International health

BACKGROUND: Physicians are experiencing an increasing burden of messaging within the electronic health record (EHR) inbox. Studies have called for the implementation of tools and resources to mitigate this burden, but few studies have evaluated how these interventions impact time spent on inbox activities. OBJECTIVE: Explore the association between existing EHR efficiency tools and clinical resources on primary care physician (PCP) inbox time. DESIGN: Retrospective, cross-sectional study of inbox time among PCPs in network clinics affiliated with an academic health system...

BACKGROUND: Health care systems are increasingly screening for unmet social needs. The association between patient-reported social needs and health care utilization is not well understood. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between patient-reported social needs, measured by the Protocol for Responding to and Assessing Patients' Assets, Risks, and Experiences (PRAPARE), and inpatient and emergency department (ED) utilization. DESIGN: This cohort study analyzed merged 2017-2019 electronic health record (EHR) data across multiple health systems...

OBJECTIVE: We assessed the psychometric properties, established normative data for the German Multifactorial Memory Questionnaire (MMQ), and analyzed its association with neuropsychiatric factors across the life span to provide a validated metamemory assessment for a German-speaking population. METHODS: The three MMQ scales (memory satisfaction, self-rated ability, and strategy application) were translated into German, considering cultural, linguistic, and conceptual aspects...

BACKGROUND: Regional deprivation due to regional economic and social differences can increase the risk of suicide. This study investigated whether regional structural deprivation in Germany is associated with a higher rate of suicide. METHODS: Data from cause-of-death statistics for the years 2015-2021 were analyzed. A regression analysis for data with a negative binomial distribution was used to study the association between suicide mortality and the German Index of Multiple Deprivation (GIMD), which is based on data from 2015 and includes 401 districts and independent cities in Germany...

This essay is an expert opinion by 3 clinicians who feel the need for a clear phased approach capable of integrating all dental therapies for the care of patients suffering from multiple pathologies of the oral cavity. At the moment, the only guidelines available when treating interdisciplinary cases, i.e., patients with multiple overlapping pathologies (carious disease, periodontal disease, malocclusion, incongruous restorations, etc.), are those describing the proper sequence of periodontal therapy. The authors take inspiration from a method developed in the manufacturing world, the so called "lean management", and its tools to outline the sequence of therapy phases and the correct placement of the various activities within these phases...

BACKGROUND: Evidence on risk factors for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in low-resource settings is limited. In Mozambican children <2 y of age with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI), we explored risk factors for RSV, described its seasonal variation and assessed associations between RSV and a life-threatening condition. METHODS: We retrospectively included participants presenting in 2017-2018 in two hospitals in Maputo. RSV was detected and subtyped using real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction on nasopharyngeal swabs...

BACKGROUND: The use of ceramic-coated patient-specific CAD/CAM titanium abutments represents a therapeutic option for the rehabilitation of single tooth. The utilization of highly customized abutments enables the accurate three-dimensional positioning of the prosthetic emergence. This study evaluates the clinical performance of implant-prosthetic rehabilitations carried out using ceramic-coated CAD/CAM titanium abutments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty implants were placed in thirty patients and rehabilitated with thirty single crowns attached to CAD/CAM titanium abutments...

To assess if the impacts of prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) on neonatal physical development including birth weight and body length vary by trimesters, and to explore the mediating effect of sleep quality in the relationships. A total of 2778 pregnant women were included from the Shanghai Maternal-Child Pairs Cohort. PNMS and sleep quality were measured in the first trimester (12-16 gestational weeks) and third trimester (32-36 gestational weeks) using the Life Event Scale for Pregnant Women (LESPW) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, respectively...

OBJECTIVE: Bile acid diarrhea (BAD) is an underrecognized and socially debilitating disease caused by high concentrations of bile acids in the colon. Bile acids directly and indirectly promote carcinogenesis. Here, we investigated if individuals with BAD have an increased risk of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. DESIGN: By using the Danish health registries, adult individuals with BAD were identified by international classification of disease 10th revision (ICD10) code K90...

This systematic review aimed to synthesise the qualitative evidence of mindfulness-based interventions and focused on the perceptions and experience of older people. A literature search was conducted using electronic databases including CINAHL, EMBASE, EMCare, and MEDLINE. The inclusion criteria for the review were an original study that includes qualitative data on experience and perceptions of mindfulness interventions, a study population involving older people aged 60 years and above, and articles published in English...

Emerged health-related problems especially with increasing population and with the wider occurrence of these issues have always put the utmost concern and led medicine to outgrow its usual mode of treatment, to achieve better outcomes. Orthopedic interventions are one of the most concerning hitches, requiring advancement in several issues, that show complications with conventional approaches. Advanced studies have been undertaken to address the issue, among which stem cell therapy emerged as a better area of growth...

AIMS: To comprehensively synthesise existing evidence from systematic reviews regarding the effects of exercise interventions on physical, psychological and social outcomes in frail older adults to provide reference for clinical practice. BACKGROUND: Frailty is highly prevalent in older adults and associated with increased adverse health outcomes. Some systematic reviews have assessed the effectiveness of exercise interventions in frail older adults with varied inclusion criteria, methodology quality, types of exercise and outcome measures...

AIM: To synthesise international literature to identify mechanisms that maintain racism in nursing and understand the factors that contribute to designing and implementing anti-racist praxis to inform nursing in Aotearoa New Zealand. DESIGN: An integrative literature review was undertaken, integrating Indigenous Kaupapa Māori methodologies to ensure a cultural and philosophical lens. METHODS: Peer-reviewed literature published, between January 2011 and July 2023 were sourced...

It remains unclear if pre-diagnostic factors influence the developmental pathways of colorectal cancer (CRC) that could enhance tumor aggressiveness. This study used prospective data from 205,489 cancer-free US health professionals to investigate the associations of 31 known or putative risk factors with the risk of aggressive CRC. Tumor aggressiveness was characterized by three endpoints: aggressive CRC (cancer that causes death within 5 years of diagnosis), fatal CRC, and tumor stage at diagnosis. The data augmentation method was used to assess the difference in the associations between risk factors and endpoints...

AIM: To describe the development of a shared decision making intervention for planning end-of-life care for patients with kidney failure, their relatives and health professionals in kidney services. BACKGROUND: End-of-life care conversations within standard disease management consultations are challenging for patients with kidney failure, their relatives and health professionals. End-of-life care planning is about making difficult decisions in advance, which is why health professionals need shared decision making skills to be able to initiate end-of-life conversations...

OBJECTIVES: This scoping study aims to identify environmental road safety measures implemented in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to reduce pedestrian injuries from collisions with motor vehicles. METHODS: This review followed Arksey and O'Malley's approach and reported results using the PRISMA-SCR 2018 checklist. A literature review was conducted in Medline, Google Scholar, and the Transport Research International Documentation database using keyword-derived medical subject heading terms...

OBJECTIVES: Women of reproductive age in low-income countries are especially nutritionally vulnerable given the strain that pregnancy and lactation places on the body. The aim of this study was to identify dietary diversity and its associated factors among mothers with young children. METHODS: It is a cross-sectional study conducted in Ampefy, Madagascar from 1 November 2022 to 31 March 2023. Dietary diversity was determined using the minimum dietary diversity for women of reproductive age tool...

Acne and hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) are chronic inflammatory skin conditions that significantly impact patients' quality of life. In the June issue of the Journal, we highlight the challenges in treating acne in skin of color (SOC) patients. Recent studies focusing on trifarotene, a selective retinoic acid receptor gamma agonist, demonstrated significant improvements in acne severity and postinflammatory hyperpigmentation in SOC patients. We will also delve into the early and aggressive treatment of HS and highlight a link between HS and increased cardiovascular risk...

The increasing utilization of hydrazine and its derivatives across diverse sectors highlights the pressing need for efficient detection methods to safeguard human health and the environment. Likewise, nicardipine, a widely used medication for heart diseases, necessitates accurate sensing techniques for clinical research and therapeutic monitoring. Here, we propose a novel approach using a naphthalimide-functionalized Zr-MOF as a fluorometric probe capable of detecting both hydrazine and nicardipine in aqueous medium...

Digital technology has encompassed all aspects of healthcare. There are many international and national organizations, guidelines, and formats available in health information systems (HIS), but many are presently still not being used in India. The aim is to give a flawless, secure, and user-friendly health information technology (IT) system for Indian healthcare. We discuss the timeline of digital technology in hospital administration, administrative applications, and the importance of clinical quality in health...