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The Novara Cohort Study (NCS) was established to investigate the biological, psychological and social factors that influence ageing in the general population. The study aims to identify early risk factors for frailty, allostatic load and cognitive decline, and to uncover molecular and functional markers of accelerated biological ageing. NCS addresses the need for detailed life-course data from Southern Europe to support personalised prevention and early diagnosis, and to promote healthy longevity.
NCS is a population-based, longitudinal cohort in the Novara province (Northern Italy), originally enrolling adults aged 35 and older. The inclusion criteria were later expanded to encompass all residents aged 18 and over, facilitating the study of ageing trajectories from early adulthood onward. As of mid-2025, about 1000 participants have been enrolled, and recruitment is ongoing. The cohort’s diversity in age, employment status and health conditions enhances its value for life-course analysis.
Following a pilot phase in 2022–2023, the whole study protocol now includes detailed demographic, clinical, behavioural, cognitive and psychosocial data, along with biological samples stored in the UPO Biobank. The protocol incorporates validated tools, comprehensive physical and cognitive assessments, and over 90 laboratory biomarkers covering inflammation, metabolism, hormonal function and coagulation. Additionally, a subset of participants underwent advanced inflammatory profiling by simultaneous measurement of 92 immune-related proteins and comprehensive genomic profiling using Illumina Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) arrays, capturing common genetic variation across multiple biological domains. Preliminary results demonstrate the feasibility of integrating deep phenotyping, reveal the roles of frailty in ageing and show initial evidence of age-related changes in inflammatory proteins.
NCS plans to enrol at least 10 000 participants and will conduct long-term follow-up using both passive methods, such as linking with clinical records and administrative health databases, and active in-person reassessments. Future phases will integrate clinical, behavioural and cognitive data with large-scale omics analyses, including genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and transcriptomics. Machine learning techniques will be employed to model biological age, identify early signs of age-related decline and develop personalised prevention strategies. By combining high-resolution phenotyping with multidimensional data, NCS aims to find modifiable risk factors and molecular signatures of ageing, supporting national and European research efforts and encouraging collaborative studies through open data-sharing frameworks.
This research aims to explore the factors that hinder professionals in delivering integrated care for children under 5 in temporary accommodation (TA) and understand their experiences of collaboration during the pandemic to inform recommendations.
Semistructured qualitative interviews.
England, UK.
45 professionals working across health, housing, education and non-profit sectors in England. Purposive and snowball sampling was employed to recruit a representation of key professionals across England. Those not eligible to take part in the study included people who did not work with families and/or children in TA settings.
To explore cross-sector learnings that are applicable to improving integrated care and to tailor recommendations to the needs of families and children under 5 experiencing homelessness in the UK today.
This study highlights the complex, multilevel barriers that professionals face when delivering integrated care to children under 5 in TA. Findings are organised using a framework that distinguishes between practice-level, organisational and systemic challenges. From siloed working practices and limited training to staffing shortages and restrictive data-sharing policies, these challenges collectively hinder service continuity and collaboration.
Although this project was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, the challenges identified reflect deeper, long-standing issues in service delivery. As services continue to recover and prepare for future crises, these insights remain highly relevant and can inform more resilient, integrated recovery plans to support children in TA beyond the pandemic context. Addressing these barriers, through improved collaboration, training and data-sharing, is key to strengthening care for this vulnerable population.
The study aimed to translate the PUKAT 2.0 tool from English to Italian. This was an adaptation and validation study; the validity of the Italian version was determined through content validity, item validity and construct validity. The reliability of the instrument was assessed by conducting a test–retest analysis on a sample of 62 nurses. The I-CVI indices were above the threshold of 0.78 for 91% of the questions, and according to the S-CVI index, 96% of the evaluators agreed that the questionnaire was highly relevant. The overall values for item difficulty were good, with two items being too difficult and none being too easy. The item discriminant index was overall good and reasonable, low for four items. The overall ICC was poor to moderate with a value of 0.48 (95% CI 0.26–0.65). The instrument has proven to be a good starting point although not yet completely reliable, as it clearly requires more basic preparation on the part of the staff, further modifications regarding the reliability and clarity of the questions and more training of the nursing staff if it is to be used in the Italian context.
by Gianluigi Serio, Consiglia Pacelli, Claudia Piccoli, Nazzareno Capitanio, Giuseppe Cibelli, Anna Antonia Valenzano, Francesca Landini, Leonardo Carlucci, Paola Palladino
The ketogenic diet (KD) is a low-carbohydrate diet that induces and sustains a ketosis state and minimizes somatic glucose levels. Several psychological studies have described the positive effects of ketosis on cognitive functions for a wide range of neuropsychiatric conditions (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease; epilepsy), leading to greater interest in the KD today. However, the psychological and cognitive effects of inducing ketosis via diet remain unclear, especially in healthy people. From an initial pool of thirty participants, eight undergraduate students performed a cognitive assessment before (baseline) and after three weeks (follow-up) of an isocaloric ketogenic diet. Several neuropsychological measures and psychometric tests have been administered to investigate psychological chronotype, sleep quality, eating habits, anxiety and cognitive components of attention, inhibition, and memory. Non-parametric Bayesian analysis showed that the ketogenic diet affected cognitive functions. Participants performed cognitive tests faster at follow-up than at baseline, showing improvements in visual-motor cognitive and processing speed components. However, they were less accurate on working memory tasks, suggesting a decreasing performance of higher cognitive functions. Finally, no differences in anxiety levels were found between baseline and follow-up. The results could have significant implications for identifying specific cognitive models of students based on specific lifestyle habits and nutritional patterns, allowing the implementation of targeted interventions to improve university learning conditions.Long-term brain health profiles following exposure to repetitive head impacts and/or concussions in contact sports are a public health focus and the subject of a national debate. The true prevalence rates of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or neurobehavioural dysregulation are unknown in the nearly 20 000 current/living former professional football players. Here, we describe the procedures and methodology of the prevalence study of cognitive function in former professional football players from the Brain Health Initiative at the University of Pittsburgh. The objective is to define the prevalence of normal cognitive function versus neurodegeneration in former professional football players through clinical, neuroimaging and biomarker assessments.
Participants include former professional football players aged 29–59 years at study onset who played a minimum of three professional football games in three professional seasons and non-exposed controls. Participants are recruited by two mechanisms, a random and non-random sample. The full study protocol includes a 3–4-day, multidomain assessment (eg, neurological, neurocognitive, psychiatric, sleep, vestibular, orthopaedic and cardiovascular) for neurodegenerative disease and overall health and function, including MRI, positron emission tomography scans, analysis of blood plasma and cerebrospinal fluid, neurocognitive assessments, applanation tonometry, overnight sleep study and informant interview. A multidisciplinary clinical panel conducts a blinded diagnostic consensus conference to adjudicate the presence of MCI and/or traumatic encephalopathy syndrome, which serve as the study’s primary and secondary outcomes, respectively. Point prevalence of these for both the exposed and unexposed cohorts will be calculated as the primary statistical analysis.
The University of Pittsburgh Institutional Review Board approved the study prior to recruiting human subjects (protocol numbers STUDY19010008: sIRB - Brain Health Initiative (Part 1) and STUDY19030211: sIRB - Brain Health Initiative (Part 2)). The results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and as presentations at national and international scientific conferences.
To examine the association between nurse–patient mutuality (i.e., a good quality of the relationship between the nurse and the patient) and nurse professional quality of life.
A cross-sectional, multi-centre study was conducted across four tertiary hospitals in Italy.
Data collection took place from November 2023 to June 2024, enrolling 517 nurses. Both medical and surgical departments, as well as inpatients and outpatients departments were included. Data were collected on nurses caring for patients with chronic illness. Mutuality was measured with the Nurse–Patient Mutuality in Chronic Illness scale, which includes three dimensions: Developing and Going Beyond, Being a Point of Reference, Deciding and Sharing Care; Professional Quality of Life was measured with the Professional Quality of Life version 5, which includes three dimensions: Compassion Satisfaction, Secondary Traumatic Stress, Burnout. A Bayesian path analysis was employed to evaluate the contribution of mutuality dimensions to the dimensions of professional quality of life.
Nurses' sample consisted of 517 participants. The three dimensions of mutuality showed different associations with the three dimensions of professional quality of life. Specifically, Being a Point of Reference, along with Deciding and Sharing Care, was significantly associated with Compassion Satisfaction. The dimensions Developing and Going Beyond and Deciding and Sharing Care were significantly and negatively associated with Secondary Traumatic Stress. Additionally, Deciding and Sharing Care was significantly and negatively associated with Burnout.
As all the dimensions of mutuality were significantly associated with different aspects of professional quality of life, future interventions to improve nurses' professional quality of life may also consider nurse–patient mutuality.
Nurse–patient mutuality may be a novel area of research to enhance nurses' professional quality of life, with implications for clinical practice and organisational development.
Nurse–patient mutuality is a key indicator of a high-quality relationship, enabling shared goals and shared decision-making. Nurses' professional quality of life is one of the most important factors that influence their intention to leave. Little is known about the association between nurse–patient mutuality and nurses' professional quality of life. Mutuality influences nurses' and patients' outcomes. Understanding mutuality could enhance the professional quality of life for nurses, improving their compassion satisfaction and reducing their burnout.
We adhered to STROBE guidelines.
Patients were not included in the sample. Health workers were involved in the study.
Post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) is defined as mental, physical, cognitive, and social sequelae in survivors of critical illness. Survivors of liver transplantation exhibit a complex clinical condition following discharge from the intensive care unit (ICU). There is a lack of knowledge about the lived experience of PICS in survivors after liver transplantation.
Describe the lived experiences of PICS in ICU survivors following liver transplantation.
A phenomenological study was carried out using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ICU survivors one month after discharge.
Twenty ICU survivors were enrolled and interviewed after critical illness. The main themes that emerged from the data analysis were: (1) Profound life reorientation, (2) Physical impairment, (3) Psychological distress experiences, (4) Human-Centred Nursing Care, and (5) Return to daily life. Our results showed a particular impact of the dimensions of PICS, such as mental, physical, and social dimensions, on ICU survivors after liver transplantation.
The study concludes that ICU survivors experience profound life reorientation, physical impairment, and psychological distress experiences, yet benefit from human-centred nursing care, which facilitates their eventual return to daily life.
The findings highlight the importance of human-centred nursing care in the post-ICU recovery process, where the multidisciplinary team plays a critical role in addressing both psychological distress and physical rehabilitation, supporting survivors' reintegration into daily life.
Post-liver transplant ICU survivors experience profound physical, psychological, and social impacts. Life reorientation, altered body image, and emotional distress emerge. Human-centred nursing facilitates rehabilitation, reintegration, and overall recovery.
Reporting was structured based on the COREQ checklist.
Prot. N. 00014635–31/05/2023
In middle-income to high-income countries, temporary accommodation (TA), regardless of type, is considered a form of homelessness. Families with young children living in these countries, in these circumstances, often become disconnected from friends, family and services (such as health and welfare support). The additional impact of pandemic restrictions on parents with children under 5 already living in TA had the potential to be considerable. However, this remains an area of limited research. To address this, this study explored the experiences of parents with children under 5, who lived in TA during the pandemic.
The research adopted a qualitative descriptive approach, using semi-structured telephone interviews with 41 families, to explore parents’ experiences of living in TA during the pandemic, with a child under 5. Interviews considered a broad range of factors such as housing quality, access to healthcare and education and the environment. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and then analysed using a thematic analysis approach.
Parent interviews identified that living in TA with a child under 5 during the pandemic impacted their access to services such as healthcare and ability to gather resources, while also affecting their mental health and general well-being. These parent experiences were detailed in three themes, including: (1) effect of restrictions on access, which included healthcare, environment and basic necessities; (2) impact on parents, which included mental health, physical and social impacts and (3) supports, including support services and networks.
The challenges conveyed by COVID-19 restrictions, on those already parenting a young child while living in TA, caused concerning health impacts for those affected, while also having potential developmental side effects on their children. This indicates the urgent need for targeted interventions and policies to support vulnerable families in TA, ensuring their well-being during crises and beyond.
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic neurodegenerative condition that affects approximately 10 million people worldwide. As the second most common neurodegenerative disease, its prevalence is expected to double in the next 30 years. PD is characterised by both motor and non-motor symptoms that significantly impact patients’ quality of life. The disease leads to physical disabilities and can strain the social and emotional well-being of patients and caregivers. While pharmacological and surgical treatments are essential, non-pharmacological approaches, including self-care strategies, play a critical role in managing the disease. This study protocol aims to describe methodological steps required to explore the self-care behaviours of patients with PD and their caregivers, with a particular focus on the dimensions of self-care maintenance, monitoring and management.
This mixed-method study will involve dyads of patients with PD and their caregivers. Participants will be recruited from the PD and Movement Disorders Centre of the "Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale (ASST) Gaetano Pini-Centro Traumatologico Ortopedico (CTO)". Validated questionnaires, such as the WHOQOL-Bref, the version 2 Self-Care of Chronic Illness Inventory, and the Caregiver Self-Efficacy in Contributing to Self-Care Scale, will be administered. The study will also include semistructured interviews to collect qualitative data on patients’ and caregivers’ perceptions of self-care. A non-probabilistic convenience sampling method will be employed, encompassing both patients at any stage of disease and their primary caregivers. The estimated sample size is 311 dyads, calculated to provide a 5% margin of error.
The study has been approved by the Lombardia 3 ethics committee (identification (ID) study 5732 12.03.2025 P bis). All participants will sign a written informed consent document. Ethical considerations include ensuring participant confidentiality, voluntary participation and the right to withdraw at any time without consequence. The study results will be disseminated through national and international conferences and published in clinical research journals to contribute to the broader understanding of self-care in the management of PD.
NCT06953050 (clinicaltrials.gov).
Transitions of care (TOC) between hospital, ambulatory and home settings for high-risk adults with chronic diseases are complex, costly and often result in poor health outcomes. Suboptimal care transitions lead to medication errors, non-adherence, decreased self-management skills and inadequate follow-up, all of which contribute to readmissions or emergency department visits. The Transitional Care Model aims to address these challenges through patient-centred, in-home interventions. We propose to implement and evaluate TELE-TOC: Telehealth Education Leveraging Electronic Transitions Of Care for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients. This study will evaluate the added value of a virtual, pharmacy-based intervention integrated into an existing COPD TOC program within a single healthcare system.
Informed by the Proctor Framework implementation, service and health outcome domains, we will conduct a randomised controlled trial comparing the addition of at-home pharmacy team-based virtual visits to the standard of care (ie, our existing COPD TOC programme). Adult patients hospitalised for a COPD exacerbation will be randomised to receive the standard COPD TOC programme alone or the standard programme plus TELE-TOC virtual at-home pharmacy visits. We will use a pragmatic type II hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial. The primary effectiveness outcome is inhaler technique at 30 days postdischarge, and the primary implementation outcome is the proportion of patients receiving the intervention. Intention-to-treat analysis will be applied to all outcomes with ² and logistic regression models adjusting for demographic factors. Treatment effects through 30 days will be assessed with generalised estimating equations and generalised linear mixed models.
This study, the waiver of consent and the opt-out flyer were approved by the University of Chicago Institutional Review Board (23–0934). Dissemination of the findings is planned for up to 4 years of completion of the study to local, regional and national conferences and peer-reviewed journals.
To assess the capability of a convolutional neural network trained by transfer learning on anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) images, Placido-disk corneal topography images and external photographs to predict age and biological sex.
Development of a deep learning model trained on retrospectively collected data using transfer learning.
A multicentre secondary care public health trust based in London.
We included 557,468 scans from 40,592 eyes of 20,542 patients. Data were extracted from all patients who underwent MS-39 imaging within our trust from October 2020 to March 2023.
Primary outcome measures for biological sex classification included accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score and area under the receiver operating curve (ROC-AUC). Primary outcome measures for age prediction were Pearson correlation coefficients (r), coefficients of determination (R²) and the mean absolute error (MAE) to evaluate the predictive performance. The secondary outcome was to visualise and interpret the model’s decision-making process through the construction of saliency maps.
For age prediction, the MAEs for the Placido, AS-OCT and external photograph models were 5.2, 5.1 and 6.2 years, respectively. For gender classification, the same models achieved ROC-AUCs of 0.88, 0.73 and 0.81, respectively. No difference in performance was found in the analysis of corneas with pathological topography. The saliency maps highlighted the peri-limbal cornea for age prediction and the central cornea for gender discrimination.
Our study demonstrates that deep learning models can extract age and gender information from anterior segment images. These findings support the concept that the anterior segment, like the retina, encodes important biological information. Future research should explore whether these models can predict specific systemic conditions.
To examine the concept of obstetric violence culture and establish a working definition for application to practice, research, and policy in perinatal care.
Concept analysis.
Rodgers' evolutionary method guided the analysis and data organisation into antecedents, attributes, and consequences.
A systematic search using the phrase ‘obstetric violence’ was conducted in CINAHL and PubMed databases. Articles published in English between November 1, 2020, and December 31, 2024, were included.
Sixty-two articles were included. Antecedents reflected the historical medicalisation of birth, professional hierarchies, and structural inequities. Attributes—disbelief of harm, victim blaming, revictimisation, and disempowerment—mirror those identified in rape culture. Consequences spanned birthing people, clinicians, and systems, including mistrust, moral distress, and institutional silence. The resulting definition frames obstetric violence culture as an embedded and normalised set of practices and beliefs that sustain mistreatment in perinatal care.
Obstetric violence culture is not an outlier, but a pervasive and institutionalised framework to be systematically dismantled.
Nurses have an ethical obligation to recognise and disrupt obstetric violence culture. Structural change, clinical education, and institutional accountability are necessary to uphold patient autonomy and dignity.
This study followed Rodgers' evolutionary method and adheres to relevant EQUATOR guidelines for conceptual research.
This study did not include patient or public involvement.
To address the growing prevalence of sedentary behaviours among older adults and their associated adverse health outcomes, there is an urgent need to prioritise effective and accessible interventions. Mobile health (mHealth) delivers healthcare services and health-related information through portable electronic devices, enabling interventions to be administered directly in home settings. However, the evidence on the effectiveness of mHealth interventions in reducing sitting time among older adults remains inconsistent. To derive literature-based estimates of the effectiveness of mHealth interventions, we will systematically review and meta-analyse the impact of these interventions on sitting time in adults aged 55 years and older.
An electronic search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane will be conducted from database inception to March 2025 to identify randomised controlled trials evaluating the effects of mHealth interventions on sitting time during waking hours, excluding sleep duration. Subgroup analyses will explore potential moderators (eg, participant characteristics, intervention specifics). Studies from all settings (eg, community, long-term care facilities, etc) will be considered. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines will be explicitly applied for structuring this report. Methodological quality will be assessed using the Cochrane Handbook tool. Two independent reviewers will screen the studies and extracted data, with methodological quality to be assessed using established criteria. Meta-analyses will be performed using Review Manager v.5.4 software.
This study uses secondary data and, therefore, does not require ethics approval. The findings will be communicated through presentations at international conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals. The results will inform the development of future mHealth interventions aimed at reducing sedentary behaviour in older adults and provide benchmarks for the effectiveness of technology-driven public health strategies. This protocol adheres to the PRISMA guidelines and follows the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions for methodological rigour.
CRD42023443926.
To adapt and validate the HSOPS 2 instrument for the Italian context and to describe the current patient safety culture amongst healthcare personnel working in Italian hospitals.
Cross-sectional study.
We adapted and validated the HSOPS 2 instrument following the COSMIN guidelines: we performed a forward-backward translation, calculated the content validity index, evaluated face validity, acceptability (percentage of participants responding to all items on the questionnaire and to every specific item), construct validity (confirmatory factor analysis), and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha for each dimension). We then performed a cross-sectional study following the guidelines of the original instrument: we categorised the responses into “positive,” “negative,” and “midpoints.” For each dimension we calculated the average percentage of positive responses. We repeated this process, dividing the responses by various sample characteristics (e.g., profession), and compared them using the chi-square test. Data were collected between April and November 2023.
A total of 633 hospital personnel participated in the survey, and 473 completed the questionnaire in its entirety. The dimensions of “teamwork”, “supervisor”, “manager”, or “clinical leader support”, and “communication about error” emerged as dimensions with higher percentages of positive responses, while those that received lower percentages were “hospital management support for patient safety”, “staffing and work pace”, and “response to error”. We identified statistically significant differences in many dimensions between gender, profession, and clinical inpatient units.
These findings provide a comprehensive overview of challenges and opportunities within the healthcare sector as regards patient safety culture and can inform the development of targeted interventions aimed at improving patient safety across healthcare organisations.
Proper assessment of safety culture, one of the main indicators of patient safety, can inform the development of effective strategies and interventions to enhance patient safety.
What problem did the study address? To effectively assess patient safety culture, it is essential to use valid and reliable tools. It is crucial to proactively assess patient safety culture in hospital personnel, whether employed in clinical units, in management, or in support services, to develop initiatives aimed at improving patient safety.
What were the main findings? The use of the adapted and validated version of the HSOPS 2 will produce valid and reliable evidence on patient safety culture. Perception of patient safety culture differs amongst respondents according to gender, profession, clinical setting. The dimensions of “hospital management support for patient safety”, “staffing and work pace”, and “response to error” were identified as those with the greatest need for improvement.
Where and on whom will the research have an impact? Patient safety heavily impacts care at every level; therefore, this study could have an impact on healthcare organisations as well as healthcare workers, patients, and their families. By making available an instrument that can contribute to a proper assessment of patient safety culture, this study might contribute to the development of appropriate strategies and targeted interventions to improve patient safety, quality of care and satisfaction while decreasing adverse events and related costs.
The COSMIN guidelines were used for the validation of the instrument; the STROBE reporting guidelines were used for the cross-sectional study.
No patient or public contribution.
Patients living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experience periods of disease stability and exacerbations (ECOPD). COPD imposes a negative and impactful extrapulmonary impairment and commonly overlaps with multimorbidity, particularly cardiovascular disease. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) aims to improve physical activity (PA) and quality of life, while behavioural change interventions (BCIs) aim to promote lifestyle changes and autonomy. However, after ECOPD, a variety of barriers often delay patient referral to PR. This study aims to assess the effects of a BCI for patients after ECOPD, focusing on cardiovascular health, PA and functionality. Additionally, the study will assess 6-month sustainability of PA and conduct a cost-utility analysis comparing a non-intervention group in the Unified Health System.
This randomised clinical trial will assess patients with ECOPD over 12 weeks using a BCI based on self-determination theory to increase daily steps. First, the cardiovascular and functional profile will be evaluated. Afterwards, the patients will receive an accelerometer to monitor the PA level. After 7 days, questionnaires will be applied on quality of life, symptoms and motivational levels for PA. Patients will be randomised into control group or intervention groups, both will receive educational booklets and IG will also receive an educational interview. PA will be tracked using activPAL accelerometer at weeks 1, 4 and 12, and follow-up at 6 months. Data analysis will include unpaired Student’s t-test or Mann-Whitney test for group comparison, and a linear mixed model to assess intervention effects over time. Economic evaluation, using STATA (V.14), will involve correlation analysis, and p
This study has been approved by the Federal University of São Carlos’ Ethics Committee, Irmandade Santa Casa de Misericórdia de São Carlos and Base Hospital of São José do Rio Preto. All procedures will be conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, Good Clinical Practice guidelines and applicable regulatory requirements. All results will be presented in peer-reviewed medical journals and international conferences.
Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials under the registration number RBR-6m9pwb7.
Osteoporosis requires long-term self-care engagement, yet little is known about how individuals experience and manage self-care in everyday life. Understanding these experiences is essential to inform tailored nursing interventions. The objective of the study was to explore and describe the experience of self-care maintenance, monitoring, and management in people with osteoporosis.
A qualitative descriptive study.
We conducted semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using Mayring's qualitative content analysis with a deductive approach based on Riegel's theory of self-care. We reported data in accordance with the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies (COREQ) checklist.
Participants (1 Male, 19 Females; Aged 55–80) Identified Four Themes of self-care: maintenance (e.g., Medication Adherence, Physical Activity), monitoring (e.g., Symptom Recognition, Test Interpretation), management (e.g., Lifestyle Reflections, Prevention), and general self-care. Key factors included motivation, trust in healthcare professionals, and integration of health behaviors into daily life. Barriers were low self-efficacy, poor symptom recognition, and inconsistent adherence.
Self-care in osteoporosis is a multidimensional and dynamic process influenced by individual beliefs, contextual factors, and support from healthcare professionals. Recognizing the variability in patients' self-care behaviors is essential to develop personalized education and support. Strengthening general health behaviors may enhance disease-specific self-care. This understanding can guide healthcare professionals in designing more effective, tailored care strategies.
Hospitalisation is one of the most stressful life events for older adults, particularly for those who are pre-frail or frail. Multi-component community-based interventions have the potential to address the complex needs of older adults post-acute care admission. While some available interventions have been developed with end-user engagement, fully involving older people who are pre-frail or frail in the design of interventions has been less common. Multi-component community-based interventions that address the needs of older adults and their care partners with potential implementation barriers informed by healthcare providers, community partners and health system decision makers are needed. This protocol paper describes the planned process of co-designing for older patients discharged into the community, a Post-Acute Care Intervention for Frailty using Information and Communication technology.
The development of a complex multi-component frailty intervention which meets older people’s needs involves several concurrent tasks and methodologies, each informed by co-design and conducted with consideration to eventual implementation. These tasks include: (1) establishing a Research Advisory Board, (2) assessing the feasibility and validity of using hospital administrative data to identify frail or pre-frail older adults and their needs, (3) conducting a needs assessment of patients returning to the community, (4) mapping community assets to identify existing programmes and services to help tailor the intervention, (5) co-designing a multicomponent frailty intervention, (6) selecting study outcome measures and (7) selecting and tailoring a digital health patient portal to support intervention delivery, data capture and communication.
Each task requiring ethics approval will be submitted to the Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Board at McMaster University. Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journal articles, conferences and networks of relevant knowledge users who have the capacity to promote dissemination of the results. A toolkit will be developed to help researchers and healthcare providers replicate the methodology for other populations.
FreshRSS 