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Objective The Learning Health Systems Rehabilitation Research Network (LeaRRn), an NIH-funded rehabilitation research resource center, aims to advance the research capacity of learning health systems (LHSs) within the rehabilitation community. A needs assessment survey was administered to inform development of educational resources. Methods The online survey included 55 items addressing interest in and knowledge of 33 LHS research core competencies in 7 domains and additional items on respondent characteristics. Recruitment targeting rehabilitation researchers and health system collaborators was conducted by LeaRRn, LeaRRn health system partners, rehabilitation professional organizations, and research university program directors using email, listservs, and social media announcements. Results Of the 650 people who initiated the survey, 410 respondents constituted the study sample. Respondents indicated interest in LHS research and responded to at least 1 competency item and/or demographic question. Two-thirds of the study sample had doctoral research degrees, and one-third reported research as their profession. The most common clinical disciplines were physical therapy (38%), communication sciences and disorders (22%), and occupational therapy (10%). Across all 55 competency items, 95% of respondents expressed “a lot” or “some” interest in learning more, but only 19% reported “a lot” of knowledge. Respondents reported “a lot” of interest in a range of topics, including selecting outcome measures that are meaningful to patients (78%) and implementing research evidence in health systems (75%). “None” or “some” knowledge was reported most often in Systems Science areas such as understanding the interrelationships between financing, organization, delivery, and rehabilitation outcomes (93%) and assessing the extent to which research activities will improve the equity of health systems (93%). Conclusion Results from this large survey of the rehabilitation research community indicate strong interest in LHS research competencies and opportunities to advance skills and training. Impact Competencies where respondents indicated high interest and limited knowledge can inform development of LHS educational content that is most needed.

Objective A major barrier to reducing falls among users of lower limb prostheses (LLP) has been an absence of statistical indices required for clinicians to select and interpret scores from performance-based clinical tests. The study aimed to derive estimates of reliability, measurement error, and minimal detectable change values in performance-based clinical tests administered to unilateral LLP users. Methods A total of 60 unilateral LLP users were administered the Narrowing Beam Walking Test, Timed ``Up and Go'' (TUG), Four Square Step Test (FSST), and 10-Meter Walk Test on 2 occasions, 3 to 9 days apart. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated to assess interrater and test-retest reliability, while standard error of measurement (SEM) and minimal detectable change (MDC90) were derived to establish estimates of measurement error in individual scores or changes in score for each test. Results Interrater reliability ICCs (1,1) were high for all tests (ie, ≥0.98). Test-retest ICCs (2,1) varied by test, ranging from .88 for the TUG to .97 for the FSST. SEM and MDC90 varied between .39 and .96 and between .91 seconds and 2.2 seconds for the time-based tests (FSST, TUG, 10-Meter Walk Test). SEM and MDC90 for the Narrowing Beam Walking Test were .07 and .16, respectively. Conclusion With the exception of the TUG, studied tests had test-retest ICCs (2,1) that exceeded the minimum required threshold to be considered suitable for group- and individual-level applications (ie, ICC ≥ 0.70 and ≥ 0.90, respectively). Future research on individuals with dysvascular and transfemoral amputations or in specific age categories is required. Impact Along with published validity indices, these reliability, error, and change indices can help clinicians select balance tests suitable for LLP users. They can also help clinicians interpret test scores to make informed, evidence-based clinical decisions.

The problem of maximising the number of squares on a chess board which can be attacked by a configuration of the eight main pieces was first posed in 1849. We report on a computer search which proves that at most 63 squares can be simultaneously attacked, and we give results for other variations of the problem. Our search technique, which pruned the space of 2.27×10 12 positions to 1.03×10 8 , is of independent interest