BACKGROUND:We prospectively compared the proxy reporting of health-related quality of life (HRQL) by parents and nurses of children with Hodgkin disease to see how well they correlated with the children's report. METHODS: Children with all stages of Hodgkin disease, their parents, and the clinic nurse were all asked to complete 4 different HRQL measures at 4 time points: 2 weeks after the first course of chemotherapy, on the third day of the second course of chemotherapy, during the third week of radiation, and 1 year after diagnosis. RESULTS: Fifty-one patients from 12 centers across Canada were enrolled in the study between May 1, 2002 and March 31, 2005. Two patients were excluded. The children's Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) generic scores increased from 64 at base line to 81 at the end of the study. There was substantial agreement (intraclass correlation coefficient >0.6) among the participants' scores at most time points except when the child was actively receiving inpatient chemotherapy. At that time, there was only fair to moderate agreement between the child and parent, with the parents on average rating the PedsQL generic score 5 points lower than the child. The nurses still had substantial agreement at that time point with the PedsQL generic and cancer module as well as the EuroQol EQ-5D visual analogue scale visual analogue scale. CONCLUSIONS: Over the course of treatment for Hodgkin disease, there was substantial agreement among the parent's, nurse's, and children's reported HRQL scores. Nurses contribute valuable additional information as proxy respondents.

BACKGROUND:We evaluated 4 different health‐related quality of life (HRQL) measures prospectively to determine their ability to detect change over time: the Health Utilities Index Mark 2 and Mark 3, the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 4.0 Generic Core and Cancer Module, the EuroQol EQ‐5D visual analogue scale (EuroQol), and the Lansky Play‐Performance Scale.METHODS:Children with all stages of Hodgkin disease from 12 centers across Canada were asked to complete the 4 measures at 4 time points: 2 weeks after the first course of chemotherapy, on the third day of the second course of chemotherapy, during the third week of radiation, and 1 year after diagnosis.RESULTS:Fifty‐one patients were enrolled in the study between May 1, 2002 and March 31, 2005. Two patients were excluded: 1 patient died shortly after the first time point and the other patient failed to complete any of the questionnaires. All measures showed a significant change between Time 1 and Time 4 (<0.05). When the change in child scores was analyzed between the time points using the child's self‐reported change in HRQL, the PedsQL and the EuroQol showed significant change at all time points.CONCLUSIONS:All of the measures were able to detect change in a diverse group of children with Hodgkin disease. The PedsQL and the EuroQol appeared to be the most sensitive to change. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.

His main research interests are in the area of social development, focusing specifically on teacher's perceptions towards cyberbullying, children's bystander behaviour in the online/offline domain, and children's knowledge of online risks and safety.

Children are heavy users of the Internet and prior studies have shown that many of them lack a good understanding of the risks of doing so and how to avoid them. This study examined if the cross-age teaching zone (CATZ) intervention could help children acquire important knowledge of online risks and safety. It allowed older students to act as CATZ tutors to design and deliver a lesson to younger schoolmates (tutees), using content material about online risks and safety provided by adults. Students in Year 6 (mean age = 11.5 years) were randomly assigned to act as either CATZ tutors (n = 100) or age-matched controls (n = 46) and students in Year 4 (mean age = 9.5 years) acted as either CATZ tutees (n = 117) or age-matched controls (n = 28) (total N = 291). CATZ tutors, but not matched controls scored significantly higher on objective measures of knowledge of both online risks and safety, and CATZ tutees, but not matched controls did so for online safety. Effect sizes were moderate or large. CATZ was highly acceptable to participants. The results suggest that CATZ is a viable way to help school students learn about online dangers and how to avoid them.

In World War II, Hugh Cairns, Oxford Nuffield Professor of Surgery and brigadier in the Royal Army Medical Corps, designed and administered the mobile neurosurgical units that treated casualties with head injuries in the various campaigns fought by the British Army. Cairns also created the Combined Services Hospital for Head Injuries at St Hugh's College, Oxford, where the staff of the units were trained and where evacuated casualties were received. The excellent outcome of the head-injured in World War II and the impetus to the expansion of neurosurgery in the UK during and after that war were, in large measure, due to Cairns. Others had knowledge of neurosurgery but Cairns inspired surgeons, neurologists and nursing sisters to perform neurosurgery at the highest level on the battlefield.