-
Supportive Care in Cancer : Official... May 2024To identify and synthesise interactive digital tools used to support the empowerment of people with cancer and the outcomes of these tools. (Review)
Review
PURPOSE
To identify and synthesise interactive digital tools used to support the empowerment of people with cancer and the outcomes of these tools.
METHODS
A systematic literature review was conducted using PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, Cochrane, Eric, Scopus, and PsycINFO databases in May 2023. Inclusion criteria were patient empowerment as an outcome supported by interactive digital tools expressed in study goal, methods or results, peer-reviewed studies published since 2010 in cancer care. Narrative synthesis was applied, and the quality of the studies was assessed following Joanna Briggs Institute checklists.
RESULTS
Out of 1571 records screened, 39 studies published in 2011-2022 with RCT (17), single-arm trial (15), quasi-experimental (1), and qualitative designs (6) were included. A total of 30 interactive digital tools were identified to support empowerment (4) and related aspects, such as self-management (2), coping (4), patient activation (9), and self-efficacy (19). Significant positive effects were found on empowerment (1), self-management (1), coping (1), patient activation (2), and self-efficacy (10). Patient experiences were positive. Interactivity occurred with the tool itself (22), peers (7), or nurses (7), physicians (2), psychologists, (2) or social workers (1).
CONCLUSION
Interactive digital tools have been developed extensively in recent years, varying in terms of content and methodology, favouring feasibility and pilot designs. In all of the tools, people with cancer are either active or recipients of information. The research evidence indicates positive outcomes for patient empowerment through interactive digital tools. Thus, even though promising, there still is need for further testing of the tools.
Topics: Humans; Neoplasms; Empowerment; Self Efficacy; Adaptation, Psychological; Patient Participation; Self-Management
PubMed: 38816629
DOI: 10.1007/s00520-024-08545-9 -
Factors affecting sexual health in individuals with spinal cord injury: A systematic scoping review.Chinese Journal of Traumatology =... May 2024This study aims to review the literature to explore some factors affecting sexual and partnership adjustment in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). (Review)
Review
PURPOSE
This study aims to review the literature to explore some factors affecting sexual and partnership adjustment in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI).
METHODS
This study was based on the methodological framework of scoping reviews, including 3 methodological steps: (1) identifying relevant studies (searching for related studies); (2) selecting related studies; (3) collecting key findings, summarizing, and reporting the results. The electronic databases were searched including Medline (PubMed), Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library. Studies were included if they reported data about the related factors of sexual and partnership adjustment in individuals with SCI. No limitations were considered in terms of time or methodology of the search.
RESULTS
After the full-text screening, 52 studies were included from the year of 1978 - 2019 with various methodologies. The present review demonstrated that proper sexual health among individuals with SCI is related to several factors including the anatomical factor, level of the injury, completeness of the injury, psycho-social factor, socio-economic status, and type of relationship.
CONCLUSION
With consideration of factors affecting sexual and partnership adjustment in individuals with SCI, a better estimation of sexual health can be achieved in clinical to improve the relationship and quality of life.
PubMed: 38816330
DOI: 10.1016/j.cjtee.2024.05.002 -
Journal of Anxiety Disorders Jun 2024Given the growth in research examining the effects of psychotherapy on social anxiety disorder (SAD), an up-to-date comprehensive meta-analysis in this field is needed. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Given the growth in research examining the effects of psychotherapy on social anxiety disorder (SAD), an up-to-date comprehensive meta-analysis in this field is needed.
METHODS
We selected studies from a database of randomized trials (RCTs) on psychotherapies for anxiety disorders (last updated search of PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, and Cochrane (CENTRAL): 1 January 2024) We included RCTs comparing psychotherapy to a control condition for adults with SAD and conducted random effects meta-analyses to examine the efficacy of psychotherapy compared to control conditions at post-treatment.
RESULTS
Sixty-six RCTs were included with 5560 participants and 98 comparisons between psychotherapy and control groups. Psychotherapy was effective in reducing SAD symptoms, with a large effect size (g = 0.88; 95 % CI: 0.76 to 1.0; I = 74 %; 95 % CI: 69 to 79, NNT = 3.8). Effects remained robust across sensitivity analyses. However, there was evidence for significant risk of bias in the included trials. The multivariable meta-regression indicated significant differences in treatment delivery formats, type of recruitment strategy, target group, and number of sessions.
CONCLUSION
Psychotherapy is an effective treatment for SAD, with moderate to large effect sizes across all treatment types and formats. Future research is needed to determine the long-term effects.
Topics: Humans; Phobia, Social; Psychotherapy; Treatment Outcome; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
PubMed: 38815481
DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2024.102881 -
Trauma, Violence & Abuse May 2024Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a major social and public health issue that creates short- and long-lasting impacts on victims, families, and society. While global... (Review)
Review
Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a major social and public health issue that creates short- and long-lasting impacts on victims, families, and society. While global researchers have considered the topic of CSA since the 19th century, the Nigerian context has been largely ignored. Yet, without sufficient evidence and understanding, making changes to practices and policies becomes almost impossible. The review aimed to gain insights into the nature and extent of CSA and identify areas for improvement in practice and research in Nigeria. This article presents the findings of a systematic review of 31 empirical articles related to CSA in Nigeria. Using key search terms along Boolean operators and truncation, PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ASSIA, PILOTS, African Journals Online, and Google Scholar were searched. A total of 1,325 studies were found, and 31 empirical studies, including 20 quantitative, 9 qualitative, and 2 mixed methods studies, were included. The review findings reveal the discourse on CSA and delve into various aspects such as its prevalence, manifestation patterns, root causes, management, and consequential impact on victims and societal domains. The gaps in the existing literature are identified and explored to identify areas for improvement in victim services, societal awareness, and healthcare practices and relevant policies. The sociocultural norms not only heightened children's vulnerability to sexual abuse but also posed significant barriers to them disclosing such abuse. Survivors of CSA often receive inadequate care, indicating a pressing need for improvements in this area. Implications for research, policy, and conclusion were discussed.
PubMed: 38812418
DOI: 10.1177/15248380241254077 -
Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences 2024There has been an increasing interest in the concept of hope within the field of brain injury rehabilitation. Existing reviews have nevertheless focused on stroke,... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
There has been an increasing interest in the concept of hope within the field of brain injury rehabilitation. Existing reviews have nevertheless focused on stroke, leaving out the broad population of people with acquired brain injury (ABI). Furthermore a majority of the included studies in those reviews excluded the subgroup of people with communication difficulties, thus primarily giving voice to a select group of people with ABI.
METHODS
A qualitative systematic review was conducted with the purpose of systematically reviewing and thematically synthesise findings about hope as experienced by adults with ABI in a rehabilitation or recovery process. The search strategy included peer-reviewed qualitative studies published after 2000 in English or Scandinavian languages. Searches of EBSCO databases incorporating CINAHL, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO were conducted together with SocINDEX, Social Work Abstracts, Eric and Web of Science. Ten qualitative studies were included, and the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) was used for assessing the quality and relevance of the ten studies. Qualitative findings were synthesized using Thomas and Harden's methodology.
RESULTS
Through a thematic synthesis eleven subthemes were identified relating to experiences of hope. These were grouped into four analytical themes: (1) hope a two folded phenomenon; (2) time and temporality; (3) progress, goals and visibility and (4) the alliance; a balancing act requiring good communication skills.
CONCLUSION
This review has shown that even though hope has both a positive and negative side to it, it is necessary as a driving force for people with ABI in terms of supporting them to keep going and not give up. Rehabilitation professionals are advised to embrace the ambiguity of hope, customizing the support of hope to each person with ABI. Attention is needed on how to make progress visible for persons with ABI during their rehabilitation process just as rehabilitation professionals should acknowledge the alliance with the person with ABI as a core component of rehabilitation. This requires a focus on professionals' communication skills if hope promoting relationships between professionals and persons with ABI are to be achieved.
PubMed: 38807900
DOI: 10.3389/fresc.2024.1376895 -
Discover Mental Health May 2024Frequent presenters (FPs) are a group of individuals who visit the hospital emergency department (ED) frequently for urgent care. Many among the group present with the... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Frequent presenters (FPs) are a group of individuals who visit the hospital emergency department (ED) frequently for urgent care. Many among the group present with the main diagnosis of mental health conditions. This group of individual tend to use ED resources disproportionally and significantly affects overall healthcare outcomes. No previous reviews have examined the profiles of FPs with mental health conditions.
AIMS
This study aims to identify the key socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of patients who frequently present to ED with a mental health primary diagnosis by performing a comprehensive systematic review of the existing literature.
METHOD
PRISMA guideline was used. PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus and Web of Science (WOS) were searched in May 2023. A manual search on the reference list of included articles was conducted at the same time. Covidence was used to perform extraction and screening, which were completed independently by two authors. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined.
RESULTS
The abstracts of 3341 non-duplicate articles were screened, with 40 full texts assessed for eligibility. 20 studies were included from 2004 to 2022 conducted in 6 countries with a total patient number of 25,688 (52% male, 48% female, mean age 40.7 years old). 27% were unemployed, 20% married, 41% homeless, and 17% had tertiary or above education. 44% had a history of substance abuse or alcohol dependence. The top 3 diagnoses are found to be anxiety disorders (44%), depressive disorders (39%) schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders (33%).
CONCLUSION
On average, FPs are middle-aged and equally prevalent in both genders. Current data lacks representation for gender-diverse groups. They are significantly associated with high rates of unemployment, homelessness, lower than average education level, and being single. Anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, and schizophrenia spectrum disorders are the most common clinical diagnoses associated with the group.
PubMed: 38802580
DOI: 10.1007/s44192-024-00070-9 -
International Journal of Environmental... Apr 2024: Participation in targeted screening reduces lung cancer mortality by 30-60%, but screening is not universally available. Therefore, the study aimed to synthesize the... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
: Participation in targeted screening reduces lung cancer mortality by 30-60%, but screening is not universally available. Therefore, the study aimed to synthesize the evidence and identify facilitators and barriers to lung cancer screening participation globally. : Two reviewers screened primary studies using qualitative methods published up to February 2023. We used two-phase synthesis consistent with a meta-study methodology to create an interpretation of lung cancer screening decisions grounded in primary studies, carried out a thematic analysis of group themes as specific facilitators and barriers, systematically compared investigations for similarities and differences, and performed meta-synthesis to generate an expanded theory of lung cancer screening participation. We used the Social Ecological Model to organize and interpret the themes: individual, interpersonal, social/cultural, and organizational/structural levels. : Fifty-two articles met the final inclusion criteria. Themes identified as facilitating lung cancer screening included prioritizing patient education, quality of communication, and quality of provider-initiated encounter/coordination of care (individual patient and provider level), quality of the patient-provider relationship (interpersonal group), perception of a life's value and purpose (cultural status), quality of tools designed, and care coordination (and organizational level). Themes coded as barriers included low awareness, fear of cancer diagnosis, low perceived benefit, high perceived risk of low-dose computerized tomography, concern about cancer itself, practical obstacle, futility, stigma, lack of family support, COVID-19 fear, disruptions in cancer care due to COVID-19, inadequate knowledge of care providers, shared decision, and inadequate time (individual level), patient misunderstanding, poor rapport, provider recommendation, lack of established relationship, and confusing decision aid tools (interpersonal group), distrust in the service, fatalistic beliefs, and perception of aging (cultural level), and lack of institutional policy, lack of care coordinators, inadequate infrastructure, absence of insurance coverage, and costs (and organizational status). : This study identified critical barriers, facilitators, and implications to lung cancer screening participation. Therefore, we employed strategies for a new digital medicine (artificial intelligence) screening method to balance the cost-benefit, "workdays" lost in case of disease, and family hardship, which is essential to improve lung cancer screening uptake.
Topics: Humans; Lung Neoplasms; COVID-19; Early Detection of Cancer; Qualitative Research; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 38791759
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21050534 -
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024(1) Background: Social isolation, which has numerous adverse effects on health status, is prevalent among cancer patients. This review proposes to identify the... (Review)
Review
(1) Background: Social isolation, which has numerous adverse effects on health status, is prevalent among cancer patients. This review proposes to identify the influencing factors of social isolation among cancer patients. (2) Methods: Articles published in English or Chinese from six electronic databases before December 2023 were identified via a systematic search. A manual search was also performed. (3) Results: Twenty-eight studies were identified in this systematic review. The factors associated with social isolation can be summarized into the following categories: demographic characteristics, having cancer, health status, coping, social support and social interaction. Despite the heterogeneity, 20 factors were significantly associated with social isolation, including age, gender, comorbidity burden, education level, residence, medical insurance, occupation status, personality, race, smoking status, having children, not living alone, household income level, marital status, the role of primary caregiver, physical health status, mental health status, social health status, coping styles, and the level of social support and social interaction. (4) Conclusions: The systematic review showed that cancer patients' social isolation was influenced by their demographic characteristics, cancer-related factors, physical condition, psychological status, social health status, coping styles, and level of social support and social interaction. In addition, future group intervention could be considered to improve social isolation.
PubMed: 38786452
DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12101042 -
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024Non-specific low back pain (NSLBP) in children and adolescents has increased in recent years, and the evidence of the physiotherapy interventions in back care needs to... (Review)
Review
Non-specific low back pain (NSLBP) in children and adolescents has increased in recent years, and the evidence of the physiotherapy interventions in back care needs to be updated. Our main goal was to quantify the effects of preventive physiotherapy interventions on improving behavior and knowledge related to back care and prevention of NSLBP in children and adolescents. Based on two previous meta-analyses, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, PEDro, Web of Science, LILACS, IBECS, PsycINFO, and IME databases and several journals were searched. Two researchers independently extracted data and assessed the risk of bias in the studies using the RoB2 tool. Data were described according to PRISMA guidelines. A total of 24 studies (28 reports) were included. In the posttest, the behavior variable obtained an overall effect size of d = 1.48 (95%CI: 0.40 to 2.56), and the knowledge variable obtained an effect size of d = 1.41 (95%CI: 1.05 to 1.76). Physiotherapy has demonstrated beneficial impacts on behavior and knowledge concerning back care and to prevent NSLBP in children and adolescents. Interventions focusing on postural hygiene and exercise should be preferred, especially those that are shorter in number of weeks, more intense, and incorporate as many intervention hours as possible.
PubMed: 38786446
DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12101036 -
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024As a result of demographic change, chronic and oncological diseases are gaining importance in the context of public health. Palliative care plays a crucial role in... (Review)
Review
As a result of demographic change, chronic and oncological diseases are gaining importance in the context of public health. Palliative care plays a crucial role in maintaining the quality of life of those affected. International guidelines demand access to palliative care not only for the elderly but also for younger people who face severe illnesses. It can be assumed that palliative care will become increasingly important for them. In order to develop public health strategies which are able to promote palliative care, it is important to assess the knowledge of, and attitude towards, palliative care as found among members of the general public and its specific target groups. In particular, little is known about young adults' knowledge and perceptions of palliative care. This work aimed to assess the understanding and viewpoints regarding palliative care among the general population and among young adults aged 18 to 24. We therefore conducted a systematic review, which, for this target population, could be seen as a novel approach. Exclusion and inclusion criteria were developed using the PICOS process. Literature was researched within MEDLINE (via PubMed), Google Scholar and Web of Science. A search string was developed and refined for all three databases. Grey literature was included. Duplicates were excluded using Mendeley. The literature was independently screened by two researchers. Narrative synthesis was used to answer the main research question. For the general public, palliative care is still associated with death and dying and comforting sick people towards the end of their lives. Multiple social determinants are linked to better knowledge of palliative care: higher education, higher income, female gender, having relatives that received palliative care, and permanent employment. The population's knowledge of palliative care structures increases, the longer such structures have been established within a country. Young adults are familiar with the term palliative care, yet their understanding lacks nuance. They associate palliative care with death and dying and perceive palliative care to be a medical discipline primarily for the elderly. Nevertheless, young adults demand participation within the planning of interventions to destigmatize palliative care. The general public still lacks a detailed understanding of palliative care. Palliative care faces stigma at multiple levels, which creates barriers for those who set out to implement it. However, addressing young adults as a crucial peer group can help break down barriers and promote access to palliative care.
PubMed: 38786369
DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12100957