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Gao L.-L., Chan S.W.-C. & Cheng B.-S. (2012) The past, present and future of nursing Education in the People's Republic of China: a discussion paper. Journal of Advanced Nursing 68(6), 1429-1438. Abstract Aim. This article presents a discussion of nursing education development in the People's Republic of China in its historical, economic and sociopolitical contexts. Background. China has a population of 1·3 billion with about 2·18 million nurses. With the recent surging economic and social development in China, nursing education has undergone transformation changes in the past two decades. Data sources. Online bibliographical databases from 1990 to 2010 were searched including CINAHL, MEDLINE, Wan Fang Data and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure. Search terms included nursing education, China and development. Methods. Thematic analysis and narrative synthesis were used to identify and report themes from literature. Results. Database searches yielded 1674 papers, and 34 met the inclusion criteria for review. The standard of nursing education varies greatly in different parts of China, because of its huge size and population, with pre-registration programmes offered at the secondary, associate degree and baccalaureate level. Multi-level nursing education is one of the major barriers for professional development. There is a need to upgrade the pre-registration education to at least associate degree level. There is also a need to enhance graduate nursing education at master and doctoral level to prepare advanced practice nurses, nurse scientists and nursing faculty. Conclusion. The challenges for nursing education development in China are echoed and encountered in many parts of the world. The experience in China and the lessons learned would be relevant to developing countries. Nursing in China must continue to develop in parallel to international trends. Promoting communication and maintaining international links are important for the global development of nursing practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This review aims to assess the effect of comprehensive nursing care on liver cancer patients undergoing interventional therapy in China. Methods: In accordance with PRISMA guidelines, we reviewed randomized controlled trials and observational studies assessing the effect of comprehensive nursing care against standard care on liver cancer patients undergoing specific interventional therapies in China, including PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL and CINAHL till June 2023. Data synthesis was conducted using a random‐effects model and reported as pooled odds ratio (OR) or mean difference (MD) or standardized mean differences (SMD). Results: Ten Chinese studies with 1682 participants were evaluated. Comprehensive nursing care significantly enhanced patient outcomes in liver cancer treatment. Quality of life improved markedly (OR: 0.16, 95% CI: 0.06–0.41). Notable reductions were observed in anxiety (MD: −8.96, 95% CI: −11.52 to −6.40) and depression (MD: −9.47, 95% CI: −11.79 to −7.14). Patients also experienced increased physical (SMD: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.15–2.25), social (SMD: 1.65, 95% CI: 1.14–2.16) and activity scores (SMD: 1.94, 95% CI: 1.49–2.39), alongside a decrease in post‐treatment complications (OR: 0.28, 95% CI: 0.21–0.37), demonstrating the multifaceted benefits of comprehensive care. Conclusion: Comprehensive nursing care may improve patient outcomes in liver cancer treatment, offering potential benefits in reducing the side effects of interventional therapy. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? Liver cancer patients undergoing interventional therapy often experience significant physical and psychological challenges.Comprehensive nursing care has been hypothesized to offer potential benefits in addressing these challenges.There is limited evidence on the exact impacts of comprehensive nursing care on these patients, leading to knowledge gaps in its applicability and efficacy. What this paper adds? This review demonstrates that comprehensive nursing care can lead to significant improvements in the quality of life for liver cancer patients in China.This review provides evidence that comprehensive care reduces levels of anxiety and depression in these patients.This review shows that this approach boosts physical, social function and activity scores while also reducing post‐treatment complications. The implications of this paper: This paper suggests integrating comprehensive nursing care as a standard practice, given its potential to significantly improve patient outcomes and quality of life.This research emphasizes the importance of equipping oncology nurses with comprehensive care skills and expanding their roles to ensure optimal patient outcomes.Despite promising results, there is a need for further high‐quality, randomized controlled trials to confirm these findings and delve deeper into other potential benefits and best practices of comprehensive nursing care for liver cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This review aimed to synthesize the available evidence on the effectiveness of nurse‐led multidisciplinary interventions in primary health care. Methods: The following Chinese and English databases were searched for relevant articles: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), from the establishment of the databases until the last updating search 1 April 2022. Two researchers screened the studies independently and extracted the data. Meta‐analysis was performed using the RevMan 5.3 software. Results: A total of 12 studies were included in this review. It was found that nurse‐led multidisciplinary interventions significantly shortened patients' length of stay in hospital (standardized mean differences [SMD] = −1.28, 95%CI: −2.03 to −0.54; P<0.001) and decreased incidences of complications (RR = 0.24, 95%CI:0.10 to 0.54; P = 0.0006) compared to the control group, and lowered patients' anxiety levels (SMD = −1.21, 95%CI: −1.99 to −0.44; P<0.01) and depression levels (SMD = −1.85, 95%CI: −3.42 to −0.28; P<0.0001). Furthermore, the results of subgroup analysis indicated that nurse‐led multidisciplinary interventions had significant effects on patients' self‐management ability (SMD = 4.45, 95%CI:2.45 to 6.44; P<0.0001) and quality of life (SMD = 1.01, 95%CI: 0.63 to 1.40; P<0.0001) compared to the control group. Conclusions: Nurse‐led multidisciplinary interventions had strong effects in primary health care, contributing to shorten patients' length of stay in hospital, decrease incidences of complications and reduce the levels of anxiety and depression. Moreover, nurse‐led multidisciplinary interventions also improved patients' self‐management ability and quality of life. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? Chronic diseases with long duration and slow recovery are one of the priorities for management in primary health care.In China and other countries around the world, primary health care is highly regarded for its efforts for the health of all.Several randomized controlled trials have explored the effectiveness of nurse‐led multidisciplinary interventions in primary health care, but the findings of these studies are contradictory. What this paper adds? The review demonstrates that nurse‐led multidisciplinary interventions could shorten patients' length of stay in hospital, decrease the incidence of complications and reduce the levels of anxiety and depression.Nurse‐led multidisciplinary interventions also improve patients' self‐management ability and quality of life.Nurse‐led multidisciplinary interventions are beneficial for promoting health and preventing disease in primary health care. The implications of this paper: Community primary health‐care personnel should be aware of the importance of nurse‐led multidisciplinary interventions in preventing disease and safeguarding health.For people with chronic diseases, community health‐care personnel should adopt multidisciplinary care methods to improve outcomes for patients.High‐quality studies are needed to verify the effects of interventions for patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To evaluate the incidence of facial pressure injuries in health‐care professionals during the COVID‐19 pandemic in a meta‐analysis. Methods: Related studies were obtained through electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) Chinese Scientific Journal (VIP) China Biomedical Literature service systems (CBM) and Wanfang Data (from inception to 27 November 2021). The pooled incidence and the 95% confidence interval of facial pressure injuries were calculated with Review Manager v5.4 software. Results: Overall, 16 studies with 14 430 health‐care professionals were included. Pooled results showed that the pooled incidence of facial pressure injury in health‐care professionals was 58.8% (95% CI: 49.0%–68.7%; p < 0.01). The results of the subgroup analysis showed that the incidence of facial pressure injury in these staff was high, and predominantly stage I pressure injury, in the following cases: in health‐care professionals who wore personal protective equipment for longer than 4 h, in those without any training experience, and on the nose. Conclusion: Administrators and researchers should pay attention to preventing facial pressure injury related to the wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) by ensuring all health‐care professionals receive training and by limiting prolonged periods of use. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? Facial pressure injury was one of the most common effects experiencedby health‐care professionals wearing facial PPE during COVID‐19, which seriously affected their facial comfort and self‐image.A number of studies have reported the incidence of facial pressure injury in health‐care professionals, but the evidence is inconsistent.Medical staff are the main force during the COVID‐19. What this paper adds? This study showed that the pooled incidence of facial pressure injury in health‐care professionals was 56.8% during COVID‐19.This study showed that there was a higher incidence of facial pressure injury in staff who wore PPE for longer than 4 h and in those without any training experience.This study showed that the nose was the most common part of the face with pressure injury, and Stage I pressure injury was the most prevalent injury type in health‐care professionals. The implications of this paper: This study may provide evidence for managers about the development of guidelines for health‐care professionals to prevent and manage facial pressure injuries and promote the health of health‐care professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This meta‐analysis aimed to synthesize the available evidence on the effectiveness of psychoeducational interventions on family function among families after stroke. Background: Family function may be improved by psychoeducational intervention, but findings about the effect of psychoeducation on family function among families after stroke have been mixed. Methods: This was a meta‐analysis carried out by searching five international electronic databases, including Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and CINAHL, as well as four national electronic databases, including Chinese Biological Medicine (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP and Wanfang. Two groups of researchers screened the studies independently, assessed the quality of the studies and extracted data. Meta‐analysis was performed by using the RevMan 5.3 software. Results: Five studies on psychoeducational interventions were included. Pooled analysis of these studies showed a small effect of the interventions on improving family function (WMD: −0.13, 95% CI: −0.24 to −0.01, P < 0.05). Subgroup analysis showed significant differences between the psychoeducation and control groups at 1 month postintervention (WMD: −0.12, 95% CI: −0.18 to −0.05, P < 0.05) and more than 6 months postintervention (WMD: −0.14, 95% CI: −0.24 to −0.04, P < 0.05). The psychoeducational interventions also had positive effect on improving the problem solving (WMD: −0.22, 95% CI: −0.14 to −0.03, P < 0.05) and communication (WMD: −0.23, 95% CI: −0.41 to −0.05, P < 0.05) functions of the family. There were significant differences in the group of dyad intervention (WMD: −0.14, 95% CI: −0.25 to −0.02, P < 0.05) and the group using face to face method (WMD: −0.58, 95% CI: −0.84 to −0.32, P < 0.05). Conclusions: Synthesized results demonstrated the favourable effect of psychoeducational interventions on the improvement of the family function among families after stroke, especially in terms of family problem solving and family communication. Future psychoeducational intervention research design should consider the combination of multiple intervention methods and the applicable population of intervention. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? Good family function can promote the physical and mental health of family caregivers, improve the life quality of stroke survivors and lighten a heavy burden on the whole family.Family function may be improved by psychoeducational intervention, but findings about the effect of psychoeducation on family function among families after stroke have been mixed.What this paper adds? The psychoeducational intervention has a positive effect on family function among families after stroke, especially in terms of family problem solving and family communication.The implications of this paper: The psychoeducational intervention can be an acceptable method to improve family function among families after stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Obstetric critical illness is an important factor that leads to an increase in maternal mortality. Early warning assessment can effectively reduce maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity. However, there are multiple early warning systems, and the effect and applicability of each system in China still need to be explored. Objectives: To elaborate on the application, effectiveness and challenges of the existing early warning systems for high‐risk obstetric women in China and to provide a reference for clinical practice. Design: A scoping review guided by the Arksey and O'Malley framework and reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analysis for scoping review (PRISMA‐ScR) guidelines. Eligibility criteria: We included original studies related to early warning and excluded those that were guidelines, consensus and reviews. The included studies were published in Chinese or English by Chinese scholars as of June 2021. Data sources: CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, Cochrane, CINAHL, Embase, PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched systematically, and the reference sections of the included papers were snowballed. Results: In total, 598 articles were identified. These articles were further refined using keyword searches and exclusion criteria, and 17 articles met the inclusion criteria. We extracted data related to each study's population, methods and results. Early warning tools, outcome indices, effects and challenges are discussed. Conclusions: Although all studies have shown that early warning systems have good application effects, the use of early warning systems in China is still limited, with poor regional management and poor sensitivity for specific obstetric women. Future research needs to develop more targeted early warning tools for high‐risk obstetric women and address the current challenges in clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives: To establish an understanding of healthcare professionals' dementia knowledge and attitudes towards dementia care, and family carers' perceptions of dementia care in China. Background: Healthcare professionals and family carers of people with dementia deliver most of the dementia care in China. However, little research on healthcare professionals' dementia knowledge and attitudes towards dementia care, and family carers' dementia care perceptions has been conducted in China. Methods: An integrative review was conducted and reported based on the PRISMA guidelines and Whittemore and Knafl's framework. Eight English databases were searched without date restriction: CINAHL Plus with Full Text, MEDLINE, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, PsycINFO and Scopus; and three Chinese databases: China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chongqing Weipu and Wanfang, plus a manual search of reference lists. Results: Thirty‐eight primary research papers were included in the review. Three themes were identified from the synthesis: (a) knowledge and competency; (b) attitudes towards dementia care; and (c) carers' burden and unmet needs. Healthcare professionals' dementia knowledge ranged from low to moderate levels and attitudes towards dementia care were generally negative. With low levels of knowledge of dementia and negative attitudes including stigma, family carers were under stress with insufficient support, and they expected more support from community nurses. Conclusions: There is an apparent need for a national policy on healthcare professional education and training to improve dementia care practice in China. Such a policy may improve support services for family carers. Relevance to clinical practice: Nurses, and particularly community nurses, are well‐positioned to support family carers in China. However, healthcare professionals in China are not prepared for this. Therefore, education and training on dementia care should be integrated into medical and nursing undergraduate programmes and provided for healthcare professionals after commencing employment, and strategies to reduce stigma are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of different nonpharmacological treatments for severe radiation‐induced oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer. Background: Radiation‐induced oral mucositis is highly prevalent in patients with head and neck cancer. Current medications for radiation‐induced oral mucositis are limited in effectiveness and susceptible to side effects, and while there is an increasing adoption of nonpharmacological interventions, the optimal one remains unclear. Design: Systematic review and network meta‐analysis based on the PRISMA‐NMA guidelines. Methods: Six databases were searched. Two authors independently performed the literature screening, data extraction and methodological quality assessment of the included studies. Traditional pairwise meta‐analysis was performed by R Studio. A network meta‐analysis was then conducted to assess the effects of nonpharmacological interventions for severe radiation‐induced oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer. Results: Fifty‐two studies involving seven types of nonpharmacological interventions were enrolled. The network meta‐analysis indicated that natural plant‐based therapies might be the most effective, health education interventions might be the second most effective, and honey might be the third most effective interventions for reducing the incidence of severe radiation‐induced oral mucositis. For reducing the incidence of severe oral mucositis‐related pain, the pairwise meta‐analysis showed that only natural plant‐based therapies and health education interventions were effective. Conclusions: Nonpharmacological interventions are effective in the management of severe radiation‐induced oral mucositis among patients with head and neck cancer. Relevance to clinical practice: Nonpharmacological interventions are a category of safe and effective adjunctive therapies that should be encouraged in clinical practice. Trial registration details: CRD42023400745. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To summarize existing studies that focused on improving hospitalized patient safety through patient and family engagement interventions to identify priorities and gaps. Design: A scoping review. Methods: Eight databases and citations of important reviews were searched on 30 September 2022. Two researchers independently screened the records. Then, two researchers extracted the data and cross‐checked. The results were synthesized narratively, and a comparison was performed for studies from China and those from other countries. Results: Ninety‐eight studies were included. The results indicated that patient and family engagement interventions were applied to decrease the incidence of patient safety incidents, and to improve the healthcare providers' and patients' knowledge, attitude or practice of patient safety. Most studies only engaged patients and families at the direct care level, and the engagement strategies at the organization and health system levels were insufficient. For stakeholders, many studies failed to consider patients' perspectives in intervention design and report taking staff training as a supportive strategy. Healthcare providers, especially nurses, were the main implementers of current interventions. Certain differences were observed between studies from China and those from other countries in the above aspects. Conclusions: International interest in engaging patient and family for patient safety is growing. Future studies should enhance the patient and family engagement as a partner in various patient safety at the direct care level, and further explore the engagement at the organization and health system levels. Relevance to Clinical Practice: Nurses, as the main formal caregivers for patients, should promote patient and family engagement in patient safety, especially at direct care level. Nurse should also incorporate the perspectives of patients in the design and implementation of interventions. Reporting Method: PRISMA‐ScR Checklist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Caregivers of children with chronic diseases suffer from great parenting pressure, which directly affects the treatment and rehabilitation of children, reduces the quality of life of caregivers and damages family functioning. Existing reviews have not systematically summarized and evaluated interventions for parenting stress in caregivers of children with chronic diseases. Data Sources: Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, OVID, CNKI, CBM, Wan Fang and Cochrane Library were searched for eligible reviews in November 2021 and October 2022. Methods: Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts, reviewed full texts of articles for eligibility, and appraised the quality of reviews using JBI. The quality of the evidence was assessed using GRADE. Findings are reported in accordance with PRISMA checklist. Narrative summaries grouped findings by intervention types. Results: Out of 2632 records, we included 21 systematic reviews for a synthesis. Interventions for parenting stress in children with chronic diseases were divided into seven categories. Cognitive behavioural interventions, psychosocial interventions, child behavioural and/or developmental parent interventions and synthesized interventions have shown high‐level evidence in reducing parenting stress for caregivers of children with chronic diseases. Furthermore, outcome measures and intervention protocols were highly heterogeneous across interventions. Conclusions: This umbrella review suggest that reducing the parenting stress of caregivers of children with chronic diseases can directly target caregivers' parenting stress through cognitive behavioural interventions/psychosocial interventions and/or provide guidance to parents on the behavioural and developmental problems of children with chronic diseases. A more standardized approach to outcome measures is essential to assess efficacy and compare interventions across studies. Relevance to Clinical Practice: The findings provide information and evidence for reducing parenting stress among caregivers of children with chronic diseases to guide the development of comprehensive intervention strategies. Patient or Public Contribution: Patient or public contribution does not apply to this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the use of a clinical nursing pathway for patients undergoing endoscopic thyroidectomy by conducting a meta-analysis. Electronic databases were searched for relevant controlled trials published prior to August 2013. Only papers that compared the use of a clinical nursing pathway to usual care for patients undergoing endoscopic thyroidectomy were selected. The outcome measures were mean difference and 95% confidence interval for length of hospital stay and hospital charges and risk ratio for patient satisfaction. Six controlled trials were identified. The use of a clinical nursing pathway reduced the length of hospital stay and hospital charges. Furthermore, it improved patient satisfaction. This meta-analysis indicates that application of a clinical nursing pathway appears to reduce length of hospital stay and hospital charges and improve patient satisfaction for patients undergoing endoscopic thyroidectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and Objective: To systematically review and synthesise existing qualitative research evidence describing the survival experience of patients undergoing oesophagectomy during recovery. Background: Patients with oesophageal cancer undergoing surgical treatment have severe physical and psychological burdens during the recovery period. Qualitative studies on the survival experience of patients undergoing oesophagectomy are increasing annually, but there is no integration of qualitative evidence. Design: A systematic review and synthesis of qualitative studies were conducted following the ENTREQ. Methods: Five English (CINAHL, Embase, PubMed, Web of Science and Cochrane Library) and three Chinese (Wanfang, CNKI and VIP) databases were searched for literature on the survival of patients undergoing oesophagectomy during the recovery period from its establishment in April 2022. The quality of the literature was evaluated by the 'Qualitative Research Quality Evaluation Criteria for the JBI Evidence‐Based Health Care Centre in Australia', and the data were synthesised by the thematic synthesis method of Thomas and Harden. Results: A total of 18 studies were included, and four themes were identified: physical and mental dual challenges, impaired social functioning, efforts to return to normal life, lack of knowledge and skills in post‐discharge care, and thirst for external support. Conclusions: Future research should focus on the problem of reduced social interaction during the recovery of patients with oesophageal cancer, formulating individualised exercise intervention programs and establishing a sound social support system. Relevance to Clinical Practice: The results of this study provide evidence‐based support for nurses to carry out targeted interventions and reference methods for patients with oesophageal cancer to rebuild their lives. No Patient or Public Contribution: The report was a systematic review and did not involve a population study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of telehealth‐based exercise intervention on pain, physical function and quality of life in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Design: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Methods: Six databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, PEDro and Web of Science Core Collection) were searched for relevant randomised controlled trials published from database inception to 3 June 2021. Reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted data and used the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool for quality assessment. A meta‐analysis and subgroup analyses, stratified by control condition, intervention duration and delivery type, were conducted by Revman 5.4. The study was reported in compliance with PRISMA statement. Results: A total of 9 independent RCTs with 861 participants were included. The meta‐analysis showed that the telehealth‐based exercise interventions significantly reduced pain in KOA patients (SMD = −0.28, 95% CI [−0.49, −0.08], p <.01) and produced similar effects to controls in terms of physical function and quality of life. Subgroup analysis revealed that telehealth‐based exercise interventions were superior to the use of exercise booklet and usual care in terms of pain and physical function and were similar to face‐to‐face exercise treatment; a long‐term (>3 months) intervention and the use of web and smartphone APPs to deliver exercise interventions were associated with better pain relief and physical function. Conclusions: Telehealth‐based exercise intervention is an effective strategy for KOA management during the COVID‐19 epidemic, and it is significantly better than usual care in reducing knee pain and improving physical function and was able to achieve the effects of traditional face‐to‐face exercise treatment. Although the duration and type of delivery associated with the effect of the intervention have been identified, patient preference and acceptability need to be considered in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: A meta‐analysis was carried out to review and identify correlates of stigma in poststroke patients. Background: Patients suffer from impaired physical functions and sequelae of stroke. Stroke‐related stigma hinders the recovery process and produces poorer clinical outcomes of stroke, leading to compromised quality of life. Design: A systematic review and meta‐analysis was reported by following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Review Methods: Nine databases were searched from their inception to May 2021 to identify studies focused on the relationships among demographics, disease‐related factors, psychosocial factors and poststroke stigma. Included studies were assessed by using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) scale. The statistical software R studios were used to perform statistical analysis. Results: Nineteen studies were included in the meta‐analysis. Four demographic factors (age, caregiver, residence, monthly income), seven stroke‐related characteristics (type of stroke, mRS, ADLs, stroke duration, recurrence, sequelae, chronic disease comorbidity) and three psychosocial factors (depression, social support, quality of life) showed significant associations with stroke‐related stigma. Conclusions: The results of our study can serve as a foundation for designing interventions to reduce stigma and improve the overall quality of life of poststroke patients and may produce positive clinical outcomes. Healthcare professionals should be aware of stroke patients who are characterised by correlates of stigma. Relevance to clinical practice Poststroke patients showed a moderate‐to‐high level of stigma, and this issue warrants more attention. This review provides a preliminary foundation for healthcare professionals to develop interventions to address stroke‐related stigma by focusing on demographic, disease‐related and psychosocial factors. Additionally, stigma identification should be a part of clinical nursing evaluation. The involvement of clinical and community nursing is very important to screen stroke‐related stigma and pay attention to this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives: This systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to compare the incidence of PVC‐related complications between catheterisation in the forearm and back of the hand in adult patients. Background: A peripheral intravenous catheter (PVC) is often inserted as part of care during patients' hospitalisation. The catheter is typically inserted in the forearm or at the back of the hand in usual practice. Studies have not yet reached a consensus on the optimal insertion site in any clinical setting. Design: We performed a systematic review and meta‐analysis based on PRISMA guidelines. Methods: We searched the following electronic databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and CINAHL. Randomised controlled trials, cohort studies, case–control studies and cross‐sectional studies from inception to July 2021 reporting the incidence of PVC‐related complications at the forearm and back of the hand were included. Fixed‐effects models and random‐effects models were used to derive the pooled risk ratios. Results: Twenty‐four studies involving 16562 PVCs met our inclusion criteria. The meta‐analysis showed that compared with PVC placement in the back of the hand, placement in the forearm was associated with a higher incidence of total complications and infiltration/extravasation. However, the differences between the PVC indwelling sites were not significant (total complications: P = 0.43; phlebitis: P = 0.35; infiltration/extravasation: P = 0.51). Both incidence of total complications and infiltration/extravasation analyses showed high heterogeneity (total complications: I2 = 60%; infiltration/extravasation: I2 = 58%). Conclusion: Available evidence suggests that there is no significant difference between PVC placement in the forearm and at the back of the hand in terms of the incidence of complications, thus making both approaches suitable. Relevance to clinical practice: For patients who need indwelling PVC, medical staff can choose the best indwelling site, and both forearm and back of the hand are suitable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To identify the main diagnostic features of SARS‐CoV‐2‐positive patients at the time of hospitalisation and their prevalence. Background: Since the COVID‐19 outbreak in China in December of 2019, several studies attempted to identify the epidemiological, viral and clinical characteristics of SARS‐CoV‐2. Given the rapid widespread transmission of the COVID‐19 disease worldwide, a more comprehensive and up‐to‐date understanding of its features is needed to better inform nurses, clinicians and public health policy makers. Methods: A rapid review and meta‐analysis were carried out to identify the main diagnostic features of SARS‐CoV‐2‐positive patients at the time of hospitalisation. All case series, cross‐sectional, case–control and cohort studies published from 01/01/2020 till 30/06/2020 in English and Chinese that stated all or at least two of the outcomes of interest (clinical features, laboratory and radiological findings) were included. We performed a random‐effects model meta‐analysis to calculate pooled prevalence and 95% confidence intervals. Conduction of the review adheres to the PRISMA checklist. Results: 21 studies involving 8837 patients were included in the quantitative synthesis. Fever, cough and fatigue were the most common clinical features, while the most relevant laboratory abnormalities at the time of hospitalisation were lymphopenia, elevated C‐reactive protein and lactate dehydrogenase. CT images showed a bilateral lung involvement, with ground glass infiltrates and patchy shadows on most patients. Conclusion: This review provides an up‐to‐date synthesis of main diagnostic features of SARS‐CoV‐2‐positive patients at the time of hospitalisation. Relevance to Clinical Practice: Our findings could provide guidance for nurses and clinicians to early identification of positive patients at the time of the hospitalisation through a complete definition of main clinical features, laboratory and CT findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

zhang h., ho y.f., che c.-t., lin z.-x., leung c. & chan l.s. (2012) Topical herbal application as an adjuvant treatment for chronic kidney disease - a systematic review of randomized controlled clinical trials. Journal of Advanced Nursing 68(6), 1679-1691. Abstract Aim. To report a systematic review to evaluate whether topical herbal medicine delays the progress of renal disease and improves its complications in people with chronic kidney disease. Background. Besides dialysis or renal transplantation, patients with chronic kidney disease, especially those with insufficient renal function, are in a great need of effective conservative treatment methods. Topical application of herbal medicine, a common treatment modality in China, has been found in some clinical studies to benefit the patients with chronic kidney disease. Data sources. The English databases including CENTRAL (February 2010), Medline (1950 to February 2010), EMBASE (1980 to February 2010), and AMED (1985 to January 2010), and several Chinese databases covering the period of 1949 to February 2010 were searched for randomized controlled trials that compared external use of herbal medicine with no treatment, placebo, or conventional treatment for chronic kidney disease and its complications. Review methods. We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis following Cochrane processes. Results. Twenty-three trials with a total of 1057 patients were included. Their results suggest that herbal paste and bathing or fuming treatment might have a beneficial effect in terms of delaying the progress of renal disease, improving kidney function, and ameliorating some kidney complications in patients with chronic kidney disease. However, the low quality and poor reporting practices of the studies covered led to no definitive conclusion. Conclusion. Further larger and more rigorously designed clinical trials with proper outcome measures are needed to confirm the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]