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Ethical Decision Making in Disaster and Emergency Management: A Systematic Review of the Literature.Prehospital and Disaster Medicine Oct 2023Ethical decision making in disaster and emergency management requires more than good intentions; it also asks for careful consideration and an explicit, systematic... (Review)
Review
Ethical decision making in disaster and emergency management requires more than good intentions; it also asks for careful consideration and an explicit, systematic approach. The decisions made by leaders and the effects they have in a disaster must carry the confidence of the community to which they serve. Such decisions are critical in settings where resources are scarce; when decisions are perceived as unjust, the consequences may erode public trust, result in moral injury to staff, and cause community division. To understand how decisions in these settings are informed by ethics, a systematic literature review was conducted to determine what ethical guidance informs decision making in disaster and emergency management. This study found evidence of ethical guidance to inform decision making in disaster management in the humanitarian system, based on humanitarian principles. Evidence of the application of an ethical framework to guide or reference decision making was varied or absent in other emergency management agencies or systems. Development and validation of ethical frameworks to support decision making in disaster management practice is recommended.
Topics: Humans; Disasters; Decision Making
PubMed: 37675490
DOI: 10.1017/S1049023X23006325 -
Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in... Nov 2022Moral distress is one of the most important problems that nurses face in their care of patients. Various studies have reported the frequency and severity of moral... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Moral distress is one of the most important problems that nurses face in their care of patients. Various studies have reported the frequency and severity of moral distress in nurses. However, to date, a comprehensive study that shows the results of these research across the world was not found, therefore due to the importance of this issue, its role in the health of nurses and patients, and the lack of general statistics about it worldwide, the present study was conducted to determine the frequency and severity of moral distress in nurses through a systematic review and meta-analysis.
METHODS
In this review study, searching national and international databases of SID, MagIran, IranMedex, IranDoc, Google Scholar, Embase, ScienceDirect, Scopus, CINHAL, PubMed, and Web of Science (WoS) between 2005 and February 2020 were extracted. The random-effects model was used for analysis, and the heterogeneity of studies with the I index was investigated. Data were analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (Version 2).
RESULTS
The frequency of moral distress in 9 articles with a sample size of 1576 persons was 1.7 ± 0.5 from (0-4), in 13 articles with a sample size of 1870 persons, 3.07 ± 0.1 from (0-5), in 6 articles with a sample size of 1316 persons, 3.2 ± 0.29 from (0-6), in 18 articles with a sample size of 1959 persons, 4.6 ± 0.518 from (1-7) and in 35 articles with a sample size of 3718 persons, 81.1 ± 4.6 from (216-30), and the severity of moral distress in 4 articles with a sample size of 1116 persons, 1.7 ± 0.37 from (0-4), in 5 articles with a sample size of 1282 persons, 2.6 ± 0.28 from (0-5), in 5 articles with a sample size of 944 persons, 3.9 ± 0.63 from (0-6) and in 8 articles with a sample size of 901 persons was 82.3 ± 5.4 (0-216).
CONCLUSION
The results of this study showed that the frequency and severity of moral distress in nurses are high and are a serious problem in nurses. Therefore, policymakers in this field should consider its role in the health of nurses and patients.
Topics: Humans; Morals
PubMed: 36348378
DOI: 10.1186/s13010-022-00126-0 -
Annals of Anatomy = Anatomischer... Aug 2022The main objective of this systematic review is to carry out a qualitative synthesis of the available bibliography on the use of scaffolds used in dentistry for the... (Review)
Review
AIMS
The main objective of this systematic review is to carry out a qualitative synthesis of the available bibliography on the use of scaffolds used in dentistry for the revitalisation treatment of immature teeth with open apex.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
The search was carried out in the MEDLINE, Scopus and Cochrane databases. The search included the terms 'Pulp regeneration' OR 'Pulp revitalisation' AND 'scaffold'. The inclusion criteria were articles published in English, which carry out revitalisation treatments, with analysis of the results obtained and comparison of them, carried out in humans, in immature permanent teeth with open apex, and randomised clinical trials. The risk of bias assessment was performed with the RoB2 guideline.
RESULTS
Of 769 studies, 10 met the inclusion criteria. The scaffolds used were blood clot, platelet-rich plasma, platelet-rich fibrin, and blood clots combined with different membranes such as collagen membrane, collagen membrane and placentrex, chitosan membrane and hydrogel with basic growth factor for fibroblasts. The clinical success rate is excellent for all scaffolds used. The best scaffold for root development is platelet-rich plasma and it is the scaffold with the highest percentage of response to vitality test.
CONCLUSION
Our results suggested that platelet-rich plasma is the preferred scaffold of choice, although all the scaffolds analysed have acceptable results.
Topics: Collagen; Dental Pulp; Humans; Platelet-Rich Fibrin; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Regeneration
PubMed: 35367348
DOI: 10.1016/j.aanat.2022.151936 -
BMJ Open Dec 2019To systematically review the available literature on physicians' and dentists' experiences influencing job motivation, job satisfaction, burnout, well-being and symptoms...
OBJECTIVES
To systematically review the available literature on physicians' and dentists' experiences influencing job motivation, job satisfaction, burnout, well-being and symptoms of depression as indicators of job morale in low-income and middle-income countries.
DESIGN
The review was reported following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines for studies evaluating outcomes of interest using qualitative methods. The framework method was used to analyse and integrate review findings.
DATA SOURCES
A primary search of electronic databases was performed by using a combination of search terms related to the following areas of interest: 'morale', 'physicians and dentists' and 'low-income and middle-income countries'. A secondary search of the grey literature was conducted in addition to checking the reference list of included studies and review papers.
RESULTS
Ten papers representing 10 different studies and involving 581 participants across seven low-income and middle-income countries met the inclusion criteria for the review. However, none of the studies focused on dentists' experiences was included. An analytical framework including four main categories was developed: work environment (physical and social), rewards (financial, non-financial and social respect), work content (workload, nature of work, job security/stability and safety), managerial context (staffing levels, protocols and guidelines consistency and political interference). The job morale of physicians working in low-income and middle-income countries was mainly influenced by negative experiences. Increasing salaries, offering opportunities for career and professional development, improving the physical and social working environment, implementing clear professional guidelines and protocols and tackling healthcare staff shortage may influence physicians' job morale positively.
CONCLUSIONS
There were a limited number of studies and a great degree of heterogeneity of evidence. Further research is recommended to assist in scrutinising context-specific issues and ways of addressing them to maximise their utility.
PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER
CRD42017082579.
Topics: Attitude of Health Personnel; Burnout, Professional; Catchment Area, Health; Dentists; Developing Countries; Employment; Humans; Job Satisfaction; Morale; Personal Satisfaction; Physicians; Qualitative Research
PubMed: 31796473
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-028657 -
Asia-Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing Sep 2023Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates remain low among adolescent girls across ethnic minority groups that experience high incidences of HPV-related cervical... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates remain low among adolescent girls across ethnic minority groups that experience high incidences of HPV-related cervical cancer with poor outcomes. This systematic review aimed to synthesize the available evidence on the factors affecting HPV vaccination among ethnic minority adolescent girls.
METHODS
Six databases (PubMed, OVID MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus) were searched from inception to October 17, 2022. Guided by the conceptual model of vaccine hesitancy, the factors affecting HPV vaccine uptake were descriptively synthesized and analyzed using meta-analyses.
RESULTS
This review included 14 studies. The pooled uptake rate of at least one dose of HPV vaccine among ethnic minority adolescent girls was only 38% (95% confidence interval = 0.22, 0.39). At individual level, age of adolescent girls, knowledge of HPV, perceived importance of HPV vaccination, and perceived risk of HPV infection promoted the vaccine uptake. Beliefs in conspiracy theories and lack of trust in the government and HPV vaccine discouraged the utilization. At social and policy levels, health professionals' recommendations, subjective norms, sexuality-related communication, and vaccine policies such as insurance coverage facilitated HPV vaccination. The religious and moral convictions regarding abstinence from sex until marriage negatively influenced the vaccine acceptance.
CONCLUSIONS
HPV vaccination among ethnic minority adolescent girls was influenced by multi-level factors that highlighted a combined effort, including culturally sensitive health education programmes, sexuality-related communication skills training, collaboration with religious organizations, debunking conspiracy theories in HPV vaccine, and promoting school-based vaccination programs, to increase the coverage.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION
PROSPERO, CRD42022366805.
PubMed: 37661962
DOI: 10.1016/j.apjon.2023.100279 -
BMC Medical Education Jun 2022Characterised by feelings of helplessness in the face of clinical, organization and societal demands, medical students are especially prone to moral distress (MD)....
BACKGROUND
Characterised by feelings of helplessness in the face of clinical, organization and societal demands, medical students are especially prone to moral distress (MD). Despite risks of disillusionment and burnout, efforts to support them have been limited by a dearth of data and understanding of MD in medical students. Yet, new data on how healthcare professionals confront difficult care situations suggest that MD could be better understood through the lens of the Ring Theory of Personhood (RToP). A systematic scoping review (SSR) guided by the RToP is proposed to evaluate the present understanding of MD amongst medical students.
METHODS
The Systematic Evidence-Based Approach (SEBA) is adopted to map prevailing accounts of MD in medical students. To enhance the transparency and reproducibility, the SEBA methodology employs a structured search approach, concurrent and independent thematic analysis and directed content analysis (Split Approach), the Jigsaw Perspective that combines complementary themes and categories, and the Funnelling Process that compares the results of the Jigsaw Perspective with tabulated summaries to ensure the accountability of these findings. The domains created guide the discussion.
RESULTS
Two thousand six hundred seventy-one abstracts were identified from eight databases, 316 articles were reviewed, and 20 articles were included. The four domains identified include definitions, sources, recognition and, interventions for MD.
CONCLUSIONS
MD in medical students may be explained as conflicts between the values, duties, and principles contained within the different aspects of their identity. These conflicts which are characterised as disharmony (within) and dyssynchrony (between) the rings of RToP underline the need for personalised and longitudinal evaluations and support of medical students throughout their training. This longitudinal oversight and support should be supported by the host organization that must also ensure access to trained faculty, a nurturing and safe environment for medical students to facilitate speak-up culture, anonymous reporting, feedback opportunities and supplementing positive role modelling and mentoring within the training program.
Topics: Humans; Mentoring; Mentors; Personhood; Reproducibility of Results; Students, Medical
PubMed: 35710490
DOI: 10.1186/s12909-022-03515-3 -
International Journal of Environmental... Oct 2021The use of game-like elements is become increasingly popular in the context of fitness and health apps. While such "gamified" apps hold great potential in motivating...
The use of game-like elements is become increasingly popular in the context of fitness and health apps. While such "gamified" apps hold great potential in motivating people to improve their health, they also come with a "darker side". Recent work suggests that these gamified health apps raise a number of ethical challenges that, if left unaddressed, are not only morally problematic but also have adverse effects on user health and engagement with the apps. However, studies highlighting the ethical challenges of gamification have also met with criticism, indicating that they fall short of providing guidance to practitioners. In avoiding this mistake, this paper seeks to advance the goal of facilitating a practice-relevant guide for designers of gamified health apps to address ethical issues raised by use of such apps. More specifically, the paper seeks to achieve two major aims: (a) to propose a revised practice-relevant theoretical framework that outlines the responsibilities of the designers of gamified health apps, and (b) to provide a landscape of the various ethical issues related to gamified health apps based on a systematic literature review of the empirical literature investigating adverse effects of such apps.
Topics: Exercise; Humans; Mobile Applications; Motivation; Video Games
PubMed: 34769570
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182111052 -
Clinical Trials (London, England) Oct 2022Informed consent is one of the cornerstones of biomedical research with human subjects. Research ethics committees may allow for a modification or a waiver of consent... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Informed consent is one of the cornerstones of biomedical research with human subjects. Research ethics committees may allow for a modification or a waiver of consent when the research has social value, involves minimal risk, and if consent is impractical to obtain. While the conditions of social value and minimal risk have received ample attention in research ethics literature, the impractical condition remains unclear. There seem to be different interpretations of the meaning of impractical within academic literature. To address this lack of clarity, we performed a systematic review on the interpretation of impractical.
METHODS
First, we examined international research ethics guidelines on their usage and interpretation of impractical. Next, we used international ethical guidelines to identify synonyms of the term "impractical." Accordingly, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched for articles that included "informed consent" and "impractical" or one of its synonyms.
RESULTS
We found that there were only a few international ethics guidelines that described what could be considered impractical. Out of 2329 identified academic articles, 42 were included. Impractical was used to describe four different conditions: (1) obtaining informed consent becomes too demanding for researchers, (2) obtaining informed consent leads to invalid study outcomes, (3) obtaining informed consent harms the participant, and (4) obtaining informed consent is meaningless for the participant.
CONCLUSION
There are conditions that render conventional informed consent truly impractical, such as untraceable participants or harm for participants. At the same time, researchers have a moral responsibility to design an infrastructure in which consent can be obtained, even if they face hardship in obtaining consent. In addition, researchers should seek to minimize harm inflicted upon participants when harm may occur as a result of the consent procedure. Invalidity of research due to consent issues should not be regarded as impractical but as a condition that limits the social value of research. Further research is essential for when a waiver of informed consent based on impractical is also reasonable.
Topics: Biomedical Research; Ethics Committees, Research; Ethics, Research; Humans; Informed Consent; Research Personnel
PubMed: 35775421
DOI: 10.1177/17407745221103567 -
BMC Veterinary Research Sep 2021Worldwide, veterinary practitioners and students are reported to be at higher risk of suicide, burnout, and depression compared to other occupational groups. The aim of...
BACKGROUND
Worldwide, veterinary practitioners and students are reported to be at higher risk of suicide, burnout, and depression compared to other occupational groups. The aim of the current study was to apply text mining and topic modelling analysis on scientific literature regarding suicide, burnout, and depression among veterinary practitioners and students to extract meaningful and synthetic information. These statistical approaches can be used to comprehend more in deep the phenomena involving veterinarians and veterinary students and to suggest the potential changes needed in admission to veterinary school, veterinary curricula, and post-graduation initiatives as preventive actions.
RESULTS
A systematic search protocol was set up to identify scientific literature that published on the topic from 1985 to 2019. Two-hundred-eleven records were selected with abstracts/texts submitted to text mining and topic modelling analysis. Student, stress, work, anim*, and euthanasia resulted the most frequent terms. Topics modelling allowed to differentiate groups of words and papers in 3 areas of interest: 1) students' difficulties encountered during their studies that increase stress and anxiety impairing their psychological health; 2) exposure to death and euthanasia as risk factor for mental health; and 3) need of support among those providing medical and health care, and of supportive group work to cope with such profession.
CONCLUSION
Based on the most frequent words included in the clouds and on the contents of the papers clusterised in them, some suggestions are interfered. It is emphasized that the veterinary curricula should include courses that prepare them early to deal with animal death and post-death grief of pet owners, to handle ethical dilemmas and moral stressors, to communicate with clients and staff members, to work in team, to balance work-family life and to promote individual and team resources. Specific courses for veterinary practitioners could keep them updated on their new roles and ways to handle them among functioning as potential feedbacks to monitor their psychological wellbeing.
Topics: Anxiety; Burnout, Professional; Data Mining; Depression; Education, Veterinary; Euthanasia, Animal; Humans; Occupational Stress; Stress, Psychological; Students; Suicide; Veterinarians
PubMed: 34488757
DOI: 10.1186/s12917-021-03000-x -
The American Journal of Tropical... May 2024Snakebites still constitute a significant public health problem in developing countries and are considered a neglected tropical condition by the WHO. Snake accidents are... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Snakebites still constitute a significant public health problem in developing countries and are considered a neglected tropical condition by the WHO. Snake accidents are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality and may produce secondary complications, such as severe infections. The objective of this systematic review was to determine the prevalence of snakebite infections and characterize the bacteria isolated from these infections. A systematic literature review in five databases was carried out to assess the prevalence of snakebite infection. A meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model to calculate the pooled prevalence and 95% CIs. Cochran's Q test and the I2 statistic were used to assess between-study heterogeneity. The pooled prevalence of infection due to snakebite was 27.0% (95% CI: 22.0-32.0%), with high heterogeneity among studies (I2 = 99.7%). The prevalence was higher in Asia (32%) than in the Americas (21%). Snakebite infections required surgical interventions in 68% (95% CI: 37.0-98.0%). The leading group of pathogens identified corresponded to Gram-negative bacteria (63%), particularly Morganella morganii (32%), but also, Gram-positive cocci (40%), especially Enterococcus spp. (23%) and Staphylococcus aureus (15%). However, multiple other pathogens, including anaerobes, were found. A high prevalence of snakebite-associated infection has been described, primarily due to M. morganii, with the corresponding implications for empirical therapy. Rational use of antimicrobials is recommended, and this should guide initial empirical treatment. Moreover, isolation and identification of the possible bacteria present in snakebite wounds is recommended in all cases to confirm or rule out associated infection.
Topics: Snake Bites; Humans; Prevalence; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Asia
PubMed: 38507793
DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.23-0278