Commentary on: Wyper GMA, Mackay DF, Fraser C, Lewsey J, Robinson M, Beeston C, Giles L. Evaluating the impact of alcohol minimum unit pricing on deaths and hospitalisations in Scotland: a controlled interrupted time series study. Lancet. 2023 Apr 22;401(10385):1361-1370. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(23)00497-X. Epub 2023 Mar 20.
Data will inform the decision of the Scottish Parliament whether to keep the minimum unit pricing (MUP) policy, which expires on 30 April 2024. Further study is needed exploring the enduring effects of MUP on chronic alcohol conditions, including alcohol-related cancer deaths.
In 2021, the rate of alcohol-related deaths in the UK increased by 7.4% from 2020 (14.8/100 000), with the highest rate (22.4/100 000) in Scotland.
MUP is...
Commentary on: Mann C, Timmons S, Evans C, Pearce R, Overton C, Hinsliff-Smith K, Conway J. Exploring the role of advanced clinical practitioners (ACPs) and their contribution to health services in England: A qualitative exploratory study. Nurse Educ Pract. 2023 Feb;67:103546. doi: 10.1016/j.nepr.2023.103546. Epub 2023 Jan 24.
Workforce planning needs focus on the level of practice required for service demand and not ‘what role is needed’. Planners must appreciate the contributions and limitations of practice different advanced clinical practitioners (ACPs) bring. Research is needed to move beyond capturing the advancement of roles to exploring changes, in practice and education, and evaluating the improvements made, particularly with advanced practice (AP) regulation being reviewed by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
Advanced Practice (AP) is a phenomenon which in the last century may be traced back to the post second...
Commentary on: Al-Hammouri MM, Rababah JA. Work family conflict, family work conflicts and work-related quality of life: The effect of rotating versus fixed shifts. J Clin Nurs. 2023 Aug;32(15–16):4887–4893. doi: 10.1111/jocn.16581. Epub 2022 Nov 11.
Given this study’s findings of the negative impact of rotating shifts on nurses’ work and family life, the use of rotating shifts in hospitals should be reconsidered. Since this is the first study to be conducted on the topic, more research is needed.
Rotating shifts are a common way for hospitals to distribute night shift work instead of keeping nurses in fixed night shifts.
Commentary on: Clemson L, Stark S, Pighills AC, Fairhall NJ, Lamb SE, Ali J, Sherrington C. Environmental interventions for preventing falls in older people living in the community. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023 Mar 10;3(3):CD013258. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013258.pub2
Home fall hazard assessments are shown to be effective in fall prevention among community-dwelling older adults at higher risk of falls. Future work should investigate the feasibility of implementing these interventions in practice settings. It is uncertain whether assistive technologies can prevent falls in community-dwelling older adults, thus further research is needed.
Nearly 30% of older adults aged 65 years and older fall each year.
Commentary on: Kamau S, Koskenranta M, Kuivila H, et al. Integration strategies and models to support transition and adaptation of culturally and linguistically diverse nursing staff into healthcare environments: an umbrella review. Int J Nurs Stud 2022;136:104377. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2022.104377. Epub 2022 Oct 10.
Healthcare organisations must invest resources for effective integration of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) nurses. Research on nurse integration must evaluate CALD nurse’s needs, goals, and prospects for retention.
Kamau et al’s
The authors
Commentary on: Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators. Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2019: a systematic analysis. Lancet. 2022 Feb 12;399 (10325):629–655. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02724-0. Epub 2022 Jan 19. Erratum in: Lancet. 2022 Oct 1;400 (10358):1102.
The study highlights the urgent need for improved surveillance, prevention and control of bacterial antimicrobial resistance worldwide. Research should be conducted to develop rapid and accurate diagnostic tests to detect resistant infections.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global health threat, and the misuse and overuse of antibiotics are contributing factors. AMR is estimated to have caused 4.95 million deaths worldwide in 2019, according to the study that looked at data from 204 studies. The findings of the 2019 study highlight the urgent need for global action to address the problem of bacterial AMR. Governments, healthcare providers and the public all have a role to...
Commentary on: Verhoeven JE, Han LKM, Lever-van Milligen BA, et al. Antidepressants or running therapy: comparing effects on mental and physical health in patients with depression and anxiety disorders. J Affect Disord 2023;329:19–29. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.02.064.
Supervised outdoor running at vigorous intensity leads to antidepressant and physical health benefits in outpatients with major depression or anxiety disorders. More pragmatic exercise trials for mental health outpatients with heterogeneous symptomatology are needed.
Exercise is associated with antidepressant effects in clinical settings but relevant research in pragmatic (real-life) settings is scarce.
Participants were physically inactive adult outpatients with a current major depression or an anxiety disorder and were treated with...
Commentary on: English W, Robinson J, Gott M. Health professionals' experiences of rapport during telehealth encounters in community palliative care: An interpretive description study. Palliat Med. 2023 Jul;37(7):975-983. doi: 10.1177/02692163231172243. Epub 2023 May 2
Continual training for health professionals is vital to improve their rapport building strategies during telehealth palliative care encounters. Future studies should explore the perspectives of patients and families on rapport development during palliative care telehealth encounters.
Telehealth has gained prominence in palliative care, offering convenience and accessibility to patients with advanced illnesses, particularly in the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Commentary on: López-Del-Hoyo Y, Fernández-Martínez S, Pérez-Aranda A, Barceló-Soler A, Bani M, Russo S, Urcola-Pardo F, Strepparava MG, García-Campayo J. Effects of eHealth interventions on stress reduction and mental health promotion in healthcare professionals: A systematic review. J Clin Nurs. 2023 Jan 26. doi: 10.1111/jocn.16634. Epub ahead of print.
eHealth interventions can potentially provide cost-effective and easily accessible support for stress-related problems, and reducing sick leave occurrences in healthcare professionals. To establish the effectiveness of interventions targeting healthcare professionals, researchers should prioritise conducting additional studies with larger sample sizes in order to conduct meta-analytic synthesis for more robust and comprehensive conclusions.
Healthcare professionals (HCPs) encounter work-related challenges that elevate the risk of mental health issues like anxiety, depression and stress. The escalating number of sick leaves due to work-induced stress exacerbates the shortage of active HCPs. Employing digitisation...
Commentary on: Abbott L, Scott T, Thomas H. Experiences of midwifery care in English prisons. Birth. 2023 Mar;50(1):244-251. doi: 10.1111/birt.12692. Epub 2022 Nov 12.
Incarceration presents barriers to best midwifery practices, restricting patient choice in care provider and place of birth. Midwives play an important role advocating for incarcerated patients. Prison staff misunderstand midwifery and conceptualise access to care as a reward for good behaviour. Future research should assess outcomes of alternatives to incarceration.
Women continue to be one of the fastest growing populations experiencing incarceration, with significant consequences for their newborns and children. Despite international and national requirements for equivalent care to what is available in community, existing research in the field of prison perinatal health has found delays and gaps in care and poor neonatal outcomes associated with pregnancy in prison.
Commentary on: Murooka Y, Sasabuchi Y, Takazawa T, Matsui H, Yasunaga H, Saito S. Long-Term Prognosis Following Early Rehabilitation in the ICU: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Crit Care Med. 2023 Mar 29. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000005862. Epub ahead of print.
Rehabilitation programmes if introduced early after admissions to intensive care unit could be beneficial to patients and healthcare systems. Prospective studies are needed to confirm the long-term impacts of early introduction of rehabilitation programmes on healthcare outcomes in terms of, quality of life and physical functions, the optimal timing, duration, and intensity of rehabilitation.
Early rehabilitation is a promising treatment for postintensive care syndrome. Studies have demonstrated the benefits of rehabilitation, such as early exercise and mobilisation, which improve short-term physical and functional outcomes and reduce intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital stay durations for critically ill patients.
Commentary on: Anantapong K, Davies N, Sampson EL. Communication between the multidisciplinary team and families regarding nutrition and hydration for people with severe dementia in acute hospitals: a qualitative study. Age Ageing 2022;51:afac230. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afac230.
Hydration and nutrition issues in dementia should be discussed primarily by experienced health professionals, considering the beliefs, culture and expectations of the patient and her family, from the diagnosis. Moreover, these problems may show different characteristics in the acute hospital and at the end of life. Further studies with larger and interrelated study groups may emphasise more on the importance of communication in hydration and nutrition problems in dementia.
Eating and drinking difficulties are known sources of health problems in people with dementia. It is essential to increase the awareness of patients and family carers for these problems. Healthy communication with family carers...
Commentary on: Skorstad M, Vistad I, Fegran L, et al. Nurse-led consultation reinforced with eHealth technology: a qualitative study of the experiences of the patients with gynecological cancer. BMC Nurs 2022;21:326. doi: 10.1186/s12912-022-01104-9.
To improve continuity and quality of cancer care (QoCC) and patients’ adherence to the oncological treatments, it is necessary to develop innovative, digitalised, personalised and evidence-informed follow-up interventions that enhances patients’ quality of life (QoL). Future research should focus on developing clear guidance and efficient technology-based assessment measures that are necessary for providing individualised early palliative care and post-treatment interventions.
A surge in the ageing population and the rising incidence of cancer risk factors have resulted in the increase in the occurrence of cancer in women worldwide, which requires careful treatment planning and innovations in post-treatment follow-up interventions.
Commentary on: Eggleton EJ, McMurrugh KJ, Aiken CE. Maternal pregnancy outcomes in women with cardiomyopathy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2022 Oct;227(4):582–592. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2022.05.039. Epub 2022 May 2021
Pregnant patients with cardiomyopathy have a risk of complications and should be advised accordingly. Prospective data focusing on pregnancy outcomes in patients with various subtypes of cardiomyopathies are warranted to ensure proper counselling of these patients.
Haemodynamic changes, especially blood volume, heart rate and cardiac output augmentation, during pregnancy can exacerbate symptoms in patients with cardiomyopathy or unmask a preexisting asymptomatic condition.
Commentary on: Mikovits JC. "I don't feel like I'm a person": Nursing knowledge of transgender care through the lens of transgender people. J Adv Nurs. 2022 Sep;78(9):3012–3024. doi: 10.1111/jan.15308. Epub 2022 Jun 1.
Nurses have an ethical imperative to provide patient-centered care that honours all aspects of one’s identity, including gender identity. Further research is needed to better understand the healthcare experiences of transgender people of intersecting identities and those with varying economic resources.
Transgender people experience numerous health inequities due to societal discrimination and stigma.
Commentary on: Ulvund I, Dadi GB, Sundal H. Nurses benefit from international clinical placement as nurse students: a qualitative study. Nurse Educ Today 2023; 121:105663. doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2022.105663. Epub 2022 Nov 25.
International clinical placements benefit nurses’ personal and professional development and these skills may be applied in their future careers. More research is needed to assess the long-term outcomes of international clinical placements among nurses in the workforce.
Globalisation and diversity require that nurses develop the skills and knowledge to become culturally safe and competent both locally and globally and in all clinical contexts.
Commentary on: Williamson SP, Moffitt RL, Broadbent J, Neumann DL, Hamblin PS. Coping, wellbeing, and psychopathology during high-risk pregnancy: A systematic review. Midwifery. 2023 Jan;116:103556. doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2022.103556. Epub 2022 Nov 14.
Awareness of negative impacts of high-risk pregnancies on mental health will help to identify women in need of support. Strategies can be created to improve coping and well-being for high-risk pregnant women.
Pregnancy is a period of major physiological changes. Psychological adjustments occur, more so with a high-risk diagnosis in pregnancy. In their systematic review, the authors outlined the state of the science of pregnant women’s psychopathology, coping and well-being when high-risk conditions including hypertension, diabetes and kidney disease develop during pregnancy. Pregnant women with these conditions can experience ineffective coping, poor well-being, anxiety and depression among other negative symptoms. Provider’s awareness, culturally appropriate education and support can reduce...
Commentary on: Clair A, Baker E. Cold homes and mental health harm: Evidence from the UK Household Longitudinal Study. Soc Sci Med. 2022 Dec;314:115461. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115461. Epub 2022 Oct 22 .
Supporting people to live in warm housing during a period of increasing living and energy costs in many countries will avoid social, economic and mental health harm. Further research to understand the pathways between cold housing and increased mental health distress is needed.
Cold housing, driven by poor housing quality and energy poverty, is a significant public health issue in many countries.
Commentary on: Wagner B, Hofmann L, Maaß U. A therapist-supported internet-based intervention for bereaved siblings: a randomized controlled trial. Palliat Med. 2022 Dec;36(10):1532–1543. doi: 10.1177/02692163221122344. Epub 2022 Oct 20.
An online 6-weeks 12-session CBT-based writing intervention can improve grief and depression in bereaved siblings up to 1 year postintervention. Further research may examine the potentially effective components and the effectiveness of the intervention in populations such as males and people bereaved by suicide.
Bereaved siblings have an increased risk of developing long-term health-related problems after loss. A population-wide study revealed higher risks of depression, substance use and a twofold risk of attempted suicide compared to non-bereaved siblings.
Commentary on: MacHale R, Ffrench C, McGuire B. The experiences and views of adults with intellectual disabilities accessing digital mental health interventions: A qualitative systematic review and thematic synthesis. J Appl Res Intellect Disabil. 2023 May;36(3):448-457. doi: 10.1111/jar.13082. Epub 2023 Feb 13.
Digital mental health interventions may be useful to complement in-person mental health services, with sufficient supports for meaningful use. User-centred design research with adults with intellectual disabilities and supporters is needed at all phases of digital mental health intervention development and evaluation.
Providers report that digital interventions are effectively being delivered to adults with intellectual disabilities; there is less research about how digital health interventions are received and experienced by people with intellectual disabilities.