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Background: research in care home settings is often negatively focused, portraying life as sterile and devoid of meaningful experiences. Care homes have the potential to influence people's lives socially, physically and psychologically. It is important to understand what factors contribute to this.Objective: to conduct a systematic qualitative review of care home life and provide practical recommendations to enhance residents' quality of life.Methods: the following databases were searched: PsycINFO, Medline, Web of Science, EMBASE, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. References from appropriate journals and individual articles were checked. Papers that fitted our selection criteria were selected. Two independent reviewers assessed methodological study quality. Thematic analysis and meta-ethnographic methods were adapted to synthesise findings.Results: thirty-one studies were identified. People in care homes voiced concerns about lack of autonomy and difficulty in forming appropriate relationships with others. Four key themes were identified: (i) acceptance and adaptation, (ii) connectedness with others, (iii) a homelike environment, (iv) caring practices.Conclusion: positive experiences in care homes can occur and are important for residents' quality of life. The review supports literature highlighting the need for relationship-centred approaches to care and emphasises the importance of understanding the resident's attitude towards living in care homes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. Vismodegib was approved for the treatment of advanced basal cell carcinoma (aBCC) based on the pivotal ERIVANCE BCC study. The primary endpoint (objective response rate [ORR]) was assessed 9 months after the last patient was enrolled. To confirm the clinical benefit of vismodegib, an additional analysis was performed 12 months after the primary analysis. Materials and Methods. ERIVANCE BCC was a multicenter, nonrandomized, two-cohort study of 104 patients with histologically confirmed aBCC. Patients received 150 mg oral vismodegib daily until disease progression, intolerable toxicity, or withdrawal. An independent review panel comprising three expert clinicians reviewed patient photographs individually and as a consensus panel to evaluate baseline disease severity and clinical benefit after vismodegib treatment in 71 patients with locally advanced BCC (laBCC). Results. Sixty-three patients were efficacy evaluable; baseline and postprogression photographs for 61 were available for review. Baseline disease severity was judged as 5 or 4 (very severe or moderately severe) in 71.4%. Clinical benefit was observed in 76.2% (significant: 65.1%; some: 11.1%). Interpanelist agreement (maximum difference #1 point among panelists' scores in 65.1% and 87.3% of patients for clinical benefit and baseline disease severity, respectively) and correlation between individual and panel reviews were strong. Clinical benefit scores showed good concordance with the protocol-specified ORR obtained by an independent review facility and with investigator-assessed response. Conclusion. Clinical benefit assessed by independent review based on expert clinical judgment provides strong evidence that treatment with vismodegib results in clinically meaningful and durable responses in patients with laBCC. The Oncologist 2014;19:790-796 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The barriers to HIV testing and counselling that migrants encounter can jeopardize proactive HIV testing that relies on the fact that HIV testing must be linked to care. We analyse available evidence on HIV testing and counselling strategies targeting migrants and ethnic minorities in high-income countries. Methods: Systematic literature review of the five main databases of articles in English from Europe, North America and Australia between 2005 and 2009. Results: Of 1034 abstracts, 37 articles were selected. Migrants, mainly from HIV-endemic countries, are at risk of HIV infection and its consequences. The HIV prevalence among migrants is higher than the general population’s, and migrants have higher frequency of delayed HIV diagnosis. For migrants from countries with low HIV prevalence and for ethnic minorities, socio-economic vulnerability puts them at risk of acquiring HIV. Migrants have specific legal and administrative impediments to accessing HIV testing—in some countries, undocumented migrants are not entitled to health care—as well as cultural and linguistic barriers, racism and xenophobia. Migrants and ethnic minorities fear stigma from their communities, yet community acceptance is key for well-being. Conclusions: Migrants and ethnic minorities should be offered HIV testing, but the barriers highlighted in this review may deter programs from achieving the final goal, which is linking migrants and ethnic minorities to HIV clinical care under the public health perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]