Newswise — JRRD Volume 50, Issue 7, produced by the Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development (JRRD) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is now available online at http://www.rehab.research.va.gov/jour/2013/507/contents507.html.

This issue includes a single-topic section on health outcomes measures, specifically the Comprehensive High-Level Activity Mobility Predictor, also known as CHAMP, which can be used to assess treatment effectiveness. Because technology and treatments have improved and more people are surviving what, in the past, would have been life-ending injuries, the quality of survival is becoming more important.

Other topics include—

•a reflective commentary by Dr. Christina Kaufman on the value of “best guess” decisions in the pursuit of clinical and scientific endeavors and how this process hasn’t changed much over the last 50 years. Dr. Kaufman’s commentary can be found in the Then & Now section;

•discussion of the use of low-level laser therapy in the treatment of skeletal muscle recovery;

•expanding the use of a new portable hearing testing device, the OtoID, which was initially designed to monitor hearing while Veterans underwent treatment for cancer;

•results of an evaluation of three-wheeled scooters to determine stability, safety and durability.

•These and other topics of interest to Veterans, their caregivers and researchers who continue to seek treatments for these issues are also available.

Journal Link: JRRD, Vol 50-7