Conectar
by Siobhán O’Connor, Sandra M. Malone, Joseph Firnhaber, Sinéad O’Keeffe, John McNamara, Anna Donnla O’Hagan
While mental health literacy is an important component to successful help-seeking, rural populations often face gaps in both knowledge and service provision. Informed by the Theory of Planned Behaviour and Self-Efficacy Theory, we designed the ‘Skills for Resilience’ as a brief, once-off, community-based educational intervention to increase Irish farmers’ mental health literacy and help-seeking intentions. We adopted a quasi-experimental between (group: intervention and control) and within-group design (time: baseline [T1], immediately post-intervention [T2], and ≥ 1 month post-intervention [T3]). A total of 72 participants (intervention n = 37; control n = 35) were recruited from knowledge-sharing discussion groups. Although recruitment was also open to women, all discussion groups consisted of men. A trained facilitator delivered a discussion lasting between 30 and 90 minutes. Five intervention participants also participated in a qualitative interview after T3. Our results identified intervention participants’ mental health literacy increased significantly at T2 and T3 compared to T1, but did not increase between T2 and T3. Mental health literacy was also significantly greater in the intervention group compared to the control group at T2 and T3. Help-seeking intentions and self-efficacy in seeking mental healthcare also increased significantly at T2 compared to T1, but did not increase between T1 and T3 or T2 and T3. There were no significant changes in outcome measures for the control group at any time point. Through reflexive thematic analysis we identified that the intervention also addressed stigma against mental health (Theme 1) and provided important resources for participants and their community’s present and future coping (Theme 2). At T3, 100% of participants enjoyed the discussion and would recommend the intervention to other farmers. This intervention provides a successful example of integrating the Theory of Planned Behaviour and Self-Efficacy Theory to improve mental health literacy in farmers using a brief, educational intervention.The gig economy is a promising arena to reduce unemployment and provide other benefits such as the opportunity to earn supplemental income. Like all other forms of work, the gig space also presents occupational health issues for those working in it. This proposed review is aimed at identifying and describing the common occupational health outcomes reported within this workforce; second, to examine the risk factors that contribute to the development of these health issues; and third, to assess the interventions and support systems currently in place to promote the occupational health of gig workers.
A systematic review will be undertaken according to the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statement (2009). A search from 2015 to 2025 will be conducted on four global databases (Web of Science, SCOPUS, Academic Source Complete and Business Source Complete). Only records in English, full text and peer-reviewed journal articles will be included. Book chapters, thesis, reports and systematic reviews will be excluded. The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tools will be used to assess the methodological rigour of various studies prior to inclusion for the final analysis. The extracted data will be synthesised using a narrative synthesis approach, integrating findings from both quantitative and qualitative studies.
This research is exempt from ethics approval because the work will be carried out on published documents. We will disseminate this protocol in a related peer-reviewed journal.
CRD420250654059.
To investigate whether seafarers in Norway who were declared unfit for service at sea or received a time-limited health certificate had a higher risk of acute somatic hospital admissions compared with those who received a full health certificate.
Registry-based cohort study.
Seafarers in Norway who presented to a seafarer’s doctor to obtain a health certificate between 2018 and 2019, as required for work aboard Norwegian vessels. The study was conducted within Norway’s publicly funded healthcare system.
Norwegian seafarers aged 18–70 years who underwent medical examinations (n=43 758), including n=5452 females (12.5%).
Acute somatic hospital admission within 2 years of medical examination. HRs were estimated using Cox regression models in two separate time periods (0–3 months and 3–24 months), with adjustment for possible confounding from age, gender, level of education and centrality of residence (proximity to healthcare services).
The crude risk of acute somatic hospital admissions was higher for individuals who received a declaration of unfitness, as compared with those who received a full health certificate, in both follow-up periods: 0–3 months (HR=5.13, 95% CI: 3.27 to 8.04) and 3–24 months (HR=2.63, 95% CI: 2.07 to 3.34). Similarly, those with time-limited health certificates had a higher risk in both periods: 0–3 months (HR=2.02, 95% CI: 1.39 to 2.93) and 3–24 months (HR=2.45, 95% CI: 2.15 to 2.79). Adjustment of the analyses for socio-demographic factors did not change the effect estimates substantially.
These findings highlight the importance of comprehensive and continuous health assessments to help prevent adverse health outcomes and ensure safety at sea, particularly among vulnerable subgroups of seafarers.
To determine the prevalence of MARSI associated with peripherally inserted central venous catheters (PICCs) in oncology and haematology patients, analyse the type of injury and identify risk factors.
A prospective descriptive study was conducted from 9 June 2021 to 8 February 2022. The study population was oncology and haematology patients with a PICC. The variables to be studied included the presence of MARSI in relation to PICC maintenance, injury type, time to onset, mean healing time, and type of treatment received. A descriptive analysis of the entire sample was performed. Chi-square and Student's t-test or Mann–Whitney U-tests were used to identify risk factors, depending on the nature of the variables.
The sample studied was 342 PICCs inserted in 309 patients, 49% (n = 169) women, and the mean overall age was 62.12 years (SD: 12.33). Seventy-six per cent were oncology and 24% haematology patients. The prevalence of MARSI was 32% (n = 111). The most common type of injury was erythema in 39% (n = 42). The mean duration of the lesion was 20.90 days (SD: 31.44). Alkylating agents, among others, were identified as a risk factor.
The results indicate a high prevalence of MARSI. In agreement with the literature, mechanical injuries are the most frequent, and some antineoplastic treatments are a risk factor. This study may help to identify areas for improvement and design strategies for the prevention and treatment of MARSI.
This study has implications for clinical practice, as it helps to identify areas for improvement and the most relevant clinical practice guideline recommendations to avoid this adverse event.
No patient or public contribution.
Integrating evidence-based interventions in services by midwives and public health nurses (PHNs) has the potential to improve public health. Attitudes and individual readiness to change can influence the implementation of evidence-based interventions, but there is limited research in community nursing and maternity and child health care services (MCHCs).
To examine attitudes toward evidence-based practice and readiness to change in midwives and PHNs in MCHCs before implementing the “Mamma Mia” intervention (an evidence-based intervention to improve maternal mental health).
A survey-based, multisite cross-sectional study following the STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guideline. Data were collected from 190 midwives and PHNs from 42 MCHCs across 33 municipalities in Norway (2021–2022). Six subscales of the Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale (EBPAS) assessed attitudes toward evidence-based practice, and the Brief Individual Readiness for Change Scale (BIRCS) measured individual readiness. Descriptive and inferential statistics using frequency tables, Pearson correlation coefficient, and linear regression were used for data analysis. Open-ended responses were analyzed using content analysis.
Sixty-five midwives and 125 PHNs completed the baseline survey (mean age 46.8, all female). Mean EBPAS subscales scores were 2.99 to 3.58 (SD = 0.46–0.77) mean BIRCS score was 3.16 (SD = 0.49) (possible range 0–4). Scores were slightly higher than typically reported in clinical settings, with no significant differences based on demographics (all p-values ≥ 0.166). EBPAS subscores and the BIRCS score showed a moderate positive association. The most frequently reported positive factors influencing readiness were “enhanced care and positive gain” (42.6%), “organizational support” (26.3%), and “receiving training and implementation support” (23.2%). Negative factors included “time constraints and workload” (58.4%), and “research participation and implementation demands” (27.9%).
Midwives and PHNs showed positive attitudes toward EBP and a high degree of individual readiness. Our findings align with previous research highlighting barriers such as time constraints and workload, offering insights to inform strategies for more effective EBP adoption and implementation. These results can guide nurse managers, administrators, policymakers, professional associations, implementers, and intervention developers in enhancing EBP integration into practice.
The selection of the optimal treatment strategy remains one of the most challenging decisions in the management of coronary artery disease (CAD). Surgical and percutaneous coronary revascularisation are two widely used treatments for managing CAD and can result in improved outcomes compared with medications alone. Current practice guidelines recommend revascularisation for multivessel CAD for most patients. However, there remains uncertainty about whether revascularisation or medical therapy is optimal for managing multivessel disease for many patients, especially, in the elderly and those living with multimorbidity. Also, there is limited understanding of patient preferences towards candidate treatment options for multivessel disease. This study aims to quantify and characterise heterogeneity in patient preferences towards treatment options for multivessel CAD.
We have designed and will administer a discrete choice experiment to elicit and quantify preferences of people with multivessel CAD towards revascularisation and optimal medical therapy for managing multivessel CAD. Multinomial logit mixed effects and hierarchical Bayes models will be used to model the association between the participants’ choices and the attributes and their different levels. The relative importance of the attributes will be assessed using the size of coefficients and marginal rate of substitution (MRS), a measure of the willingness to accept a trade-off among different options. Heterogeneity in patient preferences will be evaluated using latent class analysis.
Ethical approval for this study was granted by the University of Calgary Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board. Findings from this study will inform the development of clinical decision support tool that integrates patient preferences with clinical risk information to support patient-care provider discussion about optimal treatment for multivessel CAD management.
To examine the feasibility, safety and perceived patient response of a combined repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and quadriceps strengthening exercise intervention for knee osteoarthritis.
A two-arm, participant-blinded, therapist-blinded and assessor-blinded, randomised controlled trial with additional follow-up of pain and function at 3 months. Participants were randomised to receive active rTMS+exercise (AR+EX) or sham rTMS+exercise (SR+EX) twice weekly for 6 weeks while completing home exercises twice a week. Primary outcomes included recruitment rate, treatment attendance, dropouts, willingness to undergo therapy (11-point Numeric Rating Scale, ‘not at all willing’=0 and ‘very willing’=10), success of participant, therapist and outcome assessor blinding, adverse events and Global Perceived Effect Scale. Secondary outcomes were pain, function and measures of physiological mechanisms.
86 people were screened, 31 (36%) were randomised, 28 (90%) completed the treatments and 3 (10%) dropouts at 3-month follow-up. Both groups had high treatment attendance (98.4% and 100%). All participants scored at least 7 on the willingness to undergo therapy scale. Blinding was successful. No adverse events were reported. At the postintervention assessment, 80% in the AR+EX group and 75% in the SR+EX group reported an improvement on the Global Perceived Effect Scale. Both groups demonstrated within-group improvements in pain at the postintervention assessment but not at the 3-month follow-up. Function improved only in the AR+EX group at the postintervention assessment.
Combined rTMS and quadriceps strengthening exercise intervention for knee osteoarthritis is feasible, safe and well-received. A full-scale trial is justified to assess the clinical benefits of this novel treatment.
ACTRN12621001712897.
Inflammation is indicated as one of the factors that play a role in the development of schizophrenia, with several studies having found considerable inconsistencies in their results. Few have investigated the role of inflammation in primary psychosis in blood and cerebrospinal fluids simultaneously, the aim of this study being to investigate the expression of blood and cerebrospinal fluid inflammatory cytokines in treatment-naive first-episode psychotic participants.
This is a combined cross-sectional and prospective observational study, which is currently taking place in Durban, South Africa, will recruit 60 participants (30 cases and 30 matched controls). The primary objective is to describe baseline CSF and longitudinal expression/levels of inflammatory cytokines in the blood in persons diagnosed with first-episode psychosis (FEP) for 12 months. The secondary objective is to describe the associations between inflammatory cytokines and psychosis severity, neurocognitive performance, antipsychotic response and metabolic changes at different time points (baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months).
We will collect the sociodemographic details of all participants, and the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Childhood Trauma Scale, Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status Update, metabolic markers and inflammatory markers (venous blood and lumbar puncture cerebrospinal fluid) for those with FEP. Data from matched controls will only be collected at one point and no follow-ups (cross-sectional).
The study protocol has been approved by the University of KwaZulu-Natal Biomedical Research Ethics Committee (BREC/00004714/2022). The study is nested in an ongoing study titled the burden of HIV and Psychosis in an African setting: a longitudinal study of HIV-infected and non-infected patients with First-Episode Psychosis (BREC 571/18). The results will be actively disseminated through peer-reviewed journal publications and conference presentations.
Introducción: La pandemia ha debilitado el vínculo entre las personas con hipertensión arterial y/o diabetes mellitus y el sistema de salud. Objetivo: reflexionar sobre los desafíos del manejo de la hipertensión arterial y la diabetes mellitus en la atención primaria de salud en tiempos de pandemia por COVID-19. Metodología: Se trata de un estudio teórico-reflexivo, cuya fundamentación se dio mediante la realización de una revisión narrativa de la literatura. La trayectoria teórico-metodológica se estructuró a través de la fenomenología interpretativa. Resultados: La coexistencia de problemas estructurales, operativos y de gestión se encuentran entre las principales razones para la no superación de los desafíos revelados para mantener prácticas de atención efectivas a pacientes con enfermedades crónicas, frente a la pandemia de COVID-19. De los desafíos estructurales enumerados, se destacan la insuficiencia tecnológica, la debilidad de los dispositivos efectivos y los profesionales poco calificados. En el contexto operativo, se destacó el aumento de la demanda de asistencia. Y, en cuanto al manejo, el cribado y seguimiento de estas enfermedades siguen siendo retos a superar. Consideraciones finales: las reflexiones planteadas pueden ser útiles para el establecimiento de procesos de gestión más eficaces, en el contexto de la atención primaria de salud, para la atención dirigida a personas con enfermedades crónicas.
To investigate the self-reported levels of social support from friends and family and from nurses as mediators of the relationship between self-rated physical and psychological condition in hospitalised patients.
Cross-sectional study of adult inpatients at a large tertiary-care hospital in the northeast United States.
Multiple mediation analysis of survey data.
In surveys received from 324 inpatients, one fourth of the variation in patients' self-rated psychological condition was explained by self-rated physical condition. Social support from family and friends mediated a significant proportion (11.0%) of the relationship between self-rated physical and psychological condition, however social support from nurses did not.
Social support from family and friends can positively influence the psychological health of inpatients, but nurses are not an adequate replacement for the social support provided by family and friends.
Although nurses cannot replace the social support provided by family and friends, the assessment of social isolation and care planning of interventions to support patients is a fundamental nursing role. Technology to connect patients with friends and family should be used to mitigate isolation for hospitalised patients unable to receive in-person visits from loved ones.
The influence of social support from family and friends and nurses was addressed. The study found social support from family and friends, but not nurses, to influence the relationship between physical and psychological ratings. This finding has implications for the role of nurses in the hospital setting.
Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines were followed.
FreshRSS 