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Purpose: To examine if the association between age and post-stroke cognition is mediated by apathy. Methods: A cross-sectional investigation was carried out with 389 stroke survivors and informants. Data were collected through the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES-C) and the Informant Questionnaire for Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE). Bivariate analyses were conducted between the IQCODE total score and each of the demographic and clinical characteristics as well as apathy, while Baron and Kenny's 4-step approach was used to examine the mediating effect of apathy on the association between age and post-stroke cognition. Results: Participants were aged 64.3 years on average, with a mean IQCODE score of 97.6 (SD: 14.8) and a mean AES-C score of 41.3 (SD: 8.0). IQCODE scores were positively correlated with age (r = 0.32, p < 0.001) and apathy (r = 0.54, p < 0.001). Apathy contributed to 24% of the total effect of age on post-stroke cognition, exerting a significant mediating effect on the relationship between age and post-stroke cognition. Conclusions: Apathy may have a significant impact on the cognitive health of stroke survivors. Therefore, the early identification of apathy symptoms could facilitate consideration of potential interventions, such as multisensory and cognitive stimulation, designed to improve cognitive outcomes in this population. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: Cognitive impairment after stroke is common and has negative impacts on survivors' rehabilitation and quality of life. Ageing survivors are prone to mood disorders which may be associated with poorer cognitive outcomes. Apathy was found to significantly mediate the relationship between age and post-stroke cognition. Psychological assessments should be carried out regularly to improve cognitive outcomes through the timely recognition and management of apathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a sexual rehabilitation program, SEXHAB, in improving sexual functioning, reducing sexual distress, and enhancing marital satisfaction for women after gynecological cancer treatment. Methods: This is a randomized controlled trial that included 150 women newly diagnosed with gynecological cancer from three public hospitals in Hong Kong. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 78) to receive the SEXHAB or to an attention control group (n = 72) to receive attention. The SEXHAB comprises four individual‐ or couple‐based sessions with three major components: information provision, cognitive‐behavioral therapy and counseling using motivational interviewing skills. The outcomes were measured at baseline (T0), upon completion of the program (T1) and 12‐month post‐treatment (T2). Semi‐structured interviews were also conducted with the SEXHAB group participants to explore their experiences with and opinions toward the program. Results: At both follow‐ups, there were no statistically significant differences between groups in improving sexual functioning, sexual distress and marital satisfaction. Nevertheless, participants in the SEXHAB group reported their partners having significantly greater sexual interest at T1 (76% vs. 52%, rate ratio: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.07 to 1.99, p = 0.024) and T2 (74% vs. 48%, rate ratio: 1.55, 95% CI: 1.11 to 2.10, p = 0.014). From the qualitative interviews, the interviewees who resumed sexual activity reported positive experiences in rebuilding sexuality and intimacy. Conclusions: Despite the quantitative results are negative, the qualitative findings suggest potential benefits of the SEXHAB for women resuming sexual activities after treatment for gynecological cancer. Further studies with longer intervention period and follow‐ups are needed to confirm the intervention effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To investigate the effects of a multimodal couple-based sexual health intervention for premenopausal women treated for breast cancer and their partners to provide personalised psychosexual care, and to understand participants' experience of, and adherence to, the intervention. Methods: This is an assessor-blinded, randomised controlled trial. Premenopausal women treated for breast cancer (N = 160) and their partners will be recruited. Dyads will be randomised into an intervention (n = 80) or attention control (n = 80) group. The intervention group will receive the multimodal couple-based sexual health intervention over eight weeks. The intervention comprises five face-to-face and virtual individual couple counselling sessions combined with online reading, a chat-based discussion forum, and telephone calls. The intervention is based on level I-II evidence and a robust theoretical framework. The attention control group will receive usual care plus telephone calls comprising general greetings and reminders to complete follow-up surveys. Sexual adjustment, relationship quality and quality of life will be measured at baseline, after completion of the intervention, three months and six months post-intervention. The project will adhere to the CONSORT-EHEALTH checklist. Qualitative interviews will explore the participants' experience of, and adherence to, the intervention. Discussion: This study will provide the first pragmatic evidence of the effectiveness of a multimodal couple-coping intervention to support premenopausal women and their partners to improve sexuality, relationship quality and quality of life after treatment for breast cancer. Implications for the profession and /or patient care: Sexual health is a neglected area in clinical practice, for patients and partners. The ever-growing population of women treated for breast cancer at younger age has created a more pressing need for the development of tailored sexual health interventions. If effective, this intervention could be incorporated into routine cancer care to provide better support and care for this patient population to enhance sexual health, intimacy and overall well-being. Trial registration: ISRCTN35481498; prospectively registered on 08/05/2023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims A randomized controlled trial was conducted to examine the effects of a home-based music-paced physical activity programme guided by Information-Motivation-Strategy (IMS) model and Self-determination theory on exercise-related outcomes for patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) after cardiac rehabilitation (CR). Methods and results A total of 130 patients with CHD from a regional CR centre in Hong Kong were recruited and randomly allocated into intervention (n = 65) or control groups (n = 65). The intervention group received theory-guided practical sessions on performing prescribed home-based physical activity with individualized synchronized music, and follow-up telephone calls. The primary outcome was exercise capacity. Secondary outcomes included exercise self-efficacy, physical activity level, and exercise self-determination. Data were collected at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months after study entry. The generalized estimating equations model was used to assess the intervention effects. Patients with CHD in the intervention group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in exercise capacity at 3 months [ β = 35.68, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.69–68.68, P = 0.034] and significantly improved exercise self-efficacy at 6 months (β = 3.72, 95% CI 0.11–7.32, P = 0.043) when compared with the control group. However, no significant group differences were found in physical activity level and exercise self-determination. Conclusion The study findings provide evidence on an innovation on improving the exercise capacity and exercise self-efficacy of patients with CHD. The music-paced physical activity guided by the IMS model and Self-determination theory requires further investigation on its long-term effects in future studies. Clinical trial registration ChiCTR-IOR-17011015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Health communication in the COVID-19 pandemic can be effectively implemented if all members of the populations, including marginalized population such as migrant domestic workers (MDWs), have good eHealth literacy. Lessons learned during this critical period may help improve planning and mitigation of the impacts of future health crises. Methods: This study aimed to examine and explore the eHealth literacy levels of the MDWs in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 pandemic by using a convergent mixed methods research design. A total of 1156 Hong Kong MDWs participated in a paper-based survey using a multistage cluster random sampling design for the quantitative component. eHealth literacy was measured using an eHealth literacy Scale (eHEALS). For the qualitative component, a purposive sampling of 19 MDWs participated in face-to-face, semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analyses were used to carry out the quantitative analysis, while thematic analysis was used for the qualitative analysis. Both quantitative and qualitative data were merged and integrated for mixed-methods analysis. Results: The meta-inferences of the quantitative and qualitative results mainly confirmed that MDWs in Hong Kong had good levels of eHealth literacy. The use of Instagram, YouTube and WhatsApp as the COVID-19 information sources, in addition to having an interest in the topic of the current spread of COVID-19 together with the Hong Kong government's policies related to COVID-19, were found to be associated with eHealth literacy. Conclusions: The eHealth literacy level of MDWs in Hong Kong was shown to be good and it was influenced by the use of popular social media platforms including Instagram, YouTube, and WhatsApp. It is realistic to suggest that such platforms should be harnessed for health communication during the pandemic. Yet, regulations to combat false information on these media are also urgently needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and Objectives: The study aimed to identify factors associated with participation in Phase II cardiac rehabilitation and to assess patient perceptions towards the usage of technologies in cardiac rehabilitation. Background: Despite efforts to promote utilisation of cardiac rehabilitation (CR), participation among patients remains unsatisfactory. Little is known of patient decision to participate Phase II CR in a multi‐ethnic country. Design: A cross‐sectional study design. Methods: A consecutive sampling of 240 patients with coronary heart disease completed Coronary Artery Disease Education Questionnaire (CADE‐Q) II, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) and Cardiac Rehabilitation Barriers Scale (CRBS). Results: Seventy per cent of patients (mean age 60.5 [SD = 10.6] years, 80.8% male) participated in phase II cardiac rehabilitation. Self‐driving to cardiac rehabilitation centres, higher barriers in perceived need/health care and logistical factors were significantly associated with decreased odds of participation. Patients with more barriers from comorbidities/functional status, higher perceived social support from friends, and anxiety were more likely to participate. Chinese and Indians were less likely to participate when compared with Malays. More than 80% of patients used both home and mobile broadband internet, and 72.9% of them would accept the usage of technologies, especially educational videos, instant messenger, and video calls to partially replace the face‐to‐face, centre‐based cardiac rehabilitation approach. Conclusion: Several barriers were associated with non‐participation in phase II cardiac rehabilitation. With the high perceived acceptance of technology usage in cardiac rehabilitation, home‐based and hybrid cardiac rehabilitation may represent potential solutions to improve participation. Relevance to clinical practice: By addressing the barriers to cardiac rehabilitation, patients are more likely to be ready to adopt health behaviour changes and adhere to the cardiac rehabilitation programme. The high perceived acceptance of using technologies in cardiac rehabilitation may provide insights into new delivery models that can improve and overcome barriers to participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Telephone consultation (TC) is widely used for its easy access and convenience. This review aimed to assess the effects of TC including triage on safety, service use, patient satisfaction, and health professionals' workload to inform directions for future health service practice. Methods: CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, ProQuest Dissertation & Theses (Health & Medicine), ClinincalTrials.gov, and International Clinical Trial Registry Platform were searched on April 7, 2022. The included were randomized controlled trials that compared TC with standard (face-to-face [F2F]) management or that by another group of call advisers. Cochrane methods were used to select eligible studies, assess the risk of bias, estimate summary effect measure, and grade evidence certainty. Meta-analysis was performed on important outcomes with moderate- or high-quality evidence. Results: Eight studies were included involving 40,002 participants. TC could increase call resolution—proportion of callers' concerns being addressed by telephone advice alone (two studies; high certainty) and reduce F2F contacts with doctors for the first consultation (two studies, moderate certainty) compared with standard management or TC by doctors. None of included studies reported increases in adverse events, including all-cause mortality, acute and emergency department visit, and hospitalization. There was inadequate evidence regarding the effects of TC on patient satisfaction and length of consultation. Conclusion: The findings support the benefits of TC on improving call resolution and reducing F2F contacts with doctors on the day of first management for regular day service; and TC by nurses can provide better effects than that by doctors for out-of-hours service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Adhering to coronary artery disease medications is the priority of its treatment. Medication adherence is suboptimal among older adults with coronary artery disease. Educational programmes are used and recommended in improving medication adherence among older adults with coronary artery disease. The evidence about the effects of educational programmes on medication adherence among older adults with coronary artery disease is, however, limited., Aim: To evaluate the effects of educational programmes designed for improving medication adherence among older adults with coronary artery disease., Methods: 12 English databases and five Chinese databases were searched from database inception to January 2024. Randomised controlled trials examining the effects of educational programmes for improving medication adherence among older adults (aged 60 years old or above) with coronary artery disease (including myocardial infarction, stable or unstable angina, undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, or undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting) were included. The quality of the included studies was assessed by the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool v2. Meta-analysis was conducted using random-effect models with Review Manager 5.3. Narrative synthesis was conducted if the results of the included studies were not appropriate or possible for meta-analysis. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach was used to assess the certainty of evidence., Results: 5607 records were retrieved, and 5600 records were excluded. Six randomised controlled trials were included. The results showed that educational programmes could significantly improve medication adherence at two to six months post-intervention (standardised mean difference (SMD): 1.13, 95 % confidence interval (CI): 0.33 to 1.94, P = 0.006, Moderate certainty of evidence), but there was no significant evidence to support their effect on medication adherence within one-month post-intervention (SMD: 2.18, 95 % CI: -1.22, 5.58, P = 0.21, Low certainty of evidence). Narrative synthesis found that the educational programmes potentially improved medication adherence over six months post-intervention, understanding of coronary artery disease and related medications, and medication management capacity., Conclusions: Educational programmes could significantly improve medication adherence among older adults with coronary artery disease at two to six months post-intervention, and potentially improve medication adherence over six months post-intervention. The effect on medication adherence within one-month post-intervention was inconclusive. Designing the educational programmes with theoretical frameworks and refined components helps address their complex health needs. More rigorous evaluation of the effects of educational programmes on medication adherence of the older adults with coronary artery disease is warranted., Registration: PROSPERO (Registration Number: CRD42024472344; Registration name: Educational programmes for improving medication adherence among older adults with coronary artery disease: A systematic review)., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Living with stroke poses many psychosocial challenges. Interventions for improving stroke survivors' psychosocial outcomes are lacking. Peer support interventions may contribute to recovery after stroke. However, current evidence is insufficient to suggest their application in enhancing stroke survivors' psychosocial well-being., Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a nurse-led peer support intervention for improving the psychosocial outcomes of stroke survivors., Design: An assessor-blinded two-arm randomised controlled trial with an attention control group., Settings: A community health centre and a rehabilitation unit in Yangzhou, China., Participants: First-ever or recurrent ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke survivors., Methods: A convenience sample of 120 stroke survivors was recruited with 60 participants randomly assigned to each of the intervention and control groups. Intervention group participants received the nurse-led peer support intervention. Control group participants received attention care. The primary outcomes were social participation and participation self-efficacy. The secondary outcomes were psychological distress, perceived social support, stigma towards diseases, and quality of life. Data were collected at baseline (T0), immediately post-intervention (T1) and three months post-intervention (T2). Generalised estimating equations models were used to determine the effects of the intervention on the outcomes., Results: The intervention significantly improved social participation (T1: adjusted mean difference = -18.45, 95 % CI: -22.89 to -14.01, p < 0.001; T2: adjusted mean difference = -14.71, 95 % CI: -22.36 to -7.05, p < 0.001), participation self-efficacy (T1: adjusted mean difference = 47.92, 95 % CI: 37.56 to 58.27, p < 0.001; T2: adjusted mean difference = 39.58, 95 % CI: 17.88 to 61.28, p < 0.001) and perceived social support (T1: adjusted mean difference = 7.56, 95 % CI: 4.93 to 10.19, p < 0.001; T2: adjusted mean difference = 7.41, 95 % CI: 4.01 to 10.80, p < 0.001), and reduced psychological distress (T1: adjusted mean difference = -4.97, 95 % CI: -6.25 to -3.69, p < 0.001; T2: adjusted mean difference = -4.67, 95 % CI: -6.24 to -3.11, p < 0.001) and stigma towards diseases (T1: adjusted mean difference = -3.83, 95 % CI: -5.14 to -2.51, p < 0.001; T2: adjusted mean difference = -3.19, 95 % CI: -5.20 to -1.19, p < 0.001) at both T1 and T2. The intervention significantly improved quality of life at T1 only (adjusted mean difference = 0.12, 95 % CI: 0.06 to 0.19, p = 0.02)., Conclusions: The results provide empirical support for the effectiveness of the nurse-led peer support intervention in improving the psychosocial outcomes of stroke survivors and provide additional evidence to support their inclusion in stroke rehabilitation., Registration: ChiCTR.org.cn (ChiCTR2100050853), Start of recruitment: October 2021., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: A technologically integrated, multidisciplinary approach to stroke rehabilitation service was delivered and embedded into conventional health care practice. This article reports an evaluation of cost-effectiveness analysis of a new Virtual Multidisciplinary Stroke Care Clinic (VMSCC) service for community-dwelling survivors of stroke., Methods and Results: A randomized controlled trial was conducted. Adults with a first/recurrent ischemic/hemorrhagic stroke were recruited from 10 hospitals. Eligible participants were randomly assigned to receive the VMSCC service (individual virtual consultations with a registered nurse, home blood pressure telemonitoring, and unlimited access to an online resource platform) plus usual care or usual care alone. Cost-effectiveness analyses were performed based on incremental cost-effectiveness ratios expressed as incremental cost per emergency admission reduced, and day of hospitalization reduced over the study period. A total of 256 participants (intervention group n=141 versus control group n=115) with complete cost and health care use data were included in the cost-effectiveness analyses. The VMSCC service, on average, resulted in a greater reduction in the number of emergency admission (-0.06 [95% bootstrapped CI, -0.14 to 0.01]) and fewer days of hospitalization (-0.08, [95% bootstrapped CI -0.40 to 0.24]) but incurred a higher total cost of HK$375 (95% bootstrapped CI, -2103 to 2743) compared with the usual care. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of the VMSCC service compared with the usual care were HK$6070 and HK$4826 per an emergency admission and a day of hospital stay reduced respectively., Conclusions: The study provides preliminary but not confirmative evidence that the VMSCC service could be more effective but more costly than usual care in reducing health service use., Registration: URL: https://www.chictr.org.cn. Unique identifier: ChiCTR1800016101.

Objective: Telephone consultation (TC) is widely used for its easy access and convenience. This review aimed to assess the effects of TC including triage on safety, service use, patient satisfaction, and health professionals' workload to inform directions for future health service practice. Methods: CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, ProQuest Dissertation & Theses (Health & Medicine), ClinincalTrials.gov, and International Clinical Trial Registry Platform were searched on April 7, 2022. The included were randomized controlled trials that compared TC with standard (face-to-face [F2F]) management or that by another group of call advisers. Cochrane methods were used to select eligible studies, assess the risk of bias, estimate summary effect measure, and grade evidence certainty. Meta-analysis was performed on important outcomes with moderate- or high-quality evidence. Results: Eight studies were included involving 40,002 participants. TC could increase call resolution-proportion of callers' concerns being addressed by telephone advice alone (two studies; high certainty) and reduce F2F contacts with doctors for the first consultation (two studies, moderate certainty) compared with standard management or TC by doctors. None of included studies reported increases in adverse events, including all-cause mortality, acute and emergency department visit, and hospitalization. There was inadequate evidence regarding the effects of TC on patient satisfaction and length of consultation. Conclusion: The findings support the benefits of TC on improving call resolution and reducing F2F contacts with doctors on the day of first management for regular day service; and TC by nurses can provide better effects than that by doctors for out-of-hours service.