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International Journal of Medical... Nov 2020The negative impact of unnecessary diagnostic tests on healthcare systems and patients has been widely recognized. Medical researchers in various countries have been... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The negative impact of unnecessary diagnostic tests on healthcare systems and patients has been widely recognized. Medical researchers in various countries have been devoting effort to reduce unnecessary diagnostic tests by using different types of interventions, including information and communications technology-based (ICT-based) intervention, educational intervention, audit and feedback, the introduction of guidelines or protocols, and the reward and punishment of staff. We conducted a review of ICT based interventions and a comparative analysis of their relative effectiveness in reducing unnecessary tests.
METHOD
A systematic Boolean search in PubMed, EMBase and EBSCOhost research databases was performed. Keyword search and citation analysis were also conducted. Empirical studies reporting ICT based interventions, and their implications on relative effectiveness in reducing unnecessary diagnostic tests (pathology tests or medical imaging) were evaluated independently by two reviewers based on a rigorously developed coding protocol.
RESULTS
92 research articles from peer-reviewed journals were identified as eligible. 47 studies involved a single-method intervention and 45 involved multi-method interventions. Regardless of the number of interventions involved in the studies, ICT-based interventions were utilized by 71 studies and 59 of them were shown to be effective in reducing unnecessary testing. A clinical decision support (CDS) tool appeared to be the most adopted ICT approach, with 46 out of 71 studies using CDS tools. The CDS tool showed effectiveness in reducing test volume in 38 studies and reducing cost in 24 studies.
CONCLUSIONS
This review investigated five frequently utilized intervention methods, ICT-based, education, introduction of guidelines or protocols, audit and feedback, and reward and punishment. It provides in-depth analysis of the efficacy of different types of interventions and sheds insights about the benefits of ICT based interventions, especially those utilising CDS tools, to reduce unnecessary diagnostic testing. The replicability of the studies is limited due to the heterogeneity of the studies in terms of context, study design, and targeted types of tests.
Topics: Communication; Delivery of Health Care; Diagnostic Imaging; Health Personnel; Humans
PubMed: 32927268
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2020.104269 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2021Deterrence by punishment aims to prevent a crime; however, it is not always successful. Restrictive deterrence explains the continuous criminal activities that occur...
Deterrence by punishment aims to prevent a crime; however, it is not always successful. Restrictive deterrence explains the continuous criminal activities that occur despite deterrence; offenders enact various strategies to avoid detection, which is more typical among drug offenders given that they have a high frequency of offending and exposure to punishment. This systematic review provides an in-depth understanding of restrictive deterrence of drug offenders. Two prominent themes, "restrictive deterrence strategy" and "deterrability and restrictive deterrence," depict drug offenders' restrictive deterrence and effectively fit within the certainty-severity framework of punishment. Future studies should investigate restrictive deterrence strategies in the after-arrest context, the facilitative effect of perception of risk on strategy development, and facilitators or inhibitors affecting the diffusion of restrictive deterrence strategies.
PubMed: 34512482
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.727142 -
Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology... Oct 2015The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of stressful life events including (sexual) abuse in children with functional defecation disorders by performing a... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVES
The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of stressful life events including (sexual) abuse in children with functional defecation disorders by performing a systematic review.
METHODS
We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO for cohort, case-control and cross-sectional studies investigating the prevalence of stressful life events, including (sexual) abuse in children with functional defecation disorders.
RESULTS
The search yielded 946 articles, of which 8 were included with data from 654 children with functional constipation and 1931 children with (constipation-associated) fecal incontinence (FI). Overall, children with functional defecation disorders had been significantly more exposed to stressful life events than healthy children, with prevalence rates ranging from 1.6% to 90.9%. Being bullied, being a relational victim, interruption of toilet training, punishment by parents during toilet training, and hospitalization were significantly related to FI, whereas separation from the best friend, failure in an examination, severe illness in a close family member, loss of job by a parent, frequent punishment, and living in a war-affected area were significantly related to constipation. Only 1 study measured the prevalence of child abuse, which reported a significantly higher prevalence of child (sexual) abuse in children with FI compared with controls.
CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of stressful life events, including (sexual) abuse is significantly higher in children with functional defecation disorders compared with healthy children. To gain more insight into the true prevalence of child (sexual) abuse in children with functional defecation disorders, more studies are clearly needed.
Topics: Child; Child Abuse, Sexual; Constipation; Defecation; Fecal Incontinence; Humans; Intestinal Diseases; Intestines; Life Change Events; Prevalence; Stress, Physiological; Stress, Psychological
PubMed: 26192701
DOI: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000000882 -
BMC Women's Health May 2024Breast cancer is currently the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Ghana and the leading cause of cancer mortality among women. Few published empirical evidence exist on...
BACKGROUND
Breast cancer is currently the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Ghana and the leading cause of cancer mortality among women. Few published empirical evidence exist on cultural beliefs and perceptions about breast cancer diagnosis and treatment in Ghana. This systematic review sought to map evidence on the socio-cultural beliefs and perceptions influencing the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer among Ghanaian women.
METHODS
This review was conducted following the methodological guideline of Joanna Briggs Institute and reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses. The literature search was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL via EBSCOhost, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Embase. Studies that were conducted on cultural, religious, and spiritual beliefs were included. The included studies were screened by title, abstract, and full text by three reviewers. Data were charted and results were presented in a narrative synthesis form.
RESULTS
After the title, abstract, and full-text screening, 15 studies were included. Three categories were identified after the synthesis of the charted data. The categories included: cultural, religious and spiritual beliefs and misconceptions about breast cancer. The cultural beliefs included ancestral punishment and curses from the gods for wrongdoing leading to breast cancer. Spiritual beliefs about breast cancer were attributed to spiritual or supernatural forces. People had the religious belief that breast cancer is a test from God and they resorted to prayers for healing. Some women perceived that breast cancer is caused by spider bites, heredity, extreme stress, trauma, infections, diet, or lifestyle.
CONCLUSION
This study adduces evidence of the socio-cultural beliefs that impact on the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer among women in Ghana. Taking into consideration the diverse cultural and traditional beliefs about breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, there is a compelling need to intensify nationwide public education on breast cancer to clarify the myths and misconceptions about the disease. We recommend the need to incorporate socio-cultural factors influencing breast cancer diagnosis and treatment into breast cancer awareness programs, education, and interventions in Ghana.
Topics: Humans; Female; Ghana; Breast Neoplasms; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Culture; Spirituality
PubMed: 38745160
DOI: 10.1186/s12905-024-03106-y -
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric... Oct 2013This study aimed to review evidence on the prevalence of and risk factors for conduct problems in Brazil. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
PURPOSE
This study aimed to review evidence on the prevalence of and risk factors for conduct problems in Brazil.
METHODS
We searched electronic databases and contacted Brazilian researchers up to 05/2012. Studies were included in the review if they reported the prevalence of or risk factors for conduct problems, conduct disorder, or oppositional defiant disorder for 100 + Brazilian children aged ≤18 years, systematically sampled in schools or the community. Prevalence rates and sex differences were meta-analysed. Risk factor studies were reviewed one by one.
RESULTS
The average prevalence of conduct problems in screening questionnaires was 20.8%, and the average prevalence of conduct disorder/oppositional defiant disorder was 4.1%. There was systematic variation in the results of screening studies according to methodology: recruitment location, informants, instruments, impairment criterion for case definition, and response rates. Risk factors previously identified in high-income countries were mainly replicated in Brazil, including comorbid mental health problems, educational failure, low religiosity, harsh physical punishment and abuse, parental mental health problems, single parent family, and low socioeconomic status. However, boys did not always have higher risk for conduct problems than girls.
CONCLUSIONS
Studies using screening questionnaires suggest that Brazilian children have higher rates of conduct problems than children in other countries, but diagnostic studies do not show this difference. Risk factors in Brazil were similar to those in high-income countries, apart from child sex. Future research should investigate developmental patterns of antisocial behaviour, employ a variety of research designs to identify causal risk mechanisms, and examine a broader range of risk factors.
Topics: Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders; Brazil; Child; Child Behavior Disorders; Female; Humans; Male; Parents; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Sex Factors; Socioeconomic Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 23644723
DOI: 10.1007/s00127-013-0695-x -
Social Science & Medicine (1982) Jul 2019Child sexual abuse (CSA) represents a significant public health concern. Research shows an association between the CSA status of mothers and the abuse status of their...
A systematic review of the association between the childhood sexual abuse experiences of mothers and the abuse status of their children: Protection strategies, intergenerational transmission, and reactions to the abuse of their children.
Child sexual abuse (CSA) represents a significant public health concern. Research shows an association between the CSA status of mothers and the abuse status of their children, how they react to the abuse of their children, and behaviors they engage in to protect their children from abuse. However, a systematic review of this literature has yet to be conducted, and this review aimed to fill that gap. Seven databases and search engines were searched for relevant studies from inception until March 2017. Reference lists of included studies and titles of studies that cited included studies were also searched. Two authors independently completed study screening, data extraction, and quality determinations. Ninety-three studies were identified and narratively synthesized by significant, non-significant, and descriptive results. These results were further elaborated on in the context of the methods used. Though some heterogeneity existed, results showed that status as a mother with a CSA history (M) was associated with having children who experienced CSA. There was no evidence that M status was associated with a greater likelihood of believing their children when they disclosed abuse, although M status was associated with increased emotional distress. Results were mixed regarding whether M status was associated with perpetrating maltreatment broadly, perpetrating individual forms of maltreatment, such as emotional abuse or neglect, or having the potential to abuse. Most studies found no association between M status and use of corporal punishment. However, when mothers and others were combined, because the main perpetrator was not listed, it was found that belonging to this combined group was associated with increased risk of engaging in maltreatment behaviors. Finally, few studies on protective behaviors of M were located. Future research is needed with larger, more diverse samples using validated instruments. This information will be critical for future intervention development.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Adult Survivors of Child Abuse; Child; Child Abuse, Sexual; Child, Preschool; Female; Historical Trauma; Humans; Male; Mother-Child Relations; Mothers; Parenting
PubMed: 31195192
DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.05.004 -
Perspectives on Behavior Science Mar 2024Board certified behavior analysts are ethically required to first address destructive behavior using reinforcement-based and other less intrusive procedures before... (Review)
Review
Board certified behavior analysts are ethically required to first address destructive behavior using reinforcement-based and other less intrusive procedures before considering the use of restrictive or punishment-based procedures (ethics standard 2.15; Behavior Analyst Certification Board, 2020). However, the inclusion of punishment in reinforcement-based treatments may be warranted in some cases of severe forms of destructive behavior that poses risk of harm to the client or others. In these cases, behavior analysts are required to base the selection of treatment components on empirical assessment results (ethics standard 2.14; Behavior Analyst Certification Board, 2020). One such preintervention assessment is the stimulus avoidance assessment (SAA), which allows clinicians to identify a procedure that is likely to function as a punisher. Since the inception of this assessment approach, no studies have conducted a systematic literature review of published SAA cases. These data may be pertinent to examine the efficacy, generality, and best practices for the SAA. The current review sought to address this gap by synthesizing findings from peer-reviewed published literature including (1) the phenomenology and epidemiology of the population partaking in the SAA; (2) procedural variations of the SAA across studies (e.g., number of series, session length); (3) important quality indicators of the SAA (i.e., procedural integrity, social validity); and (4) how the SAA informed final treatment efficacy. We discuss findings in the context of the clinical use of the SAA and suggest several avenues for future research.
PubMed: 38660499
DOI: 10.1007/s40614-024-00398-1 -
Clinical Child and Family Psychology... Dec 2012Lack of compliance has both short- and long-term costs and is a leading reason why parents seek mental health services for children. What parents do to help children... (Review)
Review
Lack of compliance has both short- and long-term costs and is a leading reason why parents seek mental health services for children. What parents do to help children comply with directives or rules is an important part of child socialization. The current review examines the relationship between a variety of parenting discipline behaviors (i.e., praise, positive nonverbal response, reprimand, negative nonverbal response) and child compliance. Forty-one studies of children ranging in age from 1½ to 11 years were reviewed. Reprimand and negative nonverbal responses consistently resulted in greater compliance. Praise and positive nonverbal responses resulted in mixed child outcomes. The findings are discussed based on theory and populations studied. The authors propose a mechanism that may increase children's sensitivity to both positive and negative behavioral contingencies.
Topics: Child; Child Behavior; Child, Preschool; Communication; Humans; Infant; Parenting; Punishment; Reward; Socialization
PubMed: 22918669
DOI: 10.1007/s10567-012-0120-0 -
Psychology, Health & Medicine Mar 2017Many children across the world are exposed to school violence, which undermines their right to education and adversely affects their development. Studies of... (Review)
Review
Many children across the world are exposed to school violence, which undermines their right to education and adversely affects their development. Studies of interventions for school violence suggest that it can be prevented. However, this evidence base is challenging to navigate. We completed a systematic review of interventions to reduce four types of school violence: (a) peer violence; (b) corporal punishment; (c) student-on-teacher violence and (d) teacher-on-student violence. Reviewers independently searched databases and journals. Included studies were published between 2005 and 2015; in English; considered school-based interventions for children and measured violence as an outcome. Many systematic reviews were found, thus we completed a systematic review of systematic reviews. Only systematic reviews on interventions for intimate partner violence (IPV) and peer aggression were found. These reviews were generally of moderate quality. Research on both types of violence was largely completed in North America. Only a handful of programmes demonstrate promise in preventing IPV. Cognitive behavioral, social-emotional and peer mentoring/mediation programmes showed promise in reducing the levels of perpetration of peer aggression. Further research needs to determine the long-term effects of interventions, potential moderators and mediators of program effects, program effects across different contexts and key intervention components.
Topics: Adult; Child; Humans; Peer Group; Schools; Students; Violence
PubMed: 28132514
DOI: 10.1080/13548506.2017.1282616 -
Transplantation Reviews (Orlando, Fla.) Jan 2020In order to improve the demand-supply-mismatch in transplantation medicine, policy makers have to think about adapting existing legal frameworks for donor organ... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
In order to improve the demand-supply-mismatch in transplantation medicine, policy makers have to think about adapting existing legal frameworks for donor organ allocation. This study aims to systematically review preferences of physicians as well as patients in the field of transplantation medicine. PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO and PsycINFO were searched from January 2000 to December 2018 without language restrictions. Fourteen publications were identified, six aiming at physicians, seven focusing on patients and one on both groups. The criteria used in these studies to elicit preferences can be grouped into six different main categories, all deriving from the general principle of equality: "Effectiveness/Benefit", "Medical urgency", "Own fault", "Social value", "Medical background" and "Socio-demographic status". Whilst patients on the one hand show a high demand for equal access, outcome maximization and punishment for damaging behaviors, they would still allocate organs to people with very low survival chances. Physicians decide against equal access to transplantation in cases where clinical evidence is weighed more heavily, e.g. in the cases of ethnicity and sex. Also, they seem more informed regarding the involvement of medical factors and give less importance to those with uncertain effects on transplantation outcome, such as tissue or blood group match. It is important to continuously monitor preferences of all involved stakeholders in order to achieve fair and accessible transplantation systems.
Topics: Humans; Organ Transplantation; Patient Preference; Physicians; Practice Patterns, Physicians'; Resource Allocation; Tissue and Organ Procurement; Waiting Lists
PubMed: 31718886
DOI: 10.1016/j.trre.2019.100515