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Disability and Health Journal Oct 2017The first few years of life are critical for the healthy growth and development of every child. Enrolling children with disabilities or at risk of developmental delay... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The first few years of life are critical for the healthy growth and development of every child. Enrolling children with disabilities or at risk of developmental delay into early intervention services is essential to successfully meet their physical, cognitive, communication, socio-emotional and adaptive needs. However, many children throughout in the United States who are eligible for public services, including early intervention services, are not accessing them. Research has yet to fully describe low enrollment rates and variability in enrollment into early intervention services.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this review was to systematically examine current literature on enrollment of children less than three years of age into early intervention (Part C) services through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
METHODS
A systematic review of relevant articles in MEDLINE, ERIC, and Google Scholar databases were conducted in March 2015. Two authors independently reviewed abstracts according to established inclusion criteria. Eligible articles were then read, confirmed, and themes were extracted.
RESULTS
Ten articles met established inclusion criteria and were reviewed. The five themes that emerged included policies for children at risk of a developmental delay, funding allocated to programs, eligibility definitions, referral into Part C programs, and structure of the state administrative system.
CONCLUSIONS
Future research should identify best practices for policy that would benefit children gaining access to services early on. It is critical that we thoughtfully address policy decisions affecting enrollment of children into early intervention programs during the next reauthorization of IDEA.
Topics: Child; Developmental Disabilities; Disabled Children; Early Intervention, Educational; Eligibility Determination; Humans; Policy; Referral and Consultation
PubMed: 28187953
DOI: 10.1016/j.dhjo.2017.01.009 -
The Veterinary Record Jul 2016Bovine tuberculosis (TB) is a disease of zoonotic importance for which control and eradication programmes have been carried out in many countries for decades. While the... (Review)
Review
Bovine tuberculosis (TB) is a disease of zoonotic importance for which control and eradication programmes have been carried out in many countries for decades. While the impact of these programmes on public health is still uncertain, the impact on trade is significant because of movement restrictions for animals, costs of testing and culling. The objective of this systematic review was to provide a contribution to the general debate over costs against benefits for the control and eradication of bovine TB in cattle. The search strategy was performed on four electronic databases following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. The selection process, data abstraction and quality appraisal were carried out according to the Cochrane Collaboration guidelines. The search identified 66 articles out of which eight fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The evidence gathered in this review by combining the conclusions of the most methodologically sound articles supports the idea that, when multiple cost and benefit components are taken into account, efforts to control or eradicate bovine TB may be effective in reducing disease prevalence, economically viable and worth doing.
Topics: Animals; Cattle; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Disease Eradication; Tuberculosis, Bovine
PubMed: 27422918
DOI: 10.1136/vr.103616 -
Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and... Mar 2016Suicide prevention is a health service priority. Some surveys have assessed suicidal behaviors and potential risk factors. (Review)
Review
CONTEXT
Suicide prevention is a health service priority. Some surveys have assessed suicidal behaviors and potential risk factors.
OBJECTIVES
The current paper aimed to gather information about etiology of suicide attempts in Iran.
DATA SOURCES
Pubmed, ISI web of science, PsychInfo, IranPsych, IranMedex, IranDoc as well as gray literature were searched.
STUDY SELECTION
By electronic and gray literature search, 128 articles were enrolled in this paper. Pubmed, ISI web of science, PsychInfo, IranPsych, IranMedex, IranDoc were searched for electronic search. After reading the abstracts, 84 studies were excluded and full texts of 44 articles were reviewed critically.
DATA EXTRACTION
Pubmed, ISI web of science, PsychInfo, IranPsych, IranMedex, IranDoc as well as gray literature were searched to find any study about etiologic factors of suicide attempt in Iran.
RESULTS
Depressive disorder was the most common diagnosis in suicide attempters that is 45% of the evaluated cases had depression. One study that had used Minnesota multiphasic personality inventory (MMPI) found that Histrionics in females and Schizophrenia and Paranoia in males were significantly influential. Family conflicts with 50.7% and conflict with parents with 44% were two effective psychosocial factors in suicidal attempts. In around one fourth (28.7%) of the cases, conflict with spouse was the main etiologic factor.
CONCLUSIONS
According to the methodological limitations, outcomes should be generalized cautiously. Further studies will help to plan preventive strategies for suicidal attempts; therefore, continued researches should be conducted to fill the data gaps.
PubMed: 27284284
DOI: 10.17795/ijpbs-948 -
Cancer Treatment Reviews Apr 2016Combined-modality treatment of head and neck cancer is becoming more common, driven by the idea that organ(s) preservation should maintain patient appearance and the... (Review)
Review
The effects of swallowing disorders, dysgeusia, oral mucositis and xerostomia on nutritional status, oral intake and weight loss in head and neck cancer patients: A systematic review.
BACKGROUND
Combined-modality treatment of head and neck cancer is becoming more common, driven by the idea that organ(s) preservation should maintain patient appearance and the function of organ(s) involved. Even if treatments have improved, they can still be associated with acute and late adverse effects. The aim of this systematic review was to retrieve current data on how swallowing disorders, dysgeusia, oral mucositis, and xerostomia affect nutritional status, oral intake and weight loss in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients.
METHODS
A systematic literature search covered four relevant electronic databases from January 2005 to May 2015. Retrieved papers were categorised and evaluated considering their methodological quality. Two independent reviewers reviewed manuscripts and abstracted data using a standardised form. Quality assessment of the included studies was performed using the Edwards Method Score.
RESULTS
Of the 1459 abstracts reviewed, a total of 25 studies were included. The most studied symptom was dysphagia, even if symptoms were interconnected and affected one other. In most of the selected studies the level of evidence was between 2 and 3, and their quality level was from medium to low.
CONCLUSIONS
There are limited data about dysgeusia, oral mucositis and xerostomia outcomes available for HNC patients. There is a lack of well-designed clinical trials and multicenter-prospective cohort studies, therefore further research is needed to ascertain which aspects of these symptoms should be measured.
Topics: Combined Modality Therapy; Deglutition Disorders; Dysgeusia; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Humans; Nutritional Status; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Quality of Life; Stomatitis; Weight Loss; Xerostomia
PubMed: 27010487
DOI: 10.1016/j.ctrv.2016.03.006 -
BMC Pediatrics Dec 2015Although some research has examined the use of games for the education of pediatric patients, the use of technology for parental education seems like an appropriate... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Although some research has examined the use of games for the education of pediatric patients, the use of technology for parental education seems like an appropriate application as it has been a part of the popular culture for at least 30 years. The main objective of this systematic review is to examine the literature for research evaluating the use of interactive media in the education of parents of children with chronic conditions.
METHODS
We searched the MEDLINE, PSYCHINFO, CINAHL, Cochrane database of systematic reviews and EMBASE databases from 1986 to 2014 seeking original investigations on the use of interactive media and video games to educate parents of children with chronic conditions. Cohort studies, randomized control trials, and observational studies were included in our search of the literature. Two investigators reviewed abstracts and full texts as necessary. The quality of the studies was assessed using the GRADE guidelines. Overall trend in the results and the degree of certainty in the results were considered when assessing the body of literature pertaining to our focused questions.
RESULTS
Our initial search identified 4367 papers, but only 12 fulfilled the criterion established for final analysis, with the majority of the studies having flaws that reduced their quality. These papers reported mostly positive results supporting the idea that parent education is possible through interactive media.
CONCLUSION
We found limited evidence of the effectiveness of using serious games and or interactive media to educate parents of children with chronic conditions.
Topics: Child; Chronic Disease; Disease Management; Health Education; Humans; Mass Media; Parents
PubMed: 26634913
DOI: 10.1186/s12887-015-0517-2 -
Journal of the Canadian Academy of... 2015Youth suicide is highly related to mental disorders. While communities and schools are marketed to with a plethora of suicide prevention programs, they often lack the...
INTRODUCTION
Youth suicide is highly related to mental disorders. While communities and schools are marketed to with a plethora of suicide prevention programs, they often lack the capacity to choose evidence-based programs.
METHODS
We conducted a systematic review of two youth suicide prevention programs to help determine if the quality of evidence available justifies their wide spread dissemination. We searched Medline, PsycINFO, EMBASE, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, Campbell Collaboration SPECTR database, SocIndex, Sociological Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts, ERIC, Social Work Abstracts, Research Library, and Web of Science, for relevant studies. We included studies/systematic reviews/meta-analysis that evaluated the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and/or safety of Signs of Suicide (SOS) and Yellow Ribbon (YR) suicide prevention programs that target adolescents. We applied the Office of Justice Program What Works Repository (OJP-R) to evaluate the quality of the included studies as effective, effective with reservation, promising, inconclusive evidence, insufficient evidence, and ineffective. Two SOS studies were ranked as "inconclusive evidence" based on the OJP-R. One SOS study was ranked as having "insufficient evidence" on OJP-R. The YR study was ranked as "ineffective" using OJP-R. We only included studies in peer-reviewed journals in English and therefore may have missed reports in grey literature or non-English publications.
RESULTS
We cannot recommend that schools and communities implement either the SOS or YR suicide prevention programs. Purchasers of these programs should be aware that there is no evidence that their use prevents suicide.
CONCLUSIONS
Academics and organizations should not overstate the positive impacts of suicide prevention interventions when the evidence is lacking.
PubMed: 26336375
DOI: No ID Found -
The British Journal of Surgery Jan 2015The IDEAL framework (Idea, Development, Exploration, Assessment, Long-term study) proposes a staged assessment of surgical innovation, but whether it can be used in... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The IDEAL framework (Idea, Development, Exploration, Assessment, Long-term study) proposes a staged assessment of surgical innovation, but whether it can be used in practice is uncertain. This study aimed to review the reporting of a surgical innovation according to the IDEAL framework.
METHODS
Systematic literature searches identified articles reporting laparoendoscopic excision for benign colonic polyps. Using the IDEAL stage recommendations, data were collected on: patient selection, surgeon and unit expertise, description of the intervention and modifications, outcome reporting, and research governance. Studies were categorized by IDEAL stages: 0/1, simple technical preclinical/clinical reports; 2a, technique modifications with rationale and safety data; 2b, expanded patient selection and reporting of both innovation and standard care outcomes; 3, formal randomized controlled trials; and 4, long-term audit and registry studies. Each stage has specific requirements for reporting of surgeon expertise, governance details and outcome reporting.
RESULTS
Of 615 abstracts screened, 16 papers reporting outcomes of 550 patients were included. Only two studies could be put into IDEAL categories. One animal study was classified as stage 0 and one clinical study as stage 2a through prospective ethical approval, protocol registration and data collection. Studies could not be classified according to IDEAL for insufficient reporting details of patient selection, relevant surgeon expertise, and how and why the technique was modified or adapted.
CONCLUSION
The reporting of innovation in the context of laparoendoscopic colonic polyp excision would benefit from standardized methods.
Topics: Clinical Competence; Colonic Polyps; Colonoscopy; Humans; Inventions; Laparoscopy; Patient Care Team; Patient Selection; Research Design; Therapies, Investigational; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 25627122
DOI: 10.1002/bjs.9675 -
Pediatric Exercise Science Aug 2014The first objective was to review and analyze self-reported measures used for assessing mode and frequency of commuting to and from school in youngsters (4-18.5 years... (Review)
Review
The first objective was to review and analyze self-reported measures used for assessing mode and frequency of commuting to and from school in youngsters (4-18.5 years old). The secondary objective was to conduct a qualitative appraisal of the identified studies. We searched five online databases: PubMed, SportDiscus, ProQuest, National Transportation Library, and Web of Knowledge. Four categories of search terms were identified: self-report, active transportation, school-aged children and school. Titles and abstracts were reviewed to determine whether the studies met the inclusion criteria. The quality of the reporting of the measures was assessed using a tailored list. The electronic search strategy produced 5,898 studies. After applying the inclusion criteria, we identified 158 studies. Sixty-three studies (39.8%) specified the question about modes of commuting to school. One hundred seven studies (67.7%) directly questioned the study subjects (i.e., children and/or adolescents). Twenty studies (12.7%) posed a valid and reliable question. The quality assessment of the self-report measures was medium. The self-report measures used in the literature for assessing commuting to school tend to be heterogeneous and make difficult interstudies comparisons. Therefore we put forward the idea of a standard question designed to elicit reliable, comparable information on commuting to school.
Topics: Adolescent; Bicycling; Child; Child Welfare; Child, Preschool; Humans; Schools; Self Report; Transportation; Walking
PubMed: 24722834
DOI: 10.1123/pes.2013-0120