Publications
12 results found
Lazzarino A, Salkind JA, Amati F, et al., 2024, Inequalities in mental health service utilisation by children and young people: a population survey using linked electronic health records from Northwest London, United Kingdom, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, Vol: 78, Pages: 191-198, ISSN: 0143-005X
Background: Mental healthcare services for children and young people (CYP) are a very limited resource in the UK. To prevent health inequalities, measures to increase overall capacity must sit alongside measures that ensure utilisation matches need.Aim: Our aim was to identify subgroups of CYP with unexpectedly low mental health service utilisation, presumably representing unmet need, and to assess whether there is area variation in the socioeconomic gradient of mental healthcare use.Methods: This is a cross-sectional population survey of CYP (aged 5–24 years) using electronic health records from the Discover Now research platform, covering approximately 95% of the Northwest London resident population of 2.4 million people.Results: The total sample comprised 764 327 CYP, of whom 2.1% attended a mental healthcare appointment in 2021 (95% CI 2.1% to 2.2%), our outcome measure. Lower socioeconomic status (our main exposure factor) was related to higher occurrence of mental healthcare appointments (+5% for each quintile increase in deprivation (95% CI 2% to 7%, p<0.001]). However, interaction analyses showed that the boroughs with unexpectedly low utilisation rates were also those not showing a clear trend between socioeconomic conditions and services utilisation (interaction p<0.001), suggesting that in these boroughs the occurrence of mental disorders in disadvantaged people was not captured by our analysis based on service utilisation. In some London boroughs, we found lower-than-expected activity for the most disadvantaged CYP.Conclusions: The mental healthcare needs of many CYP from socioeconomically deprived areas of Northwest London may be unmet. More information is needed to confirm our results.
Amati F, McCann L, Castañeda-Gutiérrez E, et al., 2024, Infant fat mass and later child and adolescent health outcomes: a systematic review., Arch Dis Child, Vol: 109, Pages: 125-129
OBJECTIVE: Obesity and excess adiposity are leading causes of metabolic and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Early identification of individuals at risk is key for preventive strategies. We examined the relationship between infant body composition (0-2 years of age) and later (>2 years) health outcomes using a systematic review. DESIGN: We preregistered the study on PROSPERO (ID 288013) and searched Embase, PubMed and Cochrane databases for English language publications using the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms 'infant' and 'body composition' and 'risk' between January 1946 and February 2022. We included studies which assessed infant body composition using predetermined in vivo methods other than body mass index (BMI). RESULTS: We identified 6015 articles. After abstract screening to assess eligibility, we reviewed 130 full text publications. 30 were included in the final assessment and narrative synthesis. Meta-analysis was not possible due to heterogeneity of results. All 30 studies were of high quality and reported associations between infant body composition and 19 different health outcomes after 2 years of age. Outcome measurements ranged from 2 years to 16 years. The strongest associations were found between infant fat mass and later fat mass (7 studies), and later BMI (5 studies). For 11 of the outcomes assessed, there was no relationship to infant adiposity detected. CONCLUSIONS: Current evidence, from a small number of studies, suggests a positive association between infant adiposity and future adiposity or BMI, but the validity of infant body composition as a biomarker of future health remains inconclusive. Carefully designed, standardised studies are required to identify the value of infant body composition for predicting later health. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO: 288013.
Tabche C, Raheem M, Alolaqi A, et al., 2023, Effect of electronic health records on doctor-patient relationship in Arabian gulf countries: a systematic review, Frontiers in Digital Health, Vol: 5, ISSN: 2673-253X
Background: The electronic health record (EHR) has been widely implemented internationally as a tool to improve health and healthcare delivery. However, EHR implementation has been comparatively slow amongst hospitals in the Arabian Gulf countries. This gradual uptake may be linked to prevailing opinions amongst medical practitioners. Until now, no systematic review has been conducted to identify the impact of EHRs on doctor-patient relationships and attitudes in the Arabian Gulf countries.Objective: To understand the impact of EHR use on patient-doctor relationships and communication in the Arabian Gulf countries.Design: A systematic review of English language publications was performed using PRISMA chart guidelines between 1990 and 2023.Methods: Electronic database search (Ovid MEDLINE, Global Health, HMIC, EMRIM, and PsycINFO) and reference searching restricted to the six Arabian Gulf countries only. MeSH terms and keywords related to electronic health records, doctor-patient communication, and relationship were used. Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) quality assessment was performed.Results: 18 studies fulfilled the criteria to be included in the systematic review. They were published between 1992 and 2023. Overall, a positive impact of EHR uptake was reported within the Gulf countries studied. This included improvement in the quality and performance of physicians, as well as improved accuracy in monitoring patient health. On the other hand, a notable negative impact was a general perception of physician attention shifted away from the patients themselves and towards data entry tasks (e.g., details of the patients and their education at the time of the consultation).Conclusion: The implementation of EHR systems is beneficial for effective care delivery by doctors in Gulf countries despite some patients' perception of decreased attention. The use of EHR assists doctors with recording patient details, including medication and treatment procedures, as well as their outc
Amati F, Green J, Kitchin L, et al., 2023, Ethnicity as a predictor of outcomes of psychological therapies for anxiety and depression: a retrospective cohort analysis, Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, Vol: 51, Pages: 164-173, ISSN: 1352-4658
Background:Studies on predictors of outcomes of treatment for common mental health disorders (CMDs) in community mental health settings are scarce, and sample sizes are often small. Research on the impact of identifying as a member of an ethnic minority group on treatment outcomes is limited.Aims:To ascertain whether ethnicity is an independent predictor of outcome and the extent to which any association is mediated by other sociodemographic factors.Method:Retrospective observational study of anonymised treatment data collected for routine clinical purposes. Data were analysed from nine Improving Access to Psychological Therapy (IAPT) services from 2009 to 2016. Social functioning, ethnic group, age, gender, occupation and baseline severity of the mental health disorder were analysed as predictors of outcome.Results:Outcomes varied with ethnic group. Levels of occupation, social deprivation, initial morbidity and social functioning varied between ethnic groups at baseline. After adjustment for these factors the impact of ethnicity was attenuated and only some ethnic groups remained as significant independent predictors of treatment outcome.Conclusions:Ethnic minority status is a marker for multiple disadvantages. Some of the differences in outcome seen between ethnic groups may be the result of more general factors present in all ethnic groups but at greater intensity in some ethnic minority groups.
Amati F, McCann L, Spector T, et al., 2022, Cost-effectiveness of vitamin D3 supplementation in older adults with vitamin D deficiency in Ireland, by Lacey et al., BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health, ISSN: 2516-5542
Amati F, McCann LJ, Spector TD, 2022, The gut microbiome, health and personalised nutrition, Trends in Urology and Men's Health, Vol: 13, Pages: 22-25, ISSN: 2044-3730
The human gut microbiome modulates health and disease and can be manipulated by lifestyle and diet. This article presents a summary of what we know to date, and what the future might hold for this rapidly evolving field of science and technology, including its role in personalised health.
Bradfield J, Buckner L, Amati F, et al., 2021, From observation to intervention: time to put 'food and mood' to the test, BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health, Vol: 4, Pages: 359-361, ISSN: 2516-5542
Amati F, Hassounah S, Swaka A, 2019, The impact of Mediterranean dietary patterns during pregnancy on maternal and offspring health, Nutrients, Vol: 11, ISSN: 2072-6643
(1) Background: Pregnancy outcomes for both mother and child are affected by many environmental factors. The importance of pregnancy for 'early life programming' is well established and maternal nutrition is an important factor contributing to a favourable environment for developing offspring. We aim to assess whether following a Mediterranean Diet during pregnancy is beneficial for maternal and offspring outcomes; (2) Methods: a systematic review was performed using standardized reporting guidelines with the National Heart Lung and Blood Iinstitute quality assessment tool for selection and extraction; (3) Results: results show that being on a Mediterranean Diet during pregnancy is associated with favourable outcomes for both maternal and offspring health, particularly for gestational diabetes in mothers and congenital defects in offspring (4) Conclusions: Following a Mediterranean dietary pattern during gestation is beneficial for the health of both the mother and offspring. Pregnant women and those trying to conceive should be advised to follow a Mediterranean Diet to potentially decrease, for example, the likelihood of atopy (OR 0.55) in the offspring and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in the mother (OR 0.73).
Amati Sculfor F, Banks C, Greenfield G, et al., 2018, Predictors of outcomes for patients with common mental health disorders receiving psychological therapies in community settings: a systematic review, Journal of Public Health, Vol: 40, Pages: e375-e387, ISSN: 1741-3842
BackgroundPsychological therapies are increasingly delivered in community care settings. In existing literature, patient, disorder and service variables are known to have a significant impact on the recovery outcomes for patients undergoing psychological treatment in secondary care. The aim of this review is to establish which predictors have a significant impact on recovery from common mental health disorders in community settings.MethodsA systematic review of the literature was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines to identify variables with a predictive power on psychological therapy outcomes. We searched databases using key words and MeSH terms and a strict scoring system and bias check were used.ResultsA total of 486 unique references were identified from the search. Overall, 19 papers met the inclusion criteria. These reported on a total of 34 778 patients from five countries in various community care settings. Predictive factors identified and found to be significant were initial severity and comorbid depression (11/19 studies), which negatively impacted outcome in all studies.ConclusionsWe identified key predictors for recovery in a community settings from five countries. The evidence currently available for this setting is limited, so this review serves as a starting point to highlight key factors that warrant further investigation.
Poots AJ, Amati F, Greenfield G, et al., 2016, Improving access and outcomes in community psychological therapies, ISQua 33rd International Conference, Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP), Pages: 43-43, ISSN: 1464-3677
Amati F, McDonald A, Rawaf S, et al., 2012, Implementation and evaluation of patient-centred care inexperimental studies from 2000-2010: systematic review, International Journal of Person Centered Medicine, Vol: 1, Pages: 348-357, ISSN: 2043-7730
Background: Key areas have been identified in the British National Health Service where patient centred care is not achieved. Although patient centred care is an effective as well as an innovative way to improve multiple aspects of health services, it is unclear how exactly it should be defined and thus how it should be implemented and evaluated. Objective: To investigate how patient centred care interventions are currently implemented and evaluated in experimental studies and see if there has been any recent development in the approach. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted to identify experimental studies investigating the impact of patient centred care on outcomes including clinical indicators and patient satisfaction scores. Studies were required to have a suitable control or comparison group and be published between August 2000 and July 2010. Results: Each of the eligible studies used different methods to implement and evaluate patient centred care. Study quality was mixed and although there was frequently statistical significance, several studies lacked clinical relevance. Patients did not appear to be involved in designing the implementation or evaluation of patient centred care. Conclusion: The standardisation of a patient centred approach will make the implementation and evaluation of a future patient centred NHS a much more achievable goal. A combination of study methods is required and any attempt at a consensus of patient centred care indicators must include input from patients.
Eseonu K, Garnett C, Middleton S, et al., 2009, 'Back to school'-medical students providing life-support training in schools, Clinical Teacher, Vol: 6, Pages: 201-204, ISSN: 1743-4971
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