To explore home-dwelling people with dementia and family members' perceptions of the feasibility and acceptability of an intervention using dementia-related literature excerpts to facilitate conversations on ethical issues related to living with dementia.
Ethical issues in dementia care emerge throughout the illness. In the early stages, they may involve decisions about disclosing the illness to the family, shifting roles and responsibilities, and considerations of transitioning to a nursing home. Addressing ethical issues and providing adequate support to home-dwelling people with dementia and their families are often lacking.
An exploratory-descriptive qualitative study.
We conducted eight interviews with 14 home-dwelling persons with dementia and their family caregivers. Six were dyadic interviews, and two were individual interviews with family caregivers. We analysed the interview data using template analysis. We adhered to the COREQ checklist in reporting this study.
Using excerpts from dementia-related literature was a feasible and acceptable way of initiating discussions on ethical issues among home-dwelling persons with dementia and family caregivers. However, engaging the families of newly diagnosed individuals was challenging due to emotional distress. The intervention provided peer support, including identifying with others and sharing experiences. Moreover, participating couples found intimacy and relational attunement through shared reflections.
Based on the findings, it appears that the participants in this study felt that using excerpts from dementia-related literature to deliberate on ethical issues was feasible and acceptable. Deliberating on ethical issues with peers and family caregivers offers valuable social support and opportunities for strengthening relationships.
This study makes an important contribution by providing valuable insights into how ethical issues related to living with dementia can be addressed using related literature and suggests how the intervention can be integrated into existing care initiatives for home-dwelling people with dementia and their families.
We have adhered to relevant EQUATOR guidelines with the COREQ reporting method.
A healthcare professional working as a so-called dementia coordinator (a title used in the Danish context) was involved in the conduct of this study by being responsible for the recruitment of home-dwelling people with dementia and their family members. Moreover, she had joint responsibility for facilitating the intervention along with the first author.
Physical frailty (PF) is highly prevalent and associated with undesirable outcomes in stroke survivors aged 65 years or older. However, the long-term trajectories of PF are understudied in those older stroke survivors.
To identify PF trajectories and relative predictors associated with the PF trajectories in older stroke survivors.
This is a secondary analysis of a population-based cohort study in the United States.
Six hundred and sixty-three older stroke survivors from the National Health and Ageing Trends Study from 2015 to 2021 were included. PF was operationally assessed based on the Fried Frailty Phenotype. Trajectories were identified by group-based trajectory modelling. The associations between sociodemographic characteristics, clinical factors, symptoms, cognitive factors and PF trajectories were examined using the design-based logistic regression method.
Most older stroke survivors were 75 and older (63.32%), female (53.99%), white (80.54%) and partnered (50.64%). Two PF trajectory groups were identified (Group 1: low risk, robust; 49.47%; Group 2: high risk, deteriorating; 50.53%). Individuals were at a higher risk to be assigned to Group 2 if they were 75–84 years (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.16, 95% CI: 1.23–3.80) or 85+ years (aOR: 2.77, 95% CI: 1.52–5.04), had fair self-reported health (aOR: 2.78, 95% CI: 1.53–5.07) or poor self-reported health (aOR: 3.37, 95% CI: 1.51–7.52), had comorbidities (aOR: 8.44, 95% CI: 1.31–54.42), had breathing problems (aOR: 2.18, 95% CI: 1.18–4.02) and had balance problems (aOR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.06–2.73).
PF trajectories in older stroke survivors were heterogeneous and were associated with age, self-rated health status, comorbidities, breathing problems and balance problems.
Early, routine, dynamic screening for stroke-related physical frailty (PF) and relative predictors might be beneficial for identifying the most vulnerable individuals. Our findings might help develop strategies to manage PF progression.
The reporting followed the STROBE guideline.
This study aimed to explore the psychosocial adjustment of enterostomy patients on a national scale.
Based on a national cross-sectional survey.
From December 2021 and February 2023, a total of 22,040 enterostomy patients were assessed using the ostomy adjustment inventory-20. Initial analysis involved employing the chi-square test or Kruskal-Wallis H test to identify factors influencing the psychosocial adjustment of these patients. Subsequently, multinomial logistic regression was used to determine the factors affecting the classification of psychosocial adjustment levels of enterostomy patients. The reporting of this study adhered to the STROBE checklist.
Eventually 21,124 patients with enterostomy were included in this study, out of which 7788 (36.9%) patients with low level of psychosocial adjustment, 11,803 (55.8%) patients with medium level of psychosocial adjustment and 1533 (7.3%) patients with high level of psychosocial adjustment. The factors influencing the classification of psychosocial adjustment levels of enterostomy patients were gender, educational background, carer, enterostomy self-care knowledge score and medical payment method.
The overall psychosocial adjustment level of enterostomy patients is not optimistic, and the factors that may affect the classification of their psychosocial adjustment level are analysed. Individualised intervention should be given according to different psychosocial adjustment levels of enterostomy patients.
The number of enterostomy patients with a high level of psychosocial adjustment is small in relation to the total number of enterostomy patients, and caregivers can provide health education to enterostomy patients by analysing the factors affecting the level of psychosocial adjustment of enterostomy patients.
None.
To comprehensively examine the prevailing condition of care dependence among middle-aged individuals who have experienced hemiplegia subsequent to a stroke and were currently undergoing post-acute rehabilitation. Additionally, the study sought to analyse the determinants that impacted this phenomenon.
A single-centre, cross-sectional study design.
During the period from January 2020 to October 2022, a cohort of 196 hemiplegic stroke patients, aged between 40 and 65, and within 6 months of their stroke onset, was selected from the cerebrovascular outpatient clinic at a tertiary hospital in Hangzhou. The demographic and disease-related data, care dependence level, mental state, nutrition and depression status were collected. Furthermore, all collected data were analysed by descriptive and correlative statistical methods.
The care dependence level was 51.04 ± 9.42, with an incidence of care dependence of 78.1%. Multivariate regression analysis showed that age, history of falls, physical dysfunction, chronic comorbidities, depression, nutritional status and cognitive dysfunction were influencing factors for care dependence in the participants after a stroke.
The incidence of care dependence among hemiplegic patients aged from 40 to 65 years old in the early stage after a stroke was high. Nursing staff should focus on these patients with a history of falling, physical dysfunction, comorbidity, depression status, nutritional status and cognitive dysfunction in clinical practice.
The incidence of care dependence in middle-aged hemiplegic patients following a stroke is significantly increased. Some risk factors should be assessed, monitored, and controlled by nursing staff as early as possible in order to reduce the dependence levels in post-acute rehabilitation period and improve the quality of life of hemiplegia patients.
Our study complies with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) Checklist: cross-sectional studies (see Table S1).
No patient or public contribution.
To analyse regional differences in health resource allocation in the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle.
A longitudinal analysis that collected data on health resource allocation from 2017 to 2021.
The number of beds, health technicians, licensed (assistant) physicians, registered nurses and financial allocations per 1000 population in the 42 regions of Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle were used for the analysis.
The entropy weight technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) method and the rank sum ratio (RSR) method were used to evaluate the health resource allocation.
The number of licensed (assistant) physicians per 1000 population in the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle (3.01) was lower than the average in China (3.04) in 2021. According to the entropy weight–TOPSIS method, Yuzhong in Chongqing had the largest C-value and the highest ranking. Jiangbei in Chongqing and Chengdu and Ya’an in Sichuan Province had higher C-values and were ranked in the top 10. Jiangjin, Hechuan, Tongnan and Zhongxian in Chongqing and Guang’an in Sichuan Province had lower C-values and were all ranked after the 30th place. According to the RSR method, the 42 regions were divided into three grades of good, medium and poor. The health resource allocations of Yuzhong, Jiangbei, Nanchuan, Jiulongpo and Shapingba in Chongqing and Chengdu and Ya’an in Sichuan Province were of good grade, those of Tongnan, Jiangjin, Yubei and Dazu in Chongqing and Guang’an and Dazhou in Sichuan Province were of poor grade, and the rest of the regions were of medium grade.
The regional differences in health resource allocation in the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle were more obvious, the health resource allocation in Chongqing was more polarised and the health resource allocation in Sichuan Province was more balanced, but the advantaged regions were not prominent enough.
To determine the association between occupational factors, particularly psychosocial factors, and hypertension.
Descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study using logistic multivariate regression.
Fifteen cotton ginning plants in Benin.
Permanent and occasional workers in the cotton ginning industry.
Data on sociodemographic, occupational, behavioural and clinical history characteristics were collected using a number of standardised, interviewer-administered questionnaires. These questionnaires were based on the WHO’s non-communicable disease questionnaire, Karasek questionnaire and Siegrist questionnaire. Weight, height and blood pressure were measured. Any worker with systolic blood pressure ≥140 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg according to the WHO criteria was considered hypertensive, as was any subject on antihypertensive treatment even if blood pressure was normal.
A total of 1883 workers were included, with a male to female ratio of 9.08. Of these, 510 suffered from hypertension (27.1%, 95% CI 25.1 to 29.2). In the multivariate analysis, the risk factors identified were occupational stress (adjusted OR (aOR)=3.96, 95% CI 1.28 to 12.2), age ≥25 years (aOR=2.77, 95% CI 1.55 to 4.96), body mass index of 25–30 kg/m2 (aOR=1.71, 95% CI 1.32 to 2.2), body mass index >30 kg/m2 (aOR=2.74, 95% CI 1.84 to 4.09), permanent worker status (aOR=1.66, 95% CI 1.44 to 2.41) and seniority in the textile sector >5 years (aOR=2.18, 95% CI 1.7 to 2.8). Recognition at work emerged as an effect-modifying factor subject to stratification.
Occupational factors, particularly job strain and recognition at work, are modifiable factors associated with hypertension in the ginning plants sector and deserve to be corrected through occupational health promotion and prevention.
To comprehensively synthesise evidence regarding the validity and reliability of the Anaesthetists’ Non-Technical Skills (ANTS) behavioural marker system and its application as a tool for the training and assessment of non-technical skills to improve patient safety.
Systematic review.
We employed a citation search strategy. The Scopus and Web of Science databases were searched for articles published from 2002 to May 2022.
English-language publications that applied the ANTS system in a meaningful way, including its use to guide data collection, analysis and reporting.
Study screening, data extraction and quality assessment were performed by two independent reviewers. We appraised the quality of included studies using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklists. A framework analysis approach was used to summarise and synthesise the included articles.
54 studies were identified. The ANTS system was applied across a wide variety of study objectives, settings and units of analysis. The methods used in these studies varied and included quantitative (n=42), mixed (n=8) and qualitative (n=4) approaches. Most studies (n=47) used the ANTS system to guide data collection. The most commonly reported reliability statistic was inter-rater reliability (n=35). Validity evidence was reported in 51 (94%) studies. The qualitative application outcomes of the ANTS system provided a reference for the analysis and generation of new theories across disciplines.
Our results suggest that the ANTS system has been used in a wide range of studies. It is an effective tool for assessing non-technical skills. Investigating the methods by which the ANTS system can be evaluated and implemented for training within clinical environments is anticipated to significantly enhance ongoing enhancements in staff performance and patient safety.
CRD42022297773.
Sub-Saharan Africa continues to experience a syndemic of HIV and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Vertical (stand-alone) HIV programming has provided high-quality care in the region, with almost 80% of people living with HIV in regular care and 90% virally suppressed. While integrated health education and concurrent management of HIV, hypertension and diabetes are being scaled up in clinics, innovative, more efficient and cost-effective interventions that include decentralisation into the community are required to respond to the increased burden of comorbid HIV/NCD disease.
This protocol describes procedures for a process evaluation running concurrently with a pragmatic cluster-randomised trial (INTE-COMM) in Tanzania and Uganda that will compare community-based integrated care (HIV, diabetes and hypertension) with standard facility-based integrated care. The INTE-COMM intervention will manage multiple conditions (HIV, hypertension and diabetes) in the community via health monitoring and adherence/lifestyle advice (medicine, diet and exercise) provided by community nurses and trained lay workers, as well as the devolvement of NCD drug dispensing to the community level. Based on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, the process evaluation will use qualitative methods to investigate sociostructural factors shaping care delivery and outcomes in up to 10 standard care facilities and/or intervention community sites with linked healthcare facilities. Multistakeholder interviews (patients, community health workers and volunteers, healthcare providers, policymakers, clinical researchers and international and non-governmental organisations), focus group discussions (community leaders and members) and non-participant observations (community meetings and drug dispensing) will explore implementation from diverse perspectives at three timepoints in the trial implementation. Iterative sampling and analysis, moving between data collection points and data analysis to test emerging theories, will continue until saturation is reached. This process of analytic reflexivity and triangulation across methods and sources will provide findings to explain the main trial findings and offer clear directions for future efforts to sustain and scale up community-integrated care for HIV, diabetes and hypertension.
The protocol has been approved by the University College of London (UK), the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Ethics Committee (UK), the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology and the Uganda Virus Research Institute Research and Ethics Committee (Uganda) and the Medical Research Coordinating Committee of the National Institute for Medical Research (Tanzania). The University College of London is the trial sponsor. Dissemination of findings will be done through journal publications and stakeholder meetings (with study participants, healthcare providers, policymakers and other stakeholders), local and international conferences, policy briefs, peer-reviewed journal articles and publications.
Countries with universal health coverage (UHC) strive for equal access for equal needs without users getting into financial distress. However, differences in healthcare utilisation (HCU) between socioeconomic groups have been reported in countries with UHC. This systematic review provides an overview individual-level, community-level, and system-level factors contributing to socioeconomic status-related differences in HCU (SES differences in HCU).
Systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. The review protocol was published in advance.
Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Econlit, and PsycInfo were searched on 9 March 2021 and 9 November 2022.
Studies that quantified the contribution of one or more factors to SES difference in HCU in OECD countries with UHC.
Studies were screened for eligibility by two independent reviewers. Data were extracted using a predeveloped data-extraction form. Risk of bias (ROB) was assessed using a tailored version of Hoy’s ROB-tool. Findings were categorised according to level and a framework describing the pathway of HCU.
Of the 7172 articles screened, 314 were included in the review. 64% of the studies adjusted for differences in health needs between socioeconomic groups. The contribution of sex (53%), age (48%), financial situation (25%), and education (22%) to SES differences in HCU were studied most frequently. For most factors, mixed results were found regarding the direction of the contribution to SES differences in HCU.
SES differences in HCU extensively correlated to factors besides health needs, suggesting that equal access for equal needs is not consistently accomplished. The contribution of factors seemed highly context dependent as no unequivocal patterns were found of how they contributed to SES differences in HCU. Most studies examined the contribution of individual-level factors to SES differences in HCU, leaving the influence of healthcare system-level characteristics relatively unexplored.
To identify barriers and facilitators to pressure ulcer prevention behaviours in community-dwelling older people and their lay carers.
Theoretically informed qualitative interviews with two-phase, deductive then inductive, thematic analysis.
The study was conducted in one geographical region in the UK, spanning several community National Health Service Trusts.
Community-dwelling older patients at risk of pressure ulcer development (n=10) and their lay carers (n=10).
Six themes and subthemes were identified: (1) knowledge and beliefs about consequences (nature, source, timing and taboo); (2) social and professional role and influences (who does what, conflicting advice and disagreements); (3) motivation and priorities (competing self-care needs and carer physical ability); (4) memory; (5) emotion (carer exhaustion and isolation, carergiver role conflict and patient feelings) and (6) environment (human resource shortage and equipment).
There is minimal research in pressure ulcer prevention in community-dwelling older people. This study has robustly applied the theoretical domains framework to understanding barriers and facilitators to pressure ulcer prevention behaviours. Our findings will support co-design of strategies to promote preventative behaviours and are likely to be transferable to comparable healthcare systems nationally and internationally.
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a global chronic inflammatory bowel disease, and the poor efficacy of currently available pharmacological regimens makes the management of UC a great challenge. Moxibustion has shown great potential in the management of UC. However, its effectiveness and safety are still controversial. The purpose of this study is to synthesise the latest evidence regarding the clinical efficacy and safety of moxibustion for UC.
The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP and SinoMed databases will be searched from inception to July 2023, to identify all randomised controlled trials with moxibustion for UC. The primary outcome will be clinical efficacy, as measured by validated scales. The serum inflammatory factor, colonoscopy results, quality of life, recurrence rate and adverse events will be the secondary outcomes. The Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 tool will be used to assess the methodological quality of each included trial. All data extraction will be carried out independently by two investigators. RevMan V.5.4 software will be used for data analysis and Cochran’s Q statistic and I2 test will be used to assess heterogeneity between studies. In addition, we will perform subgroup analyses, sensitivity analyses and publication bias if the available data are sufficient. The strength of evidence will be graded using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system.
Ethics approval is not required for this review. Our findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.
CRD42023425481.
Breast cancer survivors (BCSs) are often faced with multiple mental and physical sequelae and are at increased risk of emotional distress, degraded health-related quality of life (HRQoL), chronic pain and fatigue.
Physical activity is strongly associated with improved HRQoL and survival rates; however, adherence rates to recommendations for a healthy lifestyle are seldom satisfactory among BCSs. Also, few studies have examined the effectiveness of multicomponent and personalised interventions that integrate physical activity and motivational techniques to improve the HRQoL of BCS.
"Activité physique adaptée Doublée d’un Accompagnement d’après cancer" (ADA) is an integrated programme of physical activity enriched with a dietary and supportive care approach targeting BCS in the early post-treatment phase. The effectiveness of the ADA intervention will be evaluated using a cluster randomised controlled trial design with two arms (ADA programme vs usual care; 1:1 ratio).
The ADA intervention aims to recruit 160 participants and will be implemented by Siel Bleu, a non-profit association specialised in health prevention via adapted physical activity. Measurements will be performed at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months after the start of the intervention. The primary outcome will be participants’ HRQoL, at 12 months measured by the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue global score. Secondary outcome will include participants’ physical, social, emotional and functional well-being. The effect of the intervention on physical activity level, motivation for physical activity, relation to food and self-efficacy will also be evaluated.
The study was approved by the ‘CPP Paris XI’ Institutional Review Board on 5 May 2022 (Ref no.: 21.04512.000048-22004). The study’s findings will be shared through various channels, including academic publications, simplified reports for wider audiences and active engagement with medical and institutional organisations as well as patients’ associations.
In view of the serious ageing of China’s population and the low desire of elderly people to purchase institutionalised elderly care services, we explored the willingness of Chinese elderly people to purchase institutionalised elderly care services and its influencing factors.
This was a cross-sectional study. Three multivariate logistic regression analysis models of the willingness of elderly people to purchase institutionalised elderly care services were established (model 1: ‘reluctance – willingness’; model 2: ‘reluctance – hesitation’; and model 3: ‘hesitation – willingness’) to explore the factors that influence elderly people’s willingness to purchase institutionalised elderly care services.
This study was based on the 2022 Psychology and Behaviour Investigation of Chinese Residents database.
Research data from 4123 older adults who met the requirements of this study were screened from the database.
Of the 4123 respondents, roughly equal numbers had negative and positive attitudes towards purchasing institutionalised senior care services (1125, 27.3% vs 1079, 26.2%, respectively), and 1919 (46.5%) had hesitant attitudes. The analysis of model 1 showed that medical insurance participation, the number of children and siblings, chronic diseases and per capita monthly household income had an influential effect on the willingness of elderly people to purchase institutional care. In model 2, we found that factors such as per capita monthly household income and anxiety led to hesitancy among older adults to purchase institutionalised senior care services. In model 3, we further found that social support and health literacy led to a shift from hesitation to willingness to purchase institutionalised elderly care services.
The number of children, number of siblings, per capita monthly income of the family, medical insurance participation, health status, health literacy and social support were found to be the main factors influencing the purchase of institutionalised care by elderly individuals.
The aim of this study was to assess the impact of high-quality evidence supporting surgical treatment of lumbar disc herniation (LDH) on healthcare practice in the Netherlands by examining changes in healthcare utilisation, including the timing of surgery, and the healthcare costs for patients with LDH.
A retrospective, cross-sectional study was performed using population-based, longitudinal data obtained from the Dutch Healthcare Authority (2007–2020) and NIVEL’s primary care (2012–2020) administrative databases.
The study was conducted within the healthcare system of the Netherlands.
We included adults (≥18 years) who visited a Dutch hospital or a general practitioner (GP) for lumbar degenerative disc disease. Patients with LDH were identified based on registered diagnosis code, type of surgery (discectomy) and age (
The primary outcome measure was the difference in the annual number of LDH procedures following the publication of evidence-based guidelines in 2009 (comparing the periods 2007–2009 to 2017–2019). Secondary outcome measures focused on the timing of surgery and associated healthcare costs. To validate the outcomes, secondary outcomes also include the number of discectomies and the number of procedures in the younger age group (discectomies, laminectomies, and fusion surgery).
The number of patients suffering from LDH increased from 55 581 to 68 997 (+24%) between 2007 and 2019. A decrease was observed in the annual number of LDH procedures (–18%), in the number of discectomies (–22%) and in the number of procedures for patients aged
Healthcare utilisation for LDH changed tremendously in the Netherlands between 2007 and 2020 and seemed to be associated with the publication and implementation of evidence-based guidelines. The observed decrease in the number of procedures has been accompanied by a corresponding reduction in healthcare costs. These findings underscore the importance of adhering to evidence-based guidelines to optimise the management of patients with LDH.
Lateral violence is a global social problem that has attracted considerable attention in the field of public health. This has seriously affected the quality of care, the safety of patients' lives and the career development of nurses.
To systematically evaluate the factors influencing of nursing lateral violence and provide evidence for preventing and reducing inter-nursing lateral violence.
A systematic review of qualitative study was performed in accordance with the Enhancing Transparency in Reporting the Synthesis of Qualitative Research (ENTREQ) guidelines. We collected qualitative studies on the factors influencing of inter-nursing lateral violence by searching PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CINAHL, Science Direct, WanFang Data, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP) and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM). Data from inception to September 2023. Literature screening and data extraction were independently conducted by two reviewers. The Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) scale was employed to assess the quality of the studies, including objectives, methodologies, designs, results and contributions.
A total of 25 studies involving 882 participants were included. The results of the thematic analysis indicated that inter-nursing lateral violence was influenced by hospital management, perpetrators, victims and sociodemographic factors.
Inter-nursing lateral violence was influenced by multidimensional factors. To reduce the occurrence of horizontal violence among nurses, hospitals need to explore the establishment and improvement of a horizontal violence resolution mechanism, and schools should pay attention to the joint support and education of nursing students, create a good working environment and harmonious nursing culture, and promote mutual respect among nurses.
This review emphasises the importance of the influencing factors of horizontal violence among nurses, analyses the importance of influencing factors from different perspectives, and proposes corresponding measures to reduce inter-nursing lateral violence.
This study was mostly a literature review; neither patients nor pertinent staff were involved in either the design or conduct of the investigation.
To examine the level of adherence to best-practice guidelines of interprofessional teams with acute care nurse practitioners (ACNPs) compared to interprofessional teams without ACNPs.
A retrospective observational study was conducted in 2023.
A retrospective cohort was created including 280 patients who underwent a coronary artery bypass graft and/or a valve repair and hospitalised in a cardiac surgery unit of a university affiliated hospital in Québec (Canada) between 1 January 2019 to 31 January 2020.
The level of adherence to best-practice guidelines was measured from a composite score in percentage. The composite score was created from a newly developed tool including 99 items across six categories (patient information, pharmacotherapy, laboratory tests, post-operative assessment, patient and interprofessional teams' characteristics). Multivariate linear and logistic regression models were computed to examine the effect of interprofessional teams with ACNPs on the level of adherence to best-practice guidelines.
Most of the patients of the cohort were male and underwent a coronary artery bypass graft procedure. Patients under the care of interprofessional teams with ACNP were 1.72 times more likely to reach a level of adherence higher than 80% compared to interprofessional teams without ACNPs and were 2.29 times more likely to be within the highest quartile of the scores for the level of adherence to best-practice guidelines of the cohort.
This study provides empirical data supporting the benefits of ACNP practice for patients, interprofessional teams and healthcare organisations.
Our findings identify the important contributions of interprofessional teams that include ACNPs using a validated instrument, as well as their contribution to the delivery of high quality patient care.
This study followed the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) Statement: Guidelines for reporting observational studies guidelines.
No patient or public contribution.
To assess the effectiveness of different nonpharmacological treatments for severe radiation-induced oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer.
Radiation-induced oral mucositis is highly prevalent in patients with head and neck cancer. Current medications for radiation-induced oral mucositis are limited in effectiveness and susceptible to side effects, and while there is an increasing adoption of nonpharmacological interventions, the optimal one remains unclear.
Systematic review and network meta-analysis based on the PRISMA-NMA guidelines.
Six databases were searched. Two authors independently performed the literature screening, data extraction and methodological quality assessment of the included studies. Traditional pairwise meta-analysis was performed by R Studio. A network meta-analysis was then conducted to assess the effects of nonpharmacological interventions for severe radiation-induced oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer.
Fifty-two studies involving seven types of nonpharmacological interventions were enrolled. The network meta-analysis indicated that natural plant-based therapies might be the most effective, health education interventions might be the second most effective, and honey might be the third most effective interventions for reducing the incidence of severe radiation-induced oral mucositis. For reducing the incidence of severe oral mucositis-related pain, the pairwise meta-analysis showed that only natural plant-based therapies and health education interventions were effective.
Nonpharmacological interventions are effective in the management of severe radiation-induced oral mucositis among patients with head and neck cancer.
Nonpharmacological interventions are a category of safe and effective adjunctive therapies that should be encouraged in clinical practice.
CRD42023400745.
To explore the views and preferences for advance care planning from the perspectives of residents, family members and healthcare professionals in long-term care facilities.
A qualitative descriptive design.
We conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 residents of long-term care facilities, 10 family members and 14 healthcare professionals. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The social ecological model was used to develop implementation recommendations.
We constructed a conceptual model of barriers and facilitators to advance care planning in long-term care facilities, drawing upon four dominant themes from the qualitative analysis: (1) The absence of discourse on end-of-life care: a lack of cultural climate to talk about death, the unspoken agreement to avoid conversations about death, and poor awareness of palliative care may hinder advance care planning initiation; (2) Relational decision-making process is a dual factor affecting advance care planning engagement; (3) Low trust and ‘unsafe’ cultures: a lack of honest information sharing, risks of violating social expectations and damaging social relationships, and risks of legal consequences may hinder willingness to engage in advance care planning; (4) Meeting and respecting residents' psychosocial needs: these can be addressed by readiness assessment, initiating advance care planning in an informal and equal manner and involving social workers.
Our findings show that residents' voices were not being heard. It is necessary to identify residents' spontaneous conversation triggers, articulate the value of advance care planning in light of the family's values and preferences, and respect residents' psychosocial needs to promote advance care planning in long-term care facilities. Advance care planning may alleviate the decision-making burden of offspring in nuclear families.
The evidence-based recommendations in this study will inform the implementation of context-specific advance care planning in Asia-Pacific regions.
Patients and caregivers contributed to the interview pilot and data collection.
To summarize the best evidence-based strategies for the management of cognitive dysfunction in patients with brain injury and to provide a reference for clinical nursing practice.
Review.
The review was presented using PRISMA guidelines. A systematic search of evidence on the management of cognitive dysfunction in patients with brain injury was conducted in computerized decision systems, guideline websites, professional association websites and comprehensive databases from the date of creation to 21 June 2023. The types of evidence included were clinical decision making, guidelines, evidence summaries, best practices, recommended practices, expert consensus, systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Two researchers trained in evidence-based methodological systems independently evaluated the quality of the literature and extracted, integrated and graded the evidence for inclusion.
A total of 20 articles were selected, including nine guidelines, three expert consensus articles, one clinical practice article and seven systematic reviews, and the overall quality of the literature was high. Thirty pieces of evidence were summarized in seven areas: assessment, multidisciplinary team, rehabilitation program, cognitive intervention, exercise intervention, music intervention and medication management.
This study summarizes the latest evidence on the management of cognitive dysfunction in the care of adults with brain injury and provides a reference for clinical nursing practice. The best evidence should be selected for localized and individualized application in clinical work, and the best evidence should be continuously updated to standardize nursing practice.
Patients with cognitive impairment after brain injury often suffer from memory loss, attention deficit and disorientation and are unable to have a normal life and experience much enjoyment, which seriously affects their physical and mental health and creates a great burden of care for their families and society. Best evidence-based strategies for the nursing management of cognitive impairment in brain injury are essential for standardizing clinical nursing practice and providing timely, professional, systematic and comprehensive nursing interventions for patients.
This review is reported following the PRISMA 2020 statement guidelines, as applicable, to enhance transparency in reporting the evidence synthesis.
This study has been registered with the Fudan University Centre for Evidence-based Nursing, a JBI Centre of Excellence under registration number ES20232566, http://ebn.nursing.fudan.edu.cn/myRegisterList.
No patient or public contribution.