The primary outcome is the proportion of carers without depressive symptoms and the secondary outcomes include carer and care recipient physical function and activity, carer burden, health service usage, and care recipient falls. This is a well designed study investigating a potentially cost effective option to reduce carer depression and burden. see more Potential confounders may be if a large proportion of the carers recruited have high levels of depression on the Geriatric Depression Scale, they may

improve but not drop below the cut off score of 4; people with depression may find it difficult to engage in a home exercise program; and if the care recipient has moderate or severe dementia it may be difficult for them to undertake a structured exercise program. Despite these potential confounders, this is a significant

Y-27632 clinical trial study as it represents one of a handful of studies that addresses an urgent issue in the care and wellbeing of older people. “
“Summary of: Costa LCM, et al (2012) The prognosis of acute and persistent low-back pain: a meta-analysis. CMAJ 184. DOI:10.1503/maj.111271 [Prepared by Margreth Grotle and Kare Birger Hagen, CAP Editors.] Objective: To review the evidence of clinical course of pain and disability in patients with acute and persistent low-back pain, and to investigate whether pain and disability had similar courses. Data sources: MEDLINE, CINAHL and Embase databases were searched from 1950 to November, 2011. This search was supplemented by searching of reference

lists from eligible studies. Study selection: Inception cohort studies involving patients with acute (< 6 weeks) and persistent (≥ 6 weeks) low-back pain in which pain or disability outcomes were reported. Data extraction: Two reviewers extracted data and discrepancies TCL were resolved by consulting a third reviewer. Methodological quality was assessed using 5 criteria suggested by Altman (2001). A meta-analysis of pain and disability outcome data was conducted, in which pain and disability were modelled as a function of time. Data synthesis: Of 28 613 studies initially identified by the search, 43 studies (33 cohorts) with a total of 11 166 patients met the selection criteria. Data quality was insufficient in many of the studies; only 52% of the studies explicitly reported methods for assembling a representative sample, 73% had a follow-up of at least 80%, and 88% had a follow-up for at least one prognosis outcome at three months or longer. Based on the quantitative pooling of 24 cohorts and 4994 patients the variance-weighted mean pain score (0–100) was 52 (95% CI 48 to 57) at baseline, 23 (95% CI 21 to 25) at 6 weeks, 12 (95% CI 9 to 15) at 26 weeks, and 6 (95% CI 3 to 10) at 52 weeks after the onset of pain for cohorts with acute pain.