Is a practice incremental shuttle walk test needed for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease admitted to hospital for an acute exacerbation?
There was a small but statistically significant increase between ISWTs, which was below the minimal clinically important difference but would have had consequences for exercise prescription. This exploratory work has shown that we may be able to predict the difference between ISWTs using a multiple regression equation which could substitute the need for a second ISWT; this needs to be confirmed prospectively.
After implementing a policy of paying for infant formula, breastfeeding mothers were exposed to more Baby-Friendly steps, and exposure to more steps was significantly associated with a lower risk of breastfeeding cessation.