Search

BackgroundCapacity to deliver outpatient care for patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) may soon be outweighed by need. This systematic review aims to investigate the comparative effectiveness, safety, and cost for virtual or remote clinic interventions for patients with CIEDs and explores how outcomes may be influenced by patient or system factors in-depth.MethodsWe will perform a systematic literature search in MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Proquest Dissertations & Theses, other EBM Reviews, and trial registry databases. Two authors will independently screen titles and abstracts for eligibility. We will include randomized and non-randomized controlled trials, quasi-randomized and experimental studies, cohort, and case-control studies. Study populations of interest are individuals with a CIED (pacemaker, ICD, CRT). Eligibility will be restricted to virtual or remote follow-up or care interventions compared to any other approach. The co-primary outcomes of interest are mortality and patient satisfaction. Secondary outcomes include clinical effectiveness (e.g., ICD shock, time-to-detection of medical event, hospitalizations), safety (e.g., serious or device-related adverse events), device efficacy (e.g., transmissions, malfunctions), costs, workflow (e.g., resources, process outcomes, time-saved), and patient reported (e.g., burden, quality of life). Data will be extracted by one author and checked by a second using a standardized template. We will use published frameworks to capture data relevant to intervention effects that may be influenced by intervention definition or complexity, context and setting, or in socially disadvantaged populations. Detailed descriptive results will be presented for all included studies and outcomes, and where feasible, synthesized using meta-analysis. Risk of bias will be assessed by two review authors independently using Cochrane Risk of Bias tools. Certainty of evidence will be assessed using the GRADE approach.DiscussionIncreases in number of CIEDs implanted, combined with an aging population and finite health resource allocations at the system-level may lead to increased reliance on virtual follow-up or care models in the future. These models must prioritize consistent, equitable, and timely care as a priority. Results from this systematic review will provide important insight into the potential contextual factors which moderate or mediate the effectiveness, safety, and cost of virtual follow-up or care models for patients.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO registration number CRD42020145210

Background Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer is an aggressive disease that makes up about 20% of all invasive breast cancers. HER2+ breast cancer is associated with poor prognosis and high mortality rates, but the development of HER2-targeted therapies, such as originator trastuzumab (Herceptin®), has substantially improved patient survival. Numerous clinical trials and reviews have investigated the efficacy of HER2-targeted therapies over the past few decades; however, no study has specifically investigated the vast body of evidence on trastuzumab in comparison to chemotherapy regimens, endocrine therapies, and other targeted therapies. This systematic review and cumulative network meta-analysis (NMA) will synthesize available evidence to evaluate the survival benefit conferred by the addition of originator trastuzumab to standard chemotherapy and to compare the most widely used trastuzumab regimens in patients with HER2+ early breast cancer, based on results from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and comparative observational studies. Methods/design A systematic search of Embase, MEDLINE®, and the Cochrane Library has been designed by an experienced medical information specialist and peer reviewed by another senior information specialist. RCTs and comparative observational studies of patients with HER2+ early breast cancer indexed from 1990 onwards will be eligible for inclusion. Two investigators will independently assess studies for inclusion and use standardized data extraction templates to collect data on study and patient characteristics. The primary outcome of interest is overall survival. Bayesian cumulative NMA methods will be used to quantify the evolution of publicly available evidence using both fixed and random effects models. Discussion This study will evaluate survival trends associated with originator trastuzumab in patients with HER2+ early breast cancer. As originator trastuzumab has been researched in both clinical and real-world settings for close to 20 years, a cumulative NMA is likely to show improved precision around the parameter estimates for trastuzumab now compared with when the drug was initially launched in the USA in 1998. A better understanding of the evolution of publicly available comparative evidence for originator trastuzumab will further inform treatment for patients with HER2+ early breast cancer, providing benefit to patients, health professionals, and researchers. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42017055763 https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13643-017-0588-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) considers pregnant women to be a risk group for severe influenza disease. We conducted a systematic review to evaluate influenza disease incidence in pregnant women in order to inform estimates of influenza vaccine impact for low-resource countries. Methods We performed electronic literature searches, targeting studies on the following outcomes in pregnant women: attack rate, hospitalization rate, intensive care unit admission rate, mortality rate, and disability-adjusted life years lost. Only original studies published in peer-reviewed journals that had laboratory confirmation for influenza virus infection and included population-based incidence rates with denominator data were included. We summarized study characteristics in descriptive tables and outcome-specific Forest plots. We generated summary incidence rates using random effects models and assessed statistical heterogeneity by visual examination of Forest plots, and by χ 2 and I2 tests. Results We identified 1543 articles, of which nine articles met the study inclusion criteria. Five were case series, three were cohort studies, and one was a randomized controlled trial. Eight studies were from high-income countries, and one was from an upper middle-income country. Six studies reported results for pandemic influenza, and three reported seasonal influenza. Statistical heterogeneity was high for all outcomes, and methodologies and duration of surveillance varied considerably among studies; therefore, we did not perform meta-analyses. Conclusions Study quality was very low according to GRADE criteria. More data on influenza disease incidence in pregnant women, particularly in low- and middle-income countries and for seasonal influenza disease, are needed to inform public health decision-making. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12884-017-1333-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

There is a plethora of interventions and policies aimed at changing practice habits of primary healthcare professionals, but it is unclear which are the most appropriate, sustainable, and effective. We aimed to evaluate the evidence on behavior change interventions and policies directed at healthcare professionals working in primary healthcare centers.Study design: overview of reviews.MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), The Cochrane Library (Wiley), CINAHL (EbscoHost), and grey literature (January 2005 to July 2015).two reviewers independently, and in duplicate, identified systematic reviews, overviews of reviews, scoping reviews, rapid reviews, and relevant health technology reports published in full-text in the English language.two reviewers extracted data pertaining to the types of reviews, study designs, number of studies, demographics of the professionals enrolled, interventions, outcomes, and authors' conclusions for the included studies. We evaluated the methodological quality of the included studies using the AMSTAR scale. For the comparative evaluation, we classified interventions according to the behavior change wheel (Michie et al.).Of 2771 citations retrieved, we included 138 reviews representing 3502 individual studies. The majority of systematic reviews (91%) investigated behavior and practice changes among family physicians. Interactive and multifaceted continuous medical education programs, training with audit and feedback, and clinical decision support systems were found to be beneficial in improving knowledge, optimizing screening rate and prescriptions, enhancing patient outcomes, and reducing adverse events. Collaborative team-based policies involving primarily family physicians, nurses, and pharmacists were found to be most effective. Available evidence on environmental restructuring and modeling was found to be effective in improving collaboration and adherence to treatment guidelines. Limited evidence on nurse-led care approaches were found to be as effective as general practitioners in patient satisfaction in settings like asthma, cardiovascular, and diabetes clinics, although this needs further evaluation. Evidence does not support the use of financial incentives to family physicians, especially for long-term behavior change.Behavior change interventions including education, training, and enablement in the context of collaborative team-based approaches are effective to change practice of primary healthcare professionals. Environmental restructuring approaches including nurse-led care and modeling need further evaluation. Financial incentives to family physicians do not influence long-term practice change.

Background There is a plethora of interventions and policies aimed at changing practice habits of primary healthcare professionals, but it is unclear which are the most appropriate, sustainable, and effective. We aimed to evaluate the evidence on behavior change interventions and policies directed at healthcare professionals working in primary healthcare centers. Methods Study design: overview of reviews. Data source: MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), The Cochrane Library (Wiley), CINAHL (EbscoHost), and grey literature (January 2005 to July 2015). Study selection: two reviewers independently, and in duplicate, identified systematic reviews, overviews of reviews, scoping reviews, rapid reviews, and relevant health technology reports published in full-text in the English language. Data extraction and synthesis: two reviewers extracted data pertaining to the types of reviews, study designs, number of studies, demographics of the professionals enrolled, interventions, outcomes, and authors’ conclusions for the included studies. We evaluated the methodological quality of the included studies using the AMSTAR scale. For the comparative evaluation, we classified interventions according to the behavior change wheel (Michie et al.). Results Of 2771 citations retrieved, we included 138 reviews representing 3502 individual studies. The majority of systematic reviews (91%) investigated behavior and practice changes among family physicians. Interactive and multifaceted continuous medical education programs, training with audit and feedback, and clinical decision support systems were found to be beneficial in improving knowledge, optimizing screening rate and prescriptions, enhancing patient outcomes, and reducing adverse events. Collaborative team-based policies involving primarily family physicians, nurses, and pharmacists were found to be most effective. Available evidence on environmental restructuring and modeling was found to be effective in improving collaboration and adherence to treatment guidelines. Limited evidence on nurse-led care approaches were found to be as effective as general practitioners in patient satisfaction in settings like asthma, cardiovascular, and diabetes clinics, although this needs further evaluation. Evidence does not support the use of financial incentives to family physicians, especially for long-term behavior change. Conclusions Behavior change interventions including education, training, and enablement in the context of collaborative team-based approaches are effective to change practice of primary healthcare professionals. Environmental restructuring approaches including nurse-led care and modeling need further evaluation. Financial incentives to family physicians do not influence long-term practice change. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13012-016-0538-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Total joint replacement (TJR) procedures have been one of the most rewarding interventions for treating patients suffering from joint disease. However, developing a periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a serious complication that is associated with the highest burden of cost and reduction in patients' quality of life compared to other complications following TJRs. One of the main challenges facing clinicians who are treating PJIs is accurately diagnosing infection in a timely fashion. Multiple orthopedic associations have published clinical guidelines for diagnosing PJI which are based solely on consensus approaches, expert opinions, and narrative reviews. We believe that a higher quality of scientific rigor is necessary to establish a diagnostic guideline that represents current evidence more accurately and that identifies important knowledge gaps in PJI diagnosis. Therefore, we will conduct a systematic review on diagnostic performance of blood markers, synovial fluids, and tissue tests for diagnosing PJI.Electronic search strategies will be developed and tested by an experienced medical information specialist in consultation with the review team, and gray literature will be searched using the checklist from CADTH's Grey Matters Light. Two reviewers will independently screen the literature for inclusion using the prespecified eligibility criteria. Non-English language and animal-only studies will be excluded. Quality assessment and data extractions by reviewers will be verified, and disagreements will be resolved through consensus or third party adjudication. We will assess the quality of individual studies using the QUADAS-2 tool and use GRADE to summarize the strength of body of evidence. Analyses of evidence will be conducted in accordance with the Cochrane Handbook for Diagnostic Test Accuracy Reviews.We will conduct a systemic review of tests (blood markers, synovial fluids, and tissue testing) for diagnosing PJI in patients' knee, hip, and shoulder joint replacements. This will be the first scientifically rigorous and comprehensive systematic review in the field and may feed into an evidence-based clinical practice guideline. We will compare the findings of this review with the consensus-based guides and discuss the differences, similarities, and knowledge gaps.PROSPERO CRD42015023768.