Large-scale stroke registries can provide critical insights into disease mechanisms, progression and healthcare needs, informing prevention and care. However, few collect detailed demographic, brain imaging, and comprehensive long-term follow-up data. To address this, we established the prospective Stroke Investigation Group in North And central London (SIGNAL) registry in 2017.
The SIGNAL registry included 3931 adults aged ≥18 years with confirmed acute stroke (cerebral ischaemia or intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH)) admitted to the University College London Hospital hyperacute stroke unit between January 2017 and 2020, drawn from an ethnically diverse North and Central London population (~1.6 million). Baseline data included demographic, clinical, brain imaging and next-of-kin information. Six month follow-up included measures of functional status and non-motor outcomes (anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep, pain, language, continence, social participation, cognition) via face-to-face, telephone or postal follow-up methods.
The mean age of individuals included in the SIGNAL registry was 72.1 years, and 1806 (45.9%) were female. The ethnic distribution comprised 2365 (60%) white, 649 (16.5%) black and 511 (13%) Asian. Stroke diagnoses included 3371 (85.8%) with cerebral ischaemia and 560 (14.2%) with ICH. On admission, 2240 individuals (57.0%) had a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score >4, indicating moderate stroke severity. At hospital discharge, the median functional outcome, measured by the modified Rankin Scale, was 3 (IQR 1–4), indicating moderate disability. At 6 months, functional outcomes measured with mRS were available for 3755 individuals (95.6%) with a median score of 1 (IQR=0–3) and non-motor outcomes were available for 3080 individuals (92.3%). The most prevalent adverse non-motor outcomes were fatigue 1756 (57%), reduced social participation 1694 (55%) and sleep disturbance 1663 (54%).
Further analyses of SIGNAL registry data will investigating associations between stroke mechanisms, subtypes and neuroimaging features and 6-month functional status, non-motor outcomes and cognitive impairment. Longer term follow-up of survivors for ~10 years is also planned.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) currently contribute to over 50% of the global disease burden. Digital tools bear the potential to mitigate the risk of NCDs by facilitating personalised, preventive healthcare. It is therefore pertinent to examine the specific components that contribute to the success or constrain the impact of digital health interventions (DHIs), with particular attention to the sustainability of their long-term effects. Additionally, it is important to provide an up-to-date perspective on emerging interventions and technologies that have not yet been comprehensively addressed in the literature. This protocol defines the methodology for an umbrella review to synthesise the available high-quality evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses regarding effectiveness of DHIs in influencing the primary prevention of NCDs.
Using a rigorous search strategy, the subsequent databases will be searched in December 2025: MEDLINE, Web of Science, CINAHL, Embase, Scopus and Epistemonikos. Following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology, the selected literature will be screened based on predefined inclusion criteria. This includes systematic reviews and meta-analyses published within the last 5 years, without restrictions on country or language, that evaluate the effectiveness of any DHI aimed at the primary prevention of NCDs. Suitable full-text articles will be extracted by four researchers and independently assessed for methodological quality by two researchers using the AMSTAR-2 (A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews) tool. The results will be presented in a summary table aligned with the review question and subquestions, accompanied by a narrative synthesis that explores the findings and their relevance to the research aims.
Ethical approval is not required as no primary data will be collected. The findings of this umbrella review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at academic conferences.
CRD420251139744.
Healthcare settings are experiencing profound changes that make them increasingly complex and demanding environments, particularly for nurses. Against this backdrop are the numerous phenomena of violence in healthcare settings, which are a worrying reflection of the growing problem of aggression in society. Institutions maintain a constant focus on the phenomenon while trying to counter it; however, workplace aggression is still on the rise.
Workplace violence (WPV) potentially leads to lower quality of care and increased costs; it also exposes nurses to burnout, turnover and intention to leave the profession.
The purpose of this scoping review is to explore the physical and psychological consequences on nurses who are victims of WPV and to identify possible correlations with burnout, turnover and intention to leave the workforce.
This scoping review will follow the methodology proposed by Arksey and O’Malley, also incorporating recommendations from the Joanna Briggs Institute Handbook for Scoping Review. A literature search will be conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Web of Science and Scopus. Grey literature sources including Google Scholar and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses will also be consulted. Data will be summarised in descriptive form and categorised according to the identified outcome variables, following an inductive approach. The results will be presented following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines.
The review will include studies published from January 2020 to March 2025.
This scoping review represents the preliminary phase of a larger project aimed at developing support strategies for nurses who are victims of violence.
This scoping review protocol has been registered in the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/785qd/?view_only=21952c15efd14b34a9931f07121bf935). No ethical opinion is required, as the review does not involve direct involvement of human subjects.
The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at national and international conferences and workshops dedicated to workplace safety and nursing. In addition, the results will be shared with healthcare managers and stakeholders to inform context-specific strategies and support interventions within care settings.