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Assessment of knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding antimicrobial resistance among primary health care prescribers in Imo State, Nigeria: implications for digital health readiness

Por: Basil · I. C. · Ekeleme · U. G. · Udujih · O. G. · Dozie · U. W. · Iwuala · C. · Ibe · S. · Nwoke · E. · Mbakwem · B. · Okoro · L. I. · Uzoma · F. C. · Okoroama · C. L. · Uzoma · M.-J.
Introduction

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most urgent global health threats, responsible for an estimated 4.95 million deaths annually, including 1.27 million directly linked to drug-resistant infections. Nigeria is particularly affected, ranking 19th globally in AMR-related mortality, with an estimated 64 500 attributable and 263 400 associated deaths in 2019. These estimates are likely conservative due to limited surveillance. Economically, AMR could cost Nigeria 5%–7% of its GDP by 2050.

Despite this burden, antibiotic misuse remains widespread, with 42% of adults and over 46% of children under 5 receiving antibiotics without prescriptions. At the primary healthcare (PHC) level, where most antibiotics are prescribed, challenges such as limited diagnostics, inconsistent prescription and poor access to digital tools hinder effective antimicrobial stewardship (AMS).

Objectives

The primary objective of this study is to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among PHC prescribers in Imo State, Nigeria. A secondary objective is to explore preliminary indicators of their digital readiness to inform future technological interventions for AMS.

Design

A cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire.

Setting

PHC facilities across all 27 local government areas of Imo State, Nigeria.

Participants

A purposive sample of 547 facility-based public PHC prescribers included 84% of all facility Officers-in-Charge of health facilities in the state and 16% of other PHC workers who were involved in prescription.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

The primary outcome measures were composite scores for knowledge (adequate/inadequate), attitude (positive/negative) and prescribing practice (good/poor), derived from a validated questionnaire. Secondary measures included sources of AMR information and indicators of digital readiness.

Results

While 77.1% demonstrated adequate knowledge, only 32.7% exhibited positive attitudes and 88.5% reported poor prescribing practices. Attitude was the strongest predictor of good practice (OR=17.585, p

Conclusions

These findings underscore a critical gap between knowledge and practice, driven in part by limited access to digital decision-support tools. To address the documented gaps in tool access and training, strengthening digital inclusion through context-adapted e-learning, offline-compatible AMS tools and simplified digital antibiograms is a necessary implication for improving antibiotic stewardship and clinical outcomes at the PHC level.

Tofacitinib in rheumatoid arthritis: a German real-world study with focus on treatment changes, effectiveness and patient-reported outcomes (ESCALATE-RA)

Por: Krueger · K. · Behrens · F. · Brandt-Juergens · J. · Detert · J. · Feuchtenberger · M. · Prothmann · U. · Behmer · O. · Hsieh · M.-J. M. · Jobst · J. · Klaus · P. · Meng · T.
Objective

To identify predictors of treatment changes and to evaluate the effectiveness and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) initiating tofacitinib in a real-world setting.

Design

The non-interventional study ESCALATE-RA included 1518 patients with RA from Germany. RA treatment, including all changes in therapy, was documented for 24 months starting from the initial intake of tofacitinib.

Participants

All patients started with tofacitinib therapy, either as monotherapy or in combination with methotrexate (MTX).

Primary and secondary outcome measures

The impact of several factors of interest on the number and timing of treatment changes was assessed as primary outcome using Cox proportional hazards models. Further outcomes were tofacitinib drug survival and the use of follow-up disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs after first treatment change. We also assessed the effectiveness, concomitant glucocorticoid (GC) use, PROs (such as functional ability, patient satisfaction, pain and quality of life) and safety. Analyses were based on observed data.

Results

‘Lack of efficacy’ (HR 3.30) and ‘intolerance’ (HR 4.43) leading to termination of tofacitinib were key factors favouring therapy changes. Higher patient satisfaction was significantly associated with a reduced likelihood of treatment changes (HR 0.82). Increasing GC doses were associated with a higher probability of step-up/switch changes (HR 1.21). The estimated tofacitinib drug survival was 48% at the end of study. Proportions of patients achieving low disease activity (both Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) and Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) 62%) and remission (SDAI 25%, CDAI 28%) increased from baseline under tofacitinib and were comparable between monotherapy and combination therapy with MTX. Mean concomitant GC dose decreased (2 mg/day). PROs indicated reduced pain and fatigue, while functional ability and quality of life improved. 63.9% of the patients experienced a treatment-emergent adverse event (AE), 8.8% a treatment-emergent AE of special interest and deaths occurred in 0.5%.

Conclusion

Key factors for therapy changes in patients with RA treated with tofacitinib were lack of efficacy and intolerance. Higher patient satisfaction was associated with a reduced probability of treatment changes, while increased GC doses led to a higher likelihood of step-ups/switches. Patients demonstrated a marked reduction in disease activity for up to 24 months, along with improvements in functional ability, pain and quality of life. Observed AEs were consistent with the known safety profile of tofacitinib.

Trial registration number

NCT03387423.

Evaluating the impact of a national brain health education course for older adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and caregivers: Brain Health-IDD Program protocol

Por: Lunsky · Y. · Bobbette · N. · Chiu · M. · Thakur · A. · Patel · P. · Volpe · T. · Balogh · R. · Baskin · A. · Beaudoin · M.-J. · Dever · M. J. · Durbin · A. · Fogle · A. · Kelly · C. · Lake · J. · Lefkowitz · G. · Mallett · H. · McCabe · J. · Noonan · J. · Selick · A. · Shooshtari · S. · Socka
Introduction

Adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) experience higher rates of age-related health concerns, including dementia, than adults without disabilities. Despite this, current efforts to support brain health in ageing have often excluded this population. To address this gap, we will codesign, codeliver and evaluate a national virtual brain health education programme, Brain Health-IDD, for ageing individuals with IDD, family caregivers and health and social care providers.

Methods and analysis

This study will evaluate the Brain Health-IDD Program, an interactive virtual psychoeducation course codesigned and coled by an interdisciplinary team of clinicians and people with lived experience. Three participant groups will be recruited from across Canada: adults with IDD, aged 40 years and older; family caregivers who have a family member with IDD aged 40 years and older or who are themselves aged 60 years and older; and health or social service providers who support adults with IDD aged 40 years and older. Outcomes will be measured at baseline, postcourse and 3-month follow-up. Data will be collected through structured surveys, including both closed and open-ended questions, and focus group interviews.

Primary outcomes are participation, satisfaction and changes in knowledge and self-efficacy related to brain health among the three participant groups. Secondary outcomes for both adults with IDD and family caregivers include changes in health-related behaviours (social connections, sleep hygiene and physical activity), physical health, mental wellbeing, resilience and whether cognitive screening is initiated for adults with IDD and for caregivers. For health and social service providers, secondary outcomes include changes in brain health promotion practices and whether cognitive screening for older adults with IDD is initiated.

Analysis of open-text survey responses and qualitative data from focus group interviews will explore the experiences of participants with the Brain Health-IDD Program.

Ethics and dissemination

Institutional ethics approval was obtained from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Research Ethics Board. Programme findings and resources will be shared with advocacy groups, disability agencies, family caregiver organisations, clinicians and policymakers in the fields of disability, health and ageing at the provincial, national and international levels.

Temporal trends in the causes of in-hospital cardiac arrest: a retrospective observational cohort study on the limitations of the current alert system at a tertiary hospital in Korea

Por: Lee · J. M. · Cho · M. S. · Cha · M.-J. · Kim · J. · Choi · K.-J. · Kim · A.-R. · Kim · M.-S. · Lee · J. · Shin · Y. · Go · U. J. · Oh · H. Y. · Hong · S.-B. · Nam · G.-B.
Objectives

In-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) is associated with high mortality and serious neurological sequelae. Although medical alert systems have evolved, the ability of these systems to influence changes in IHCA incidence and aetiology remains limited.

Designs

Retrospective observational cohort study.

Settings

A single tertiary hospital in South Korea, covering tertiary care levels.

Participants

A total of 1994 adult patients (≥18 years) who experienced 2121 episodes of IHCA between January 2011 and December 2019. Patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, those aged ≤18 years and those with do-not-resuscitate orders were excluded. The mean age of patients was 63.0 years (SD, 14.6); 64.1% were male.

Interventions

Not applicable.

Main outcome measures

The incidence and temporal trends of IHCA were stratified by aetiology (cardiac vs non-cardiac). Additional analyses examined changes in arrhythmic versus non-arrhythmic causes over time using Poisson regression.

Results

Cardiac arrhythmia was the most common cause of IHCA (314 of 2121, 14.8%; incidence: 0.42/1000 admissions), including ventricular tachycardia (n=86), ventricular fibrillation (n=87) and Torsades de Pointes (n=79). Respiratory failure was the second most common cause (266 of 2121, 12.5%; incidence: 0.36/1000 admissions). The incidence of IHCA due to respiratory failure in 2011 was 0.63/1000 admissions, which decreased to 0.20/1000 admissions by 2019 (β=0.883, 95% CI 0.842 to 0.926, p for trend 0.007; Poisson p

Conclusion

IHCA causes have shown significant temporal shifts. Arrhythmia has become the leading cause of IHCA, with incidences remaining stable, whereas a marked decrease has been observed in respiratory-related IHCA. Therefore, enhanced in-hospital cardiac monitoring systems are required for early detection.

Factors associated with unacceptable knowledge, attitudes and practices of patients with type 2 diabetes on cardiovascular risk factors and diabetes-related complications in two health facilities of the West Region of Cameroon during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective

To assess the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) regarding cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) and diabetes-related complications in two hospitals in the West Region of Cameroon during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design

This was a prospective cross-sectional study conducted over 5 months from April to September 2022.

Setting

This study was conducted in two tertiary hospitals in the West Region of Cameroon, in Central Africa.

Participants

It included all patients with T2DM receiving care at these two hospitals, having agreed to participate and followed up in both hospitals for at least 3 months.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Sociodemographic, clinical and treatment data were collected using a data sheet, and KAP scores were based on the Essi and Njoya framework. Data collection and analysis were performed using SPSS V.23.0 software. Logistic regression was used to identify the factors associated with unacceptable KAP (p

Results

A total of 140 participants (71 women) with an average age of 63 years and an average diabetes duration of 6.14±5.7 years were included. Most (55%) were managed by general practitioners. The main CVRFs identified were hypertension (11%) and overweight (6%), while the leading complications included visual disorders (10.7%), hypoglycaemia (6.4%) and erectile dysfunction (2.1%). Knowledge was good in 34.3% of participants, only 25.7% demonstrated correct attitudes, and merely 15.7% engaged in adequate practices. Unacceptable knowledge was associated with diabetes duration between 3 months and 5 years (OR: 0.34 (95% CI 0.14 to 0.85), p=0.021), follow-up by a specialist (OR: 0.31 (95% CI 0.13 to 0.74), p=0.009), the presence of at least one CVRF (OR: 0.03 (95% CI 0.00 to 0.23), p

Conclusion

Few people with T2DM presented good knowledge, right attitudes and adequate practices. Enhanced patient education and increasing specialist numbers are essential to promote self-management of the condition and to decrease the incidence of complications and mortality.

Online mindfulness interventions in the care of people with physical and mental health conditions: a scoping review

Por: Senthilnathan · V. · Zahir · S. · Simpson · R. · Jaglal · S. · Craven · C. · Fetterly · M.-J. · Perrier · L. · Munce · S.
Objective

With growing access to the internet, online mindfulness programmes have become more commonly used to manage physical and mental health conditions. This scoping review aims to determine the nature and extent of the literature, and key characteristics, of online mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for adults with physical or mental health conditions.

Design

A scoping review guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute framework.

Data sources

MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, Allied and Complementary Medicine and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials.

Eligibility criteria

Studies focusing on online MBIs, online mindfulness-based stress reduction and online mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in adults with a physical or mental health condition were included.

Data extraction and synthesis

Study and participant characteristics, key intervention characteristics, outcome measures and results were abstracted.

Results

84 studies were included. Online MBIs have been studied in many different physical and mental health conditions; however, 63 of the included studies were for physical health conditions. MBCT was the most common intervention type assessed, with 33 of the included studies assessing it. Regarding intervention characteristics, intervention duration was similar across intervention type at 8 weeks, with sessions led by therapists, clinicians or mindfulness instructors. Web-based and videoconferencing were the most common delivery formats. Intervention content generally remained similar to standardised MBIs, with the addition of psychoeducation and disease management. Many studies did not report on tailoring the intervention to the participant population. There was a lack of consistency in reporting intervention characteristics.

Conclusions

This review highlights some evidence for online mindfulness programmes for both physical and mental health conditions. However, intervention componentry remains somewhat obscure, and reporting on tailoring appears relatively sparse. Greater consistency in reporting intervention componentry will improve knowledge and study in this area and enhance the translation of these interventions to clinical settings.

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