The objective of this study is to investigate the proportion of potentially low-value knee MRI in Norway and to provide an estimate of the related costs.
Register study based on conditional data extraction and analysis of data from Control and Reimbursement of Healthcare Claims registry in Norway.
MRI in public specialist healthcare with universal health coverage (Norway).
48 212 MRIs for 41 456 unique patients and 45 946 reimbursement claims.
Proportion of MRIs of the knee that (1) did not have a relevant tentative diagnosis prior to the knee MRI, (2) did not have a relevant alternative image of the knee before the MRI or (3) did not have a relevant code from the specialist care within 6 months after the MRI, and those that had combinations of 1, 2 and 3. Estimated costs for those that had combinations of 1, 2 and 3.
Very few patients (6.4%) had a relevant diagnosis code or prior imaging examination when having the MRI and only 14.6% got a knee-related diagnosis code from the specialist care within 6 months after the MRI. 21.8% of the patients had knee X-ray, CT or ultrasound within 6 months before the MRI. Between 58% and 85% of patients having knee MRIs in Norway have no relevant examinations or diagnoses six months prior to or after the MRI examination. These examinations are unlikely to benefit patients and they correspond to between 24 108 and 35 416 MRIs at a cost of 6.7–9.8 million per year.
A substantial proportion of MRIs of the knee in Norway have no relevant examinations or diagnoses before or after the MRI and are potentially of low value. Reducing low-value MRIs could free resources for high-value imaging, reduce waiting times, improve the quality of care and increase patient safety and professional integrity.
Pre-eclampsia is a hypertensive disorder affecting up to 8% of pregnancies. After pre-eclampsia, women are at increased risk of cognitive problems, and cerebrovascular and cardiovascular disorders. These sequelae could result from microvascular dysfunction persisting after pre-eclampsia. This study will explore differences in cerebral and myocardial microvascular function between women after pre-eclampsia and women after normotensive gestation. We hypothesise that pre-eclampsia alters cerebral and myocardial microvascular functions, which in turn are related to diminished cognitive and cardiac performance.
The cross-sectional ‘DEcreased Cognitive functiON, NEurovascular CorrelaTes and myocardial changes in women with a history of pre-eclampsia’ (DECONNECT) pilot study includes women after pre-eclampsia and controls after normotensive pregnancy between 6 months and 20 years after gestation. We recruit women from the Queen of Hearts study, a study investigating subclinical heart failure after pre-eclampsia. Neuropsychological tests are employed to assess different cognitive domains, including attention, processing speed, and cognitive control. Cerebral images are recorded using a 7 Tesla MRI to assess blood–brain barrier integrity, perfusion, blood flow, functional and structural networks, and anatomical dimensions. Cardiac images are recorded using a 3 Tesla MRI to assess cardiac perfusion, strain, dimensions, mass, and degree of fibrosis. We assess the effect of a history of pre-eclampsia using multivariable regression analyses.
This study is approved by the Ethics Committee of Maastricht University Medical Centre (METC azM/UM, NL47252.068.14). Knowledge dissemination will include scientific publications, presentations at conferences and public forums, and social media.
Forcibly displaced people (FDP) have a high risk of developing mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress (PTS) disorder. Providing adequate mental healthcare for FDP is crucial but despite overall efficacy of many existing interventions, a large proportion of FDP does not benefit from treatment, highlighting the necessity of further investigating factors contributing to individual differences in treatment outcome. Yet, the few studies that have explored moderators of treatment effects are often insufficiently powered. Therefore, the present Individual Patient Data meta-analysis (IPD-MA) will investigate treatment effects and their moderators—variables related to beneficiaries, providers, intervention and study characteristics in relation to PTS outcomes.
A systematic literature search will be conducted from database inception in the databases PsycINFO, Cochrane, Embase, PTSDpubs and Web of Science. Only studies published in English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Dutch will be considered. Retrieved records will be screened for eligibility. Randomised controlled trials on adult FDP receiving psychological and psychosocial interventions aimed at alleviating symptoms such as PTS compared with a control condition without intervention will be included in this IPD-MA. Subsequently, authors of eligible studies will be contacted to request individual patient data (IPD). All datasets obtained will be synthesised into one large dataset which will be analysed using a one-stage approach by conducting mixed-effects linear regression models (ie, primary analysis). Additionally, aggregate data meta-analyes will be run using a two-stage approach by conducting multivariate regression models including all IPD (transformed) and available meta-data from study reports (ie, secondary analysis). PTS will serve as primary outcome measure, while mental health outcomes other than PTS, attendance, attrition, treatment non-response and adverse outcomes will be examined as secondary outcomes.
This IPD-MA does not require ethical approval. The results will be published in international peer-reviewed journals.
CRD42022299510.
To explore the meaning ascribed to the concept of compassion by healthcare professionals.
Compassion is universally regarded as the foundation of healthcare, a core value of healthcare organisations, and essential to the provision of quality care. Despite increasing research on compassion in healthcare, how healthcare professionals understand compassion remains unclear.
A systematic review of qualitative studies was conducted and is reported following PRISMA guidelines.
Medline, Emcare, PsychINFO and CINAHL were searched to November 2021 for qualitative studies in English that explored healthcare professionals' understandings of compassion. Included studies were appraised for quality before data were extracted and thematically analysed.
Seventeen papers met the inclusion criteria. An overarching theme, ‘It's very values driven’ underpins the four main themes identified: (1) ‘It's about people and working with them’: Compassion as being human, (2) ‘There is this feeling’: Compassion as being present, (3) ‘If I don't understand them, I won't be able to help’: Compassion as understanding, (4) ‘Wanting to help in some way’: Compassion as action.
Healthcare professional participants reported compassion as motivated by values and inherent to humanistic healthcare practice. The meanings healthcare professions described were varied and contextual. Qualitative research should further explore healthcare practitioners' experiences of compassion as part of their practice to inform health professions education, policy, and practice.
To practice with compassion, healthcare professionals require supportive and humanistic organisations that honour each person's humanity and encourage people to be human and compassionate to each other as well as to patients, their families and/or carers.
Healthcare professionals need to reflect on what compassion means to them, how it is situated within their unique practice context, and how compassion can enhance clinical practice.
This systematic review had no patient or public contribution.
Communication is a main challenge in migrant health and essential for patient safety. The aim of this study was to describe the satisfaction of caregivers with limited language proficiency (LLP) with care related to the use of interpreters and to explore underlying and interacting factors influencing satisfaction and self-advocacy.
A mixed-methods study.
Paediatric emergency department (PED) at a tertiary care hospital in Bern, Switzerland.
Caregivers visiting the PED were systematically screened for their language proficiency. Semistructured interviews were conducted with all LLP-caregivers agreeing to participate and their administrative data were extracted.
The study included 181 caregivers, 14 of whom received professional language interpretation. Caregivers who were assisted by professional interpretation services were more satisfied than those without (5.5 (SD)±1.4 vs 4.8 (SD)±1.6). Satisfaction was influenced by five main factors (relationship with health workers, patient management, alignment of health concepts, personal expectations, health outcome of the patient) which were modulated by communication. Of all LLP-caregivers without professional interpretation, 44.9% were satisfied with communication due to low expectations regarding the quality of communication, unawareness of the availability of professional interpretation and overestimation of own language skills, resulting in low self-advocacy.
The use of professional interpreters had a positive impact on the overall satisfaction of LLP-caregivers with emergency care. LLP-caregivers were not well—positioned to advocate for language interpretation. Healthcare providers must be aware of their responsibility to guarantee good-quality communication to ensure equitable quality of care and patient safety.
(1) To investigate the vulnerability of nurses to experiencing professional burnout and low fulfilment across 5 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) To identify modifiable variables in hospital leadership and individual vulnerabilities that may mitigate these effects.
Nurses were at increased risk for burnout and low fulfilment prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospital leadership factors such as organisational structure and open communication and consideration of employee opinions are known to have positive impacts on work attitudes. Personal risk factors for burnout include symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Healthcare workers (n = 406 at baseline, n = 234 longitudinal), including doctors (n = 102), nurses (n = 94), technicians (n = 90) and non-clinical administrative staff (n = 120), completed 5 online questionnaires, once per month, for 5 months. Participants completed self-report questionnaires on professional fulfilment and burnout, perceptions of healthcare leadership, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Participants were recruited from various healthcare settings in the southeastern United States. The STROBE checklist was used to report the present study.
Both at baseline and across the 5 months, nurses working during the COVID-19 pandemic reported increased burnout and decreased fulfilment relative to doctors. For all participants, burnout remained largely steady and fulfilment decreased slightly. The strongest predictors of both burnout and fulfilment were organisational structure and depressive symptoms. Leadership consideration and anxiety symptoms had smaller, yet significant, relationships to burnout and fulfilment in longitudinal analyses.
Burnout and reduced fulfilment remain a problem for healthcare workers, especially nurses. Leadership styles and employee symptoms of depression and anxiety are appropriate targets for intervention.
Leadership wishing to reduce burnout and increase fulfilment among employees should increase levels of organisational support and consideration and expand supports to employees seeking treatment for depression and anxiety.
by Alex Buga, David G. Harper, Teryn N. Sapper, Parker N. Hyde, Brandon Fell, Ryan Dickerson, Justen T. Stoner, Madison L. Kackley, Christopher D. Crabtree, Drew D. Decker, Bradley T. Robinson, Gerald Krystal, Katherine Binzel, Maryam B. Lustberg, Jeff S. Volek
PurposeKetogenic diets may positively influence cancer through pleiotropic mechanisms, but only a few small and short-term studies have addressed feasibility and efficacy in cancer patients. The primary goals of this study were to evaluate the feasibility and the sustained metabolic effects of a personalized well-formulated ketogenic diet (WFKD) designed to achieve consistent blood beta-hydroxybutyrate (βHB) >0.5 mM in women diagnosed with stage IV metastatic breast cancer (MBC) undergoing chemotherapy.
MethodsWomen (n = 20) were enrolled in a six month, two-phase, single-arm WFKD intervention (NCT03535701). Phase I was a highly-supervised, ad libitum, personalized WFKD, where women were provided with ketogenic-appropriate food daily for three months. Phase II transitioned women to a self-administered WFKD with ongoing coaching for an additional three months. Fasting capillary βHB and glucose were collected daily; weight, body composition, plasma insulin, and insulin resistance were collected at baseline, three and six months.
ResultsCapillary βHB indicated women achieved nutritional ketosis (Phase I mean: 0.8 mM (n = 15); Phase II mean: 0.7 mM (n = 9)). Body weight decreased 10% after three months, primarily from body fat. Fasting plasma glucose, plasma insulin, and insulin resistance also decreased significantly after three months (p Conclusions
Women diagnosed with MBC undergoing chemotherapy can safely achieve and maintain nutritional ketosis, while improving body composition and insulin resistance, out to six months.
by Andrea Peloso, Stéphanie Lacotte, Quentin Gex, Florence Slits, Beat Moeckli, Graziano Oldani, Matthieu Tihy, Aurélie Hautefort, Brenda Kwak, Laura Rubbia-Brandt, Christian Toso
Background and aimsNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the leading cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This association is supported by the translocation of bacteria products into the portal system, which acts on the liver through the gut-liver axis. We hypothesize that portosystemic shunting can disrupt this relationship, and prevent NAFLD-associated HCC.
MethodsHCC carcinogenesis was tested in C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat high-sucrose diet (HFD) and injected with diethylnitrosamine (DEN) at two weeks of age, and in double transgenic LAP-tTA and TRE-MYC (LAP-Myc) mice fed a methionine-choline-deficient diet. Portosystemic shunts were established by transposing the spleen to the sub-cutaneous tissue at eight weeks of age.
ResultsSpleen transposition led to a consistent deviation of part of the portal flow and a significant decrease in portal pressure. It was associated with a decrease in the number of HCC in both models. This effect was supported by the presence of less severe liver steatosis after 40 weeks, and lower expression levels of liver fatty acid synthase. Also, shunted mice exhibited lower liver oxygen levels, a key factor in preventing HCC as confirmed by the development of less HCCs in mice with hepatic artery ligation.
ConclusionsThe present data show that portosystemic shunting prevents NAFLD-associated HCC, utilizing two independent mouse models. This effect is supported by the development of less steatosis, and a restored liver oxygen level. Portal pressure modulation and shunting deserve further exploration as potential prevention/treatment options for NAFLD and HCC.
by Douglas C. Smith, Crystal A. Reinhart, Shahana Begum, Janaka Kosgolla, John F. Kelly, Brandon B. Bergman, Marni Basic
Background and aimsTo date, no epidemiological survey has estimated the prevalence of adolescents identifying as being in recovery. This is necessary for planning and identifying the needs of youth with current and remitted substance use disorders. This study estimated the prevalence of recovery status in a large statewide epidemiological survey administered between January and March 2020.
ParticipantsParticipants were high school students in 9th through 12th grades throughout Illinois.
MeasurementsYouth were asked if they were in recovery and if they had resolved problems with substances. Youth who reported recovery and problem resolving dual status (DS), recovery only (RO), and problem resolution only (PRO) were compared to propensity score matched control groups who reported neither status (neither/nor; NN). Outcomes included alcohol use, binge alcohol use, cannabis use, and prescription drug use in the past 30 days.
FindingsPrevalence estimates were 884 (1.4%) for DS, 1546 (2.5%) for PRO, and 1,811 (2.9%) for RO. Relative to propensity matched control samples, all three groups had significantly lower odds of prescription drug use. The PRO group had lower odds of past month cannabis use. There were no significant differences for either alcohol outcome.
ConclusionsPrevalence estimates of youth in recovery are slightly lower than those of adults in recovery, and estimates should be replicated. Youth in recovery and those resolving problems have numerous behavioral health needs, and relative to matched controls, have even odds for past 30-day alcohol use. These findings compel us to further define recovery for adolescents and emerging adults to allow for improving treatments and epidemiological research.
Compared with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients, non-STEMI (NSTEMI) patients have more comorbidities and extensive coronary artery disease. Contemporary comparative data on the long-term prognosis of stable post-myocardial infarction subtypes are needed.
Long-Term rIsk, clinical manaGement and healthcare Resource utilisation of stable coronary artery dISease (TIGRIS) was a multinational, observational and longitudinal cohort study.
Patients were enrolled from 350 centres, with >95% coming from cardiology practices across 24 countries, from 19 June 2013 to 31 March 2017.
This study enrolled 8277 stable patients 1–3 years after myocardial infarction with ≥1 additional risk factor.
Over a 2 year follow-up, cardiovascular events and deaths and self-reported health using the EuroQol 5-dimension questionnaire score were recorded. Relative risk of clinical events and health resource utilisation in STEMI and NSTEMI patients were compared using multivariable Poisson regression models, adjusting for prognostically relevant patient factors.
Of 7752 patients with known myocardial infarction type, 46% had NSTEMI; NSTEMI patients were older with more comorbidities than STEMI patients. NSTEMI patients had significantly poorer self-reported health and lower prevalence of dual antiplatelet therapy at hospital discharge and at enrolment 1–3 years later. NSTEMI patients had a higher incidence of combined myocardial infarction, stroke and cardiovascular death (5.6% vs 3.9%, p
Post-NSTEMI chronic coronary syndrome patients had a less favourable risk factor profile, poorer self-reported health and more adverse cardiovascular events during long-term follow-up than individuals post STEMI. Efforts are needed to recognise the risks of stable patients after NSTEMI and optimise secondary prevention and care.
(1) To identify, evaluate and summarize evidence about the objectives and characteristics of mentoring programmes for specialized nurses (SNs) or nurse navigators (NNs) and advanced practice nurses (APNs) and (2) to identify the effectiveness of these programmes.
A systematic review based on PRISMA guidelines.
From November 2022 until 7 December 2022, four databases were searched: PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL and The Cochrane Library.
Study selection was performed independently by two researchers. Disagreements were discussed until consensus was reached. Data extraction was undertaken for included studies. Data synthesis was conducted using narrative analysis. Quality appraisal was performed using the Critical Appraisal Skill Programme (CASP) and Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT).
Twelve articles were included, all of which focused on mentoring programmes for APNs. Different forms of mentorship (e.g. (in)formal mentorship, work shadowing, workshops) were reported. Studies reported positive outcomes on job retention (n = 5), job satisfaction (n = 6), skills improvement (n = 7), satisfaction with the programme (n = 7) and confidence improvement (n = 4) among participants of mentoring programmes.
There is a lack of uniformity and consistency in various elements of mentoring programmes. Further research is needed to develop mentoring programmes for both APNs and SNs/NNs in a systematic and theoretically underpinned manner. It is necessary to establish a thorough evaluation methodology, preferably using a mixed methods design that includes both a qualitative process evaluation and a comprehensive outcome evaluation using validated questionnaires, taking into account the NN/APN, the interprofessional team and organizational level.
The synthesis of evidence may be useful to organizations developing and implementing mentoring programmes for both SN/NN and APN. The development of a mentoring programme for nursing experts should be considered a complex intervention that requires theoretical frameworks and contextual considerations.
Not applicable, as no patients or public were involved.
Este estudio tuvo como objetivo analizar la Teoría de la Diversidad y Universalidad del Cuidado Cultural de Madeleine Leininger. Se trata de un estudio
de análisis interpretativo basado en el modelo de evaluación de la teoría propuesto por Johnson, realizado en enero y febrero de 2022. Se constató que la teoría de Leininger tiene consistencia teórica y capacidad de contribuir a la práctica, la ciencia y la profesión de enfermería. La teoría es de fácil comprensión, con un lenguaje accesible y claro, y presenta conceptos bien definidos que estimulan la formulación de proposiciones. También presenta variables y supuestos que contribuyen a la interpretación y comprensión de proposiciones, así como conocimientos teóricos que ayudan a explicar y hacer predicciones sobre los fenómenos de interés para la enfermería. El análisis permitió evidenciar en la teoría de Leininger la consistencia teórica y la capacidad de contribuir a la práctica de enfermería.
Se destaca la relevancia de la aplicación de los enfermeros en diferentes contextos de trabajo para lograr un cuidado guiado cultural y congruentemente
con el contexto y las necesidades de los individuos.
Kidney transplantation offers patients better quality of life and survival compared with dialysis. The risk of end stage renal disease is higher among ethnic minorities and they experience longer wait times on transplant lists. This inequality stems from a high need for kidney transplantation combined with a low rate of deceased donation among ethnic minority groups. This study aimed to explore the perspectives around living donor kidney transplantation of members of the Sikh and Muslim communities with an aim to develop a digital intervention to overcome any barriers.
A qualitative descriptive study using in person focus groups.
University Teaching Hospital and Transplant Centre.
Convenience sampling of participants from the transplant population. Three focus groups were held with 20 participants, all were of South Asian ethnicity belonging to the Sikh and Muslim communities.
Interviews were digitally audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim; transcripts were analysed thematically.
Four themes were identified: (a) religious issues; (b) lack of knowledge within the community; (c) time; (d) cultural identification with transplantation.
Not only is the information given and when it is delivered important, but also the person giving the information is crucial to enhance consideration of live donor kidney transplantation. Information should be in a first language where possible and overtly align to religious considerations. A more integrated approach to transplantation counselling should be adopted which includes healthcare professionals and credible members of the target cultural group.
To delineate between the concepts of parental presence, participation, and engagement in paediatric hospital care.
The concepts' uses in the literature were analysed to determine attributes, influences, and relationships.
Delineations of each concept are established and conceptual definitions are proposed following Morses' methods.
MEDLINE (PubMed); CINAHL, PsycINFO, Sociology Source Ultimate (EBSCOhost); Embase, Scopus (Elsevier); Google Scholar. Search dates October 2021, February 2023.
Multinational publications dated 1991–2023 revealed these concepts represent a range of parental behaviours, beliefs, and actions, which are not always perceptible to nurses, but which are important in family-integrated care delivery. Parental presence is the state of a parent being physically and/or emotionally with their child. Parental participation reflects parents' performing caregiving activities with or without nurses. Parental engagement is a parents' state of emotional involvement in their child's health and the ways they act on their child's behalf.
These concepts' manifestations are important to parental role attainment but may be inadequately understood and considered by healthcare providers.
Nurses have influence over parents' parental presence, participation, and engagement in their child's care but need support from healthcare institutions to ensure equitable family-integrated care delivery.
Problem: Lack of clear definition among these concepts results in incomplete and at times inequitable family-integrated care delivery. Findings: Parental presence is an antecedent to parental participation, and parental presence and participation are elements of parental engagement. The concepts interact to influence one another. Impact: Hospitalized children, their families, nurses, and researchers will benefit through a better understanding of the concepts' attributes, interactions, and implications for enhanced family-integrated care delivery.
Common mental disorders, including depression, anxiety and related somatic health symptoms, are leading causes of disability worldwide. Especially in low-resource settings, psychosocial interventions delivered by non-specialist providers through task-sharing modalities proved to be valid options to expand access to mental healthcare. However, such interventions are usually eclectic multicomponent interventions consisting of different combinations of evidence-based therapeutic strategies. Which of these various components (or combinations thereof) are more efficacious (and for whom) to reduce common mental disorder symptomatology is yet to be substantiated by evidence.
Comprehensive search was performed in electronic databases MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO and the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials—CENTRAL from database inception to 15 March 2023 to systematically identify all randomised controlled trials that compared any single component or multicomponent psychosocial intervention delivered through the task-sharing modality against any active or inactive control condition in the treatment of adults suffering from common mental disorders. From these trials, individual participant data (IPD) of all measured outcomes and covariates will be collected. We will dismantle psychosocial interventions creating a taxonomy of components and then apply the IPD component network meta-analysis (IPD-cNMA) methodology to assess the efficacy of individual components (or combinations thereof) according to participant-level prognostic factors and effect modifiers.
Ethics approval is not applicable for this study since no original data will be collected. Results from this study will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at relevant conferences.
Objetivo: Conocer la eficacia del tratamiento de personas con conducta hetero agresiva en los servicios de urgencias en comparación con los servicios de salud comunitarios. Método: Revisión sistemática de estudios en bases de datos: LILACS, Psychinfo, Scopus, Web de Ciencia, PUBMED y literatura gris en Google Scholar y en la lista de referencias. La búsqueda se realizó en junio de 2016. Dos mil ciento sesenta estudios fueron encontrados y seis de estos estudios fueron seleccionados para su análisis después de la aplicación de los criterios de exclusión. Resultados: El acercamiento a individuos con comportamiento agitado, agresivo o violento ocurre con mayor frecuencia en servicios de emergencia general y psiquiátrica con intervención médica. Los medicamentos utilizados para controlar la agitación y la sedación fueron benzodiazepina (midazolam, lorazepam), antihistamínico (prometazina), antipsicóticos típicos (haloperidol y droperidol) y antipsicóticos atípicos (olanzapina, ziprasidona, risperidona y quetiapina). Conclusión: Todos los fármacos evaluados promueven la sedación, pero esta revisión muestra ventajas en el uso de la combinación de haloperidol más prometazina.