Publications
540 results found
Hervatis V, Kyaw BM, Semwal M, et al., 2018, Offline and computer-based eLearning interventions for medical students' education, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Vol: 2018
© 2018 The Cochrane Collaboration. This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: The primary objective of this review is to assess the effects of offline, computer-based eLearning compared with 'traditional' learning and other types of eLearning interventions for medical students' knowledge as well as changes in skills and attitude towards the intervention. Additionally, as secondary objectives, this review will assess the economic impact (cost-benefit, cost-utility or cost-effectiveness), unintended adverse effects, and medical students' satisfaction with using offline and computer-based educational interventions.
Saxena N, Kyaw BM, Vseteckova J, et al., 2018, Virtual reality environments for health professional education, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Vol: 2018
© 2018 The Cochrane Collaboration. This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of virtual reality environment (VRE)-based educational interventions for health professionals on knowledge, skills, and participants' attitude towards and satisfaction with the interventions. Additionally, this review will assess the interventions' economic impact (cost and cost effectiveness), patient-related outcomes and unintended adverse effects of VRE-based educational interventions for post-registration healthcare providers.
Paul P, Toon E, Hadadgar A, et al., 2018, Online- and local area network (LAN)-based eLearning interventions for medical doctors' education, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Vol: 2018
© 2018 The Cochrane Collaboration. This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: This review will evaluate the effectiveness of internet- and LAN-based eLearning for ongoing training of medical doctors, specifically looking at the impact of the learning on the learners' knowledge, skills, attitude, and satisfaction. This review will also assess any change in clinical practices or behaviours in response to these interventions, and the economic impact (cost and cost-effectiveness) of internet- and LAN-based educational interventions.
Vallejo-Vaz AJ, De Marco M, Stevens CAT, et al., 2018, Overview of the current status of familial hypercholesterolaemia care in over 60 countries - The EAS Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Studies Collaboration (FHSC), Atherosclerosis, Vol: 277, Pages: 234-255, ISSN: 0021-9150
Background and aimsManagement of familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) may vary across different settings due to factors related to population characteristics, practice, resources and/or policies. We conducted a survey among the worldwide network of EAS FHSC Lead Investigators to provide an overview of FH status in different countries.MethodsLead Investigators from countries formally involved in the EAS FHSC by mid-May 2018 were invited to provide a brief report on FH status in their countries, including available information, programmes, initiatives, and management.Results63 countries provided reports. Data on FH prevalence are lacking in most countries. Where available, data tend to align with recent estimates, suggesting a higher frequency than that traditionally considered. Low rates of FH detection are reported across all regions. National registries and education programmes to improve FH awareness/knowledge are a recognised priority, but funding is often lacking. In most countries, diagnosis primarily relies on the Dutch Lipid Clinics Network criteria. Although available in many countries, genetic testing is not widely implemented (frequent cost issues). There are only a few national official government programmes for FH. Under-treatment is an issue. FH therapy is not universally reimbursed. PCSK9-inhibitors are available in ∼2/3 countries. Lipoprotein-apheresis is offered in ∼60% countries, although access is limited.ConclusionsFH is a recognised public health concern. Management varies widely across countries, with overall suboptimal identification and under-treatment. Efforts and initiatives to improve FH knowledge and management are underway, including development of national registries, but support, particularly from health authorities, and better funding are greatly needed.
Jimenez G, Tan WS, Virk AK, et al., 2018, Overview of Systematic Reviews of Advance Care Planning: Summary of Evidence and Global Lessons, JOURNAL OF PAIN AND SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT, Vol: 56, Pages: 436-+, ISSN: 0885-3924
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- Citations: 253
Foley K, Alturkistani A, Carter A, et al., 2018, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) evaluation methods: protocol for a systematic review (preprint), Publisher: JMIR Publications
Background: Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have increased in popularity in recent years. They target a wide variety of learners and use novel teaching approaches, yet often exhibit low completion rates (10%). It is important to evaluate MOOCs to determine their impact and effectiveness, but little is known at this point about the methodologies that should be used for evaluation.Objective: The purpose of this paper is to provide a protocol for a systematic review on MOOC evaluation methods.Methods: We will use the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines for reporting this protocol. We developed a population, intervention, comparator, and outcome (PICO) framework to guide the search strategy, based on the overarching question, “What methods have been used to evaluate MOOCs?” The review will follow six stages: 1) literature search, 2) article selection, 3) data extraction, 4) quality appraisal, 5) data analysis, and 6) data synthesis.Results: The systematic review is ongoing. We completed the data searches and data abstraction in October and November 2018. We are now analyzing the data and expect to complete the systematic review by March 2019.Conclusions: This systematic review will provide a useful summary of the methods used for evaluation of MOOCs and the strengths and limitations of each approach. It will also identify gaps in the literature and areas for future work.
Meinert E, Alturkistani A, Brindley D, et al., 2018, Protocol for a mixed-methods evaluation of a massive open online course on real world evidence, BMJ Open, Vol: 8, ISSN: 2044-6055
Introduction: Increasing number of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are being used to train learners at scale in various healthcare-related skills. However, many challenges in course delivery require further understanding, for example, factors exploring the reasons for high MOOC dropout rates, recorded low social interaction between learners and the lack of understanding of the impact of a course facilitators’ presence in course engagement. There is a need to generate further evidence to explore these detriments to MOOC course delivery to enable enhanced course learning design. The proposed mixed-methods evaluation of the MOOC was determined based on the MOOC’s aims and objectives and the methodological approaches used to evaluate this type of a course. The MOOC evaluation will help appraise the effectiveness of the MOOC in delivering its intended objectives. This protocol aims to describe the design of a study evaluating learners knowledge, skills and attitudes in a MOOCs about data science for healthcare.Methods and analysis: Study participants will be recruited from learners who have registered for the MOOC. On registration, learners will be given an opportunity to opt into the study and complete informed consent. Following completion of the course, study participants will be contacted to complete semistructured interviews. Interviews will be transcribed and coded using thematic analysis, with data analysed using two evaluation models: (1) the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, maintenance framework and the (2) Kirkpatrick model drawing data from pre and post-course surveys and post-MOOC semi-structured interviews. The primary goal of the evaluation is to appraise participants' knowledge, skills and attitude after taking the MOOC.Ethics and dissemination: Ethics approval for this study was obtained from Imperial College London through the Education Ethics Review Process (EERP) (EERP1617-030). A summary of the research findings will be
Jimenez G, Lum E, Car J, 2018, Examining Diabetes Management Apps Recommended From a Google Search: Content Analysis (Preprint)
<sec> <title>BACKGROUND</title> <p>The availability of smartphone health apps empowers people to manage their own health. Currently, there are over 300,000 health apps available in the market targeting a variety of user needs from weight loss to management of chronic conditions, with diabetes being the most commonly targeted condition. To date, health apps largely fall outside government regulation, and there are no official guidelines to help clinicians and patients in app selection. Patients commonly resort to the internet for suggestions on which diabetes app to use.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>OBJECTIVE</title> <p>The objective of this study was to investigate apps identified through a Google search and characterize these apps in terms of features that support diabetes management.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>METHODS</title> <p>We performed a Google search for the “best diabetes apps 2017” and explored the first 4 search results. We identified and compiled a list of the apps recommended in the returned search results, which were Web articles. Information about each app was extracted from the papers and corresponding app store descriptions. We examined the apps for the following diabetes management features: medication management, blood glucose self-management, physical activity, diet and nutrition, and weight management.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>RESULTS</title> <p>Overall, 26 apps were recommended in 4 papers. One app was listed in all 4 papers, and 3 apps appeared on 3 of the 4 lists. Apart from one paper, there were no explicit
Jimenez G, Tan WS, Virk AK, et al., 2018, State of advance care planning research: A descriptive overview of systematic reviews., Palliat Support Care, Pages: 1-11
OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of the current state of research of advance care planning (ACP), highlighting most studied topics, publication time, quality of studies and reported outcomes, and to identify gaps to improve ACP receptivity, utilization, implementation, and outcomes. METHOD: Cochrane methodology for conducting overviews of systematic reviews. Study quality was assessed using a modified version of the Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews tool. The following databases were searched from inception to April 2017: MEDLINE, EBM Reviews, Cochrane Reviews, CINAHL, Global Health, PsycINFO, and EMBASE. Searches were supplemented with gray literature and manual searches.ResultEighty systematic reviews, covering 1,662 single articles, show that ACP-related research focuses on nine main topics: (1) ACP as part of end-of-life or palliative care interventions, (2) care decision-making; (3) communication strategies; (4) factors influencing ACP implementation; (5) ACP for specific patient groups, (6) ACP effectiveness; (7) ACP experiences; (8) ACP cost; and (9) ACP outcome measures. The majority of this research was published since 2014, its quality ranges from moderate to low, and reports on documentation, concordance, preferences, and resource utilization outcomes.Significance of resultsDespite the surge of ACP research, there are major knowledge gaps about ACP initiation, timeliness, optimal content, and impact because of the low quality and fragmentation of the available evidence. Research has mostly focused on discrete aspects within ACP instead of using a holistic evaluative approach that takes into account its intricate working mechanisms, the effects of systems and contexts, and the impacts on multilevel stakeholders. Higher quality studies and innovative interventions are needed to develop effective ACP programs and address research gaps.
Alturkistani A, Car J, Majeed A, et al., 2018, Determining the effectiveness of a massive open online course in data science for health, 12th International Conference on e-Learning 2018, Publisher: IADIS
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are widely used to deliver specialized education and training in different fields. Determining the effectiveness of these courses is an integral part of delivering comprehensive, high-quality learning. This study is an evaluation of a MOOC offered by Imperial College London in collaboration with Health iQ called, Data Science Essentials: Real World Evidence. The paper analyzes the reported learning outcomes, attitudes and behaviours of students after completing the MOOC. The study used mixed-methods, drawing from a Kirkpatrick evaluation-using data from semi-structured interviews transcribed and analyzed through Braun and Clark's method for thematic coding. 191 learners joined the MOOC. Two participants who completed at least 75% of the course were interviewed for the course evaluation. The findings of the analysis suggest that the course attracted target learners and learners found its application and engagement methods effective. Learners found the training provided by the MOOC to be helpful and with the potential to be applied in their work environment in the future and identified some work-related barriers that prevent knowledge application. Networking during and post-MOOC was identified as an area that needs improvement and development in the future. Findings derived from this evaluation support the fact that generally, MOOCs can improve learning and knowledge attainment in practical skills-based knowledge. One implication of this study is to inform factors that engage learners in the design and implementation of MOOC. The findings have shown that factors that affect the learners’ engagement are the availability of lecture videos, self-assessment tools and high networking and communication between learners. In terms of knowledge application, support and availability of the right resources are essential because learners are not able to apply learning in their workplace if the workplace lacked the right resources and sup
van Galen LS, Wang CJ, Nanayakkara PWB, et al., 2018, Telehealth requires expansion of physicians' communication competencies training., Med Teach, Pages: 1-2
We are in the midst of transformation of health systems where remote consulting (via video, telephone, email, and mobile messaging) is soon to become the dominant mode of consultation. Most of the literature on telehealth omits mentioning the need for telehealth communication competencies. Yet evidence base has been growing about how critical this training is - whether from clinical communication research or litigation claims analysis. In this article, we are calling for an urgent expansion of communication skills curricula to encompass these new telehealth domains from medical schools, specialty trainings to CMEs.
Gentry S, L'Estrade Ehrstrom B, Gauthier A, et al., 2018, Serious Gaming and Gamification interventions for health professional education, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Vol: 2018
© 2018 The Cochrane Collaboration. This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To evaluate the effectiveness of Serious Gaming and Gamification interventions for delivering pre- and post-registration health professional education compared with traditional learning, other types of eLearning, or other Serious Gaming and Gamification interventions. We will primarily assess the impact of these interventions on students' knowledge, skills, professional attitudes and satisfaction.
Tudor Car L, Riboli-Sasco EF, Marcano Belisario JS, et al., 2018, Mobile learning for delivering health professional education, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, ISSN: 1469-493X
This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: The objective of this review is to evaluate the effectiveness of mLearning educational interventions for delivering pre-registration and post-registration healthcare professional education. We will primarily assess the impact of these interventions on students' knowledge, skills, professional attitudes and satisfaction.
Kononowicz AA, Woodham L, Georg C, et al., 2018, Virtual patient simulations for health professional education, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Vol: 2018
© 2018 The Cochrane Collaboration. This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: The objective of this review is to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual patient simulation as an educational intervention versus traditional learning, other types of e-Learning interventions and other forms of virtual patient simulation interventions for delivering pre-registration and post-registration healthcare professional education. We will primarily assess the impact of these interventions on learners' knowledge, skills and attitudes. Our secondary objective is to assess the cost-effectiveness of these interventions.
van Velthoven MH, Wang W, Wu Q, et al., 2018, Comparison of text messaging data collection vs face-to-face interviews for public health surveys: a cluster randomized crossover study of care-seeking for childhood pneumonia and diarrhoea in rural China., Journal of Global Health, Vol: 8, ISSN: 2047-2978
Background: To compare text messaging and face-to-face interviews to conduct a survey on childhood diarrhoea and pneumonia. Methods: Caregivers of young children able to send text messages in Zhao County in rural China were included in this crossover study. Villages (clusters) were randomized into two groups using the ratio 1:1.6 to account for an expected higher drop-out in group 2. In group 1, participants first completed the face-to-face and then text messaging survey; this order was reversed in group 2. We determined data equivalence of 17 questions that were answered by participants who were the same person in both surveys. For the text messaging survey, we assessed the overall and item response rate. Results: We included 1014 participants between 16 and 28 March 2013: 371 in 15 villages in group 1 and 643 in 27 villages in group 2. A total of 662 (65.3%) out of 1014 participants responded (first text message question) and a significantly higher proportion who did not respond were from rural areas (P = 0.005). Of 651 participants willing to participate, 356 (54.7%) completed the text messaging survey, which was marginally significantly different between the groups (P = 0.05). In total, 409 participants took part in both surveys: 183 in group 1 and 226 in group 2. There was a significantly higher proportion of caregivers from rural areas in Zhao County in the non-responder group compared to the responder group (P = 0.004). Kappas were substantial for six (0.61-0.80), moderate for two (0.58 and 0.60), and fair for three questions (0.31, 0.35 and 0.37). The proportion of agreement was >90% for five questions; 80.0%-90.0% for five questions; 70.0%, 65.0% and 45.5%. The remaining questions had too small numbers to calculate these values. Conclusions: This study shows that text messaging data collection produces data similar to data from face-to-face interviews in a middle-income setting, but the response rate was insuffic
GBD 2016 Healthcare Access and Quality Collaborators, 2018, Measuring performance on the Healthcare Access and Quality Index for 195 countries and territories and selected subnational locations: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016, Lancet, Vol: 391, Pages: 2236-2271, ISSN: 0140-6736
BACKGROUND: A key component of achieving universal health coverage is ensuring that all populations have access to quality health care. Examining where gains have occurred or progress has faltered across and within countries is crucial to guiding decisions and strategies for future improvement. We used the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) to assess personal health-care access and quality with the Healthcare Access and Quality (HAQ) Index for 195 countries and territories, as well as subnational locations in seven countries, from 1990 to 2016. METHODS: Drawing from established methods and updated estimates from GBD 2016, we used 32 causes from which death should not occur in the presence of effective care to approximate personal health-care access and quality by location and over time. To better isolate potential effects of personal health-care access and quality from underlying risk factor patterns, we risk-standardised cause-specific deaths due to non-cancers by location-year, replacing the local joint exposure of environmental and behavioural risks with the global level of exposure. Supported by the expansion of cancer registry data in GBD 2016, we used mortality-to-incidence ratios for cancers instead of risk-standardised death rates to provide a stronger signal of the effects of personal health care and access on cancer survival. We transformed each cause to a scale of 0-100, with 0 as the first percentile (worst) observed between 1990 and 2016, and 100 as the 99th percentile (best); we set these thresholds at the country level, and then applied them to subnational locations. We applied a principal components analysis to construct the HAQ Index using all scaled cause values, providing an overall score of 0-100 of personal health-care access and quality by location over time. We then compared HAQ Index levels and trends by quintiles on the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a summary measure of overall development. As derive
Matchar DB, Car J, Koh GCH, 2018, The role of primary care in the dynamics of a health system, PROCEEDINGS OF SINGAPORE HEALTHCARE, Vol: 27, Pages: 71-+, ISSN: 2010-1058
Osama T, Brindley D, Car J, et al., 2018, Teaching the relationship between health and climate change: a systematic scoping review protocol, BMJ Open, Vol: 8, ISSN: 2044-6055
Introduction The observed and projected impacts of climate change on human health are significant. While climate change has gathered global momentum and is taught frequently, the extent to which the relationships between climate change and health are taught remain uncertain. Education provides an opportunity to create public engagement on these issues, but the extent to which historical implementation of climate health education could be leveraged is not well understood. To address this gap, we propose to conduct a scoping review of all forms of teaching that have been used to illustrate the health effects of climate change between 2005-2017, coinciding with a turning point in the public health and climate change agendas following the 2005 Group of 7/8 (G7/8) Summit. Methods and analysis Using Arksey/O’Malley’s and Levac's methodological framework, MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Education Resource Information Centre (ERIC), Web of Science, Global Health, Health Management Information Consortium (HMIC), Georef, Ebsco and PROSPERO will be systematically searched. Predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria will be applied by two independent reviewers to determine study eligibility. Studies published in English and after 2005 only will be examined. Following selection of studies, data will be extracted and analysed. Ethics and dissemination No ethical approval is required as exclusively secondary data will be used.Our findings will be communicated to the European Institute of Innovation & Technology Health-Knowledge and Innovation Communities (EIT-KICs) to assist in the development of a FutureLearn Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on the health effects of climate change.
Meinert E, Alturkistani A, Foley KA, et al., 2018, Blockchain implementation in health care: protocol for a systematic review (Preprint), Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Background:A blockchain is a digitized, decentralized, distributed public ledger that acts as a shared and synchronized database that records cryptocurrency transactions. Despite the shift toward digital platforms enabled by electronic medical records, demonstrating a will to reform the health care sector, health systems face issues including security, interoperability, data fragmentation, timely access to patient data, and silos. The application of health care blockchains could enable data interoperability, enhancement of precision medicine, and reduction in prescription frauds through implementing novel methods in access and patient consent.Objective:To summarize the evidence on the strategies and frameworks utilized to implement blockchains for patient data in health care to ensure privacy and improve interoperability and scalability. It is anticipated this review will assist in the development of recommendations that will assist key stakeholders in health care blockchain implementation, and we predict that the evidence generated will challenge the health care status quo, moving away from more traditional approaches and facilitating decision making of patients, health care providers, and researchers.Methods:A systematic search of MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, Scopus, ProQuest Technology Collection and Engineering Index will be conducted. Two experienced independent reviewers will conduct titles and abstract screening followed by full-text reading to determine study eligibility. Data will then be extracted onto data extraction forms before using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool to appraise the quality of included randomized studies and the Risk of Bias in nonrandomized studies of Interventions to assess the quality of nonrandomized studies. Data will then be analyzed and synthesized.Results:Database searches will be initiated in September 2018. We expect to complete the review in January 2019.Conclusions:This review will summarize the strategies and framewor
Alturkistani A, Majeed A, Car J, et al., 2018, Data collection approaches to enable evaluation of a massive open online course about data science for continuing education in health care: case study (Preprint), Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Background:This study presents learner perceptions of a pilot massive open online course (MOOC).Objective:The objective of this study was to explore data collection approaches to help inform future MOOC evaluations on the use of semistructured interviews and the Kirkpatrick evaluation model.Methods:A total of 191 learners joined 2 course runs of a limited trial of the MOOC. Moreover, 7 learners volunteered to be interviewed for the study. The study design drew on semistructured interviews of 2 learners transcribed and analyzed using Braun and Clark’s method for thematic coding. This limited participant set was used to identify how the Kirkpatrick evaluation model could be used to evaluate further implementations of the course at scale.Results:The study identified several themes that could be used for further analysis. The themes and subthemes include learner background (educational, professional, and topic significance), MOOC learning (learning achievement and MOOC application), and MOOC features (MOOC positives, MOOC negatives, and networking). There were insufficient data points to perform a Kirkpatrick evaluation.Conclusions:Semistructured interviews for MOOC evaluation can provide a valuable in-depth analysis of learners’ experience of the course. However, there must be sufficient data sources to complete a Kirkpatrick evaluation to provide for data triangulation. For example, data from precourse and postcourse surveys, quizzes, and test results could be used to improve the evaluation methodology.
Dieleman JL, Haakenstad A, Micah A, et al., 2018, Spending on health and HIV/AIDS: domestic health spending and development assistance in 188 countries, 1995-2015, LANCET, Vol: 391, Pages: 1799-1829, ISSN: 0140-6736
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Dieleman JL, Sadat N, Chang AY, et al., 2018, Trends in future health financing and coverage: future health spending and universal health coverage in 188 countries, 2016-40, LANCET, Vol: 391, Pages: 1783-1798, ISSN: 0140-6736
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- Citations: 92
Huang Z, Soljak M, Boehm BO, et al., 2018, Clinical relevance of smartphone apps for diabetes management: a global overview, Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews, Vol: 34, ISSN: 1520-7560
AIMS: We assessed the number, proportion and clinical relevance of diabetes self-management apps in major languages spoken by ten countries with the greatest number of people with diabetes. METHODS: China, India, USA, Brazil, Russian Federation, Mexico, Indonesia, Egypt, Japan and Pakistan were identified as the ten countries with the largest number of people with diabetes based on the latest NCD-RisC survey. Android and iOS apps in the ten national languages were extracted with a search strategy. App titles and descriptions were systematically screened by trained reviewers, including apps specific for diabetes self-management and excluding apps for healthcare providers, general well-being, health and product promotion and traditional cure. Eighteen apps in the above languages were then downloaded based on availability and popularity, and assessed for clinical relevance to diabetes self-management with reference to current clinical guidelines. RESULTS: The diabetes-related search terms identified 3374 Android and 4477 iOS apps, where 1019 Android and 1303 iOS apps were screened as being relevant for diabetes self-management. Chinese and English language apps constitute above 80% of the diabetes apps, have more downloads, and more comprehensive clinically relevant functions compared to other languages. None of the apps assessed met all criteria for information provision and app functionalities, nor provided information cited from accredited sources. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that apps could play an important role in complementing multifaceted diabetes care, but should preferably be regulated, context specific and more tailored to users' needs with clear guidance for patients and clinicians about the choices.
Posadzki P, Car J, 2018, Light Therapies for Acne, JAMA DERMATOLOGY, Vol: 154, Pages: 597-+, ISSN: 2168-6068
Meinert E, Alturkistani A, Osama T, et al., 2018, Digital Technology in Somatic and Gene Therapy Trials of Pediatric Patients With Ocular Diseases: Protocol for a Scoping Review (Preprint), Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Background:Pharmacogenomics suggests that diseases with similar symptomatic presentations often have varying genetic causes, affecting an individual patient’s response to a specific therapeutic strategy. Gene therapies and somatic cell therapies offer unique therapeutic pathways for ocular diseases and often depend on increased understanding of the genotype-phenotype relationship in disease presentation and progression. While demand for personalised medicine is increasing and the required molecular tools are available, its adoption within paediatric ophthalmology remains to be maximised in the post-genomic era. To address the individual hurdles encountered in the field of genomic-related clinical trials and facilitate the uptake of personalised medicine, we propose to conduct a review that will examine and identify the digital technologies used to facilitate data analysis in somatic and gene therapy trials in paediatric patients with ocular diseases.Objective:To present an outline of HIT/ICT resources used in somatic and gene therapy clinical trials in children with ocular diseases. This review will enable authors to identify challenges and provide recommendations facilitating the uptake of genetic and somatic therapies as therapeutic tools in paediatric ophthalmology. The review will also determine whether conducting a systematic review will be beneficial.Methods:The review will be guided by Arksey/O’Malley’s and Levac’s methodological frameworks. Following the development of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)/subject headings and keywords, a systematic search of MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase and Scopus will be conducted. Two suitably qualified independent reviewers will determine study eligibility. Following identification of studies, data will be extracted and analysed.Results:Database searches will be initiated in September 2018. We expect to complete the review in December 2018.Conclusions:Based
van Galen LS, Car J, 2018, Telephone consultations, BMJ-BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL, Vol: 360, ISSN: 1756-1833
Doherty K, Barry M, Marcano-Belisario J, et al., 2018, A Mobile App for the Self-Report of Psychological Well-Being During Pregnancy (BrightSelf): Qualitative Design Study (Preprint)
<sec> <title>BACKGROUND</title> <p>Maternal mental health impacts both parental well-being and childhood development. In the United Kingdom, 15% of women are affected by depression during pregnancy or within 1 year of giving birth. Suicide is a leading cause of perinatal maternal mortality, and it is estimated that >50% of perinatal depression cases go undiagnosed. Mobile technologies are potentially valuable tools for the early recognition of depressive symptoms, but complex design challenges must be addressed to enable their use in public health screening.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>OBJECTIVE</title> <p>The aim of this study was to explore the issues and challenges surrounding the use of mobile phones for the self-report of psychological well-being during pregnancy.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>METHODS</title> <p>This paper presents design research carried out as part of the development of BrightSelf, a mobile app for the self-report of psychological well-being during pregnancy. Design sessions were carried out with 38 participants, including pregnant women, mothers, midwives, and other health professionals. Overall, 19 hours of audio were fully transcribed and used as the basis of thematic analysis.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>RESULTS</title> <p>The study highlighted anxieties concerning the pregnancy journey, challenges surrounding current approaches to the appraisal of well-being in perinatal care, and the midwife-patient relationship. Designers should consider the framing of perinatal mental health technologies, the experience of self-
Posadzki PP, Baipai R, Myint Kyaw B, et al., 2018, Melatonin and health: an umbrella review of health outcomes and biological mechanisms of action, BMC Medicine, Vol: 16, ISSN: 1741-7015
Background: Our aims were to evaluate critically the evidence from systematic reviews as well as narrative reviewsof the effects of melatonin (MLT) on health and to identify the potential mechanisms of action involved.Methods: An umbrella review of the evidence across systematic reviews and narrative reviews of endogenous andexogenous (supplementation) MLT was undertaken. The Oxman checklist for assessing the methodological qualityof the included systematic reviews was utilised. The following databases were searched: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web ofScience, CENTRAL, PsycINFO and CINAHL. In addition, reference lists were screened. We included reviews of theeffects of MLT on any type of health-related outcome measure.Results: Altogether, 195 reviews met the inclusion criteria. Most were of low methodological quality (mean -4.5,standard deviation 6.7). Of those, 164 did not pool the data and were synthesised narratively (qualitatively) whereasthe remaining 31 used meta-analytic techniques and were synthesised quantitatively. Seven meta-analyses weresignificant with P values less than 0.001 under the random-effects model. These pertained to sleep latency,pre-operative anxiety, prevention of agitation and risk of breast cancer.Conclusions: There is an abundance of reviews evaluating the effects of exogenous and endogenous MLT onhealth. In general, MLT has been shown to be associated with a wide variety of health outcomes in clinically andmethodologically heterogeneous populations. Many reviews stressed the need for more high-quality randomisedclinical trials to reduce the existing uncertainties.
Su Y, Roberts A, Luo C, et al., 2018, Shall We have underground office spaces? Underground workspaces do not affect office work's perception of workspace and job satisfaction, Pages: 524-529
A critical question for underground construction is whether underground spaces should be devoted to office workers or, on the contrary, to job types that involve manual labor (such as workshops). We answer this question by examining the influence of under/above-ground environment and job type (office vs. manual) on employees' satisfaction with current work physical environment and overall job satisfaction. Participants were workers in underground and similar aboveground workspaces in Singapore (N= 417, Mean age = 39.6, 80.3% male). Using generalised linear models controlling for demographic characteristics (age, gender, and monthly income), we found that aboveground workers reported higher overall satisfaction with their workplace's physical environment than the underground workers. Yet, on closer examination, the effect was mostly present for manual workers, whereas office workers' satisfaction with the physical environment was unaffected by being underground or aboveground. Additionally, for overall job satisfaction, there were no differences on employees' job satisfaction regardless if they work under or aboveground, manual or office. These results indicate that office employees tend to have the same levels of satisfaction with physical environment and their job, irrespective of being underground or above ground. On the contrary, manual workers seem to be more sensitive to underground environment. From a policy point of view, this suggests that, contrary to general trends pointing to use underground spaces for "manual" type of work, underground workspaces seem to be at least equally appropriate for office workers.
Tan Z, Roberts AC, Christopoulos GI, et al., 2018, Working in underground spaces: Architectural parameters, perceptions and thermal comfort measurements, TUNNELLING AND UNDERGROUND SPACE TECHNOLOGY, Vol: 71, Pages: 428-439, ISSN: 0886-7798
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