studies relating to the use of CPRs in the management of patients with SCIs will be included. Literature searches and data extraction will be performed independently by two groups of reviewers. Ethics and dissemination Ethical clearance is not required for this scoping review study since only secondary data sources will be used. The findings of this review will be disseminated by means of peer-reviewed publication and conference proceedings. The final paper will be submitted for publication. Results of this review will also be presented at relevant conferences and disseminated to important stakeholders such as practicing physicians within specialised spinal care facilities within South Africa.