. Objective: To review outcome research concerning placement of trained assistance dogs (ADs), focusing primarily on service dogs for people with mobility impairments and hearing dogs for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. Design: The authors place the relatively small body of literature on ADs in the context of relevant research on the benefits of human-animal contact and pet ownership. Results: While the research specific to ADs generally shows positive benefits, the small number of studies and methodological limitations of these studies preclude any clear conclusions. Recommendations for future research on ADs include the use of longitudinal designs, matched comparison groups, standardized measures that assess diverse areas of functioning, and behavioral self-monitoring for daily activities.

Practice reimbursements increased after EHR implementation, but there was a long-term decrease in the number of patient visits seen in this ambulatory practice context.

IFE satisfaction is one of the components of subjective quality of life described by Diener, 1 and because tive quality of life as an important outcome of rehabilitation, [2][3][4][5] the study of life satisfaction is a timely endeavor. In a recent article combining scholarship and passion, deLateur 6In this study of 78 people living in the community 1 to 7 years after spinal cord injury, community integration and reported coping strategies were investigated for their association with life satisfaction. Community integration was measured in terms of objective and subjective handicap in social roles. Objective handicap, defined by the Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique (CHART), and subjective handicap, defined by the Perceived Handicap Questionnaire (PHQ), were hypothesized to show an inverse relationship with life satisfaction, as measured by the Life Satisfaction Index-Z (LSI-Z). It was hypothesized that each measure of handicap would provide unique explanation of variability in life satisfaction. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that differences in participants' use of coping strategies, measured via an abbreviated version of the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (abbrWOC), would be associated with differences in their reported handicap and life satisfaction. Participants' use of coping strategies was hypothesized to provide a unique explanation of their life satisfaction, even when considered together with the two measures of handicap. The study's hypotheses were partially supported. Objective and subjective measures of handicap were correlated with each other and with life satisfaction. However, only perceived handicap provided a unique explanation of life satisfaction in a multivariate context. Two of the eight assessed coping strategies were associated with life satisfaction, but only one, escape-avoidance coping, remained significant when assessed in conjunction with handicap. These results are discussed in relation to a contemporary theory regarding the effects of individual characteristics and handicap on quality of life and directions for future study are discussed.

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