The PAR-QoL Website – More than just a tool-kit!

The PAR-QoL Website – More than just a tool-kit!

Mars 11, 2013

Welcome to the PAR-QoL Newsletter!   The newsletter serves to provide you with quarterly updates about the Participation & Quality of Life (PAR-QoL) Tool-Kit.  You can opt to receive these newsletters to your email inbox by creating an account at: http://www.parqol.com/register.cfm

To view the newsletter on-line, go to: http://www.parqol.com/newsletters.cfm

For those of you new to the PAR-QoL site, the goal of the tool-kit is to provide clinicians and researchers working in the field of spinal cord injury (SCI) with knowledge and resources on assessing quality of life.  We have information on over 60 outcome tools used in the field of SCI, and have provided you with details on which QoL constructs they are designed to measure, and have summaries on how they have been used to assess the impact of various secondary health conditions.

In addition, we have a number of features to help keep you informed about exciting developments in the SCI field.  This includes our regularly updated blog, news and events feature, ask an expert spotlight events, and discussion forum. These features of the site aim to not only inform professionals working in the field, but also to various stakeholders who are interested in SCI research (e.g., people with SCI, community advocates, etc.).  Details on the development of the website and its implementation strategy have been published in  Disability & Rehabilitation , and serves a template for others interested in developing similar types of web-based resources.

See the abstract here: Hitzig SL, Noreau L, Balioussis C, Routhier F, Kairy D, Craven BC.The development of the spinal cord injury participation and quality of life (PAR-QoL) tool-kit. Disabil Rehabil.  IN PRESS.

Thank you for your interest in the PAR-QoL website!

Latest Blog Entry – SCI Resources on the Web

In our latest blog entry, we highlight some resources available on the web for the spinal cord injury (SCI) community.  It is amazing the number of resources that continue to emerge on the web.

In addition to educational resources, social media is showing itself to be an emerging source for helping people with SCI participate in their communities.

The PAR-QoL site aims to highlight these various sources…Click here.

Ask an Expert – Dr. Vanessa Noonan

In December 2012, the PAR-QoL site had its first Expert Spotlight Event with Dr. Vanessa Noonan, Director of Research, from the Rick Hansen Institute.

Visitors to the site were invited to submit their questions to Dr. Noonan, who then posted her replies on-line.   We want to thank Dr. Noonan for taking the time to share her expertise and insights!

Future spotlights are currently being planned and we hope that these events will serve as a unique opportunity for you to connect with experts in the field and to obtain the answers you need to help with your own work. Read up on the event …[Link to rest]

New Article – Systematic Review on Quality Improvement Strategies for SC

An interesting systematic review is being undertaken to identify the impact of quality improvement strategies, including self-management strategies, on the quality of life and well-being in persons with SCI.

The details of this review (which is open-access) can be seen by clicking on the link below:

Munce SE, Perrier L, Tricco AC, Straus SE, Fehlings MG, Kastner M, Jang E, Webster F, Jaglal SB. Impact of quality improvement strategies on the quality of life and well-being of individuals with spinal cord injury: a systematic review protocol. Syst Rev. 2013 Feb 22;2(1):14. [Epub ahead of print]

We would like to acknowledge our funders, the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation (ONF) and the Réseau Provincial de Recherche en Adaptation-Readaptation (REPAR), for their support of this project.

By | 2018-06-28T14:50:09-04:00 March 11th, 2013|Newsletters|