ODM Data Analysis-A tool for the automatic validation, monitoring and generation of generic descriptive statistics of patient data

Employment, work ability and sick leave in melanoma patients within the first year of diagnosis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Malignant melanoma affects younger working individuals. This study investigated work ability and sick leave within one year after diagnosis, as well as the impact of rehabilitation and psycho-oncological measures on employment outcomes.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In this monocentric, prospective, observational cohort study, 221 patients (62.4% females), aged 19-65, participated. 78.5% had tumor stage IB or lower at baseline. Routine clinical documentation, occupational history, work ability, subjective prognosis of employment, need for and satisfaction with rehabilitation measures were repeatedly assessed.

RESULTS

181 patients (82%) were employed at first visit, 172 (78%) at last visit. Approximately 75% of patients initially rated work ability as "moderate", with up to 9 sick leave days. In the following year, sick days increased significantly in patients with stage IB and IIA (p = 0.044) and highly significantly in patients with stage II B and above (p < 0.001). Psycho-oncologic consultation (24%) and rehabilitation (18%) did not change the significantly worse self-rated work ability of these patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Melanoma affects work ability, even in tumor stages without lymph node involvement or distant metastasis. Controlled clinical trials would be useful to evaluate the success of rehabilitation and psycho-oncological interventions for patients with melanoma.

Timing in Lower Limb Complex Movement Tests for DanceSport Athletes: Relation between FitLight Trainer and IMU Measurements

We examine the relation between two devices used in measuring the timing in lower limb complex movement tests for DanceSport athletes, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a FitLight Trainer device, with the latter regarded as the gold standard method in the field. Four tests are selected to cover the lower limb movements. The research sample comprises 21 experienced dancers from different dance disciplines, performing the four tests with each of their lower limbs. Compared using concurrent validity, the two devices used show great agreement for estimating the total tests' run times, with interclass correlation coefficients between 0.967 and 0.994 for all tests. This agreement is additionally confirmed by Bland-Altman plots. As an alternative to other devices, the IMU sensor has proven to be a precise and suitable device for measuring timing and testing in sports. Its mobility, light weight, and size are advantages of this device in addition to measurement accuracy.

Rethinking clinical study data: why we should respect analysis results as data

The development and approval of new treatments generates large volumes of results, such as summaries of efficacy and safety. However, it is commonly overlooked that analyzing clinical study data also produces data in the form of results. For example, descriptive statistics and model predictions are data. Although integrating and putting findings into context is a cornerstone of scientific work, analysis results are often neglected as a data source. Results end up stored as "data products" such as PDF documents that are not machine readable or amenable to future analyses. We propose a solution to "calculate once, use many times" by combining analysis results standards with a common data model. This analysis results data model re-frames the target of analyses from static representations of the results (e.g., tables and figures) to a data model with applications in various contexts, including knowledge discovery. Further, we provide a working proof of concept detailing how to approach standardization and construct a schema to store and query analysis results.