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حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ مُسْلِمٍ، عَنْ مَسْرُوقٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، قَالَ وَاللَّهِ لَمَنْ شَاءَ لاَعَنَّاهُ لأُنْزِلَتْ سُورَةُ النِّسَاءِ الْقُصْرَى بَعْدَ أَرْبَعَةِ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرًا ‏.‏

It was narrated that' Abdullah bin Mas'ud said:"By Allah, for those who would like to go through the process of praying for Allah's curse to be upon the one who is wrong, the shorter Surah concerning women[l] was revealed after (the Verses[2] which speak of the waiting period of) four months and ten (days)." [1] (65:40), [2] (2:)

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Sumatriptan-naproxen for acute treatment of migraine: a randomized trial.

Context: Multiple pathogenic mechanisms may be involved in generating the migraine symptom complex, and multimechanism-targeted therapy may confer advantages over monotherapy. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a fixed-dose tablet containing sumatriptan succinate and naproxen sodium relative to efficacy and safety of each monotherapy and placebo for the acute treatment of migraine. Design, setting, and participants: Two replicate, randomized, double-blind, single-attack, parallel-group studies conducted among 1461 (study 1) and 1495 (study 2) patients at 118 US clinical centers who were diagnosed as having migraine and received study treatment for a moderate or severe migraine attack. Interventions: Patients were randomized in a 1:1:1:1 ratio to receive a single tablet containing sumatriptan, 85 mg, and naproxen sodium, 500 mg; sumatriptan, 85 mg (monotherapy); naproxen sodium, 500 mg (monotherapy); or placebo, to be used after onset of a migraine with moderate to severe pain. Main outcome measures: Primary outcome measures included the percentages of patients with headache relief 2 hours after dosing, absence of photophobia, absence of phonophobia, and absence of nausea for the comparison between sumatriptan-naproxen sodium and placebo, and the percentages of patients with sustained pain-free response for the comparison between sumatriptan-naproxen sodium and each monotherapy. Results: Sumatriptan-naproxen sodium was more effective than placebo for headache relief at 2 hours after dosing (study 1, 65% vs 28%; P<.001 and study 2, 57% vs 29%; P<.001), absence of photophobia at 2 hours (58% vs 26%; P<.001 and 50% vs 32%; P<.001), and absence of phonophobia at 2 hours (61% vs 38%; P<.001 and 56% vs 34%; P<.001). The absence of nausea 2 hours after dosing was higher with sumatriptan-naproxen sodium than placebo in study 1 (71% vs 65%; P = .007), but in study 2 rates of absence of nausea did not differ between sumatriptan-naproxen sodium and placebo (65% vs 64%; P = .71). For 2- to 24-hour sustained pain-free response, sumatriptan-naproxen sodium was superior at P<.01 (25% and 23% in studies 1 and 2, respectively) to sumatriptan monotherapy (16% and 14% in studies 1 and 2), naproxen sodium monotherapy (10% and 10% in studies 1 and 2), and placebo (8% and 7% in studies 1 and 2). The incidence of adverse events was similar between sumatriptan-naproxen sodium and sumatriptan monotherapy. Conclusion: Sumatriptan, 85 mg, plus naproxen sodium, 500 mg, as a single tablet for acute treatment of migraine resulted in more favorable clinical benefits compared with either monotherapy, with an acceptable and well-tolerated adverse effect profile. Trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifiers: NCT00434083 (study 1); NCT00433732 (study 2).

JAMA · randomised controlled trial · 181 citationsread the source →

Types of Voluntary Work and Influence of Participation for Older Volunteers: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies.

This systematic review synthesized findings on socio-demographic characteristics of older adults who engaged in formal volunteering, types of voluntary work for engagement, and the outcomes resulting from different types of voluntary work participation. Studies published in peer-reviewed journals were identified from six electronic databases. Studies were included if they: (1) involved a study sample of adults aged 65 and older or had a mean age of 65 , (2) reported any type of formal voluntary work at any setting, and (3) reported at least one influence of voluntary work on volunteers. Older adults who were female, married, retired, and have a higher education, fair health, and more volunteering experience participated in voluntary work. The majority of older volunteers preferred to volunteer in a community setting, and they most commonly participated in healthcare or social care related voluntary work. The older volunteers perceived positive influences mostly related to health-relatedoutcomes or helping knowledge and skills.

Journal of gerontological social work · systematic review · 6 citationsread the source →

Trauma web-based psychoeducational programme: systematic cultural adaptation and protocol for a feasibility-acceptability study.

Background: Trauma exposure in Indonesia is high despite the fact that there is limited accessibility to mental healthcare. Pulihkan Luka (PL) is a web-based trauma psychoeducation intervention that aims to provide a practical solution to overcome barriers to accessing mental healthcare. Objectives: This article aimed to (1) describe the cultural adaptation process of PL for Indonesian students and (2) describe the design of the pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) that examines the feasibility and acceptability of PL.Methods: First, we describe the cultural adaptation process of PL following the 5-phase Formative Method for Adapting Psychotherapy (FMAP) approach: (1) knowledge generation, (2) information integration, (3) review and revision, (4) mini-testing, and (5) finalisation. Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was conducted to gather the views of 15 stakeholders on psychoeducation material and trauma-related mental health problems. Based on the outcomes, we decided to utilise the informal Indonesian language, incorporate practical worksheets and infographics, which include illustrations that reflect Indonesia's cultural diversity, and provide guidance on seeking help that aligns with the mental health system in Indonesia. Second, we describe the design of a pilot RCT. Undergraduate students (N = 130) will be randomised to (1) four to seven sessions of PL + Enhanced Usual Care (PL + EUC; n = 65) or (2) Enhanced Usual Care only (EUC only; n = 65). Assessments will be conducted at baseline, post-intervention, and three and six-month follow-up. Additionally, 20 participants will be invited for an FGD to explore their experiences with the intervention. Quantitative data will be analysed using linear mixed-effect models, and qualitative data will be analysed using thematic analysis. Discussion: Cultural adaptation is crucial for optimally developing and assessing the feasibility and acceptability of a web-based trauma psychoeducation intervention in Indonesia. The outcomes of the RCT will inform the feasibility and acceptability of web-based trauma psychoeducation in the Indonesian undergraduate student population.

European journal of psychotraumatology · clinical trial · 2 citationsread the source →

Interventions for self-harm in children and adolescents.

Background: Self-harm (SH; intentional self-poisoning or self-injury) is common in children and adolescents, often repeated, and strongly associated with suicide. This is an update of a broader Cochrane review on psychosocial and pharmacological treatments for deliberate SH first published in 1998 and previously updated in 1999. We have now divided the review into three separate reviews; this review is focused on psychosocial and pharmacological interventions for SH in children and adolescents. Objectives: To identify all randomised controlled trials of psychosocial interventions, pharmacological agents, or natural products for SH in children and adolescents, and to conduct meta-analyses (where possible) to compare the effects of specific treatments with comparison types of treatment (e.g., treatment as usual (TAU), placebo, or alternative pharmacological treatment) for children and adolescents who SH. Search methods: For this update the Cochrane Depression, Anxiety and Neurosis Group (CCDAN) Trials Search Co-ordinator searched the CCDAN Specialised Register (30 January 2015). Selection criteria: We included randomised controlled trials comparing psychosocial or pharmacological treatments with treatment as usual, alternative treatments, or placebo or alternative pharmacological treatment in children and adolescents (up to 18 years of age) with a recent (within six months) episode of SH resulting in presentation to clinical services. Data collection and analysis: Two reviewers independently selected trials, extracted data, and appraised study quality, with consensus. For binary outcomes, we calculated odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI). For continuous outcomes measured using the same scale we calculated the mean difference (MD) and 95% CI; for those measured using different scales we calculated the standard mean difference (SMD) and 95% CI. Meta-analysis was only possible for two interventions: dialectical behaviour therapy for adolescents and group-based psychotherapy. For these analyses, we pooled data using a random-effects model. Main results: We included 11 trials, with a total of 1,126 participants. The majority of participants were female (mean = 80.6% in 10 trials reporting gender). All trials were of psychosocial interventions; there were none of pharmacological treatments. With the exception of dialectical behaviour therapy for adolescents (DBT-A) and group-based therapy, assessments of specific interventions were based on single trials. We downgraded the quality of evidence owing to risk of bias or imprecision for many outcomes. Therapeutic assessment appeared to increase adherence with subsequent treatment compared with TAU (i.e., standard assessment; n = 70; k = 1; OR = 5.12, 95% CI 1.70 to 15.39), but this had no apparent impact on repetition of SH at either 12 (n = 69; k = 1; OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.18 to 3.06; GRADE: low quality) or 24 months (n = 69; k = 1; OR = 0.69, 05% CI 0.23 to 2.14; GRADE: low quality evidence). These results are based on a single cluster randomised trial, which may overestimate the effectiveness of the intervention. For patients with multiple episodes of SH or emerging personality problems, mentalisation therapy was associated with fewer adolescents scoring above the cut-off for repetition of SH based on the Risk-Taking and Self-Harm Inventory 12 months post-intervention (n = 71; k = 1; OR = 0.26, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.78; GRADE: moderate quality). DBT-A was not associated with a reduction in the proportion of adolescents repeating SH when compared to either TAU or enhanced usual care (n = 104; k = 2; OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.12 to 4.40; GRADE: low quality). In the latter trial, however, the authors reported a significantly greater reduction over time in frequency of repeated SH in adolescents in the DBT condition, in whom there were also significantly greater reductions in depression, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation. We found no significant treatment effects for group-based therapy on repetition of SH for individuals with multiple episodes of SH at either the six (n = 430; k = 2; OR 1.72, 95% CI 0.56 to 5.24; GRADE: low quality) or 12 month (n = 490; k = 3; OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.22 to 2.97; GRADE: low quality) assessments, although considerable heterogeneity was associated with both (I(2) = 65% and 77% respectively). We also found no significant differences between the following treatments and TAU in terms of reduced repetition of SH: compliance enhancement (three month follow-up assessment: n = 63; k = 1; OR = 0.67, 95% CI 0.15 to 3.08; GRADE: very low quality), CBT-based psychotherapy (six month follow-up assessment: n = 39; k = 1; OR = 1.88, 95% CI 0.30 to 11.73; GRADE: very low quality), home-based family intervention (six month follow-up assessment: n = 149; k = 1; OR = 1.02, 95% CI 0.41 to 2.51; GRADE: low quality), and provision of an emergency card (12 month follow-up assessment: n = 105, k = 1; OR = 0.50, 95% CI 0.12 to 2.04; GRADE: very low quality). No data on adverse effects, other than the planned outcomes relating to suicidal behaviour, were reported. Authors' conclusions: There are relatively few trials of interventions for children and adolescents who have engaged in SH, and only single trials contributed to all but two comparisons in this review. The quality of evidence according to GRADE criteria was mostly very low. There is little support for the effectiveness of group-based psychotherapy for adolescents with multiple episodes of SH based on the results of three trials, the evidence from which was of very low quality according to GRADE criteria. Results for therapeutic assessment, mentalisation, and dialectical behaviour therapy indicated that these approaches warrant further evaluation. Despite the scale of the problem of SH in children and adolescents there is a paucity of evidence of effective interventions. Further large-scale trials, with a range of outcome measures including adverse events, and investigation of therapeutic mechanisms underpinning these interventions, are required. It is increasingly apparent that development of new interventions should be done in collaboration with patients to ensure that these are likely to meet their needs. Use of an agreed set of outcome measures would assist evaluation and both comparison and meta-analysis of trials.

The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · meta-analysis · 114 citationsread the source →

Adverse childhood experiences and related outcomes among adults experiencing homelessness: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are strong risk factors for homelessness and poor health and functioning. We aimed to evaluate the lifetime prevalence of ACEs and their associations with health-related and functioning-related outcomes among homeless adults. Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched from database inception to Nov 11, 2020, for original and peer-reviewed studies in English that documented lifetime prevalence of ACEs or associations between ACEs and health-related or functioning-related outcomes. We selected studies if they included a definable group of homeless adults and measured at least four ACE categories. We calculated pooled estimates of lifetime prevalence of one or more ACEs and four or more ACEs with random-effects models. We used the leave-one-out method in sensitivity analyses and studied meta-regressions to explore potential moderators of ACE prevalence. We also did a narrative summary of associations between ACEs and health-related and functioning-related outcomes, as there were too few studies on each outcome for quantitative meta-analysis. This study is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42020218741. Findings: We identified 2129 studies through systematic search, of which 29 studies (16 942 individuals) were included in the systematic review, 20 studies (10 034 individuals) were included in the meta-analysis for one or more ACEs, and 15 studies (5693 individuals) were included in the meta-analysis for four or more ACEs. Studies included samples of adults experiencing homelessness in the USA, Canada, and the UK; participants in the included studies were predominantly male (65·2%) and mean ages ranged between 18·3 and 58·1 years, but many studies did not report race, ethnicity, and sexual and gender minority data. Lifetime prevalence of one or more ACEs among homeless adults was 89·8% (95% CI 83·7-93·7) and the lifetime prevalence of four or more ACEs was 53·9% (45·9-61·7). Considerable heterogeneity was identified in both meta-analyses (I2>95%). Of the potential moderators analysed, the ACE measurement tool significantly moderated the estimated lifetime prevalence of one or more ACEs and four or more ACEs, and age also significantly moderated the estimated lifetime prevalence of four or more ACEs. In the narrative synthesis, ACEs were consistently positively associated with high suicidality (two studies), suicide attempt (three studies), major depressive disorder (two studies), substance misuse (two studies), and adult victimisation (two studies). Interpretation: The lifetime prevalence of ACEs is substantially higher among homeless adults than among the general population, and ACE exposure might be associated with prevalence of mental illness, substance misuse, and victimisation. Policy efforts and evidence-based interventions are urgently needed to prevent ACEs and address associated poor outcomes among this population. Funding: Rhodes Trust and Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

The Lancet. Public health · meta-analysis · 70 citationsread the source →

Rates of abstinence following psychological or behavioral treatments for binge-eating disorder: Meta-analysis.

Objective: Standardized effect sizes reported in previous meta-analyses of binge-eating disorder (BED) treatment are sometimes difficult to interpret and are criticized for not being a useful indicator of the clinical importance of a treatment. Abstinence from binge eating is a clinically relevant component of a definition of a successful treatment outcome. This meta-analysis estimated the prevalence of patients with BED who achieved binge eating abstinence following psychological or behavioral treatments. Method: This meta-analysis included 39 randomized controlled trials, with 65 treatment conditions and 2,349 patients. Most conditions comprised cognitive-behavioral therapy (n = 40). Pooled event rates were calculated at posttreatment and follow-up using random effects models. Results: The total weighted percentage of treatment-completers who achieved abstinence at posttreatment was 50.9% (95% CI = 43.9, 57.8); this estimate was almost identical at follow-up (50.3%; 95% CI = 43.6, 56.9). The total weighted percentage of patients who achieved abstinence at posttreatment in the intention-to-treat analysis (all randomized patients) was 45.1% (95% CI =40.7, 49.5), and at follow-up it was 42.3% (95% CI =37.5, 47.2). Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) produced the highest abstinence rates. Clinician-led group treatments produced significantly higher posttreatment (but not follow-up) abstinence estimates than guided self-help treatments. Neither timeframe for achieving abstinence, assessment type (interview/questionnaire), number of treatment sessions, patient demographics, nor trial quality, moderated the abstinence estimates. Discussion: The present findings demonstrate that 50% of patients with BED do not fully respond to treatment. Continued efforts toward improving eating disorder treatments are needed.

The International journal of eating disorders · meta-analysis · 126 citationsread the source →

Behavioural activation to prevent depression and loneliness among socially isolated older people with long-term conditions: The BASIL COVID-19 pilot randomised controlled trial.

Background: Older adults, including those with long-term conditions (LTCs), are vulnerable to social isolation. They are likely to have become more socially isolated during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, often due to advice to "shield" to protect them from infection. This places them at particular risk of depression and loneliness. There is a need for brief scalable psychosocial interventions to mitigate the psychological impacts of social isolation. Behavioural activation (BA) is a credible candidate intervention, but a trial is needed. Methods and findings: We undertook an external pilot parallel randomised trial (ISRCTN94091479) designed to test recruitment, retention and engagement with, and the acceptability and preliminary effects of the intervention. Participants aged ≥65 years with 2 or more LTCs were recruited in primary care and randomised by computer and with concealed allocation between June and October 2020. BA was offered to intervention participants (n = 47), and control participants received usual primary care (n = 49). Assessment of outcome was made blind to treatment allocation. The primary outcome was depression severity (measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9)). We also measured health-related quality of life (measured by the Short Form (SF)-12v2 mental component scale (MCS) and physical component scale (PCS)), anxiety (measured by the Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7)), perceived social and emotional loneliness (measured by the De Jong Gierveld Scale: 11-item loneliness scale). Outcome was measured at 1 and 3 months. The mean age of participants was aged 74 years (standard deviation (SD) 5.5) and they were mostly White (n = 92, 95.8%), and approximately two-thirds of the sample were female (n = 59, 61.5%). Remote recruitment was possible, and 45/47 (95.7%) randomised to the intervention completed 1 or more sessions (median 6 sessions) out of 8. A total of 90 (93.8%) completed the 1-month follow-up, and 86 (89.6%) completed the 3-month follow-up, with similar rates for control (1 month: 45/49 and 3 months 44/49) and intervention (1 month: 45/47and 3 months: 42/47) follow-up. Between-group comparisons were made using a confidence interval (CI) approach, and by adjusting for the covariate of interest at baseline. At 1 month (the primary clinical outcome point), the median number of completed sessions for people receiving the BA intervention was 3, and almost all participants were still receiving the BA intervention. The between-group comparison for the primary clinical outcome at 1 month was an adjusted between-group mean difference of -0.50 PHQ-9 points (95% CI -2.01 to 1.01), but only a small number of participants had completed the intervention at this point. At 3 months, the PHQ-9 adjusted mean difference (AMD) was 0.19 (95% CI -1.36 to 1.75). When we examined loneliness, the adjusted between-group difference in the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale at 1 month was 0.28 (95% CI -0.51 to 1.06) and at 3 months -0.87 (95% CI -1.56 to -0.18), suggesting evidence of benefit of the intervention at this time point. For anxiety, the GAD adjusted between-group difference at 1 month was 0.20 (-1.33, 1.73) and at 3 months 0.31 (-1.08, 1.70). For the SF-12 (physical component score), the adjusted between-group difference at 1 month was 0.34 (-4.17, 4.85) and at 3 months 0.11 (-4.46, 4.67). For the SF-12 (mental component score), the adjusted between-group difference at 1 month was 1.91 (-2.64, 5.15) and at 3 months 1.26 (-2.64, 5.15). Participants who withdrew had minimal depressive symptoms at entry. There were no adverse events. The Behavioural Activation in Social Isolation (BASIL) study had 2 main limitations. First, we found that the intervention was still being delivered at the prespecified primary outcome point, and this fed into the design of the main trial where a primary outcome of 3 months is now collected. Second, this was a pilot trial and was not designed to test between-group differences with high levels of statistical power. Type 2 errors are likely to have occurred, and a larger trial is now underway to test for robust effects and replicate signals of effectiveness in important secondary outcomes such as loneliness. Conclusions: In this study, we observed that BA is a credible intervention to mitigate the psychological impacts of COVID-19 isolation for older adults. We demonstrated that it is feasible to undertake a trial of BA. The intervention can be delivered remotely and at scale, but should be reserved for older adults with evidence of depressive symptoms. The significant reduction in loneliness is unlikely to be a chance finding, and replication will be explored in a fully powered randomised controlled trial (RCT). Trial registration: ISRCTN94091479.

PLoS medicine · randomised controlled trial · 46 citationsread the source →

Effect of a smartphone application (Perx) on medication adherence and clinical outcomes: a 12-month randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To determine whether the Perx app improves medication adherence and clinical outcomes over 12 months compared with standard care in patients requiring polypharmacy. Design: Randomised controlled trial with 12-month follow-up. Setting: Outpatient clinics in three tertiary hospitals in Sydney, Australia. Participants: Eligible participants were aged 18-75 years, with at least one chronic condition, taking ≥3 different medications (oral medications or injections), with smartphone accessibility. Participants were randomised in a 1:1 ratio. Interventions: The intervention group used the Perx app that contained customised reminders and gamified interactions to reward verified medication adherence. Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was medication adherence over 12 months measured using pill counts. Secondary outcomes included clinical outcomes (haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), cholesterol, blood glucose, triglycerides, creatinine, thyroid function, blood pressure and weight). Results: Of 1412 participants screened for eligibility, 124 participants were randomised; 45 in the Perx arm and 40 in the control arm completed the study. The average age was 59.5, 58.9% were women, chronic conditions were cardiovascular disease (78%), type 2 diabetes (75%), obesity (65%) or other endocrine disorders (18%). On average, participants were taking six medications daily. The Perx group had greater improvements in adherence at month 2 (Coef. 8%; 95% CI 0.01 to 0.15), month 3 (Coef. 7%; 95% CI 0.00 to 0.14) and month 12 (Coef. 7%; 95% CI 0.00 to 0.13). The probability of HbA1c ≤6.5% was greater in the Perx group at months 9 and 12 and cholesterol (total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) was lower in the Perx group at month 3. The intervention was particularly effective for those with obesity, taking medications for diabetes and taking ≤4 medications. Conclusions: This study provides evidence that app-based behavioural change interventions can increase medication adherence and produce longer-term improvements in some clinical outcomes in adults managing multimorbidity. More trials are needed to build the evidence base. Trial registration number: ACTRN12617001285347.

BMJ open · randomised controlled trial · 33 citationsread the source →

Post-traumatic stress disorder following disasters: a systematic review.

Background: Disasters are traumatic events that may result in a wide range of mental and physical health consequences. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is probably the most commonly studied post-disaster psychiatric disorder. This review aimed to systematically assess the evidence about PTSD following exposure to disasters. MethodA systematic search was performed. Eligible studies for this review included reports based on the DSM criteria of PTSD symptoms. The time-frame for inclusion of reports in this review is from 1980 (when PTSD was first introduced in DSM-III) and February 2007 when the literature search for this examination was terminated. Results: We identified 284 reports of PTSD following disasters published in peer-reviewed journals since 1980. We categorized them according to the following classification: (1) human-made disasters (n=90), (2) technological disasters (n=65), and (3) natural disasters (n=116). Since some studies reported on findings from mixed samples (e.g. survivors of flooding and chemical contamination) we grouped these studies together (n=13). Conclusions: The body of research conducted after disasters in the past three decades suggests that the burden of PTSD among persons exposed to disasters is substantial. Post-disaster PTSD is associated with a range of correlates including sociodemographic and background factors, event exposure characteristics, social support factors and personality traits. Relatively few studies have employed longitudinal assessments enabling documentation of the course of PTSD. Methodological limitations and future directions for research in this field are discussed.

Psychological medicine · systematic review · 702 citationsread the source →

What works to increase attendance for diabetic retinopathy screening? An evidence synthesis and economic analysis.

Background: Diabetic retinopathy screening (DRS) is effective but uptake is suboptimal. Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of quality improvement (QI) interventions for DRS attendance; describe the interventions in terms of QI components and behaviour change techniques (BCTs); identify theoretical determinants of attendance; investigate coherence between BCTs identified in interventions and determinants of attendance; and determine the cost-effectiveness of QI components and BCTs for improving DRS. Data sources and review methods: Phase 1 - systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating interventions to increase DRS attendance (The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE and trials registers to February 2017) and coding intervention content to classify QI components and BCTs. Phase 2 - review of studies reporting factors influencing attendance, coded to theoretical domains (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and sources of grey literature to March 2016). Phase 3 - mapping BCTs (phase 1) to theoretical domains (phase 2) and an economic evaluation to determine the cost-effectiveness of BCTs or QI components. Results: Phase 1 - 7277 studies were screened, of which 66 RCTs were included in the review. Interventions were multifaceted and targeted patients, health-care professionals (HCPs) or health-care systems. Overall, interventions increased DRS attendance by 12% [risk difference (RD) 0.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.10 to 0.14] compared with usual care, with substantial heterogeneity in effect size. Both DRS-targeted and general QI interventions were effective, particularly when baseline attendance levels were low. All commonly used QI components and BCTs were associated with significant improvements, particularly in those with poor attendance. Higher effect estimates were observed in subgroup analyses for the BCTs of 'goal setting (outcome, i.e. consequences)' (RD 0.26, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.36) and 'feedback on outcomes (consequences) of behaviour' (RD 0.22, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.29) in interventions targeting patients and of 'restructuring the social environment' (RD 0.19, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.26) and 'credible source' (RD 0.16, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.24) in interventions targeting HCPs. Phase 2 - 3457 studies were screened, of which 65 non-randomised studies were included in the review. The following theoretical domains were likely to influence attendance: 'environmental context and resources', 'social influences', 'knowledge', 'memory, attention and decision processes', 'beliefs about consequences' and 'emotions'. Phase 3 - mapping identified that interventions included BCTs targeting important barriers to/enablers of DRS attendance. However, BCTs targeting emotional factors around DRS were under-represented. QI components were unlikely to be cost-effective whereas BCTs with a high probability (≥ 0.975) of being cost-effective at a societal willingness-to-pay threshold of £20,000 per QALY included 'goal-setting (outcome)', 'feedback on outcomes of behaviour', 'social support' and 'information about health consequences'. Cost-effectiveness increased when DRS attendance was lower and with longer screening intervals. Limitations: Quality improvement/BCT coding was dependent on descriptions of intervention content in primary sources; methods for the identification of coherence of BCTs require improvement. Conclusions: Randomised controlled trial evidence indicates that QI interventions incorporating specific BCT components are associated with meaningful improvements in DRS attendance compared with usual care. Interventions generally used appropriate BCTs that target important barriers to screening attendance, with a high probability of being cost-effective. Research is needed to optimise BCTs or BCT combinations that seek to improve DRS attendance at an acceptable cost. BCTs targeting emotional factors represent a missed opportunity to improve attendance and should be tested in future studies. Study registration: This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42016044157 and PROSPERO CRD42016032990. Funding: The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme.

Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · systematic review · 33 citationsread the source →

Cognitive Reactivity to Sad Mood Provocation and the Prediction of Depressive Relapse

CONTEXT: Episode remission in unipolar major depression, while distinguished by minimal symptom burden, can also be a period of marked sensitivity to emotional stress as well as an increased risk of relapse. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether mood-linked changes in dysfunctional thinking predict relapse in recovered patients who were depressed. DESIGN: In phase 1 of this study, patients with major depressive disorder were randomly assigned to receive either antidepressant medication or cognitive behavior therapy. In phase 2, patients who achieved clinical remission underwent sad mood provocation and were then observed with regular clinical assessments for 18 months. SETTING: Outpatient psychiatric clinics at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 301 outpatients with major depressive disorder, aged 18 to 65 years, participated in phase 1 of this study and 99 outpatients with major depressive disorder in remission, aged 18 to 65 years, participated in phase 2. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Occurrence of a relapse meeting DSM-IV criteria for a major depressive episode as assessed by the longitudinal interval follow-up evaluation and a Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score of 16 or greater. RESULTS: Patients who recovered through antidepressant medication showed greater cognitive reactivity following the mood provocation than those who received cognitive behavior therapy. Regardless of type of prior treatment, the magnitude of mood-linked cognitive reactivity was a significant predictor of relapse over the subsequent 18 months. Patients whose mood-linked endorsement of dysfunctional attitudes increased by a minimum of 8 points had a significantly shorter time to relapse than those whose scores were not as elevated. CONCLUSIONS: The vulnerability of remitted depressed patients for illness relapse may be related to the (re)activation of depressive thinking styles triggered by temporary dysphoric states. This is the first study to link such differences to prognosis following successful treatment for depression. Further understanding of factors predisposing to relapse/recurrence in recovered patients may help to shorten the potentially lifelong course of depression.

Archives of General Psychiatry · randomised controlled trial · 469 citationsread the source →

Prevalence and nature of workplace bullying and harassment and associations with mental health conditions in England: a cross-sectional probability sample survey.

Background: Evidence on workplace bullying and harassment (WBH) in the UK has not used probability-sample surveys with robust mental health assessments. This study aimed to profile the prevalence and nature of WBH in England, identify inequalities in WBH exposure, and quantify adjusted associations with mental health. Methods: Data were from the 2014 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, a cross-sectional probability-sample survey of the household population in England, interviewed with verbal informed consent. Criteria for inclusion in the secondary analysis were being aged 16-70 years and in paid work in the past month (n=3838). Common mental disorders were assessed using the Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised and mental wellbeing using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale. Analyses were weighted. We examined associations between past-year WBH and current common mental disorders using multivariable regression modelling, adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic factors. Interaction terms tested for gender differences in associations. The study received ethics approval (ETH21220-299). Findings: One in ten employees (10·6% (weighted), n=444/3838) reported past-year experience of WBH, with rates higher in women (12·2%, n=284/2189); those of mixed, multiple, and other ethnicity (21·0%, n=15/92); and people in debt (15·2%, n=50/281) or living in cold homes (14·6%, n=42/234). Most commonly identified perpetrators of WBH were line managers (53·6%, n=244/444) or colleagues (42·8%, n=194/444). Excessive criticism (49·3%, n=212/444), verbal abuse (42·6%, n=187/444), and humiliation (31·4%, n=142/444) were the most common types. WBH was associated with all adverse mental health indicators, including common mental disorders (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2·65, 95% CI 2·02-3·49), and 11 of 14 mental wellbeing indicators, including lower levels of confidence (aOR 0·57, 0·46-0·72) and of closeness to others (aOR 0·57, 0·46-0·72). Patterns of association between WBH and mental health were similar in men and women. Interpretation: These findings reinforce a need for more cohesive UK legislation at the national level; guidance on recognition of bullying behaviours for employees, managers, and human resources at the organisational level, focusing on prevention and early intervention, and increased awareness of the impact of WBH on mental health among health-service practitioners. Study limitations include reliance on cross-sectional data collected before pandemic-related and other major changes in workplace practices. Longitudinal data are needed to improve evidence on causality and the longevity of mental health impacts. Funding: UK Prevention Research Partnership.

Lancet (London, England) · 1 citationsread the source →

Advanced glycation endproduct crosslink breaker (alagebrium) improves endothelial function in patients with isolated systolic hypertension.

Objectives: Arterial stiffening and endothelial dysfunction are hallmarks of aging, and advanced glycation endproducts (AGE) may contribute to these changes. We tested the hypothesis that AGE crosslink breakers enhance endothelial flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in humans and examined the potential mechanisms for this effect. Methods: Thirteen adults (nine men, aged 65 +/- 2 years) with isolated systolic hypertension (systolic blood pressure > 140 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure < 90 mmHg or pulse pressure > 60 mmHg) on stable antihypertensive therapy were studied. Subjects received placebo (2 weeks) then oral alagebrium (ALT-711; 210 mg twice a day for 8 weeks). Subjects and data analyses were blinded to treatment. Arterial stiffness was assessed by carotid augmentation index (AI) and brachial artery distensibility (ArtD) using applanation tonometry and Doppler echo, and endothelial function by brachial FMD. Serum markers of collagen metabolism and vascular inflammation were assessed. Results: Alagebrium reduced carotid AI by 37% (P = 0.007) and augmented pressure (16.4 +/- 10 to 9.6 +/- 9 mmHg; P < 0.001). Heart rate, arterial pressures, and ArtD, were unchanged. FMD increased from 4.6 +/- 1.1 to 7.1 +/- 1.1% with alagebrium (P < 0.05), and was unrelated to altered shear stress or regional arterial distensibility. However, FMD change was inversely related to markers of collagen synthesis, p-selectin and intracellular cell adhesion molecule (all P < 0.05). Alagebrium-associated changes in plasma nitrite plus nitrate was inversely correlated with plasma matrix metalloproteinase 9 and type I collagen (P = 0.007). Conclusions: Alagebrium enhances peripheral artery endothelial function and improves overall impedance matching. Improved endothelial function correlates better with reduced vascular fibrosis and inflammation markers than with vessel distensibility. AGE-crosslink breakers may reduce cardiovascular risk in older adults by reduced central arterial stiffness and vascular remodeling.

Journal of hypertension · clinical trial · 146 citationsread the source →

Clinical Efficacy and Psychological Mechanisms of an App-Based Digital Therapeutic for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Current treatments for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) often yield suboptimal outcomes, partly because of insufficient targeting of underlying psychological mechanisms (eg, avoidance reinforcement learning). Mindfulness training (MT) has shown efficacy for anxiety; yet, widespread adoption has been limited, partly because of the difficulty in scaling in-person-based delivery. Digital therapeutics are emerging as potentially viable treatments; however, very few have been empirically validated. Objective: The aim of this study is to test the efficacy and mechanism of an app-delivered MT that was designed to target a potential mechanism of anxiety (reinforcement learning), based on which previous studies have shown concern regarding feedback and the perpetuation of anxiety through negative reinforcement. Methods: Individuals with GAD were recruited using social media advertisements and randomized during an in-person visit to receive treatment as usual (n=33) or treatment as usual+app-delivered MT (Unwinding Anxiety; n=32). The latter was composed of 30 modules to be completed over a 2-month period. Associated changes in outcomes were assessed using self-report questionnaires 1 and 2 months after treatment initiation. Results: We randomized 65 participants in this study, and a modified intent-to-treat approach was used for analysis. The median number of modules completed by the MT group was 25.5 (IQR 17) out of 30; 46% (13/28) of the participants completed the program. In addition, the MT group demonstrated a significant reduction in anxiety (GAD-7) compared with the control group at 2 months (67% vs 14%; median change in GAD-7: -8.5 [IQR 6.5] vs -1.0 [IQR 5.0]; P<.001; 95% CI 6-10). Increases in mindfulness at 1 month (nonreactivity subscale) mediated decreases in worry at 2 months (Penn State Worry Questionnaire; P=.02) and decreases in worry at 1 month mediated reductions in anxiety at 2 months (P=.03). Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first report on the efficacy and mechanism of an app-delivered MT for GAD. These findings demonstrate the clinical efficacy of MT as a digital therapeutic for individuals with anxiety (number needed to treat=1.6). These results also link recent advances in our mechanistic understanding of anxiety with treatment development, showing that app-delivered MT targets key reinforcement learning pathways, resulting in tangible, clinically meaningful reductions in worry and anxiety. Evidence-based, mechanistically targeted digital therapeutics have the potential to improve health at a population level at a low cost. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03683472; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03683472.

Journal of medical Internet research · randomised controlled trial · 26 citationsread the source →

Predicting re-victimization of battered women 3 years after exiting a shelter program.

This study examined interpersonal and ecological predictors of re-victimization of a sample of women with abusive partners. All women (N = 124) had sought refuge from a battered women's shelter 3 years earlier, and half the sample had been randomly assigned to receive free, short-term advocacy services immediately upon exit from the shelter. Results 2 years post-intervention revealed positive change in the lives of participants (C. M. Sullivan & D. Bybee, 1999), including a decrease in abuse for women who had worked with advocates. The current study examined intervention effects 3 years after the program ended, as well as other predictors of re-abuse. Nineteen percent of the original sample had experienced domestic violence between 2 and 3 years after shelter exit (65% by current partners, 35% by ex-partners). The advocacy program's effect on risk of re-victimization did not continue 3 years post-intervention. However, having worked with an advocate 3 years prior continued to have a positive impact on women's quality of life and level of social support. The risk of being abused 3 years post-shelter stay was exacerbated by a number of factors present 1 year prior, including women's (1) having experienced abuse in the 6 months before that point; (2) having difficulties accessing resources; (3) having problems with the state welfare system; and (4) having people in their social networks who made their lives difficult. Women were at less risk of abuse if, 1 year earlier, they (1) were employed; (2) reported higher quality of life; and (3) had people in their networks who provided practical help and/or were available to talk about personal matters. These findings support the hypothesis that access to resources and social support serve as protective factors against continued abuse.

American journal of community psychology · randomised controlled trial · 102 citationsread the source →

Assessing child development scores among minority and Indigenous language versus dominant language speakers: a cross-sectional analysis of national Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys.

Background: Multiple studies have highlighted the inequities minority and Indigenous children face when accessing health care. Health and wellbeing are positively impacted when Indigenous children are educated and receive care in their maternal language. However, less is known about the association between minority or Indigenous language use and child development risks and outcomes. In this study, we provide global estimates of development risks and assess the associations between minority or Indigenous language status and early child development using the ten-item Early Child Development Index (ECDI), a tool widely used for global population assessments in children aged 3-4 years. Methods: We did a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from 65 UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) containing the ECDI from 2009-19 (waves 4-6). We included individual-level data for children aged 2-4 years (23-60 months) from datasets with ECDI modules, for surveys that captured the language of the respondent, interview, or head of household. The Expanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale was used to classify household languages as dominant versus minority or Indigenous at the country level. Our primary outcome was on-track overall development, defined per UNICEF's guidelines as development being on track for at least three of the four ECDI domains (literacy-numeracy, learning, physical, and socioemotional). We performed logistic regression of pooled, weighted ECDI scores, aggregated by language status and adjusting for the covariables of child sex, child nutritional status (stunting), household wealth, maternal education, developmental support by an adult caregiver, and country-level early child education proportion. Regression analyses were done for all children aged 3-4 years with ECDI results, and separately for children with functional disabilities and ECDI results. Findings: 65 MICS datasets were included. 186 393 children aged 3-4 years had ECDI and language data, corresponding to an estimated represented population of 34 714 992 individuals. Estimated prevalence of on-track overall development as measured by ECDI scores was 65·7% (95% CI 64·2-67·2) for children from a minority or Indigenous language-speaking household, and 76·6% (75·7-77·4) for those from a dominant language-speaking household. After adjustment, dominant language status was associated with increased odds of on-track overall development (adjusted OR 1·54, 95% CI 1·40-1·71), which appeared to be largely driven by significantly increased odds of on-track development in the literacy-numeracy and socioemotional domains. For the represented population aged 2-4 years (n=11 465 601), the estimated prevalence of family-reported functional disability was 3·6% (95% CI 3·0-4·4). For the represented population aged 3-4 years with a functional disability (n=292 691), language status was not associated with on-track overall development (adjusted OR 1·02, 95% CI 0·43-2·45). Interpretation: In a global dataset, children speaking a minority or Indigenous language were less likely to have on-track ECDI scores than those speaking a dominant language. Given the strong positive benefits of speaking an Indigenous language on the health and development of Indigenous children, this disparity is likely to reflect the sociolinguistic marginalisation faced by speakers of minority or Indigenous languages as well as differences in the performance of ECDI in these languages. Global efforts should consider performance of measures and monitor developmental data disaggregated by language status to stimulate efforts to address this disparity. Funding: None. Translations: For the Spanish, Kaqchikel and K'iche' translations of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

The Lancet. Global health · 2 citationsread the source →

Longitudinal associations between daytime napping and cognitive function in Chinese older adults.

Background: Little was known about the longitudinal associations between daytime napping and cognitive function in China. Thus, the study aimed to explore the cross-sectional and the longitudinal relationship between daytime napping and cognitive performance in the elderly Chinese population. Methods: The data was from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Daytime napping was self-reported. Cognitive function was assessed via a structured questionnaire in two dimensions: episodic memory and mental status. Linear regression and mixed-effect model were applied to explore the association between daytime napping and cognitive function. Results: A total of 2,875 and 2,440 participants aged over 65 years were included in the cross-sectional and the longitudinal studies, respectively. In the cross-sectional study, non-nappers and extended nappers had significantly lower global cognition scores (P<0.01), as well as significantly lower scores for episodic memory (P<0.05) and mental status (P<0.01), compared with moderate nappers. In the longitudinal analysis, no napping and extended napping were significantly associated with global cognitive decline (P<0.05) and only extended napping showed the significant association for the decline in episodic memory as well as mental status (P<0.01). Limitations: Daytime napping duration was self-reported by participants. Conclusion: The study found a longitudinal association between extended napping duration and worse cognitive function.

Archives of gerontology and geriatrics · 13 citationsread the source →

Spinal manipulation, medication, or home exercise with advice for acute and subacute neck pain: a randomized trial.

Background: Mechanical neck pain is a common condition that affects an estimated 70% of persons at some point in their lives. Little research exists to guide the choice of therapy for acute and subacute neck pain. Objective: To determine the relative efficacy of spinal manipulation therapy (SMT), medication, and home exercise with advice (HEA) for acute and subacute neck pain in both the short and long term. Design: Randomized, controlled trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT00029770) Setting: 1 university research center and 1 pain management clinic in Minnesota. Participants: 272 persons aged 18 to 65 years who had nonspecific neck pain for 2 to 12 weeks. Intervention: 12 weeks of SMT, medication, or HEA. Measurements: The primary outcome was participant-rated pain, measured at 2, 4, 8, 12, 26, and 52 weeks after randomization. Secondary measures were self-reported disability, global improvement, medication use, satisfaction, general health status (Short Form-36 Health Survey physical and mental health scales), and adverse events. Blinded evaluation of neck motion was performed at 4 and 12 weeks. Results: For pain, SMT had a statistically significant advantage over medication after 8, 12, 26, and 52 weeks (P ≤ 0.010), and HEA was superior to medication at 26 weeks (P = 0.02). No important differences in pain were found between SMT and HEA at any time point. Results for most of the secondary outcomes were similar to those of the primary outcome. Limitations: Participants and providers could not be blinded. No specific criteria for defining clinically important group differences were prespecified or available from the literature. Conclusion: For participants with acute and subacute neck pain, SMT was more effective than medication in both the short and long term. However, a few instructional sessions of HEA resulted in similar outcomes at most time points. Primary funding source: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of Health.

Annals of internal medicine · randomised controlled trial · 110 citationsread the source →

Exploring the costs, consequences and efficiency of three types of palliative care day services in the UK: a pragmatic before-and-after descriptive cohort study.

Background: Palliative Care Day Services (PCDS) offer supportive care to people with advanced, progressive illness who may be approaching the end of life. Despite the growth of PCDS in recent years, evidence of their costs and effects is scarce. It is important to establish the value of such services so that health and care decision-makers can make evidence-based resource allocation decisions. This study examines and estimates the costs and effects of PCDS with different service configurations in three centres across the UK in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Methods: People who had been referred to PCDS were recruited between June 2017 and September 2018. A pragmatic before-and-after descriptive cohort study design analysed data on costs and outcomes. Data on costs were collected on health and care use in the 4 weeks preceding PCDS attendance using adapted versions of the Client Service Receipt Inventory (CSRI). Outcomes, cost per attendee/day and volunteer contribution to PCDS were also estimated. Outcomes included quality of life (MQOL-E), health status (EQ-5D-5L) and capability wellbeing (ICECAP-SCM). Results: Thirty-eight attendees were recruited and provided data at baseline and 4 weeks (centre 1: n = 8; centre 2: n = 8, centre 3: n = 22). The cost per attendee/day ranged from £121-£190 (excluding volunteer contribution) to £172-£264 (including volunteer contribution) across the three sites. Volunteering constituted between 28 and 38% of the total cost of PCDS provision. There was no significant mean change at 4 week follow-up from baseline for health and care costs (centre 1: £570, centre 2: -£1127, centre 3: £65), or outcomes: MQOL-E (centre 1: - 0.48, centre 2: 0.01, centre 3: 0.24); EQ-5D-5L (centre 1: 0.05, centre 2: 0.03, centre 3: - 0.03) and ICECAP-SCM (centre 1:0.00, centre 2: - 0.01, centre 3: 0.03). Centre costs variation is almost double per attendee when attendance rates are held constant in scenario analysis. Conclusions: This study highlights the contribution made by volunteers to PCDS provision. There is insufficient evidence on whether outcomes improved, or costs were reduced, in the three different service configurations for PCDS. We suggest how future research may overcome some of the challenges we encountered, to better address questions of cost-effectiveness in PCDS.

BMC palliative care · 10 citationsread the source →

Characteristics and outcome of 27 elbow periprosthetic joint infections: results from a 14-year cohort study of 358 elbow prostheses.

Elbow arthroplasty is increasingly performed in patients with rheumatic and post-traumatic arthritis. Data on elbow periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) are limited. We investigated the characteristics and outcome of elbow PJI in a 14-year cohort of total elbow arthroplasties in a single centre. Elbow prosthesis, which were implanted between 1994 and 2007 at Schulthess Clinic in Zurich, were retrospectively screened for infection. PJI was defined as periprosthetic purulence, the presence of sinus tract or microbial growth. A Kaplan-Meier survival method and Cox proportional hazard analysis were performed. Of 358 elbow prostheses, PJI was identified in 27 (7.5%). The median patient age (range) was 61 (39-82) years; 63% were females. Seventeen patients (63%) had a rheumatic disorder and ten (37%) had osteoarthritis. Debridement and implant retention was performed in 78%, followed by exchange or removal of the prosthesis (15%) or no surgery (7%).The relapse-free survival (95% CI) was 79% (63-95%) after 1 year and 65% (45-85%) after 2 years. The outcome after 2 years was significantly better when patients were treated according to the algorithm compared to patients who were not (100% vs. 33%, p <0.05). In 21 patients treated with debridement and retention, the cure rate was also higher when the algorithm was followed (100% vs. 11%, p <0.05). The findings of the present study suggest that the treatment algorithm developed for hip and knee PJI can be applied to elbow PJI. With proper patient selection and antimicrobial therapy, debridement and retention of the elbow prosthesis is associated with good treatment outcome.

Clinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases · 48 citationsread the source →

Efficacy and safety of pregabalin in elderly people with generalised anxiety disorder.

Background: Pregabalin is a novel compound that has been shown to have efficacy in the treatment of generalised anxiety disorder and is licensed for the treatment of the disorder in the European Union. Aims: The current study was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of pregabalin, an alpha(2)delta-ligand, in the treatment of generalised anxiety disorder in people 65 years and older. Method: This was a double-blind, randomised (2:1), placebo-controlled, 8-week trial of pregabalin, in flexible doses of 150-600 mg/day, in the treatment of DSM-IV generalised anxiety disorder with a baseline Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HRSA) total score >/=20. The primary outcome was end-point (week 8 or last visit, with last observation carried forward (LOCF)) change in HRSA total score. Results: A total of 273 patients (women, 78%; mean age, 72 years (s.d.=6); mean baseline HRSA total score, 26 (s.d.=4.6)) were randomised and received study treatment. On the primary intent-to-treat LOCF analysis, pregabalin was associated with a 2-point greater reduction in HRSA total score than placebo (12.87 v. 10.7; P<0.05). In a post hoc repeated measures mixed-effect model analysis, pregabalin was associated with significantly greater improvement than placebo in the HRSA total score from week 2 (-9.8 (s.d.=0.6) v. -7.2 (s.d.=0.8); P=0.0052) through week 8 (-14.4 (s.d.=0.6) v. -11.6 (s.d.=0.8); P=0.0070). Significant improvement was observed in the pregabalin group on both the HRSA psychic and somatic anxiety factors. There was a significantly greater decrease from baseline in mean Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) score with pregabalin compared with placebo (-5.48 (s.d.=0.46) v. -4.02 (s.d.=0.59); P=0.041). Pregabalin was well-tolerated, with almost all adverse events in the mild-to-moderate range, and self-limiting (median duration of 4-16 days). Discontinuations due to adverse events were similar for pregabalin (10.7%) and placebo (9.4%). Conclusions: Pregabalin, in doses of 150-600 mg/day, was a safe and effective treatment of generalised anxiety disorder in patients 65 years and older. The anxiolytic efficacy of pregabalin had an early onset (by 2 weeks) and significantly improved both psychic and somatic symptoms of anxiety.

The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science · randomised controlled trial · 66 citationsread the source →

Time-varying associations of pre-migration and post-migration stressors in refugees' mental health during resettlement: a longitudinal study in Australia.

Background: Understanding the time-varying association of pre-migration and post-migration stressors in refugees' mental health could help in designing tailored health promotion services at different resettlement stages and improving the efficiency of resource allocation. In this study, we explored these time-varying associations. Methods: We used data from the first four waves (October, 2013, to February, 2017) of a national refugee-based longitudinal study, the Building a New Life in Australia (BNLA) project. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and high risk of severe mental illness (HR-SMI) were used to assess mental health. The independent variables included the number of potentially traumatic events experienced during the pre-migration process, and a range of post-migration stressors. We used logistic regression models to analyse the relative importance of variables and time-varying associations between the pre-migration potentially traumatic events, post-migration resettlement stressors, and refugees' mental health. Analyses were stratified by gender, and sociodemographic covariates included age, marital status, education level, country of birth, and weekly income. Results: 2399 participants were surveyed in Wave 1 of the BNLA project in 2013-14, of whom 2009 (83·7%) responded in Wave 2 in 2014-15, 1894 (78·9%) in Wave 3 in 2015-16, and 1929 (80·4%) in Wave 4 in 2016-17. The three most important factors associated with mental health in each wave differed for male and female refugees, but the socioeconomic stressors of loneliness and adjustment to life in Australia were consistently prominent. Positive associations between socioeconomic stressors and mental ill-health were found for both genders, with a peak at Wave 2 (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] among men, 1·60 [95% CI 1·26-2·03], p=0.0001 for PTSD; AOR 1·86 [1·35-2·55], p=0·0001 for HR-SMI; and among women, AOR 1·81 [1·27-2·57], p=0·0009 for PTSD; AOR 2·24 [1·49-3·38], p=0·0001 for HR-SMI). Associations between loneliness and mental health fluctuated, but were significant for both genders in Wave 4 (among men, AOR 1·90 [1·21-2·99], p=0·0051 for PTSD; AOR 3·70 [2·18-6·27], p<0·0001 for HR-SMI; and among women, AOR 3·65 [2·08-6·39], p<0·0001 for PTSD; AOR 3·68 [2·02-6·69], p<0·0001 for HR-SMI). The association between difficulties in adjustment to life in Australia and male refugees' mental ill-health increased continuously during the resettlement period. Interpretation: Gender-specific and time-sensitive services should be considered to improve refugees' mental health. For both genders, improved economic conditions that complement social security benefits deserve attention and are relevant throughout the resettlement process. At the later stage of resettlement, services to reduce loneliness could be carried out, and reducing stressors related to adjustment to life in the host country is especially needed for male refugees. Funding: None.

The lancet. Psychiatry · 63 citationsread the source →

Metacognitive therapy versus cognitive-behavioural therapy in adults with generalised anxiety disorder.

Background: Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is the treatment of choice for generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), yielding significant improvements in approximately 50% of patients. There is significant room for improvement in the outcomes of treatment, especially in recovery. Aims: We aimed to compare metacognitive therapy (MCT) with the gold standard treatment, CBT, in patients with GAD (clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00426426). Method: A total of 246 patients with long-term GAD were assessed and 81 were randomised into three conditions: CBT (n = 28), MCT (n = 32) and a wait-list control (n = 21). Assessments were made at pre-treatment, post-treatment and at 2 year follow-up. Results: Both CBT and MCT were effective treatments, but MCT was more effective (mean difference 9.762, 95% CI 2.679-16.845, P = 0.004) and led to significantly higher recovery rates (65% v. 38%). These differences were maintained at 2 year follow-up. Conclusions: MCT seems to produce recovery rates that exceed those of CBT. These results demonstrate that the effects of treatment cannot be attributed to non-specific therapy factors. Declaration of interest: A.W. wrote the treatment protocol in MCT and several books on CBT and MCT, and receives royalties from these. T.D.B. wrote the protocol in CBT and has published several articles and chapters on CBT and receives royalties from these. All other authors declare no competing interests.

BJPsych open · review · 57 citationsread the source →

The longitudinal relationship between loneliness, social isolation, and frailty in older adults in England: a prospective analysis.

Background: It is estimated that about 10% of people aged 65 and older are frail. Loneliness and social isolation are linked to increased mortality and poorer functional capacity. We assessed trends in frailty status associated with loneliness and social isolation over 14 years in a representative sample of English older adults. Methods: In this longitudinal study, we used data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), which was designed to recruit a representative sample of adults aged 50 years and older living in private households in England. We analysed Waves 2-8 (covering June, 2004, to June, 2017). Frailty was defined using the frailty index, analysed continuously and as pre-specified categories, to categorise individuals as being non-frail (≤0·08), pre-frail (>0·08 to <0·25), or frail (≥0·25 to 1·00). Loneliness was measured using the UCLA 3-item Loneliness Scale and social isolation was measured following a previous ELSA approach, and both sets of scores were categorised into low, medium, or high. Linear mixed methods and Cox proportional hazard modelling were used, adjusted for confounders. Findings: The study sample consisted of 9171 participants at the baseline of Wave 2 (4083 male and 5088 female), with similar numbers in subsequent waves. In the fixed effect model, adjusted for marital status, age, gender, wealth, and smoking status, respondents with higher levels of loneliness had a higher frailty index score (β coefficient 0·006, 95% CI 0·006 to 0·007; p<0·0001), as did those with a higher level of social isolation (β 0·002, <0·001 to 0·002; p<0·0001). Increasing age was associated with an increased frailty index, adjusted for loneliness and social isolation independently. Compared with a low level of loneliness, there was a higher risk of developing frailty with medium loneliness (hazard ratio [HR] 1·57, 95% CI 1·49 to 1·65; p<0·0001) and high loneliness (HR 2·62, 2·49 to 2·76; p<0·0001). Compared with a low level of social isolation, there was a higher risk of developing frailty with medium social isolation (HR 1·12, 1·05 to 1·20; p<0·0001) and high social isolation (HR 1·32, 1·22 to 1·43; p<0·0001). Interpretation: Both loneliness and social isolation increase the risk of developing frailty. Understanding these mechanisms might offer opportunities to attenuate this risk. Funding: None.

The lancet. Healthy longevity · 128 citationsread the source →

Diet quality indices and their associations with health-related outcomes in children and adolescents: an updated systematic review.

Background: To describe a-priori diet quality indices used in children and adolescents, appraise the validity and reliability of these indices, and synthesise evidence on the relationship between diet quality and physical and mental health, and growth-related outcomes. Methods: Five electronic databases were searched until January 2019. An a-priori diet quality index was included if it applied a scoring structure to rate child or adolescent (aged 0-18-years) dietary intakes relative to dietary or nutrient guidelines. Diagnostic accuracy studies and prospective cohort studies reporting health outcomes were appraised using the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Quality Criteria Checklist. Results: From 15,577 records screened, 128 unique paediatric diet quality indices were identified from 33 countries. Half of the indices' scores rated both food and nutrient intakes (n = 65 indices). Some indices were age specific: infant (< 24-months; n = 8 indices), child (2-12-years; n = 16), adolescent (13-18 years; n = 8), and child/adolescent (n = 14). Thirty-seven indices evaluated for validity and/or reliability. Eleven of the 15 indices which investigated associations with prospective health outcomes reported significant results, such as improved IQ, quality of life, blood pressure, body composition, and prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Conclusions: Research utilising diet quality indices in paediatric populations is rapidly expanding internationally. However, few indices have been evaluated for validity, reliability, or association with health outcomes. Further research is needed to determine the validity, reliability, and association with health of frequently utilised diet quality indices to ensure data generated by an index is useful, applicable, and relevant. Registration: PROSPERO number: CRD42018107630 .

Nutrition journal · systematic review · 103 citationsread the source →

Fall rates in hospital rehabilitation units after individualised patient and staff education programmes: a pragmatic, stepped-wedge, cluster-randomised controlled trial.

Background: Falls are the most frequent adverse events that are reported in hospitals. We examined the effectiveness of individualised falls-prevention education for patients, supported by training and feedback for staff, delivered as a ward-level programme. Methods: Eight rehabilitation units in general hospitals in Australia participated in this stepped-wedge, cluster-randomised study, undertaken during a 50 week period. Units were randomly assigned to intervention or control groups by use of computer-generated, random allocation sequences. We included patients admitted to the unit during the study with a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score of more than 23/30 to receive individualised education that was based on principles of changes in health behaviour from a trained health professional, in addition to usual care. We provided information about patients' goals, feedback about the ward environment, and perceived barriers to engagement in falls-prevention strategies to staff who were trained to support the uptake of strategies by patients. The coprimary outcome measures were patient rate of falls per 1000 patient-days and the proportion of patients who were fallers. All analyses were by intention to treat. This trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials registry, number ACTRN12612000877886). Findings: Between Jan 13, and Dec 27, 2013, 3606 patients were admitted to the eight units (n=1983 control period; n=1623 intervention period). There were fewer falls (n=196, 7·80/1000 patient-days vs n=380, 13·78/1000 patient-days, adjusted rate ratio 0·60 [robust 95% CI 0·42-0·94], p=0·003), injurious falls (n=66, 2·63/1000 patient-days vs 131, 4·75/1000 patient-days, 0·65 [robust 95% CI 0·42-0·88], p=0·006), and fallers (n=136 [8·38%] vs n=248 [12·51%] adjusted odds ratio 0·55 [robust 95% CI 0·38 to 0·81], p=0·003) in the intervention compared with the control group. There was no significant difference in length of stay (intervention median 11 days [IQR 7-19], control 10 days [6-18]). Interpretation: Individualised patient education programmes combined with training and feedback to staff added to usual care reduces the rates of falls and injurious falls in older patients in rehabilitation hospital-units. Funding: State Health Research Advisory Council, Department of Health, Government of Western Australia.

Lancet (London, England) · randomised controlled trial · 143 citationsread the source →

Telephone-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Women With Vasomotor Symptoms: A MsFLASH Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Effective, practical, nonpharmacologic therapies are needed to treat menopause-related insomnia symptoms in primary and women's specialty care settings. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of telephone-based cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) vs menopause education control (MEC). Design, setting, and participants: A single-site, randomized clinical trial was conducted from September 1, 2013, to August 31, 2015, in western Washington State among 106 perimenopausal or postmenopausal women aged 40 to 65 years with moderate insomnia symptoms (Insomnia Severity Index [ISI] score, ≥12) and 2 or more daily hot flashes. Blinded assessments were conducted at baseline, 8, and 24 weeks postrandomization. An intent-to-treat analysis was conducted. Interventions: Six CBT-I or MEC telephone sessions in 8 weeks. Participants submitted weekly electronic sleep diaries and received group-specific written educational materials. The CBT-I sessions included sleep restriction, stimulus control, sleep hygiene education, cognitive restructuring, and behavioral homework; MEC sessions provided information about menopause and women's health. Main outcomes and measures: Primary outcome was scores on the ISI (score range, 0-28; scores ≥15 indicate moderate to severe insomnia). Secondary outcome was scores on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (score range, 0-21; higher scores indicate worse sleep quality). Additional outcomes included sleep and hot flash diary variables and hot flash interference. Results: At 8 weeks, ISI scores had decreased 9.9 points among 53 women receiving CBT-I (mean [SD] age, 55.0 [3.5] years) and 4.7 points among 53 women receiving MEC (age, 54.7 [4.7] years), a mean between-group difference of 5.2 points (95% CI, -6.1 to -3.3; P < .001). Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores decreased 4.0 points in women receiving CBT-I and 1.4 points in women receiving MEC, a mean between-group difference of 2.7 points (95% CI, -3.9 to -1.5; P < .001). Significant group differences were sustained at 24 weeks. At 8 and 24 weeks, 33 of 47 women (70%) and 37 of 44 (84%) in the CBT-I group, respectively, had ISI scores in the no-insomnia range compared with 10 of 41 (24%) and 16 of 37 (43%) in the MEC group, respectively. The CBT-I group also had greater improvements in diary-reported sleep latency, wake time, and sleep efficiency. There were no between-group differences in frequency of daily hot flashes, but hot flash interference was significantly decreased at 8 weeks for the CBT-I group (-15.7; 95% CI, -20.4 to -11.0) compared with the MEC group (-7.1; 95% CI, -14.6 to 0.4) (P = .03), differences that were maintained at 24 weeks for the CBT-I group (-22.8; 95% CI, -28.6 to -16.9) and MEC group (-11.6; 95% CI, -19.4 to -3.8) (P = .003). Conclusions and relevance: Telephone-based CBT-I improved sleep in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women with insomnia and hot flashes. Results support further development and testing of centralized CBT-I programs for treating menopausal insomnia. Trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01936441.

JAMA internal medicine · randomised controlled trial · 114 citationsread the source →

Mediterranean lifestyle and cardiovascular disease prevention.

Background: Adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern is a well-established protective factor against cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, diet quality is only one aspect of the overall healthy lifestyle adopted by Mediterranean populations. The latter has never been evaluated as a multi-factorial composite lifestyle. Thus, the aim of the present study was to provide a broader picture of the Mediterranean lifestyle and its effects on CVD risk, among elderly individuals. Methods: During 2005-2015, 2,749 older (aged 65-100 years) from 21 Mediterranean islands (MEDIS) and the rural Mani region (Peloponnesus) of Greece were voluntarily enrolled onto the study. Dietary habits, physical activity status, socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle parameters (sleep, smoking habits, social life and educational status) and clinical profile aspects were derived through standard procedures. Results: The overall prevalence of the traditional CVD risk factors were 62.3% for hypertension, 22.3% for diabetes mellitus (type 2) and 47.7% for hypercholesterolemia. The presence of diabetes mellitus was positively predicted by the geriatric depression scale (GDS) [odds ratio (OR) =1.13, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02-1.25] and by an urban residential environment (OR =2.57, 95% CI: 1.10-6.06) after adjusting for several confounders. Presence of hypertension was predicted by increasing age (OR =1.07, 95% CI: 1.02-1.12), increasing body mass index (BMI) (OR =1.12, 95% CI: 1.04-1.21), the habit of midday sleep (OR =2.07, 95% CI: 1.07-4.02) and inversely predicted by the frequency of socializing with friends (OR =0.767, 95% CI: 0.616-0.955). The estimated score in the GDS was the only independent positive predictor for the presence of hypercholesterolemia (OR =1.10, 95% CI: 1.01-1.21). Conclusions: Lifestyle parameters such as social life, midday sleep (siesta) and residential environment are strongly associated with the presence of CVD risk factors in elderly and should be part of broader CVD prevention strategies to reduce the burden of the disease.

Cardiovascular diagnosis and therapy · 27 citationsread the source →

Persistent symptoms and clinical findings in adults with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19/post-COVID-19 syndrome in the second year after acute infection: A population-based, nested case-control study.

Background: Self-reported health problems following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection are common and often include relatively non-specific complaints such as fatigue, exertional dyspnoea, concentration or memory disturbance and sleep problems. The long-term prognosis of such post-acute sequelae of COVID-19/post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) is unknown, and data finding and correlating organ dysfunction and pathology with self-reported symptoms in patients with non-recovery from PCS is scarce. We wanted to describe clinical characteristics and diagnostic findings among patients with PCS persisting for >1 year and assessed risk factors for PCS persistence versus improvement. Methods and findings: This nested population-based case-control study included subjects with PCS aged 18-65 years with (n = 982) and age- and sex-matched control subjects without PCS (n = 576) according to an earlier population-based questionnaire study (6-12 months after acute infection, phase 1) consenting to provide follow-up information and to undergo comprehensive outpatient assessment, including neurocognitive, cardiopulmonary exercise, and laboratory testing in four university health centres in southwestern Germany (phase 2, another 8.5 months [median, range 3-14 months] after phase 1). The mean age of the participants was 48 years, and 65% were female. At phase 2, 67.6% of the patients with PCS at phase 1 developed persistent PCS, whereas 78.5% of the recovered participants remained free of health problems related to PCS. Improvement among patients with earlier PCS was associated with mild acute index infection, previous full-time employment, educational status, and no specialist consultation and not attending a rehabilitation programme. The development of new symptoms related to PCS among participants initially recovered was associated with an intercurrent secondary SARS-CoV-2 infection and educational status. Patients with persistent PCS were less frequently never smokers (61.2% versus 75.7%), more often obese (30.2% versus 12.4%) with higher mean values for body mass index (BMI) and body fat, and had lower educational status (university entrance qualification 38.7% versus 61.5%) than participants with continued recovery. Fatigue/exhaustion, neurocognitive disturbance, chest symptoms/breathlessness and anxiety/depression/sleep problems remained the predominant symptom clusters. Exercise intolerance with post-exertional malaise (PEM) for >14 h and symptoms compatible with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome were reported by 35.6% and 11.6% of participants with persistent PCS patients, respectively. In analyses adjusted for sex-age class combinations, study centre and university entrance qualification, significant differences between participants with persistent PCS versus those with continued recovery were observed for performance in three different neurocognitive tests, scores for perceived stress, subjective cognitive disturbances, dysautonomia, depression and anxiety, sleep quality, fatigue and quality of life. In persistent PCS, handgrip strength (40.2 [95% confidence interval (CI) [39.4, 41.1]] versus 42.5 [95% CI [41.5, 43.6]] kg), maximal oxygen consumption (27.9 [95% CI [27.3, 28.4]] versus 31.0 [95% CI [30.3, 31.6]] ml/min/kg body weight) and ventilatory efficiency (minute ventilation/carbon dioxide production slope, 28.8 [95% CI [28.3, 29.2]] versus 27.1 [95% CI [26.6, 27.7]]) were significantly reduced relative to the control group of participants with continued recovery after adjustment for sex-age class combinations, study centre, education, BMI, smoking status and use of beta blocking agents. There were no differences in measures of systolic and diastolic cardiac function at rest, in the level of N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide blood levels or other laboratory measurements (including complement activity, markers of Epstein-Barr virus [EBV] reactivation, inflammatory and coagulation markers, serum levels of cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate). Screening for viral persistence (PCR in stool samples and SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen levels in plasma) in a subgroup of the patients with persistent PCS was negative. Sensitivity analyses (pre-existing illness/comorbidity, obesity, medical care of the index acute infection) revealed similar findings. Patients with persistent PCS and PEM reported more pain symptoms and had worse results in almost all tests. A limitation was that we had no objective information on exercise capacity and cognition before acute infection. In addition, we did not include patients unable to attend the outpatient clinic for whatever reason including severe illness, immobility or social deprivation or exclusion. Conclusions: In this study, we observed that the majority of working age patients with PCS did not recover in the second year of their illness. Patterns of reported symptoms remained essentially similar, non-specific and dominated by fatigue, exercise intolerance and cognitive complaints. Despite objective signs of cognitive deficits and reduced exercise capacity, there was no major pathology in laboratory investigations, and our findings do not support viral persistence, EBV reactivation, adrenal insufficiency or increased complement turnover as pathophysiologically relevant for persistent PCS. A history of PEM was associated with more severe symptoms and more objective signs of disease and might help stratify cases for disease severity.

PLoS medicine · 34 citationsread the source →

Multidimensional predictors of physical frailty in older people: identifying how and for whom they exert their effects.

Physical frailty in older people is an escalating health and social challenge. We investigate its physical, psychological, and social predictors, including how and for whom these conditions exert their effects. For 4638 respondents aged 65-89 years from wave 2 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, we examine prediction of future physical frailty by physical, psychological, and social conditions using latent growth curve analysis with multiple indicators. In addition, we explore their indirect effects through disease and physiologic decline, and repeat these analyses after stratification by gender, age group, and selected conditions which are possible moderators. We find that chronic disease, allostatic load, low physical activity, depressive symptoms, cognitive impairment, and poor social support all predict future physical frailty. Furthermore, chronic disease and allostatic load mediate the effects of low physical activity, depressive symptoms, and cognitive impairment on future physical frailty. Finally, although poor social integration is not a predictor of future physical frailty, this condition moderates the indirect effect of poor social support through chronic disease by rendering it stronger. By virtue of their roles as predictor, mediator, or moderator on pathways to physical frailty, chronic disease, allostatic load, low physical activity, cognitive impairment, depressive symptoms, poor social support, and poor social integration are potentially modifiable target conditions for population-level health and social interventions to reduce future physical frailty in older people.

Biogerontology · 70 citationsread the source →

Prevalence of Hospital-Associated Disability in Older Adults: A Meta-analysis.

Objectives: Hospital-associated disability (HAD), defined as loss of independence in activities of daily living (ADL) following acute hospitalization, is observed among older adults. The study objective is to determine overall prevalence of HAD among older adults hospitalized in acute care, and to assess the impact of study initiation year in moderation of prevalence. Design: Meta-analysis of data collected from randomized trials, quasi-experimental, and prospective cohort studies. English-language searches to identify included studies were completed February 2018 and updated May 2018 of electronic databases and reference lists of studies and reviews. Included studies were human subjects investigations that measured ADL ≥2 time points before or during and after hospitalization and reported prevalence of ADL decline among older adults. Setting: Acute care hospital units. Participants: Adults aged ≥65 years hospitalized in medical-surgical acute care; total sample size across all included studies was 7375. Methods: Independence in ADL was assessed using the Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living and Barthel Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living. Results: Random effects meta-analysis across included studies identified combined prevalence of HAD as 30% (95% CI 24%, 33%; P < .001). The effect of study initiation year on the prevalence rate was minimal. A large amount of heterogeneity was observed between studies, which may be due in part to nonstandardized measurement of ADL impairment or other methodological differences. Conclusions and implications: Hospitalization in acute care poses a significant risk to functional independence of older adults, and this risk is unchanged despite shorter lengths of stay. The evidence supports the continued need for hospital-based programs that provide assessment of functional ability and identification of at-risk older adults in order to better treat and prevent HAD.

Journal of the American Medical Directors Association · meta-analysis · 279 citationsread the source →

Implementation and Effectiveness of Nonspecialist-Delivered Interventions for Perinatal Mental Health in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Importance: Task sharing-or training of nonspecialist providers with no formal training in counseling-is an effective strategy to improve access to evidence-based counseling interventions and has the potential to address the burden of perinatal depression and anxiety. Objectives: To identify the relevant implementation processes (who, what, where, and how) and to assess the effectiveness of counseling interventions delivered by nonspecialist providers for perinatal depression and anxiety in high-income countries. Data sources: CINAHL, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid MEDLINE In-Process, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Embase through December 31, 2019. Relevant systematic reviews were also considered. Study selection: Randomized clinical trials of counseling interventions that assessed depression or anxiety after intervention, delivered by a nonspecialist provider for adults, and that targeted perinatal populations in a high-income country were included. Self-help interventions that did not include a provider component were excluded. Data extraction and synthesis: Four researchers independently reviewed abstracts and full-text articles, and 2 independently rated the quality of included studies. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to estimate the benefits of the interventions. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses reporting guideline was followed. Main outcomes and measures: For implementation processes, the frequencies represented by a total or percentage were estimated, where the denominator is the total number of eligible trials, unless otherwise indicated. For effectiveness, primary and secondary outcome data of depression, anxiety, or both symptoms were used, with separate analyses for prevention and treatment, stratified by depression or anxiety. Subgroup analyses compared outcome types (anxiety vs depression) and study objectives (treatment vs prevention). Results: In total, 46 trials (18 321 participants) were included in the systematic review; 44 trials (18 101 participants) were included in the meta-analysis. Interventions were implemented across 11 countries, with the majority in Australia, UK, and US. Two-thirds (65%) of counseling interventions were provided by nurses and midwives, lasted a mean of 11.2 weeks (95% CI, 6.4-16.0 weeks), and most were delivered face to face (31 [67.4%]). Only 2 interventions were delivered online. A dearth of information related to important implementation processes, such as supervision, fidelity, and participant sociodemographic characteristics, was observed in many articles. Compared with controls, counseling interventions were associated with lower depressive symptoms (standardized mean difference [SMD], 0.24 [95% CI, 0.14-0.34]; 43 trials; I2 = 81%) and anxiety scores (SMD, 0.30 [95% CI, 0.11-0.50]; 11 trials; I2 = 80%). Treatment interventions were reported to be effective for both depressive symptoms (SMD, 0.38 [95% CI, 0.17-0.59]; 15 trials; I2 = 69%) and anxiety symptoms (SMD, 0.34 [95% CI, 0.09-0.58]; 6 trials; I2 = 71%). However, heterogeneity was high among the trials included in this analysis. Conclusions and relevance: This study found evidence in high-income countries indicating that nonspecialist providers may be effective in delivering counseling interventions. Additional studies are needed to assess digital interventions and ensure the reporting of implementation processes to inform the optimal delivery and scale-up of these services.

JAMA psychiatry · meta-analysis · 77 citationsread the source →

Psychiatric and neuropsychiatric presentations associated with severe coronavirus infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis with comparison to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Before the COVID-19 pandemic, coronaviruses caused two noteworthy outbreaks: severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), starting in 2002, and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), starting in 2012. We aimed to assess the psychiatric and neuropsychiatric presentations of SARS, MERS, and COVID-19. Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature databases (from their inception until March 18, 2020), and medRxiv, bioRxiv, and PsyArXiv (between Jan 1, 2020, and April 10, 2020) were searched by two independent researchers for all English-language studies or preprints reporting data on the psychiatric and neuropsychiatric presentations of individuals with suspected or laboratory-confirmed coronavirus infection (SARS coronavirus, MERS coronavirus, or SARS coronavirus 2). We excluded studies limited to neurological complications without specified neuropsychiatric presentations and those investigating the indirect effects of coronavirus infections on the mental health of people who are not infected, such as those mediated through physical distancing measures such as self-isolation or quarantine. Outcomes were psychiatric signs or symptoms; symptom severity; diagnoses based on ICD-10, DSM-IV, or the Chinese Classification of Mental Disorders (third edition) or psychometric scales; quality of life; and employment. Both the systematic review and the meta-analysis stratified outcomes across illness stages (acute vs post-illness) for SARS and MERS. We used a random-effects model for the meta-analysis, and the meta-analytical effect size was prevalence for relevant outcomes, I2 statistics, and assessment of study quality. Findings: 1963 studies and 87 preprints were identified by the systematic search, of which 65 peer-reviewed studies and seven preprints met inclusion criteria. The number of coronavirus cases of the included studies was 3559, ranging from 1 to 997, and the mean age of participants in studies ranged from 12·2 years (SD 4·1) to 68·0 years (single case report). Studies were from China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Canada, Saudi Arabia, France, Japan, Singapore, the UK, and the USA. Follow-up time for the post-illness studies varied between 60 days and 12 years. The systematic review revealed that during the acute illness, common symptoms among patients admitted to hospital for SARS or MERS included confusion (36 [27·9%; 95% CI 20·5-36·0] of 129 patients), depressed mood (42 [32·6%; 24·7-40·9] of 129), anxiety (46 [35·7%; 27·6-44·2] of 129), impaired memory (44 [34·1%; 26·2-42·5] of 129), and insomnia (54 [41·9%; 22·5-50·5] of 129). Steroid-induced mania and psychosis were reported in 13 (0·7%) of 1744 patients with SARS in the acute stage in one study. In the post-illness stage, depressed mood (35 [10·5%; 95% CI 7·5-14·1] of 332 patients), insomnia (34 [12·1%; 8·6-16·3] of 280), anxiety (21 [12·3%; 7·7-17·7] of 171), irritability (28 [12·8%; 8·7-17·6] of 218), memory impairment (44 [18·9%; 14·1-24·2] of 233), fatigue (61 [19·3%; 15·1-23·9] of 316), and in one study traumatic memories (55 [30·4%; 23·9-37·3] of 181) and sleep disorder (14 [100·0%; 88·0-100·0] of 14) were frequently reported. The meta-analysis indicated that in the post-illness stage the point prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder was 32·2% (95% CI 23·7-42·0; 121 of 402 cases from four studies), that of depression was 14·9% (12·1-18·2; 77 of 517 cases from five studies), and that of anxiety disorders was 14·8% (11·1-19·4; 42 of 284 cases from three studies). 446 (76·9%; 95% CI 68·1-84·6) of 580 patients from six studies had returned to work at a mean follow-up time of 35·3 months (SD 40·1). When data for patients with COVID-19 were examined (including preprint data), there was evidence for delirium (confusion in 26 [65%] of 40 intensive care unit patients and agitation in 40 [69%] of 58 intensive care unit patients in one study, and altered consciousness in 17 [21%] of 82 patients who subsequently died in another study). At discharge, 15 (33%) of 45 patients with COVID-19 who were assessed had a dysexecutive syndrome in one study. At the time of writing, there were two reports of hypoxic encephalopathy and one report of encephalitis. 68 (94%) of the 72 studies were of either low or medium quality. Interpretation: If infection with SARS-CoV-2 follows a similar course to that with SARS-CoV or MERS-CoV, most patients should recover without experiencing mental illness. SARS-CoV-2 might cause delirium in a significant proportion of patients in the acute stage. Clinicians should be aware of the possibility of depression, anxiety, fatigue, post-traumatic stress disorder, and rarer neuropsychiatric syndromes in the longer term. Funding: Wellcome Trust, UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), UK Medical Research Council, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and University College London.

The lancet. Psychiatry · meta-analysis · 1531 citationsread the source →

Efficacy of school-based interventions aimed at decreasing sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among adolescents: a systematic review.

Objective: To verify the efficacy of school-based interventions aimed at reducing sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption among adolescents in order to develop or improve public health interventions. Design: Systematic review of interventions targeting adolescents and/or the school environment. Setting: The following databases were investigated: MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL and EMBASE. Proquest Dissertations and Theses was also investigated for unpublished trials. Subjects: Adolescents were defined as individuals between the ages of 12 and 17 years. Results: A total of thirty-six studies detailing thirty-six different interventions tested among independent samples (n 152 001) were included in the review. Twenty interventions were classified as educational/behavioural and ten were classified as legislative/environmental interventions. Only six interventions targeted both individuals and their environment. Over 70 % of all interventions, regardless of whether they targeted individuals, their environment or both, were effective in decreasing SSB consumption. Legislative/environmental studies had the highest success rate (90·0 %). Educational/behavioural interventions only and interventions that combined educational/behavioural and legislative/environmental approaches were almost equally effective in reducing SSB consumption with success rates of 65·0 and 66·7 %, respectively. Among the interventions that had an educational/behavioural component, 61·5 % were theory-based. The behaviour change techniques most frequently used in interventions were providing information about the health consequences of performing the behaviour (72·2 %), restructuring the physical environment (47·2 %), behavioural goal setting (36·1 %), self-monitoring of behaviour (33·3 %), threat to health (30·6 %) and providing general social support (30·6 %). Conclusions: School-based interventions show promising results to reduce SSB consumption among adolescents. A number of recommendations are made to improve future studies.

Public health nutrition · meta-analysis · 69 citationsread the source →

Video calls for reducing social isolation and loneliness in older people: a rapid review.

Background: The current COVID-19 pandemic has been identified as a possible trigger for increases in loneliness and social isolation among older people due to the restrictions on movement that many countries have put in place. Loneliness and social isolation are consistently identified as risk factors for poor mental and physical health in older people. Video calls may help older people stay connected during the current crisis by widening the participant's social circle or by increasing the frequency of contact with existing acquaintances. Objectives: The primary objective of this rapid review is to assess the effectiveness of video calls for reducing social isolation and loneliness in older adults. The review also sought to address the effectiveness of video calls on reducing symptoms of depression and improving quality of life. Search methods: We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and CINAHL from 1 January 2004 to 7 April 2020. We also searched the references of relevant systematic reviews. Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs (including cluster designs) were eligible for inclusion. We excluded all other study designs. The samples in included studies needed to have a mean age of at least 65 years. We included studies that included participants whether or not they were experiencing symptoms of loneliness or social isolation at baseline. Any intervention in which a core component involved the use of the internet to facilitate video calls or video conferencing through computers, smartphones or tablets with the intention of reducing loneliness or social isolation, or both, in older adults was eligible for inclusion. We included studies in the review if they reported self-report measures of loneliness, social isolation, symptoms of depression or quality of life.  Two review authors screened 25% of abstracts; a third review author resolved conflicts. A single review author screened the remaining abstracts. The second review author screened all excluded abstracts and we resolved conflicts by consensus or by involving a third review author. We followed the same process for full-text articles. Data collection and analysis: One review author extracted data, which another review author checked. The primary outcomes were loneliness and social isolation and the secondary outcomes were symptoms of depression and quality of life. One review author rated the certainty of evidence for the primary outcomes according to the GRADE approach and another review author checked the ratings. We conducted fixed-effect meta-analyses for the primary outcome, loneliness, and the secondary outcome, symptoms of depression. Main results: We identified three cluster quasi-randomised trials, which together included 201 participants. The included studies compared video call interventions to usual care in nursing homes. None of these studies were conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Each study measured loneliness using the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Total scores range from 20 (least lonely) to 80 (most lonely). The evidence was very uncertain and suggests that video calls may result in little to no difference in scores on the UCLA Loneliness Scale compared to usual care at three months (mean difference (MD) -0.44, 95% confidence interval (CI) -3.28 to 2.41; 3 studies; 201 participants), at six months (MD -0.34, 95% CI -3.41 to 2.72; 2 studies; 152 participants) and at 12 months (MD -2.40, 95% CI -7.20 to 2.40; 1 study; 90 participants). We downgraded the certainty of this evidence by three levels for study limitations, imprecision and indirectness. None of the included studies reported social isolation as an outcome. Each study measured symptoms of depression using the Geriatric Depression Scale. Total scores range from 0 (better) to 30 (worse). The evidence was very uncertain and suggests that video calls may result in little to no difference in scores on the Geriatric Depression Scale compared to usual care at three months' follow-up (MD 0.41, 95% CI -0.90 to 1.72; 3 studies; 201 participants) or six months' follow-up (MD -0.83, 95% CI -2.43 to 0.76; 2 studies, 152 participants). The evidence suggests that video calls may have a small effect on symptoms of depression at one-year follow-up, though this finding is imprecise (MD -2.04, 95% CI -3.98 to -0.10; 1 study; 90 participants). We downgraded the certainty of this evidence by three levels for study limitations, imprecision and indirectness. Only one study, with 62 participants, reported quality of life. The study measured quality of life using a Taiwanese adaptation of the Short-Form 36-question health survey (SF-36), which consists of eight subscales that measure different aspects of quality of life: physical function; physical role; emotional role; social function; pain: vitality; mental health; and physical health. Each subscale is scored from 0 (poor health) to 100 (good health). The evidence is very uncertain and suggests that there may be little to no difference between people allocated to usual care and those allocated to video calls in three-month scores in physical function (MD 2.88, 95% CI -5.01 to 10.77), physical role (MD -7.66, 95% CI -24.08 to 8.76), emotional role (MD -7.18, 95% CI -16.23 to 1.87), social function (MD 2.77, 95% CI -8.87 to 14.41), pain scores (MD -3.25, 95% CI -15.11 to 8.61), vitality scores (MD -3.60, 95% CI -9.01 to 1.81), mental health (MD 9.19, 95% CI 0.36 to 18.02) and physical health (MD 5.16, 95% CI -2.48 to 12.80). We downgraded the certainty of this evidence by three levels for study limitations, imprecision and indirectness. Authors' conclusions: Based on this review there is currently very uncertain evidence on the effectiveness of video call interventions to reduce loneliness in older adults. The review did not include any studies that reported evidence of the effectiveness of video call interventions to address social isolation in older adults. The evidence regarding the effectiveness of video calls for outcomes of symptoms of depression was very uncertain. Future research in this area needs to use more rigorous methods and more diverse and representative participants. Specifically, future studies should target older adults, who are demonstrably lonely or socially isolated, or both, across a range of settings to determine whether video call interventions are effective in a population in which these outcomes are in need of improvement.

The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · meta-analysis · 128 citationsread the source →

Interventions for the treatment of metastatic extradural spinal cord compression in adults.

Background: Metastatic extradural spinal cord compression (MESCC) is treated with radiotherapy, corticosteroids, and surgery, but there is uncertainty regarding their comparative effects. This is an updated version of the original Cochrane review published in theCochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Issue 4, 2008). Objectives: To determine the efficacy and safety of radiotherapy, surgery and corticosteroids in MESCC. Search methods: In March 2015, we updated previous searches (July 2008 and December 2013) of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, LILACS, CANCERLIT, clinical trials registries, conference proceedings, and references, without language restrictions. We also contacted experts for relevant published, unpublished and ongoing trials. Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of radiotherapy, surgery and corticosteroids in adults with MESCC. Data collection and analysis: Three authors independently screened and selected trials, assessed risk of bias, and extracted data. We sought clarifications from trial authors. Where possible, we pooled relative risks with their 95% confidence intervals, using a random effects model if heterogeneity was significant. We assessed overall evidence-quality using the GRADE approach. Main results: This update includes seven trials involving 876 (723 evaluable) adult participants (19 to 87 years) in high-income countries. Most were free of the risk of bias. Different radiotherapy doses and schedulesTwo equivalence trials in people with MESCC and a poor prognosis evaluated different radiotherapy doses and schedules. In one, a single dose (8 Gray (Gy)) of radiotherapy (RT) was as effective as short-course RT (16 Gy in two fractions over one week) in enhancing ambulation in the short term (65% versus 69%; risk ratio (RR) was 0.93, (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.82 to 1.04); 303 participants; moderate quality evidence). The regimens were also equally effective in reducing analgesic and narcotic use (34% versus 40%; RR 0.85, 95% CI 0.62 to 1.16; 271 participants), and in maintaining urinary continence (90% versus 87%; RR 1.03, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.1; 303 participants) in the short term (moderate quality evidence). In the other trial, split-course RT (30 Gy in eight fractions over two weeks) was no different from short-course RT in enhancing ambulation (70% versus 68%; RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.9 to 1.15; 276 participants); reducing analgesic and narcotic use (49% versus 38%; RR 1.27, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.67; 262 participants); and in maintaining urinary continence (87% versus 90%; RR 0.97, 0.93 to 1.02; 275 participants) in the short term (moderate quality evidence). Median survival was similar with the three RT regimens (four months). Local tumour recurrence may be more common with single-dose compared to short-course RT (6% versus 3%; RR 2.21, 95% CI 0.69 to 7.01; 303 participants) and with short-course compared to split-course RT (4% versus 0%; RR 0.1, 95% CI 0.01 to 1.72; 276 participants), but these differences were not statistically significant (low quality evidence). Gastrointestinal adverse effects were infrequent with the three RT regimens (moderate quality evidence), and serious adverse events or post-radiotherapy myelopathy were not noted. We did not find trials comparing radiotherapy schedules in people with MESCC and a good prognosis. Surgery plus radiotherapy compared to radiotherapyLaminectomy plus RT offered no advantage over RT in one small trial with 29 participants (very low quality evidence). In another trial that was stopped early for apparent benefit, decompressive surgery plus RT resulted in better ambulatory rates (84% versus 57%; RR 1.48, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.90; 101 participants, low quality evidence). Narcotic use may also be lower, and bladder control may also be maintained longer than with than RT in selected patients (low quality evidence). Median survival was longer after surgery (126 days versus 100 days), but the proportions surviving at one month (94% versus 86%; RR 1.09, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.24; 101 participants) did not differ significantly (low quality evidence). Serious adverse events were not noted. Significant benefits with surgery occurred only in people younger than 65 years. High dose corticosteroids compared to moderate dose or no corticosteroidsData from three small trials suggest that high-dose steroids may not differ from moderate-dose or no corticosteroids in enhancing ambulation (60% versus 55%; RR 1.08, 95% CI 0.81 to 1.45; 3 RCTs, 105 participants); survival over two years (11% versus 10%; RR 1.11, 95% CI 0.24 to 5.05; 1 RCT, 57 participants); pain reduction (78% versus 91%; RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.62 to 1.20; 1 RCT, 25 participants); or urinary continence (63% versus 53%; RR 1.18, 95% CI 0.66 to 2.13; 1 RCT, 34 participants; low quality evidence). Serious adverse effects were more frequent with high-dose corticosteroids (17% versus 0%; RR 8.02, 95% CI 1.03 to 62.37; 2 RCTs, 77 participants; moderate quality evidence).None of the trials reported satisfaction with care or quality of life in participants. Authors' conclusions: Based on current evidence, ambulant adults with MESCC with stable spines and predicted survival of less than six months will probably benefit as much from one dose of radiation (8 Gy) as from two doses (16 Gy) or eight doses (30 Gy). We are unsure if a single dose is as effective as two or more doses in preventing local tumour recurrence. Laminectomy preceding radiotherapy may offer no benefits over radiotherapy alone. Decompressive surgery followed by radiotherapy may benefit ambulant and non-ambulant adults younger than 65 years of age, with poor prognostic factors for radiotherapy, a single area of compression, paraplegia for less than 48 hours, and a predicted survival of more than six months. We are uncertain whether high doses of corticosteroids offer any benefits over moderate doses or indeed no corticosteroids; but high-dose steroids probably significantly increases the risk of serious adverse effects. Early detection; and treatment based on neurological status, age and estimated survival, are crucial with all treatment modalities. Most of the evidence was of low quality. High-quality evidence from more trials is needed to clarify current uncertainties, and some studies are in progress.

The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · meta-analysis · 39 citationsread the source →

Gender differences in depression in representative national samples: Meta-analyses of diagnoses and symptoms.

In 2 meta-analyses on gender differences in depression in nationally representative samples, we advance previous work by including studies of depression diagnoses and symptoms to (a) estimate the magnitude of the gender difference in depression across a wide array of nations and ages; (b) use a developmental perspective to elucidate patterns of gender differences across the life span; and (c) incorporate additional theory-driven moderators (e.g., gender equity). For major depression diagnoses and depression symptoms, respectively, we meta-analyzed data from 65 and 95 articles and their corresponding national data sets, representing data from 1,716,195 and 1,922,064 people in over 90 different nations. Overall, odds ratio (OR) = 1.95, 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.88, 2.03], and d = 0.27 [0.26, 0.29]. Age was the strongest predictor of effect size. The gender difference for diagnoses emerged earlier than previously thought, with OR = 2.37 at age 12. For both meta-analyses, the gender difference peaked in adolescence (OR = 3.02 for ages 13-15, and d = 0.47 for age 16) but then declined and remained stable in adulthood. Cross-national analyses indicated that larger gender differences were found in nations with greater gender equity, for major depression, but not depression symptoms. The gender difference in depression represents a health disparity, especially in adolescence, yet the magnitude of the difference indicates that depression in men should not be overlooked. (PsycINFO Database Record

Psychological bulletin · meta-analysis · 1630 citationsread the source →

Social contact patterns and implications for infectious disease transmission - a systematic review and meta-analysis of contact surveys.

Background: Transmission of respiratory pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 depends on patterns of contact and mixing across populations. Understanding this is crucial to predict pathogen spread and the effectiveness of control efforts. Most analyses of contact patterns to date have focused on high-income settings. Methods: Here, we conduct a systematic review and individual-participant meta-analysis of surveys carried out in low- and middle-income countries and compare patterns of contact in these settings to surveys previously carried out in high-income countries. Using individual-level data from 28,503 participants and 413,069 contacts across 27 surveys, we explored how contact characteristics (number, location, duration, and whether physical) vary across income settings. Results: Contact rates declined with age in high- and upper-middle-income settings, but not in low-income settings, where adults aged 65+ made similar numbers of contacts as younger individuals and mixed with all age groups. Across all settings, increasing household size was a key determinant of contact frequency and characteristics, with low-income settings characterised by the largest, most intergenerational households. A higher proportion of contacts were made at home in low-income settings, and work/school contacts were more frequent in high-income strata. We also observed contrasting effects of gender across income strata on the frequency, duration, and type of contacts individuals made. Conclusions: These differences in contact patterns between settings have material consequences for both spread of respiratory pathogens and the effectiveness of different non-pharmaceutical interventions. Funding: This work is primarily being funded by joint Centre funding from the UK Medical Research Council and DFID (MR/R015600/1).

eLife · meta-analysis · 87 citationsread the source →

Effects of Balance Training on Balance Performance in Healthy Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: The effects of balance training (BT) in older adults on proxies of postural control and mobility are well documented in the literature. However, evidence-based dose-response relationships in BT modalities (i.e., training period, training frequency, training volume) have not yet been established in healthy older adults. Objectives: The objectives of this systematic literature review and meta-analysis are to quantify BT intervention effects and to additionally characterize dose-response relationships of BT modalities (e.g., training period, training frequency) through the analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that could maximize improvements in balance performance in healthy community-dwelling older adults. Data sources: A computerized systematic literature search was performed in the electronic databases PubMed and Web of Science from January 1985 up to January 2015 to capture all articles related to BT in healthy old community-dwelling adults. Study eligibility criteria: A systematic approach was used to evaluate the 345 articles identified for initial review. Only RCTs were included if they investigated BT in healthy community-dwelling adults aged ≥65 years and tested at least one behavioral balance performance outcome (e.g., center of pressure displacements during single-leg stance). In total, 23 studies met the inclusionary criteria for review. Study appraisal and synthesis methods: Weighted mean standardized mean differences between subjects (SMDbs) of the intervention-induced adaptations in balance performance were calculated using a random-effects model and tested for an overall intervention effect relative to passive controls. The included studies were coded for the following criteria: training modalities (i.e., training period, training frequency, training volume) and balance outcomes [static/dynamic steady-state (i.e., maintaining a steady position during standing and walking), proactive balance (i.e., anticipation of a predicted perturbation), reactive balance (i.e., compensation of an unpredicted perturbation) as well as balance test batteries (i.e., combined testing of different balance components as for example the Berg Balance Scale)]. Heterogeneity between studies was assessed using I2 and Chi2-statistics. The methodological quality of each study was tested by means of the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) Scale. Results: Weighted mean SMDbs showed that BT is an effective means to improve static steady-state (mean SMDbs = 0.51), dynamic steady-state (mean SMDbs = 0.44), proactive (mean SMDbs = 1.73), and reactive balance (mean SMDbs = 1.01) as well as the performance in balance test batteries (mean SMDbs = 1.52) in healthy older adults. Our analyses regarding dose-response relationships in BT revealed that a training period of 11-12 weeks (mean SMDbs= 1.26), a frequency of three training sessions per week (mean SMDbs= 1.20), a total number of 36-40 training sessions (mean SMDbs = 1.39), a duration of a single training session of 31-45 min (mean SMDbs = 1.19), and a total duration of 91-120 min of BT per week (mean SMDbs = 1.93) of the applied training modalities is most effective in improving overall balance performance. However, it has to be noted that effect sizes for the respective training modalities were computed independently (i.e., modality specific). Because of the small number of studies that reported detailed information on training volume (i.e., number of exercises per training session, number of sets and/or repetitions per exercise, duration of single-balance exercises) dose-response relationships were not computed for these parameters. Limitations: The present findings have to be interpreted with caution because we indirectly compared dose-response relationships across studies using SMDbs and not in a single controlled study as it is difficult to separate the impact of a single training modality (e.g., training frequency) from that of the others. Moreover, the quality of the included studies was rather limited with a mean PEDro score of 5 and the heterogeneity between studies was considerable (i.e., I2 = 76-92 %). Conclusions: Our detailed analyses revealed that BT is an effective means to improve proxies of static/dynamic steady-state, proactive, and reactive balance as well as performance in balance test batteries in healthy older adults. Furthermore, we were able to establish effective BT modalities to improve balance performance in healthy older adults. Thus, practitioners and therapists are advised to consult the identified dose-response relationships of this systematic literature review and meta-analysis. However, further research of high methodologic quality is needed to determine (1) dose-response relationships of BT in terms of detailed information on training volume (e.g., number of exercises per training session) and (2) a feasible and effective method to regulate training intensity in BT.

Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · meta-analysis · 265 citationsread the source →

Global patterns of mortality in international migrants: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: 258 million people reside outside their country of birth; however, to date no global systematic reviews or meta-analyses of mortality data for these international migrants have been done. We aimed to review and synthesise available mortality data on international migrants. Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases for observational studies, systematic reviews, and randomised controlled trials published between Jan 1, 2001, and March 31, 2017, without language restrictions. We included studies reporting mortality outcomes for international migrants of any age residing outside their country of birth. Studies that recruited participants exclusively from intensive care or high dependency hospital units, with an existing health condition or status, or a particular health exposure were excluded. We also excluded studies limited to maternal or perinatal outcomes. We screened studies using systematic review software and extracted data from published reports. The main outcomes were all-cause and International Classification of Diseases, tenth revision (ICD-10) cause-specific standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) and absolute mortality rates. We calculated summary estimates using random-effects models. This study is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42017073608. Findings: Of the 12 480 articles identified by our search, 96 studies were eligible for inclusion. The studies were geographically diverse and included data from all global regions and for 92 countries. 5464 mortality estimates for more than 15·2 million migrants were included, of which 5327 (97%) were from high-income countries, 115 (2%) were from middle-income countries, and 22 (<1%) were from low-income countries. Few studies included mortality estimates for refugees (110 estimates), asylum seekers (144 estimates), or labour migrants (six estimates). The summary estimate of all-cause SMR for international migrants was lower than one when compared with the general population in destination countries (0·70 [95% CI 0·65-0·76]; I2=99·8%). All-cause SMR was lower in both male migrants (0·72 [0·63-0·81]; I2=99·8%) and female migrants (0·75 [0·67-0·84]; I2=99·8%) compared with the general population. A mortality advantage was evident for refugees (SMR 0·50 [0·46-0·54]; I2=89·8%), but not for asylum seekers (1·05 [0·89-1·24]; I2=54·4%), although limited data was available on these groups. SMRs for all causes of death were lower in migrants compared with the general populations in the destination country across all 13 ICD-10 categories analysed, with the exception of infectious diseases and external causes. Heterogeneity was high across the majority of analyses. Point estimates of all-cause age-standardised mortality in migrants ranged from 420 to 874 per 100 000 population. Interpretation: Our study showed that international migrants have a mortality advantage compared with general populations, and that this advantage persisted across the majority of ICD-10 disease categories. The mortality advantage identified will be representative of international migrants in high-income countries who are studying, working, or have joined family members in these countries. However, our results might not reflect the health outcomes of more marginalised groups in low-income and middle-income countries because little data were available for these groups, highlighting an important gap in existing research. Our results present an opportunity to reframe the public discourse on international migration and health in high-income countries. Funding: Wellcome Trust, National Institute for Health Research, Medical Research Council, Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, Department for International Development, Fogarty International Center, Grand Challenges Canada, International Development Research Centre Canada, Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, National Cancer Institute, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institute of Mental Health, Swiss National Science Foundation, World Diabetes Foundation, UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, and European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) Study Group Research Funding for the ESCMID Study Group for Infections in Travellers and Migrants.

Lancet (London, England) · meta-analysis · 198 citationsread the source →

Pilot randomized controlled trial of individual meaning-centered psychotherapy for patients with advanced cancer.

Purpose: Spiritual well-being and sense of meaning are important concerns for clinicians who care for patients with cancer. We developed Individual Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy (IMCP) to address the need for brief interventions targeting spiritual well-being and meaning for patients with advanced cancer. Patients and methods: Patients with stage III or IV cancer (N = 120) were randomly assigned to seven sessions of either IMCP or therapeutic massage (TM). Patients were assessed before and after completing the intervention and 2 months postintervention. Primary outcome measures assessed spiritual well-being and quality of life; secondary outcomes included anxiety, depression, hopelessness, symptom burden, and symptom-related distress. Results: Of the 120 participants randomly assigned, 78 (65%) completed the post-treatment assessment and 67 (56%) completed the 2-month follow-up. At the post-treatment assessment, IMCP participants demonstrated significantly greater improvement than the control condition for the primary outcomes of spiritual well-being (b = 0.39; P <.001, including both components of spiritual well-being (sense of meaning: b = 0.34; P = .003 and faith: b = 0.42; P = .03), and quality of life (b = 0.76; P = .013). Significantly greater improvements for IMCP patients were also observed for the secondary outcomes of symptom burden (b = -6.56; P < .001) and symptom-related distress (b = -0.47; P < .001) but not for anxiety, depression, or hopelessness. At the 2-month follow-up assessment, the improvements observed for the IMCP group were no longer significantly greater than those observed for the TM group. Conclusion: IMCP has clear short-term benefits for spiritual suffering and quality of life in patients with advanced cancer. Clinicians working with patients who have advanced cancer should consider IMCP as an approach to enhance quality of life and spiritual well-being.

Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · randomised controlled trial · 259 citationsread the source →

The Mistreatment of Women during Childbirth in Health Facilities Globally: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review.

Background: Despite growing recognition of neglectful, abusive, and disrespectful treatment of women during childbirth in health facilities, there is no consensus at a global level on how these occurrences are defined and measured. This mixed-methods systematic review aims to synthesize qualitative and quantitative evidence on the mistreatment of women during childbirth in health facilities to inform the development of an evidence-based typology of the phenomenon. Methods and findings: We searched PubMed, CINAHL, and Embase databases and grey literature using a predetermined search strategy to identify qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies on the mistreatment of women during childbirth across all geographical and income-level settings. We used a thematic synthesis approach to synthesize the qualitative evidence and assessed the confidence in the qualitative review findings using the CERQual approach. In total, 65 studies were included from 34 countries. Qualitative findings were organized under seven domains: (1) physical abuse, (2) sexual abuse, (3) verbal abuse, (4) stigma and discrimination, (5) failure to meet professional standards of care, (6) poor rapport between women and providers, and (7) health system conditions and constraints. Due to high heterogeneity of the quantitative data, we were unable to conduct a meta-analysis; instead, we present descriptions of study characteristics, outcome measures, and results. Additional themes identified in the quantitative studies are integrated into the typology. Conclusions: This systematic review presents a comprehensive, evidence-based typology of the mistreatment of women during childbirth in health facilities, and demonstrates that mistreatment can occur at the level of interaction between the woman and provider, as well as through systemic failures at the health facility and health system levels. We propose this typology be adopted to describe the phenomenon and be used to develop measurement tools and inform future research, programs, and interventions.

PLoS medicine · systematic review · 950 citationsread the source →

Extended and standard duration weight-loss programme referrals for adults in primary care (WRAP): a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Evidence exist that primary care referral to an open-group behavioural programme is an effective strategy for management of obesity, but little evidence on optimal intervention duration is available. We aimed to establish whether 52-week referral to an open-group weight-management programme would achieve greater weight loss and improvements in a range of health outcomes and be more cost-effective than the current practice of 12-week referrals. Methods: In this non-blinded, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial, we recruited participants who were aged 18 years or older and had body-mass index (BMI) of 28 kg/m2 or higher from 23 primary care practices in England. Participants were randomly assigned (2:5:5) to brief advice and self-help materials, a weight-management programme (Weight Watchers) for 12 weeks, or the same weight-management programme for 52 weeks. We followed-up participants over 2 years. The primary outcome was weight at 1 year of follow-up, analysed with mixed-effects models according to intention-to-treat principles and adjusted for centre and baseline weight. In a hierarchical closed-testing procedure, we compared combined behavioural programme arms with brief intervention, then compared the 12-week programme and 52-week programme. We did a within-trial cost-effectiveness analysis using person-level data and modelled outcomes over a 25-year time horizon using microsimulation. This study is registered with Current Controlled Trials, number ISRCTN82857232. Findings: Between Oct 18, 2012, and Feb 10, 2014, we enrolled 1269 participants. 1267 eligible participants were randomly assigned to the brief intervention (n=211), the 12-week programme (n=528), and the 52-week programme (n=528). Two participants in the 12-week programme had been found to be ineligible shortly after randomisation and were excluded from the analysis. 823 (65%) of 1267 participants completed an assessment at 1 year and 856 (68%) participants at 2 years. All eligible participants were included in the analyses. At 1 year, mean weight changes in the groups were -3·26 kg (brief intervention), -4·75 kg (12-week programme), and -6·76 kg (52-week programme). Participants in the behavioural programme lost more weight than those in the brief intervention (adjusted difference -2·71 kg, 95% CI -3·86 to -1·55; p<0·0001). The 52-week programme was more effective than the 12-week programme (-2·14 kg, -3·05 to -1·22; p<0·0001). Differences between groups were still significant at 2 years. No adverse events related to the intervention were reported. Over 2 years, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER; compared with brief intervention) was £159 per kg lost for the 52-week programme and £91 per kg for the 12-week programme. Modelled over 25 years after baseline, the ICER for the 12-week programme was dominant compared with the brief intervention. The ICER for the 52-week programme was cost-effective compared with the brief intervention (£2394 per quality-adjusted life-year [QALY]) and the 12-week programme (£3804 per QALY). Interpretation: For adults with overweight or obesity, referral to this open-group behavioural weight-loss programme for at least 12 weeks is more effective than brief advice and self-help materials. A 52-week programme produces greater weight loss and other clinical benefits than a 12-week programme and, although it costs more, modelling suggests that the 52-week programme is cost-effective in the longer term. Funding: National Prevention Research Initiative, Weight Watchers International (as part of an UK Medical Research Council Industrial Collaboration Award).

Lancet (London, England) · randomised controlled trial · 156 citationsread the source →

Sweet-tasting solutions for needle-related procedural pain in infants one month to one year of age.

Background: Administration of oral sucrose or glucose with and without non-nutritive sucking is frequently used as a non-pharmacological intervention for needle-related procedural pain relief in infants. Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of sweet-tasting solutions for needle-related procedural pain in infants one month to one year of age compared with no treatment, placebo, other sweet-tasting solutions, or pharmacological or other non-pharmacological pain-relieving methods. Search methods: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2012); MEDLINE via Ovid (1966 to 2012); CINAHL via OVID (1982 to 2012). The World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform was also searched for any ongoing trials. Clinical trial registries, conference proceedings and references for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were also searched. An updated search was run to capture any new publications before finalising the review in April 2012 and no new included studies were identified. Two review authors (MK & JF) independently abstracted data and assessed quality using a standard form. Authors have been contacted for missing data. Selection criteria: Randomised-controlled trials using a sweet-tasting solution to treat pain in healthy term infants (gestational age 37 weeks and over), between one month and 12 months of age who required needle-related procedures. These procedures included but were not limited to: subcutaneous or intramuscular injections, venepuncture, and heel lance. Studies in which the painful procedure was circumcision, lumbar puncture or supra-pubic bladder aspiration were not included as they are more severe and painful than needle-related procedures. Control conditions included no treatment or placebo (water) or any other identical intervention (same appearance and consistency) without active ingredient, another sweet-tasting solution, a pharmacological pain-relieving method (e.g. paracetamol, topical anaesthetic cream), non-pharmacological pain-relieving method (e.g. distraction method, non-nutritive sucking). Data collection and analysis: Assessment of trial quality, data extraction and synthesis of data were performed using standard methods of the Cochrane Pain, Palliative and Supportive Care Group. We report mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) using fixed-effect models as appropriate for continuous outcome measures. We planned to report risk ratio (RR) and risk difference (RD) for dichotomous outcomes. The Chi(2) test and I(2) statistic were used to assess between-study heterogeneity. Main results: Sixty-five (65) studies were identified for possible inclusion in this review. Fourteen published RCTs with a total of 1551 participants met the inclusion criteria. Duration of cry was significantly reduced in infants who were administered a sweet-tasting solution [MD -13.47 (95% CI -16.80 to -10.15)], P < 0.00001 compared with water. However, there was considerable heterogeneity between the studies (I(2) = 94%) that we were unable to explain. Meta-analysis was not able to be undertaken for any of the other outcome measures, except for cry duration, because of differences in study design. However, most of the individual studies that measured pain found sucrose to significantly reduce pain compared with the control group. One study compared sucrose and Lidocaine-prilocaine cream and no significant difference was found between the two treatments for the outcomes pain and cry duration. Due to the differences between the studies, we were unable to identify the optimal concentration, volume or method of administration of sweet-tasting solutions in infants aged one to 12 months. Further large RCTs are needed. Authors' conclusions: There is insufficient evidence to confidently judge the effectiveness of sweet-tasting solutions in reducing needle-related pain in infants (one month to 12 months of age). The treatments do, however, appear promising. Data from a series of individual trials are promising, as are the results from a subset meta-analysis of studies measuring duration of crying. Further well controlled RCTs are warranted in this population to determine the optimal concentration, volume, method of administration, and possible adverse effects.

The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · meta-analysis · 26 citationsread the source →

Smoking cessation for people with severe mental illness (SCIMITAR+): a pragmatic randomised controlled trial.

Background: People with severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia are three times more likely to smoke than the wider population, contributing to widening health inequalities. Smoking remains the largest modifiable risk factor for this health inequality, but people with severe mental illness have not historically engaged with smoking cessation services. We aimed to test the effectiveness of a combined behavioural and pharmacological smoking cessation intervention targeted specifically at people with severe mental illness. Methods: In the smoking cessation intervention for severe mental illness (SCIMITAR+) trial, a pragmatic, randomised controlled study, we recruited heavy smokers with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia from 16 primary care and 21 community-based mental health sites in the UK. Participants were eligible if they were aged 18 years or older, and smoked at least five cigarettes per day. Exclusion criteria included substantial comorbid drug or alcohol problems and people who lacked capacity to consent at the time of recruitment. Using computer-generated random numbers, participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to a bespoke smoking cessation intervention or to usual care. Participants, mental health specialists, and primary care physicians were unmasked to assignment. The bespoke smoking cessation intervention consisted of behavioural support from a mental health smoking cessation practitioner and pharmacological aids for smoking cessation, with adaptations for people with severe mental illness-such as, extended pre-quit sessions, cut down to quit, and home visits. Access to pharmacotherapy was via primary care after discussion with the smoking cessation specialist. Under usual care participants were offered access to local smoking cessation services not specifically designed for people with severe mental illnesses. The primary endpoint was smoking cessation at 12 months ascertained via carbon monoxide measurements below 10 parts per million and self-reported cessation for the past 7 days. Secondary endpoints were biologically verified smoking cessation at 6 months; number of cigarettes smoked per day, Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) and Motivation to Quit (MTQ) questionnaire; general and mental health functioning determined via the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) questionnaire, and 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12); and body-mass index (BMI). This trial was registerd with the ISRCTN registry, number ISRCTN72955454, and is complete. Findings: Between Oct 7, 2015, and Dec 16, 2016, 526 eligible patients were randomly assigned to the bespoke smoking cessation intervention (n=265) or usual care (n=261). 309 (59%) participants were male, median age was 47·2 years (IQR 36·3-54·5), with high nicotine dependence (mean 24 cigarettes per day [SD 13·2]), and the most common severe mental disorders were schizophrenia or other psychotic illness (n=343 [65%]), bipolar disorder (n=115 [22%]), and schizoaffective disorder (n=66 [13%]). 234 (88%) of intervention participants engaged with the treatment programme and attended 6·4 (SD 3·5) quit smoking sessions, with an average duration of 39 min (SD 17; median 35 min, range 5-120). Verified quit data at 12 months were available for 219 (84%) of 261 usual care and 223 (84%) of 265 intervention participants. The proportion of participants who had quit at 12 months was higher in the intervention group than in the usual care group, but non-significantly (34 [15%] of 223 [13% of those assigned to group] vs 22 [10%] of 219 [8% of those assigned to group], risk difference 5·2%, 95% CI -1·0 to 11·4; odds ratio [OR] 1·6, 95% CI 0·9 to 2·9; p=0·10). The proportion of participants who quit at 6 months was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the usual care group (32 [14%] of 226 vs 14 [6%] of 217; risk difference 7·7%, 95% CI 2·1 to 13·3; OR 2·4, 95% CI 1·2 to 4·6; p=0·010). The incidence rate ratio for number of cigarettes smoked per day at 6 months was 0·90 (95% CI 0·80 to 1·01; p=0·079), and at 12 months was 1·00 (0·89 to 1·13; p=0·95). At both 6 months and 12 months, the intervention group was non-significantly favoured in the FTND (adjusted mean difference 6 months -0·18, 95% CI -0·53 to 0·17, p=0·32; and 12 months -0·01, -0·39 to 0·38, p=0·97) and MTQ questionnaire (adjusted mean difference 0·58, -0·01 to 1·17, p=0·056; and 12 months 0·64, 0·04 to 1·24, p=0·038). The PHQ-9 showed no difference between the groups (adjusted mean difference at 6 months 0·20, 95% CI -0·85 to 1·24 vs 12 months -0·12, -1·18 to 0·94). For the SF-12 survey, we saw evidence of improvement in physical health in the intervention group at 6 months (adjusted mean difference 1·75, 95% CI 0·21 to 3·28), but this difference was not evident at 12 months (0·59, -1·07 to 2·26); and we saw no difference in mental health between the groups at 6 or 12 months (adjusted mean difference at 6 months -0·73, 95% CI -2·82 to 1·36, and 12 months -0·41, -2·35 to 1·53). The GAD-7 questionnaire showed no difference between the groups (adjusted mean difference at 6 months -0·32 95% CI -1·26 to 0·62 vs 12 months -0·10, -1·05 to 0·86). No difference in BMI was seen between the groups (adjusted mean difference 6 months 0·16, 95% CI -0·54 to 0·85; 12 months 0·25, -0·62 to 1·13). Interpretation: This bespoke intervention is a candidate model of smoking cessation for clinicians and policy makers to address high prevalence of smoking. The incidence of quitting at 6 months shows that smoking cessation can be achieved, but the waning of this effect by 12 months means more effort is needed for sustained quitting. Funding: National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment Programme.

The lancet. Psychiatry · randomised controlled trial · 134 citationsread the source →

Populations and Interventions for Palliative and End-of-Life Care: A Systematic Review.

Importance: Evidence supports palliative care effectiveness. Given workforce constraints and the costs of new services, payers and providers need help to prioritize their investments. They need to know which patients to target, which personnel to hire, and which services best improve outcomes. Objective: To inform how payers and providers should identify patients with "advanced illness" and the specific interventions they should implement, we reviewed the evidence to identify (1) individuals appropriate for palliative care and (2) elements of health service interventions (personnel involved, use of multidisciplinary teams, and settings of care) effective in achieving better outcomes for patients, caregivers, and the healthcare system. Evidence review: Systematic searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews databases (1/1/2001-1/8/2015). Results: Randomized controlled trials (124) met inclusion criteria. The majority of studies in cancer (49%, 38 of 77 studies) demonstrated statistically significant patient or caregiver outcomes (e.g., p < 0.05), as did those in congestive heart failure (CHF) (62%, 13 of 21), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; 58%, 11 of 19), and dementia (60%, 15 of 25). Most prognostic criteria used clinicians' judgment (73%, 22 of 30). Most interventions included a nurse (70%, 69 of 98), and many were nurse-only (39%, 27 of 69). Social workers were well represented, and home-based approaches were common (56%, 70 of 124). Home interventions with visits were more effective than those without (64%, 28 of 44; vs. 46%, 12 of 26). Interventions improved communication and care planning (70%, 12 of 18), psychosocial health (36%, 12 of 33, for depressive symptoms; 41%, 9 of 22, for anxiety), and patient (40%, 8 of 20) and caregiver experiences (63%, 5 of 8). Many interventions reduced hospital use (65%, 11 of 17), but most other economic outcomes, including costs, were poorly characterized. Palliative care teams did not reliably lower healthcare costs (20%, 2 of 10). Conclusions: Palliative care improves cancer, CHF, COPD, and dementia outcomes. Effective models include nurses, social workers, and home-based components, and a focus on communication, psychosocial support, and the patient or caregiver experience. High-quality research on intervention costs and cost outcomes in palliative care is limited.

Journal of palliative medicine · systematic review · 135 citationsread the source →

Psychosocial experiences of prostate cancer survivors after treatment: a systematic review of qualitative studies.

Background: Prostate cancer, the second most common male malignancy worldwide, treatment-related complications cause both physical dysfunction and psychosocial sequelae, significantly impairing quality of life. Now requires integrated biopsychosocial rehabilitation beyond disease-focused treatment, comprehensive assessment of psychosocial adaptation and illness perception is essential for developing evidence-based, patient-centered rehabilitation strategies to optimize post-therapy recovery. Objective: This study aims to systematically review and synthesize qualitative evidence on post-treatment psychosocial experiences in prostate cancer patients, thoroughly analyze patients' lived experiences and coping strategies, and provide an evidence-based foundation for establishing a tiered psychosocial support system and developing clinical intervention protocols. Methods: This systematic review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for qualitative meta-aggregation, with reporting structured according to the ENTREQ statement. Evidence was graded using the ConQual approach and critically appraised with the JBI Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-QARI). We systematically searched six major English databases for qualitative or mixed-methods studies investigating psychosocial experiences in post-treatment prostate cancer patients, with the literature search updated to February 28, 2024. Two reviewers independently performed study selection, followed by collaborative thematic synthesis to identify core themes. Results: A total of 22 studies from 12 countries were included, with 65 findings extracted and categorized into 4 synthesized findings consisting of 8 distinct categories: (1) Psychological and emotional responses (fear and anxiety responses, depression and emotional distress); (2) Healthcare information and systemic barriers (disease-related information needs, barriers in healthcare systems); (3) Social support and interpersonal adaptation (support system needs, social role and relationship adaptation); (4) Internal adaptation and external actions (internal psychological adjustment, external coping behaviors). Conclusion: Prostate cancer survivors face multifaceted psychosocial challenges during post-treatment recovery, with psychological and social responses impacting rehabilitation outcomes. Inadequate social support systems and gaps in healthcare information emerge as major barriers to recovery. To address these issues, healthcare providers should enhance communication effectiveness, while policymakers need to strengthen social support networks, government and corporate sectors should implement targeted policies, and family members should provide empathetic understanding and active encouragement, collectively fostering comprehensive patient support. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/recorddashboard, CRD42024537363.

Frontiers in public health · systematic review · 3 citationsread the source →

A systematic review of interventions for loneliness among older adults living in long-term care facilities.

Objectives: This study aimed to review loneliness interventions for older adults living in long-term care (LTC) facilities over the past 10 years, to categorize interventions by type, and to compare effectiveness of loneliness interventions in these settings. Methods: Systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines. Articles matching search criteria were collected from PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science from 2009 to 2019. The inclusion criteria were as follows: 1) English language, 2) intervention studies with a quantitative measure that compares pre-trial to post-trial changes, 3) loneliness as a primary or secondary outcome 4) subjects age >65, and 5) subjects living in a LTC facility, such as a nursing home, assisted-living, or hospice. Results: A total of 15 intervention studies qualified for systematic review. Most of these interventions were psychological therapies and leisure/skill development interventions. Approximately, 87% of studies reported significant decreases in loneliness following intervention. Laughter therapy, horticultural therapy, and reminiscence therapy were associated with the greatest decreases in loneliness. Discussion: Results suggest that, although less common than interventions in the community, there are several effective interventions to reduce loneliness among older adults living in LTC facilities. Lack of standardized measures and high-quality studies limits comparisons between intervention types and generalizability to different populations.

Aging & mental health · systematic review · 66 citationsread the source →

Acceptability of Digital Mental Health Interventions for Depression and Anxiety: Systematic Review.

Background: Depression and anxiety disorders are common, and treatment often includes psychological interventions. Digital health interventions, delivered through technologies such as web-based programs and mobile apps, are increasingly used in mental health treatment. Acceptability, the extent to which an intervention is viewed positively, has been identified as contributing to patient adherence and engagement with digital health interventions. Acceptability, therefore, impacts the benefit derived from using digital health interventions in treatment. Understanding the acceptability of digital mental health interventions among patients with depression or anxiety disorders is essential to maximize the effectiveness of their treatment. Objective: This review investigated the acceptability of technology-based interventions among patients with depression or anxiety disorders. Methods: A systematic review was performed based on PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) and PROSPERO (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews) guidelines. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Ovid in May 2022. Studies were included if they evaluated digital interventions for the treatment of depression or anxiety disorders and investigated their acceptability among adult patients. Studies were excluded if they targeted only specific populations (eg, those with specific physical health conditions), investigated acceptability in healthy individuals or patients under the age of 18 years, involved no direct interaction between patients and technologies, used technology only as a platform for traditional care (eg, videoconferencing), had patients using technologies only in clinical or laboratory settings, or involved virtual reality technologies. Acceptability outcome data were narratively synthesized by the direction of acceptability using vote counting. Included studies were evaluated using levels of evidence from the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. The risk of bias was assessed using a tool designed for this review and GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation). Results: A total of 143 articles met the inclusion criteria, comprising 67 (47%) articles on interventions for depression, 65 (45%) articles on interventions for anxiety disorders, and 11 (8%) articles on interventions for both. Overall, 90 (63%) were randomized controlled trials, 50 (35%) were other quantitative studies, and 3 (2%) were qualitative studies. Interventions used web-based programs, mobile apps, and computer programs. Cognitive behavioral therapy was the basis of 71% (102/143) of the interventions. Digital mental health interventions were generally acceptable among patients with depression or anxiety disorders, with 88% (126/143) indicating positive acceptability, 8% (11/143) mixed results, and 4% (6/143) insufficient information to categorize the direction of acceptability. The available research evidence was of moderate quality. Conclusions: Digital mental health interventions seem to be acceptable to patients with depression or anxiety disorders. Consistent use of validated measures for acceptability would enhance the quality of evidence. Careful design of acceptability as an evaluation outcome can further improve the quality of evidence and reduce the risk of bias. Trial registration: Open Science Framework Y7MJ4; https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/SPR8M.

Journal of medical Internet research · systematic review · 30 citationsread the source →

Systematic Review of Cultural Aspects of Stigma and Mental Illness among Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups in the United States: Implications for Interventions.

Stigma is integral to understanding mental health disparities among racial and ethnic minority groups in the United States. We conducted a systematic review to identify empirical studies on cultural aspects of mental illness stigma (public, structural, affiliative, self) among three racial and ethnic minority groups (Asian Americans, Black Americans, Latinx Americans) from 1990 to 2019, yielding 97 articles. In comparison studies (N = 25), racial and ethnic minority groups often expressed greater public and/or self-stigma than White American groups. In within-group studies (N = 65; Asian American, n = 21; Black American, n = 18; Latinx American; n = 26), which were primarily qualitative (73%), four major cultural themes emerged: 1) service barriers including access and quality (structural stigma); 2) family experiences including concealment for family's sake, fear of being a burden, and stigma extending to family (affiliative stigma); 3) lack of knowledge about mental illness and specific cultural beliefs (public stigma); and 4) negative emotional responses and coping (self-stigma). These findings confirmed stigma has both similar and unique cultural aspects across groups. Despite this, few studies tested stigma reduction interventions (N = 7). These cultural insights can inform contextual change at the health systems and community levels to reduce stigma, and empowerment at the interpersonal and individual levels to resist stigma.

American journal of community psychology · systematic review · 176 citationsread the source →

Systematic review of burnout among healthcare providers in sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Burnout is characterized by physical and emotional exhaustion from long-term exposure to emotionally demanding work. Burnout affects interpersonal skills, job performance, career satisfaction, and psychological health. However, little is known about the burden of burnout among healthcare providers in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: Relevant articles were identified through a systematic review of PubMed, Web of Science (Thomson Reuters), and PsycINFO (EBSCO). Studies were selected for inclusion if they examined a quantitative measure of burnout among healthcare providers in sub-Saharan Africa. Results: A total of 65 articles met our inclusion criteria for this systematic review. Previous studies have examined burnout in sub-Saharan Africa among physicians (N = 12 articles), nurses (N = 26), combined populations of healthcare providers (N = 18), midwives (N = 2), and medical or nursing students (N = 7). The majority of studies assessed burnout using the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The highest levels of burnout were reported among nurses, although all healthcare providers showed high burnout. Burnout among healthcare providers is associated with their work environments, interpersonal and professional conflicts, emotional distress, and low social support. Conclusions: Available studies on this topic are limited by several methodological challenges. More rigorously designed epidemiologic studies of burnout among healthcare providers are warranted. Health infrastructure improvements will eventually be essential, though difficult to achieve, in under-resourced settings. Programs aimed at raising awareness and coping with burnout symptoms through stress management and resilience enhancement trainings are also needed.

BMC public health · systematic review · 187 citationsread the source →

Social Return on Investment (SROI) methodology to account for value for money of public health interventions: a systematic review.

Background: Increased scarcity of public resources has led to a concomitant drive to account for value-for-money of interventions. Traditionally, cost-effectiveness, cost-utility and cost-benefit analyses have been used to assess value-for-money of public health interventions. The social return on investment (SROI) methodology has capacity to measure broader socio-economic outcomes, analysing and computing views of multiple stakeholders in a singular monetary ratio. This review provides an overview of SROI application in public health, explores lessons learnt from previous studies and makes recommendations for future SROI application in public health. Methods: A systematic review of peer-reviewed and grey literature to identify SROI studies published between January 1996 and December 2014 was conducted. All articles describing conduct of public health SROI studies and which reported a SROI ratio were included. An existing 12-point framework was used to assess study quality. Data were extracted using pre-developed codes: SROI type, type of commissioning organisation, study country, public health area in which SROI was conducted, stakeholders included in study, discount rate used, SROI ratio obtained, time horizon of analysis and reported lessons learnt. Results: 40 SROI studies, of varying quality, including 33 from high-income countries and 7 from low middle-income countries, met the inclusion criteria. SROI application increased since its first use in 2005 until 2011, declining afterwards. SROI has been applied across different public health areas including health promotion (12 studies), mental health (11), sexual and reproductive health (6), child health (4), nutrition (3), healthcare management (2), health education and environmental health (1 each). Qualitative and quantitative methods have been used to gather information for public health SROI studies. However, there remains a lack of consensus on who to include as beneficiaries, how to account for counterfactual and appropriate study-time horizon. Reported SROI ratios vary widely (1.1:1 to 65:1). Conclusions: SROI can be applied across healthcare settings. Best practices such as analysis involving only beneficiaries (not all stakeholders), providing justification for discount rates used in models, using purchasing power parity equivalents for monetary valuations and incorporating objective designs such as case-control or before-and-after designs for accounting for outcomes will improve robustness of public health SROI studies.

BMC public health · systematic review · 93 citationsread the source →

Multifactorial and multiple component interventions for preventing falls in older people living in the community.

Background: Falls and fall-related injuries are common, particularly in those aged over 65, with around one-third of older people living in the community falling at least once a year. Falls prevention interventions may comprise single component interventions (e.g. exercise), or involve combinations of two or more different types of intervention (e.g. exercise and medication review). Their delivery can broadly be divided into two main groups: 1) multifactorial interventions where component interventions differ based on individual assessment of risk; or 2) multiple component interventions where the same component interventions are provided to all people. Objectives: To assess the effects (benefits and harms) of multifactorial interventions and multiple component interventions for preventing falls in older people living in the community. Search methods: We searched the Cochrane Bone, Joint and Muscle Trauma Group Specialised Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, Embase, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, trial registers and reference lists. Date of search: 12 June 2017. Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials, individual or cluster, that evaluated the effects of multifactorial and multiple component interventions on falls in older people living in the community, compared with control (i.e. usual care (no change in usual activities) or attention control (social visits)) or exercise as a single intervention. Data collection and analysis: Two review authors independently selected studies, assessed risks of bias and extracted data. We calculated the rate ratio (RaR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for rate of falls. For dichotomous outcomes we used risk ratios (RRs) and 95% CIs. For continuous outcomes, we used the standardised mean difference (SMD) with 95% CIs. We pooled data using the random-effects model. We used the GRADE approach to assess the quality of the evidence. Main results: We included 62 trials involving 19,935 older people living in the community. The median trial size was 248 participants. Most trials included more women than men. The mean ages in trials ranged from 62 to 85 years (median 77 years). Most trials (43 trials) reported follow-up of 12 months or over. We assessed most trials at unclear or high risk of bias in one or more domains. Forty-four trials assessed multifactorial interventions and 18 assessed multiple component interventions. (I2 not reported if = 0%).Multifactorial interventions versus usual care or attention controlThis comparison was made in 43 trials. Commonly-applied or recommended interventions after assessment of each participant's risk profile were exercise, environment or assistive technologies, medication review and psychological interventions. Multifactorial interventions may reduce the rate of falls compared with control: rate ratio (RaR) 0.77, 95% CI 0.67 to 0.87; 19 trials; 5853 participants; I2 = 88%; low-quality evidence. Thus if 1000 people were followed over one year, the number of falls may be 1784 (95% CI 1553 to 2016) after multifactorial intervention versus 2317 after usual care or attention control. There was low-quality evidence of little or no difference in the risks of: falling (i.e. people sustaining one or more fall) (RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.90 to 1.03; 29 trials; 9637 participants; I2 = 60%); recurrent falls (RR 0.87, 95% CI 0.74 to 1.03; 12 trials; 3368 participants; I2 = 53%); fall-related hospital admission (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.07; 15 trials; 5227 participants); requiring medical attention (RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.75 to 1.10; 8 trials; 3078 participants). There is low-quality evidence that multifactorial interventions may reduce the risk of fall-related fractures (RR 0.73, 95% CI 0.53 to 1.01; 9 trials; 2850 participants) and may slightly improve health-related quality of life but not noticeably (SMD 0.19, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.35; 9 trials; 2373 participants; I2 = 70%). Of three trials reporting on adverse events, one found none, and two reported 12 participants with self-limiting musculoskeletal symptoms in total. Multifactorial interventions versus exerciseVery low-quality evidence from one small trial of 51 recently-discharged orthopaedic patients means that we are uncertain of the effects on rate of falls or risk of falling of multifactorial interventions versus exercise alone. Other fall-related outcomes were not assessed. Multiple component interventions versus usual care or attention controlThe 17 trials that make this comparison usually included exercise and another component, commonly education or home-hazard assessment. There is moderate-quality evidence that multiple interventions probably reduce the rate of falls (RaR 0.74, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.91; 6 trials; 1085 participants; I2 = 45%) and risk of falls (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.74 to 0.90; 11 trials; 1980 participants). There is low-quality evidence that multiple interventions may reduce the risk of recurrent falls, although a small increase cannot be ruled out (RR 0.81, 95% CI 0.63 to 1.05; 4 trials; 662 participants). Very low-quality evidence means that we are uncertain of the effects of multiple component interventions on the risk of fall-related fractures (2 trials) or fall-related hospital admission (1 trial). There is low-quality evidence that multiple interventions may have little or no effect on the risk of requiring medical attention (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.67 to 1.35; 1 trial; 291 participants); conversely they may slightly improve health-related quality of life (SMD 0.77, 95% CI 0.16 to 1.39; 4 trials; 391 participants; I2 = 88%). Of seven trials reporting on adverse events, five found none, and six minor adverse events were reported in two. Multiple component interventions versus exerciseThis comparison was tested in five trials. There is low-quality evidence of little or no difference between the two interventions in rate of falls (1 trial) and risk of falling (RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.78 to 1.10; 3 trials; 863 participants) and very low-quality evidence, meaning we are uncertain of the effects on hospital admission (1 trial). One trial reported two cases of minor joint pain. Other falls outcomes were not reported. Authors' conclusions: Multifactorial interventions may reduce the rate of falls compared with usual care or attention control. However, there may be little or no effect on other fall-related outcomes. Multiple component interventions, usually including exercise, may reduce the rate of falls and risk of falling compared with usual care or attention control.

The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · systematic review · 293 citationsread the source →

The influence of occupation on wellbeing, as experienced by the elderly: a systematic review.

Objective: The objective of this review was to synthesize knowledge regarding which types of occupations the elderly perceive as important to and supporting their overall wellbeing. Introduction: Being active is an important part of managing the daily challenges of advanced old age. Occupational therapy and occupational science are based on the premise that a person's occupations are intertwined with their health and are thus needed for them to experience a meaningful life and improve their wellbeing. Inclusion criteria: This review, which included independently living elderly people aged 65 and over living in Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia, sought to uncover if the elderly see any specific types of occupations as enhancing their wellbeing. This review included qualitative studies with designs including, but not limited to, phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography and action research. Methods: A three-step search strategy using Joanna Briggs Institute methodology was utilized. Both published and unpublished studies were searched. The following databases were searched for studies up to 2017: CINAHL, Nursing and Allied Health Source, Web of Science, PubMed and OpenGrey. Using the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research, two independent reviewers assessed whether each study had the methodological quality required to be included in the review. Any disagreements were resolved through discussion with a third reviewer. The standardized JBI data extraction tool for interpretive and critical research was used to extract data from the included studies. JBI tools were used to pool the qualitative research findings. The findings were then aggregated through a process of rating according to quality, and categorized according to similarity in meaning, which generated a set of statements for each category. These categories were then subjected to a meta-synthesis to produce a single comprehensive set of synthesized findings useful as a basis for evidence-based practice. Results: All three of the included studies utilized qualitative interviews and followed a phenomenological approach. The studies included only participants aged 85 and over. Thirty-five findings were extracted and grouped into four categories, which were synthesized into two meta-syntheses: 1) The importance of "doing" alone - to feel good, I have to be the master of my own life; and 2) Old habits never die - a structured day is a good day. Based on the dependability and credibility of the three studies, the ranking was high (see Summary of Findings). Conclusions: The present review shows that two factors enhance elderly people's wellbeing: first, variation and independence in undertaking activities; second, having a choice between the occupations and a structure of activities that make up daily life. The two factors are influenced by a balance between having activities alone and with others. This review is not intended to identify specific occupations that enhance elderly people's wellbeing, but rather to indicate which types of occupations enhance the wellbeing of the elderly, and provide value and meaning to their daily lives. Both the dependability and the credibility of the studies have been rated as moderate.

JBI database of systematic reviews and implementation reports · systematic review · 9 citationsread the source →

Cost-effectiveness evidence of mental health prevention and promotion interventions: A systematic review of economic evaluations.

Background: The prevention of mental disorders and promotion of mental health and well-being are growing fields. Whether mental health promotion and prevention interventions provide value for money in children, adolescents, adults, and older adults is unclear. The aim of the current study is to update 2 existing reviews of cost-effectiveness studies in this field in order to determine whether such interventions are cost-effective. Methods and findings: Electronic databases (including MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and EconLit through EBSCO and Embase) were searched for published cost-effectiveness studies of prevention of mental disorders and promotion of mental health and well-being from 2008 to 2020. The quality of studies was assessed using the Quality of Health Economic Studies Instrument (QHES). The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (# CRD42019127778). The primary outcomes were incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) or return on investment (ROI) ratio across all studies. A total of 65 studies met the inclusion criteria of a full economic evaluation, of which, 23 targeted children and adolescents, 35 targeted adults, while the remaining targeted older adults. A large number of studies focused on prevention of depression and/or anxiety disorders, followed by promotion of mental health and well-being and other mental disorders. Although there was high heterogeneity in terms of the design among included economic evaluations, most studies consistently found that interventions for mental health prevention and promotion were cost-effective or cost saving. The review found that targeted prevention was likely to be cost-effective compared to universal prevention. Screening plus psychological interventions (e.g., cognitive behavioural therapy [CBT]) at school were the most cost-effective interventions for prevention of mental disorders in children and adolescents, while parenting interventions and workplace interventions had good evidence in mental health promotion. There is inconclusive evidence for preventive interventions for mental disorders or mental health promotion in older adults. While studies were of general high quality, there was limited evidence available from low- and middle-income countries. The review was limited to studies where mental health was the primary outcome and may have missed general health promoting strategies that could also prevent mental disorder or promote mental health. Some ROI studies might not be included given that these studies are commonly published in grey literature rather than in the academic literature. Conclusions: Our review found a significant growth of economic evaluations in prevention of mental disorders or promotion of mental health and well-being over the last 10 years. Although several interventions for mental health prevention and promotion provide good value for money, the varied quality as well as methodologies used in economic evaluations limit the generalisability of conclusions about cost-effectiveness. However, the finding that the majority of studies especially in children, adolescents, and adults demonstrated good value for money is promising. Research on cost-effectiveness in low-middle income settings is required. Trial registration: PROSPERO registration number: CRD42019127778.

PLoS medicine · systematic review · 140 citationsread the source →

Digital interventions in mental health: evidence syntheses and economic modelling.

Background: Economic evaluations provide evidence on whether or not digital interventions offer value for money, based on their costs and outcomes relative to the costs and outcomes of alternatives. Objectives: (1) Evaluate and summarise published economic studies about digital interventions across different technologies, therapies, comparators and mental health conditions; (2) synthesise clinical evidence about digital interventions for an exemplar mental health condition; (3) construct an economic model for the same exemplar mental health condition using the previously synthesised clinical evidence; and (4) consult with stakeholders about how they understand and assess the value of digital interventions. Methods: We completed four work packages: (1) a systematic review and quality assessment of economic studies about digital interventions; (2) a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials on digital interventions for generalised anxiety disorder; (3) an economic model and value-of-information analysis on digital interventions for generalised anxiety disorder; and (4) a series of knowledge exchange face-to-face and digital seminars with stakeholders. Results: In work package 1, we reviewed 76 economic evaluations: 11 economic models and 65 within-trial analyses. Although the results of the studies are not directly comparable because they used different methods, the overall picture suggests that digital interventions are likely to be cost-effective, compared with no intervention and non-therapeutic controls, whereas the value of digital interventions compared with face-to-face therapy or printed manuals is unclear. In work package 2, we carried out two network meta-analyses of 20 randomised controlled trials of digital interventions for generalised anxiety disorder with a total of 2350 participants. The results were used to inform our economic model, but when considered on their own they were inconclusive because of the very wide confidence intervals. In work package 3, our decision-analytic model found that digital interventions for generalised anxiety disorder were associated with lower net monetary benefit than medication and face-to-face therapy, but greater net monetary benefit than non-therapeutic controls and no intervention. Value for money was driven by clinical outcomes rather than by intervention costs, and a value-of-information analysis suggested that uncertainty in the treatment effect had the greatest value (£12.9B). In work package 4, stakeholders identified several areas of benefits and costs of digital interventions that are important to them, including safety, sustainability and reducing waiting times. Four factors may influence their decisions to use digital interventions, other than costs and outcomes: increasing patient choice, reaching underserved populations, enabling continuous care and accepting the 'inevitability of going digital'. Limitations: There was substantial uncertainty around effect estimates of digital interventions compared with alternatives. This uncertainty was driven by the small number of studies informing most comparisons, the small samples in some of these studies and the studies' high risk of bias. Conclusions: Digital interventions may offer good value for money as an alternative to 'doing nothing' or 'doing something non-therapeutic' (e.g. monitoring or having a general discussion), but their added value compared with medication, face-to-face therapy and printed manuals is uncertain. Clinical outcomes rather than intervention costs drive 'value for money'. Future work: There is a need to develop digital interventions that are more effective, rather than just cheaper, than their alternatives. Study registration: This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42018105837. Funding: This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 26, No. 1. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · systematic review · 30 citationsread the source →

Continuing education meetings and workshops: effects on professional practice and healthcare outcomes.

Background: Educational meetings are used widely by health personnel to provide continuing medical education and to promote implementation of innovations or translate new knowledge to change practice within healthcare systems. Previous reviews have concluded that educational meetings can result in small changes in behaviour, but that effects vary considerably. Investigations into which characteristics of educational meetings might lead to greater impact have yielded varying results, and factors that might explain heterogeneity in effects remain unclear. This is the second update of this Cochrane Review. Objectives: • To assess the effects of educational meetings on professional practice and healthcare outcomes • To investigate factors that might explain the heterogeneity of these effects SEARCH METHODS: We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, ERIC, Science Citation Index Expanded (ISI Web of Knowledge), and Social Sciences Citation Index (last search in November 2016). Selection criteria: We sought randomised trials examining the effects of educational meetings on professional practice and patient outcomes. Data collection and analysis: Two review authors independently extracted data and assessed risk of bias. One review author assessed the certainty of evidence (GRADE) and discussed with a second review author. We included studies in the primary analysis that reported baseline data and that we judged to be at low or unclear risk of bias. For each comparison of dichotomous outcomes, we measured treatment effect as risk difference adjusted for baseline compliance. We expressed adjusted risk difference values as percentages, and we noted that values greater than zero favour educational meetings. For continuous outcomes, we measured treatment effect as per cent change relative to the control group mean post test, adjusted for baseline performance; we expressed values as percentages and noted that values greater than zero favour educational meetings. We report means and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and, when appropriate, medians and interquartile ranges to facilitate comparisons to previous versions of this review. We analysed professional and patient outcomes separately and analysed 22 variables that were hypothesised a priori to explain heterogeneity. We explored heterogeneity by using univariate meta-regression and by inspecting violin plots. Main results: We included 215 studies involving more than 28,167 health professionals, including 142 new studies for this update. Educational meetings as the single intervention or the main component of a multi-faceted intervention compared with no intervention • Probably slightly improve compliance with desired practice when compared with no intervention (65 comparisons, 7868 health professionals for dichotomous outcomes (adjusted risk difference 6.79%, 95% CI 6.62% to 6.97%; median 4.00%; interquartile range 0.29% to 13.00%); 28 comparisons, 2577 health professionals for continuous outcomes (adjusted relative percentage change 44.36%, 95% CI 41.98% to 46.75%; median 20.00%; interquartile range 6.00% to 65.00%)) • Probably slightly improve patient outcomes compared with no intervention (15 comparisons, 2530 health professionals for dichotomous outcomes (adjusted risk difference 3.30%, 95% CI 3.10% to 3.51%; median 0.10%; interquartile range 0.00% to 4.00%); 28 comparisons, 2294 health professionals for continuous outcomes (adjusted relative percentage change 8.35%, 95% CI 7.46% to 9.24%; median 2.00%; interquartile range -1.00% to 21.00%)) The certainty of evidence for this comparison is moderate. Educational meetings alone compared with other interventions • May improve compliance with desired practice when compared with other interventions (6 studies, 1402 health professionals for dichotomous outcomes (adjusted risk difference 9.99%, 95% CI 9.47% to 10.52%; median 16.5%; interquartile range 0.80% to 16.50%); 2 studies, 72 health professionals for continuous outcomes (adjusted relative percentage change 12.00%, 95% CI 9.16% to 14.84%; median 12.00%; interquartile range 0.00% to 24.00%)) No studies met the inclusion criteria for patient outcome measurements. The certainty of evidence for this comparison is low. Interactive educational meetings compared with didactic (lecture-based) educational meetings • We are uncertain of effects on compliance with desired practice (3 studies, 370 health professionals for dichotomous outcomes; 1 study, 192 health professionals for continuous outcomes) or on patient outcomes (1 study, 54 health professionals for continuous outcomes), as the certainty of evidence is very low Any other comparison of different formats and durations of educational meetings • We are uncertain of effects on compliance with desired practice (1 study, 19 health professionals for dichotomous outcomes; 1 study, 20 health professionals for continuous outcomes) or on patient outcomes (1 study, 113 health professionals for continuous outcomes), as the certainty of evidence is very low. Factors that might explain heterogeneity of effects Meta-regression suggests that larger estimates of effect are associated with studies judged to be at high risk of bias, with studies that had unit of analysis errors, and with studies in which the unit of analysis was the provider rather than the patient. Improved compliance with desired practice may be associated with: shorter meetings; poor baseline compliance; better attendance; shorter follow-up; professionals provided with additional take-home material; explicit building of educational meetings on theory; targeting of low- versus high-complexity behaviours; targeting of outcomes with high versus low importance; goal of increasing rather than decreasing behaviour; teaching by opinion leaders; and use of didactic versus interactive teaching methods. Pre-specified exploratory analyses of behaviour change techniques suggest that improved compliance with desired practice may be associated with use of a greater number of behaviour change techniques; goal-setting; provision of feedback; provision for social comparison; and provision for social support. Compliance may be decreased by the use of follow-up prompts, skills training, and barrier identification techniques. Authors' conclusions: Compared with no intervention, educational meetings as the main component of an intervention probably slightly improve professional practice and, to a lesser extent, patient outcomes. Educational meetings may improve compliance with desired practice to a greater extent than other kinds of behaviour change interventions, such as text messages, fees, or office systems. Our findings suggest that multi-strategy approaches might positively influence the effects of educational meetings. Additional trials of educational meetings compared with no intervention are unlikely to change the review findings; therefore we will not further update this review comparison in the future. However, we note that randomised trials comparing different types of education are needed.

The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · systematic review · 139 citationsread the source →

Comparisons of Interventions for Preventing Falls in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Importance: Falls result in substantial burden for patients and health care systems, and given the aging of the population worldwide, the incidence of falls continues to rise. Objective: To assess the potential effectiveness of interventions for preventing falls. Data sources: MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Ageline databases from inception until April 2017. Reference lists of included studies were scanned. Study selection: Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of fall-prevention interventions for participants aged 65 years and older. Data extraction and synthesis: Pairs of reviewers independently screened the studies, abstracted data, and appraised risk of bias. Pairwise meta-analysis and network meta-analysis were conducted. Main outcomes and measures: Injurious falls and fall-related hospitalizations. Results: A total of 283 RCTs (159 910 participants; mean age, 78.1 years; 74% women) were included after screening of 10 650 titles and abstracts and 1210 full-text articles. Network meta-analysis (including 54 RCTs, 41 596 participants, 39 interventions plus usual care) suggested that the following interventions, when compared with usual care, were associated with reductions in injurious falls: exercise (odds ratio [OR], 0.51 [95% CI, 0.33 to 0.79]; absolute risk difference [ARD], -0.67 [95% CI, -1.10 to -0.24]); combined exercise and vision assessment and treatment (OR, 0.17 [95% CI, 0.07 to 0.38]; ARD, -1.79 [95% CI, -2.63 to -0.96]); combined exercise, vision assessment and treatment, and environmental assessment and modification (OR, 0.30 [95% CI, 0.13 to 0.70]; ARD, -1.19 [95% CI, -2.04 to -0.35]); and combined clinic-level quality improvement strategies (eg, case management), multifactorial assessment and treatment (eg, comprehensive geriatric assessment), calcium supplementation, and vitamin D supplementation (OR, 0.12 [95% CI, 0.03 to 0.55]; ARD, -2.08 [95% CI, -3.56 to -0.60]). Pairwise meta-analyses for fall-related hospitalizations (2 RCTs; 516 participants) showed no significant association between combined clinic- and patient-level quality improvement strategies and multifactorial assessment and treatment relative to usual care (OR, 0.78 [95% CI, 0.33 to 1.81]). Conclusions and relevance: Exercise alone and various combinations of interventions were associated with lower risk of injurious falls compared with usual care. Choice of fall-prevention intervention may depend on patient and caregiver values and preferences.

JAMA · systematic review · 388 citationsread the source →

Mind-Body Interventions for Individuals With Heart Failure: A Systematic Review of Randomized Trials.

Background: The effects of mind-body interventions (MBIs) (eg, Tai Chi, yoga, meditation) for individuals with heart failure (HF) have not been systematically evaluated. Methods and results: We performed a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the effects of MBIs in HF. We extracted participant characteristics, MBI procedure, outcomes assessed, and main results of English-language RCTs before October 2016. We identified 24 RCTs (n = 1314 participants) of 9 MBI types: Tai Chi (n = 7), yoga (n = 4), relaxation (n = 4), meditation (n = 2), acupuncture (n = 2), biofeedback (n = 2), stress management (n = 1), Pilates (n = 1), and reflexology (n = 1). Most (n = 22, 95.8%) reported small-to-moderate improvements in quality of life (14/14 studies), exercise capacity (8/9 studies), depression (5/5 studies), anxiety and fatigue (4/4 studies), blood pressure (3/5 studies), heart rate (5/6 studies), heart rate variability (7/9 studies), and B-type natriuretic peptide (3/4 studies). Studies ranged from 4 minutes to 26 weeks and group sizes ranged from 8 to 65 patients per study arm. Conclusions: Although wide variability exists in the types and delivery, RCTs of MBIs have demonstrated small-to-moderate positive effects on HF patients' objective and subjective outcomes. Future research should examine the mechanisms by which different MBIs exert their effects.

Journal of cardiac failure · systematic review · 29 citationsread the source →

Subjective experience and meaning of delusions in psychosis: a systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis.

Background: Delusions are a common transdiagnostic feature of psychotic disorders, and their treatment remains suboptimal. Despite the pressing need to better understand the nature, meaning, and course of these symptoms, research into the lived experience of delusional phenomena in psychosis is scarce. Thus, we aimed to explore the lived experience and subjective apprehension of delusions in help-seeking individuals with psychosis, regardless of diagnosis and thematic content of the delusion. Methods: In our systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Web of Science for qualitative studies published in English from database inception, with the last search on Sept 9, 2021. Grey literature search and hand-searching of relevant journals were also done. Studies were eligible if they provided an analysis of lived experience of delusions or predelusional phenomena presented from the perspective of individuals (age 14-65 years) who had developed a clinical high-risk stage of psychosis, or a diagnosable affective or non-affective psychotic disorder (as clinically defined, self-reported, or assessed within the primary study). Studies with only a subset of relevant participants were eligible only if data for the population of interest were reported separately. Studies that did not discriminate between the experience of delusion and other positive symptoms (eg, hallucinations) were included only if data for delusions were reported separately or could be extracted. First-person accounts (and author interpretations) discussing changes in the sense of self, lived world, and meaning in relation to delusions were extracted and synthesised using a novel thematic synthesis approach informed by a critical realist stance and a phenomenological theoretical framework. Analytic themes were developed into a new overarching framework for understanding the emergence of delusional phenomena. The study was registered with PROSPERO, CRD42020222104. Findings: Of the 3265 records screened, 2115 were identified after duplicate removal. Of these, 1982 were excluded after title and abstract screening and 106 after full-text eligibility assessment. Of the 27 studies entering quality assessment, 24 eligible studies were included in the qualitative evidence synthesis, representing the perspectives of 373 help-seeking individuals with lived experience of delusions in the context of psychosis. Gender was reported as male (n=210), female (n=110), transgender (n=1), or not reported (n=52). Only 13 studies reported ethnicity, with White being predominant. The age of most participants ranged from 15 to 65 years. We found no eligible studies investigating subclinical or predelusional experiences in at-risk mental state populations through qualitative methods. Most studies were undertaken in western, educated, industrialised, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) societies, and most included participants had received or self-reported a diagnosis within the schizophrenia spectrum. Studies differed in relation to whether they focused on one kind or theme of delusion or delusional phenomena more generally as a unified category. Three superordinate themes relating to experiential changes and meanings in delusion were identified: (1) a radical rearrangement of the lived world dominated by intense emotions; (2) doubting, losing, and finding oneself again within delusional realities; and (3) searching for meaning, belonging, and coherence beyond mere dysfunction. Based on the review findings and thematic synthesis, we propose the Emergence Model of Delusion to advance understanding of delusional phenomena in psychosis. Interpretation: Delusions are best understood as strongly individualised and inherently complex phenomena emerging from a dynamic interplay between interdependent subpersonal, personal, interpersonal, and sociocultural processes. Integrative approaches to research on delusion, which consider their potential adaptiveness and favour explanatory pluralism, might be advantageous. Effective clinical care for individuals with psychosis might need adapting to match more closely, and take account of, the subjective experience and meaning of delusions as they are lived through, which might also help redress power imbalances and enduring epistemic injustices in mental health. Funding: Priestley Scholars, Wellcome Trust.

The lancet. Psychiatry · systematic review · 37 citationsread the source →