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Background: Nurses routinely access and use electronic medical record (EMR) systems. Suitable multidisciplinary care should be provided to each patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale‐Revised (ALSFRS‐R) has been used for patient assessments in clinical trials or healthcare evaluations. Aim: Here, we aimed to retrospectively determine how efficiently ALSFRS‐R‐related data of clinically confirmed ALS patients were routinely recorded, especially by nurses, and how easily the data could be retrieved. Methods: A quantitative and descriptive method was adopted for analyzing EMR admission records from April 2011 to March 2017. All the EMRs from the period were searched to retrieve ALSFRS‐R‐related data and relevant records. In cases that were difficult to categorize, the most appropriate level among neighboring levels was operatively assigned. We also attempted to assess how easily data could be retrieved based on the number of screen transitions. Results: In total, 105 admission datasets (71 patients) were eligible. Fifty admissions with explicit ALSFRS‐R‐related data, 21 with translatable records, and 32 with ALSFRS‐R items in documents maintained for the government were retrieved. Two admission datasets contained no ALSFRS‐R‐related clues. No descriptions were identified as ALSFRS‐R items within the nursing records. Physicians recorded data mainly in the shallow levels of EMRs. Nurses recorded translatable data in both shallow and deep levels for 3 items: speech, swallowing, and dyspnea. Conclusion: This study has shown that routine descriptions in the EMR system recorded by nurses were insufficient in terms of the amount, quality, and accessibility of ALSFRS‐R‐related information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tinel sign is a sensitive clinical indicator for the location of nerve lesions, while magnetic resonance imaging is an efficient tool for lesion diagnosis. Several imaging studies of the Tinel sign with a short distance median nerve have been reported. However, few studies have examined the Tinel sign provoked by a distant lesion or its findings in magnetic resonance neurography. Herein, we report our peripheral nerve conduction and magnetic resonance neurography findings for two women with Tinel signs in the median nerve with a long distance caused by a proximal tumor. Case 1 showed a mass at the proximal superior trunk of the brachial plexus, originating from the fifth cervical spinal root. Case 2 showed a mass at the proximal median nerve at the axilla. There were no changes in symptoms or Tinel signs in either case, and no abnormalities in nerve conduction studies including F waves, for >2 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this study were: (i) to clarify the general quality of life (QOL) of patients with intractable neurological disease; (ii) to clarify the general QOL of the caregivers of these patients; and (iii) to explore the association of QOL in patient-caregiver pairs. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between November 2003 and May 2004 among community-dwelling patients diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD), spinocerebellar degeneration (SCD), multiple system atrophy (MSA), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and their caregivers using a mailed, self-administered questionnaire. To measure QOL, we used the Medical Outcome Study 36-Item Short Form (SF-36) for patients and the short form of the health-related QOL scale SF-36 (SF-8) for caregivers. A total of 418 questionnaires were analyzed. For the patients, all of the general QOL domains of the SF-36 were significantly lower than the national standard value for all of the diagnoses. Physical function, role physical, and role emotional domains were also low. For caregivers, all of the QOL summary scores of the SF-8 for all diagnoses were significantly lower than the national standard value. Although there were several significant correlations of QOL between patients and caregivers, overall the correlations were low. Support for patients with neurological diseases and their caregivers is needed in order to maintain physical and mental QOL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]