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To analyse the differences between nurses with and without substance use disorders (SUDs) admitted to a specialised mental health programme.
Retrospective, observational study.
Specialised mental health treatment programme for nurses in Catalonia, Spain.
1091 nurses admitted to the programme from 2000 to 2021.
None.
Sociodemographic, occupational and clinical variables were analysed. Diagnoses followed Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, Text Revision criteria.
Most nurses admitted to the programme were women (88%, n=960) and came voluntarily (92.1%, n=1005). The mean age at admission was 45 (SD=10.4) years. The most common diagnoses were adjustment disorders (36.6%, n=399), unipolar mood disorders (25.8%, n=282), anxiety disorders (16.4%, n=179) and SUDs (13.8%, n=151). Only 19.2% (n=209) of the sample were hospitalised during their first treatment episode. After multivariate analysis, suffering from a SUD was significantly associated with being a man (OR=4.12; 95% CI 2.49 to 6.82), coming after a directed referral (OR=4.55; 95% CI 2.5 to 7.69), being on sick leave at admission (OR=2.21; 95% CI 1.42 to 3.45) and needing hospitalisation at the beginning of their treatment (OR=12.5; 95% CI 8.3 to 20).
Nurses with SUDs have greater resistance to voluntarily asking for help from specialised mental health treatment programmes and have greater clinical severity compared with those without addictions. SUDs are also more frequent among men. More actions are needed to help prevent and promote earlier help-seeking behaviours among nurses with this type of mental disorder.
This study explored the knowledge and confidence levels of nursing academics in teaching both the theories and practical skills of digital health in undergraduate nursing programs.
A cross-sectional study.
A structured online survey was distributed among nursing academics across Australian universities. The survey included two sections: (1) the participants' demographics and their nursing and digital health teaching experience; (2) likert scales asking the participants to rate their knowledge and confidence to teach the theories and practical skills of four main themes; digital health technologies, information exchange, quality and digital professionalism.
One hundred and nineteen nursing academics completed part one, and 97 individuals completed part two of the survey. Only 6% (n = 5) of the participants reported having formal training in digital health. Digital health was mainly taught as a module (n = 57, 45.9%), and assessments of theory or practical application of digital health in the nursing curriculum were uncommon, with 79 (69.9%) responding that there was no digital health assessment in their entry to practice nursing programs. Among the four core digital health themes, the participants rated high on knowledge of digital professionalism (22.4% significant knowledge vs. 5.9% no knowledge) but low on information exchange (30% significant knowledge vs. 28.3% no knowledge). Statistically significant (p < .001) associations were found between different themes of digital health knowledge and the level of confidence in teaching its application. Nursing academics with more than 15 years of teaching experience had a significantly higher level of knowledge and confidence in teaching digital health content compared with those with fewer years of teaching experience.
There is a significant gap in nursing academics' knowledge and confidence to teach digital health theory and its application in nursing. Nursing academics need to upskill in digital health to prepare the future workforce to be capable in digitally enabled health care settings.
Nursing academics have a limited level of digital knowledge and confidence in preparing future nurses to work in increasingly technology-driven health care environments. Addressing this competency gap and providing sufficient support for nursing academics in this regard is essential.
What problem did the study address? Level of knowledge and confidence among nursing academics to teach digital health in nursing practice. What were the main findings? There is a significant gap in nursing academics' knowledge and confidence to teach digital health theory and its application in nursing. Where and on whom will the research have an impact? Professional nursing education globally.
The STROBE guideline was used to guide the reporting of the study.
The call for participation from nursing academics across Australia provided an introductory statement about the project, its aim and scope, and the contact information of the principal researcher. A participant information sheet was shared with the call providing a detailed explanation of participation. Nursing academics across Australia participated in the survey through the link embedded in the participation invite.
No abstract available Conventional prediction models fail to integrate the constantly evolving nature of critical illness. Alternative modelling approaches to study dynamic changes in critical illness progression are needed. We compare static risk prediction models to dynamic probabilistic models in early critical illness.
We developed models to simulate disease trajectories of critically ill COVID-19 patients across different disease states. Eighty per cent of cases were randomly assigned to a training and 20% of the cases were used as a validation cohort. Conventional risk prediction models were developed to analyse different disease states for critically ill patients for the first 7 days of intensive care unit (ICU) stay. Daily disease state transitions were modelled using a series of multivariable, multinomial logistic regression models. A probabilistic dynamic systems modelling approach was used to predict disease trajectory over the first 7 days of an ICU admission. Forecast accuracy was assessed and simulated patient clinical trajectories were developed through our algorithm.
We retrospectively studied patients admitted to a Cleveland Clinic Healthcare System in Ohio, for the treatment of COVID-19 from March 2020 to December 2022.
5241 patients were included in the analysis. For ICU days 2–7, the static (conventional) modelling approach, the accuracy of the models steadily decreased as a function of time, with area under the curve (AUC) for each health state below 0.8. But the dynamic forecasting approach improved its ability to predict as a function of time. AUC for the dynamic forecasting approach were all above 0.90 for ICU days 4–7 for all states.
We demonstrated that modelling critical care outcomes as a dynamic system improved the forecasting accuracy of the disease state. Our model accurately identified different disease conditions and trajectories, with a
by Sacha Parada, Bérengère Rubio, Elsa Taschini, Xavier Laqueille, Malika El Youbi, Pierre Paris, Bernard Angerville, Alain Dervaux, Jean-François Verlhiac, Eve Legrand
This work aimed at creating a psychosocial intervention based on growth mindset theory and implementation intention strategies, in order to reduce alcohol consumption among users in the general population, and the clinical population of individuals with alcohol use disorder. A mixed method approach was used, combining qualitative and quantitative research methods among both populations. Four focus groups were first conducted to extract arguments in favor of a malleable view of alcohol consumption (study 1A), situations that trigger the desire to drink alcohol, as well as strategies used by people to counteract this need (study 1B). Data were analyzed using reflective thematic analysis in line with the scientific literature on alcohol consumption. The results were used to create a questionnaire scoring the relevance of each argument, situation and strategy (study 2). The 20 best scored arguments, situations and strategies were selected to create the intervention. The created intervention consisted in a popularized scientific article describing alcohol consumption as malleable, including the selected arguments and followed by two internalization exercises. Then, a volitional help sheet included the selected situations and solutions was presented, allowing forming up to three plans. The discussion focused on the added value of the created material compared to pre-existing tools in the literature, and presents plans to test the intervention in a future study.by Sachin Atre, Jayshri Jagtap, Mujtaba Faqih, Yogita Dumbare, Trupti Sawant, Sunil Ambike, Maha Farhat
AimWe aimed to identify and describe the unmet needs of patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB).
MethodsAs a part of larger cross-sectional mixed-methods (qualitative and quantitative data) study on pathways to MDR-TB care, here we present the qualitative component. We interviewed 128 (56 men and 72 women) individuals who had MDR-TB, aged > = 15 years, registered and treated under the National TB Elimination Program (NTEP) in Pune city of India. We carried out thematic analysis of participants’ narratives.
ResultsWe found that delays in diagnosis, lack of counseling, late referral to the NTEP and unwarranted expenditure were the main barriers to care that study participants experienced in the private sector. Provider dismissal of symptoms, non-courteous behavior, lack of hygiene in the referral centers, forced stay with other patients and lack of support for psychological/psychiatric problems were identified as a few additional challenges that participants faced at the NTEP care centers.
ConclusionUsing qualitative data from experiences of participants with MDR-TB, we identify patients’ several unmet needs, attention to which can improve MDR-TB care. Educating private providers about MDR-TB risk and available rapid molecular assays can help the timely diagnosis of MDR-TB and reduce patients’ out of pocket costs. At the RNTCP/NTEP, measures such as training health workers to build rapport with patients, maintaining hygienic environments in the health centers with adequate isolation of participants with MDR from other serious cases, referral of patients with psychiatric symptoms to mental health specialists and monitoring drug shortages can help in improving care delivery.
by Mo Ahamad Khan, Ismail Celik, Haris M. Khan, Mohammad Shahid, Anwar Shahzad, Sachin Kumar, Bilal Ahmed
The quorum sensing mechanism relies on the detection and response to chemical signals, termed autoinducers, which regulate the synthesis of virulence factors including toxins, enzymes, and biofilms. Emerging therapeutic strategies for infection control encompass approaches that attenuate quorum-sensing systems. In this study, we evaluated the antibacterial, anti-quorum sensing, and anti-biofilm activities of Psidium guajava L. methanolic leaf extracts (PGME). Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) of PGME were determined as 500 μg/ml for C. violaceum and 1000 μg/ml for P. aeruginosa PAO1. Significantly, even at sub-MIC concentrations, PGME exhibited noteworthy anti-quorum sensing properties, as evidenced by concentration-dependent inhibition of pigment production in C. violaceum 12742. Furthermore, PGME effectively suppressed quorum-sensing controlled virulence factors in P. aeruginosa PAO1, including biofilm formation, pyoverdin, pyocyanin, and rhamnolipid production, with concentration-dependent inhibitory effects. Phytochemical analysis utilizing GC-MS revealed the presence of compounds such as alpha-copaene, caryophyllene, and nerolidol. In-silico docking studies indicated a plausible mechanism for the observed anti-quorum sensing activity, involving favorable binding and interactions with QS-receptors, including RhlR, CviR’, LasI, and LasR proteins. These interactions were found to potentially disrupt QS pathways through suppression of AHL production and receptor protein blockade. Collectively, our findings propose PGME as a promising candidate for the treatment of bacterial infections. Its attributes that mitigate biofilm development and impede quorum-sensing mechanisms highlight its potential therapeutic value.This study aims to estimate the cost-effectiveness of oral spironolactone plus routine topical treatment compared with routine topical treatment alone for persistent acne in adult women from a British NHS perspective over 24 weeks.
Economic evaluation undertaken alongside a pragmatic, parallel, double-blind, randomised trial.
Primary and secondary healthcare, community and social media advertising.
Women ≥18 years with persistent facial acne judged to warrant oral antibiotic treatment.
Participants were randomised 1:1 to 50 mg/day spironolactone (increasing to 100 mg/day after 6 weeks) or matched placebo until week 24. Participants in both groups could continue topical treatment.
Cost-utility analysis assessed incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) using the EQ-5D-5L. Cost-effectiveness analysis estimated incremental cost per unit change on the Acne-QoL symptom subscale. Adjusted analysis included randomisation stratification variables (centre, baseline severity (investigator’s global assessment, IGA
Spironolactone did not appear cost-effective in the complete case analysis (n=126 spironolactone, n=109 control), compared with no active systemic treatment (adjusted incremental cost per QALY £67 191; unadjusted £34 770). Incremental cost per QALY was £27 879 (adjusted), just below the upper National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s threshold value of £30 000, where multiple imputation took account of missing data. Incremental cost per QALY for other sensitivity analyses varied around the base-case, highlighting the degree of uncertainty. The adjusted incremental cost per point change on the Acne-QoL symptom subscale for spironolactone compared with no active systemic treatment was £38.21 (complete case analysis).
The results demonstrate a high level of uncertainty, particularly with respect to estimates of incremental QALYs. Compared with no active systemic treatment, spironolactone was estimated to be marginally cost-effective where multiple imputation was performed but was not cost-effective in complete case analysis.
ISRCTN registry (ISRCTN12892056).
by Gioulinta S. Alimani, Sachin Ananth, Cristina Boccabella, Ekaterina Khaleva, Graham Roberts, Nikolaos G. Papadopoulos, Chris Kosmidis, Jørgen Vestbo, Effie Papageorgiou, Apostolos Beloukas, Alexander G. Mathioudakis
IntroductionViruses are detected in over 50% of acute asthma attacks and in a notable proportion of patients with asthma during stable disease state They are associated with worse outcomes. We will conduct a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses to quantify the prevalence and clinical burden of various respiratory viruses in stable asthma and acute asthma attacks. In addition, we will assess the viral loads of respiratory viruses during stable and acute asthma, to explore whether viral load could differentiate attacks triggered by viruses versus those where viruses are present as “innocent bystanders”.
Materials and methodsBased on a prospectively registered protocol (PROSPERO, ID: CRD42023375108) and following standard methodology recommended by Cochrane, we will systematically search Medline/PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and relevant conference proceedings for studies assessing the prevalence or clinical burden of respiratory viruses in asthma. Methodological rigour of the included studies will be appraised using a tool specific for prevalence studies and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale respectively. In anticipation of significant clinical and methodological heterogeneity, we will conduct random effect meta-analyses. For evaluating the prevalence of viruses, we will perform meta-analyses of proportions using the inverse variance method, and the Freeman-Tukey transformation. We will conduct meta-regression analyses for exploring heterogeneity.
ConclusionWe envisage that these systematic reviews and meta-analyses will quantify the prevalence and burden of respiratory viruses in stable and acute asthma and will drive future research and clinical practice.
FreshRSS 