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Background: There is growing evidence that sex and onset age are important factors of clinical features in Parkinson's disease. Aim: The study aimed to identify nonmotor symptoms based on sex and onset age in people with Parkinson's disease. Design: This is a cross‐sectional descriptive study. Methods: A total of 210 participants were recruited from the university hospital and the Parkinson's disease association. This study measured the Korean version of the nonmotor symptoms questionnaire which includes gastrointestinal, urinary, apathy/attention/memory, hallucination/delusions, depression/anxiety, sexual function, cardiovascular, sleep disorder, and miscellaneous domains. Results: All participants reported at least one nonmotor symptom. The most commonly reported symptoms were nocturia (65.7%) and constipation (61.9%). The male participants reported more dribbling of saliva, constipation, and impaired sexual function, whereas the female reported more weight change. Young‐onset people with Parkinson's disease reported more depression than late‐onset people with Parkinson's disease. Conclusion: This study contributes to the understanding of symptom experience beyond motor‐related symptomatology for those with Parkinson's disease and adds to the current literature. Individualized symptom assessment and management should be provided by prioritizing prevalent sex or onset age‐specific symptoms, rather than addressing with all nonmotor symptoms. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? Most people with Parkinson's disease experience nonmotor symptoms including autonomic nervous symptoms as the disease progresses.Nonmotor symptoms can affect quality of life of people with Parkinson's disease, but related factors are not fully understood. What this paper adds? This paper identified the presentations of nonmotor symptoms in people with Parkinson's disease based on sex and onset age. The implications of this paper: Nurses enable people with Parkinson's disease to actively engage in self‐care of their own symptoms by educating Parkinson's disease related and how to cope with the symptoms in advance.Individualized nursing care reflecting the disease characteristics is needed to improve patient engagement in symptom management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aimed to explore the association between medication literacy and blood pressure control among hypertensive patients. Background: Blood pressure control is a challenge for global health systems. Medication literacy is essential for medication self‐management in hypertensive patients and a basis for managers to develop comprehensive intervention strategies for hypertension medication use. Design: A cross‐sectional observational study was conducted. Methods: A total of 378 hypertensive patients was selected by convenience sampling from two tertiary hospitals and four community health service centres from December 2021 to January 2022 in Changsha, China. Associations between medication literacy and blood pressure control were identified with chi‐square, independent samples t‐tests and logistic regression analyses. Results: The average medication literacy score of the hypertensive patients investigated was low. Over a third of patients had uncontrolled blood pressure. Logistic regression analysis showed that medication literacy was an influencing factor for blood pressure control rate in hypertensive patients. Conclusions: Medication literacy and blood pressure control among hypertensive patients was poor. Medication literacy was a facilitator of blood pressure control so improving medication literacy may be of value to improve blood pressure control in hypertensive patients. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? Medication literacy is essential for medication self‐management in hypertensive patientsThe association between medication literacy and blood pressure control in hypertensive patients is unclear. What this paper adds? Medication literacy and blood pressure control rates among hypertensive patients were poor and in need of urgent improvement.Medication literacy was a facilitator of blood pressure control in hypertensive patients. The implications of this paper: Clinical nurses may enhance hypertension management by improving medication literacy.Findings provide a base for implementing medication literacy intervention strategies and promoting blood pressure management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This study aimed to examine the relationship between heart failure knowledge, self‐efficacy, social support, grit and self‐care behaviour in patients with heart failure and to identify factors associated with patients' self‐care behaviour. Background: Most patients with heart failure are not as active in implementing self‐care behavioural practices as recommended by the guidelines. Design: This descriptive cross‐sectional study was designed based on Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory. Methods: This study included 138 patients who were diagnosed with heart failure in an outpatient department of cardiology at a tertiary hospital in Korea. Data were collected between July and October 2020 using a structured questionnaire and electronic medical records. Data were analysed using the SPSS/WIN 27.0 program. Results: Grit had the strongest association with self‐care behaviour among patients with heart failure, followed by social support, self‐efficacy and heart failure knowledge. These variables accounted for approximately 52% of the variance in self‐care behaviour. Conclusions: Health‐care professionals should assess patients' grit and develop patient‐tailored grit enhancement programmes. Based on the social cognitive theory, nursing intervention programmes that can simultaneously manage cognitive (knowledge and self‐efficacy), social and environmental (social support) and behavioural support (grit) factors should be developed and applied to nursing practices to promote self‐care. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? Most patients with heart failure are not as active in implementing self‐care behavioural practices as recommended by the guidelines.Social cognitive theory is conceptualized as cognitive, social, environmental and behavioural in nature.Self‐care behaviour can be influenced by multi‐dimensional factors, including cognitive factors, such as knowledge and self‐efficacy, and social and environmental factors, such as social support. What this paper adds? Grit—a behavioural supporting element—was confirmed as a factor influencing the self‐care behaviour of patients with heart failure. The implications of this paper: Interventions for enhancing patients' grit should be developed; self‐efficacy, social support and heart failure knowledge for patients with heart failure should be considered in clinical nursing settings.Health‐care professionals should assess patients' grit and develop patient‐tailored grit enhancement programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scaling up established physical activity (PA) opportunities for broader population reach requires practitioners to carefully consider strategies implemented to recruit and attract new participants to their PA programs. This scoping review examines the effectiveness of recruitment strategies for engaging adults in organized (established and sustained) PA programs. Electronic databases were searched for articles published between March 1995 and September 2022. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods papers were included. Recruitment strategies were assessed against Foster et al. (Recruiting participants to walking intervention studies: a systematic review. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2011; 8 :137–137.) assessment of quality for reporting recruitment and the determinants of recruitment rates were examined. 8394 titles and abstracts were screened; 22 articles were assessed for eligibility; 9 papers were included. Three of the 6 quantitative papers adopted a combination of passive and active recruitment strategies and 3 relied solely on active strategies. All 6 quantitative papers reported on recruitment rates; 2 evaluated the efficacy of recruitment strategies based on the achieved levels of participation. The evaluation evidence on how individuals are successfully recruited into organized PA programs, and how recruitment strategies influence or address inequities in PA participation, is limited. Culturally sensitive, gender sensitive and socially inclusive recruitment strategies based on building personal relationships show promise for engaging hard-to-reach populations. Improving the reporting and measurement of recruitment strategies into PA programs is essential to better understand which strategies are attracting various population groups thus allowing program implementers to employ recruitment strategies best suited to the needs of their community while making efficient use of program funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which investigates the improvement of retrieval quality for airborne limb-sounders. The study used horizontal regularisation technique, cross-sectional method, and a precision matrix. Results show that a cross-section retrievals has the ability to produce finer vertical structures while maintaining the same noise level.

Background: Paper questionnaires have traditionally been the first choice for data collection in research. However, declining response rates over the past decade have increased the risk of selection bias in cross-sectional studies. The growing use of the Internet offers new ways of collecting data, but trials using Web-based questionnaires have so far seen mixed results. A secure, online digital mailbox (e-Boks) linked to a civil registration number became mandatory for all Danish citizens in 2014 (exemption granted only in extraordinary cases). Approximately 89% of the Danish population have a digital mailbox, which is used for correspondence with public authorities.Objective: We aimed to compare response rates, completeness of data, and financial costs for different invitation methods: traditional surface mail and digital mail.Methods: We designed a cross-sectional comparative study. An invitation to participate in a survey on help-seeking behavior in out-of-hours care was sent to two groups of randomly selected citizens from age groups 30-39 and 50-59 years and parents to those aged 0-4 years using either traditional surface mail (paper group) or digital mail sent to a secure online mailbox (digital group). Costs per respondent were measured by adding up all costs for handling, dispatch, printing, and work salary and then dividing the total figure by the number of respondents. Data completeness was assessed by comparing the number of missing values between the two methods. Socioeconomic variables (age, gender, family income, education duration, immigrant status, and job status) were compared both between respondents and nonrespondents and within these groups to evaluate the degree of selection bias.Results: A total 3600 citizens were invited in each group; 1303 (36.29%) responded to the digital invitation and 1653 (45.99%) to the paper invitation (difference 9.66%, 95% CI 7.40-11.92). The costs were €1.51 per respondent for the digital group and €15.67 for paper group respondents. Paper questionnaires generally had more missing values; this was significant in five of 17 variables (P<.05). Substantial differences were found in the socioeconomic variables between respondents and nonrespondents, whereas only minor differences were seen within the groups of respondents and nonrespondents.Conclusions: Although we found lower response rates for Web-based invitations, this solution was more cost-effective (by a factor of 10) and had slightly lower numbers of missing values than questionnaires sent with paper invitations. Analyses of socioeconomic variables showed almost no difference between nonrespondents in both groups, which could imply that the lower response rate in the digital group does not necessarily increase the level of selection bias. Invitations to questionnaire studies via digital mail may be an excellent option for collecting research data in the future. This study may serve as the foundational pillar of digital data collection in health care research in Scandinavia and other countries considering implementing similar systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Walking is a key target behavior for promoting population health. This paper charts the 30-year history of walking policy in Scotland. We assess whether population walking levels among adults in Scotland have changed in recent years and identify the characteristics of those least likely to report any walking. Methods: We pooled 9 years (2012–2019 and 2021) of data from adult (≥16 y) respondents of the Scottish Health Survey (n = 41,470). The outcomes of interest were the percentage reporting (1) any walking and (2) any walking with an average pace that is of at least moderate intensity. We also investigated the contribution of walking to total nonoccupational moderate to vigorous physical activity. We used linear and logistic regressions to test linear trends over time and to identify inequalities by age, sex, and the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation quintile. Results: There was an increase in all measures of walking over the period 2012–2021; for example, the percentage reporting any walking increased by 7 percentage points (81.4%–88.4%). Inequalities still exist by age, sex, and the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation but have not grown over time. Inequalities by sex and age are most pronounced in the least affluent Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation quintiles; less affluent older women are least likely to report any walking. Conclusions: Scotland appears to be walking in the right direction. Surveillance data support a positive trend after decades of policy and promotion efforts. The policies do not appear to be exacerbating existing inequalities, but narrowing them will require more concentrated efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of this article was to develop and apply an Internet-based headache diary (i-diary) for adolescents and compare it with a paper-diary (p-diary) regarding adherence, user acceptability and recorded headache activity.Methods: In a cross-sectional school-based study, a representative sample of 488 adolescents aged 12-18 years were randomly allocated by cluster sampling to record for three weeks in i-diaries or p-diaries their headache intensity, disability, and use of acute medication.Results: A significantly (p = 0.008) higher proportion of adolescents in the i-diary group used the diary at least once during the 21-day period (86% vs 76% for the p-diary). However, the p-diary group completed a significantly (p < 0.001) higher number of diary days (20.8 vs 15.0 days for the i-diary). The response rate for the i-diary-group was largely evenly distributed over the study period; conversely, approximately two-thirds of the adolescents using the p-diary responded on all 21 days, whereas one-fourth did not respond at all. The two diary types were rated as equal in easiness to remember (p = 0.25), but the i-diaries were more bothersome to use (p = 0.029).Conclusion: Although p-diary users completed a higher proportion of diary days, i-diaries provided more reliable and credible estimates of headache parameters because of better real-time assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The adoption and use of health information technology (IT) continues to grow around the globe. In Switzerland, the government nor professional associations have to this day provided incentives for health IT adoption.Objective: We aim to assess the proportion of physicians who are routinely working with electronic health data and describe to what extent physicians exchange electronic health data with peers and other health care providers. Additionally, we aim to estimate the effect of physicians' attitude towards health IT on the adoption of electronic workflows.Methods: Between May and July 2013, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of 1200 practice based physicians in Switzerland. Respondents were asked to report on their technical means and where applicable their paper-based workarounds to process laboratory data, examination results, referral letters and physician's letters. Physicians' view of barriers and facilitators towards health IT use was determined by a composite score.Results: A response rate of 57.1% (n=685) was reached. The sample was considered to be representative for physicians in Swiss ambulatory care. 35.2% of the respondents documented patients' health status with the help of a longitudinal semi-structured electronic text record generated by one or more encounters in the practice. Depending on the task within a workflow, around 11-46% of the respondents stated to rely on electronic workflow practices to process laboratory and examination data and dispatch referral notes and physician's letters. The permanent use of electronic workflow processes was infrequent. Instead, respondents reported paper-based workarounds affecting specific tasks within a workflow. Physicians' attitude towards health IT was significantly associated with the adoption of electronic workflows (OR 1.04-1.31, p<0.05), but the effect sizes of factors related to the working environment (e.g., regional factors, medical specialty, type of practice) were larger.Conclusion: At present, only a few physicians in Swiss ambulatory care routinely work with electronic health data. Until more of their peers participate in electronic exchange of structured clinical information, most physicians will continue to stay in paper-based systems and workarounds. The survey found that physicians with a positive attitude towards health IT were more likely to adopt electronic workflows, but the impact is minor. It will likely be necessary to introduce financial incentives and develop national standards in order to promote the adoption by a critical mass of practicing clinicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess the cross-sectional association between dietary indexes (DI) that underlie, respectively, the Nutri-score (NS), the proposed Canadian 'High In' Symbol (CHIL) and the Diabetes Canada Clinical Practice Guidelines (DCCP) with food consumption, nutrient intakes and metabolic markers. Methods: 1836 adults (18–74 years) participating in the representative ESTEBAN study, conducted in mainland France in 2014–2016, were included in the analysis. Food consumption was assessed with three repeated 24 h dietary recalls. Anthropometric measurements and biomarkers of metabolic risk (cholesterol—total, LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein), HDL (High Density Lipoprotein)—triglycerides, glucose) were obtained through a clinical examination and fasting blood draw. The DI were assessed for their association with food consumption, dietary intakes and metabolic biomarkers as quintiles and continuous variables using multi-adjusted linear regression. Heathier diets were assigned to lower scores. Results: Correlations between scores ranged from + 0.62 between CHIL-DI and NS-DI to + 0.75 between NS-DI and DCCP-DI. All DIs discriminated individuals according to the nutritional quality of their diets through food consumption and nutrient intakes (healthier diets were associated with lower intakes of energy, added sugars and saturated fat; and with higher intakes of fiber, vitamins and minerals). NS-DI was associated with blood glucose (adjusted mean in Q1 = 5 vs. Q5 = 5.46 mmol/dl, ptrend = 0.001) and DCCP-DI was associated with BMI (Q1 = 24.8 kg/m2 vs. Q5 = 25.8 kg/m2, ptrend = 0.025), while CHIL showed no significant association with any anthropometric measures or biomarkers. Conclusions: This study provides elements supporting the validity of the nutrient profiling systems underlying front-of-package nutrition labellings (FOPLs) to characterize the healthiness of diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper seeks to empirically verify the question: what impacts informality? The paper is based on recent analyses of cross-sectional data obtained from various sources for selected Asia-Pacific countries covering the period 2016 to 2019. It makes use of the path analysis technique and Stata-15 software. The findings presented here suggest that human development and poverty rates negatively and significantly impact informality. This empirical exercise makes the case for human capital development strategies by leveraging digital technologies on the one hand and "one-time big-push" poverty reduction interventions on the other to avoid the poverty-informality trap. In addition, by finding a positive and significant relationship between tax revenue and informality, the paper suggests for tax rationalization policies so that informal sector firms are incentivized to pay taxes and become formalized instead of hiding out. The paper also advocates for well-conceived, reality-tailored policies for the formalization of the informal sector by addressing the underlying causes of informality so that economic growth gets spurred in these economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare hematological disease. There is an incidence. We aimed to evaluate the scientometrics characteristics of the scientific production on BPDCN between 2011 and 2020. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional and retrospective bibliometric study was performed. The search was executed in the Scopus database. Data were extracted based on a formula developed using thesaurus MeSH (Medline) and Emtree (Embase) terms. The retrieved papers received 11.2 citations per paper. Four of the ten most productive authors were from the United States. The institution with the highest impact (1064 citations) and the highest scientific output (46 papers) was the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (United States). RESULTS: The journal "Movement Disorders" rated first with 18 articles and 643 citations in terms of productivity and impact, and articles published in Q1 journals surpassed the remaining quartiles. The most cited articles had national collaboration. Conclusion the number of papers on BPDCN has been rising, yet journals with a higher quality tend to keep the similar publication rates, although they have shown a slight increase in the recent years. CONCLUSIONS: High-income countries' international collaboration is crucial for increasing publications impact; hence, greater collaborations between researchers and institutions from countries around the world are needed to expand knowledge on this subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To perform a bibliometric analysis of scientific production related to gut microbiota and Parkinson's disease between 2011 and 2020. Methods. A descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional, and bibliometric study was carried out. The Scopus database was used as a source to evaluate the worldwide scientific production on intestinal microbiota and its relationship with Parkinson's disease. Data were extracted from Scopus using a formula developed with thesaurus terms MeSH (Medline) and Emtree (Embase). Results. A total of 591 documents were found. The retrieved manuscripts received an average of 41.9 citations per document. Four of the 10 most productive authors were Italian. The University of Helsinki (Finland) was the institution with the highest scientific production (19 papers) and the highest impact (5921 citations). In terms of productivity and impact, Movement Disorders ranked first with 38 papers and 2782 citations, and those papers published in Q1 quartile journals exceeded the sum of the remaining quartiles. Papers with international collaboration were the most cited. Keyword analysis showed that the terms Parkinson Disease, Disease, and Intestine Flora were the most frequent. Conclusion. The number of papers on Parkinson's disease and gut microbiota has been increasing; however, high-quality journals maintain the same high publication rate. International collaboration from high-income countries played an important role in the impact generated by the publications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Involvement in research activities is complex in pediatric nursing and allied health professionals (AHPs). It is important to understand which individual factors are associated with it to inform policy makers in promoting research. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted to describe the level of participation in research activities over the last ten years of nurses and AHPs working in a tertiary pediatric hospital. A large sample of nurses and AHPs working in an Italian academic tertiary pediatric hospital completed an online self-report questionnaire between June and December 2018. Three multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to predict participation in research projects, speaking at conferences, and writing scientific articles. Results: Overall, data from 921 health professionals were analyzed (response rate = 66%), of which about 21% (n = 196) reported participating in a research project, while 33% (n = 297) had attended a scientific conference as a speaker, and 11% (n = 94) had written at least one scientific paper. Having a Master or a Regional Advanced Course, working as an AHP or a ward manager, as well as regularly reading scientific journals and participation in an internal hospital research group or attendance in a specific course about research in the hospital, significantly predicted participation in research projects, speaking at conferences and writing scientific papers. It is important to foster research interest and competencies among health professionals to improve participation in research projects, speaking at conferences, and writing scientific papers. Conclusions: Overall, we found a good level of attendance at conferences as speakers (33%), a moderate level of participation in research (21%), and low levels for writing scientific papers (11%). Our study highlighted the need to support participation in research activities among nurses and AHPs. Policymakers should identify strategies to promote research among nurses and AHPs, such as protected rewarded time for research, specific education, strengthened collaboration with academics, and financial support. Moreover, hospital managers should promote the development of research culture among health professionals, to improve their research competencies and evidence-based practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on the paper about relation between correlation and causation by Charles Spearman. According to the author, the human mind played a key role in linking correlation with causation deterministically. She adds that correlation demonstrates its ability to quantify the strength of a causal relationship despite the absence of evidence of its effectivity. She also asserts the key role of correlation in scientific discovery and innovation.

Aim: This study investigated the scientific research ability of Chinese specialist nurses (SNs) in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and its influencing factors. Design: A cross‐sectional design. Methods: A total of 652 SNs in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region were investigated from March to October 2021. The nursing scientific research ability level was measured using the Nursing Research Competence of Nurses Self‐evaluation Scale. Descriptive statistics, univariate analysis and ordinal logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate factors affecting the scientific research ability of SNs. Results: The median score of scientific research ability of SNs was 31 (interquartile range: 19–41). Approximately 74.8% of clinical speciality nurses had low scientific research ability. Educational background, working hospital level, being the first author of a published paper and successful application for scientific research projects were identified as factors influencing scientific research ability score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, heavy rainfall conditions have caused damages around the world. To prevent damages by floods, levees have often been constructed in prone-to-inundation areas. This study performed reliability analyses for the Chiuliao 1st Levee located in southern Taiwan. The failure-related parameters were the water level, the scouring depth, and the in-situ friction angle. Three major failure mechanisms were considered, including the slope sliding failure of the levee, and the sliding and overturning failures of the retaining wall. When the variabilities of the in-situ friction angle and the scouring depth are considered for various flood return periods, the variations of the factor of safety (FS) for the different failure mechanisms show that the retaining wall sliding and overturning failures are more sensitive to the variability of the friction angle. When the flood return period is greater than 2 years, the levee can undergo slope sliding failure for all values of the water level difference. The results for levee stability analysis considering the variability of different parameters could assist engineers in designing the levee cross sections, especially with potential failure mechanisms in mind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With the emergence of numerous scientific outputs, growing attention is paid to research misconduct. This study aimed to investigate knowledge, attitudes and practices about research misconduct among medical residents in southwest China. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in southwest China from November 2022 through March 2023. The links to the questionnaire were sent to the directors of the teaching management department in 17 tertiary hospitals. Answers were collected and analyzed. Logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the factors associated with research misconduct among residents. Results: 6200 residents were enrolled in the study, and 88.5% of participants attended a course on research integrity, but 53.7% of participants admitted to having committed at least one form of research misconduct. Having a postgraduate or above, publishing papers as the first author or corresponding author, attending a course on research integrity, lower self-reported knowledge on research integrity and lower perceived consequences for research misconduct were positively correlated to research misconduct. Serving as a primary investigator for a research project was negatively associated with research misconduct. Most residents (66.3%) agreed that the reason for research misconduct is that researchers lack research ability. Conclusions: The high self-reported rate of research misconduct among residents in southwest China underscores a universal necessity for enhancing research integrity courses in residency programs. The ineffectiveness of current training in China suggests a possible global need for reevaluating and improving educational approaches to foster research integrity. Addressing these challenges is imperative not only for the credibility of medical research and patient care in China but also for maintaining the highest ethical standards in medical education worldwide. Policymakers, educators, and healthcare leaders on a global scale should collaborate to establish comprehensive strategies that ensure the responsible conduct of research, ultimately safeguarding the integrity of medical advancements and promoting trust in scientific endeavors across borders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the social science literature when analyzing survey or time series data social scientists use spurious regression without due consideration of its assumptions and the data structure. This results in misinterpretation and misleading conclusions about the population. The paper reviews basic statistical and econometrics literature which led to the development of modern time series analysis in the presence of spurious regression. It concludes that the term 'Spurious' was well known before the Granger and Yule's work in time series context rather than cross-sectional data. The same reasons can produce spurious regression today and surely the solution doesn't exist in the cointegration analysis. Social scientists and applied econometrician investigators need more serious thinking and care to avoid spurious regression, if it is necessary even if data is stationary or cross-sectional. In this study, we extended the Ghouse experiment which is based on simulated data by employing real-world data to assess the effectiveness of the newly proposed Ghouse Equation in comparison to conventional approaches. The findings demonstrate that the Ghouse Equation produces the lowest probability of spurious regression as compared to its counterparts. Moreover, in forecasting performance, Ghouse Equation outperformed its counterparts. These results highlight the Ghouse Equation as a valuable and better tool for econometric analysis for nonstationary time series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adolescent girls face numerous challenges which hinder their ability to manage menstruation in a healthy and dignified manner. Objectives: To examine the menstrual hygiene practices of adolescent girls schooling in rural Anambra communities. Study design: Cross-sectional descriptive study. Method: Participants were selected using multistage stratified random sampling technique and interviewed using self-administered semi-structured questionnaire. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 22.0. Results: Mean age of all, pre-menarche and post-menarche girls were 14.7 ± 1.84, 12.8 ± 1.09 and 15.1 ± 1.73 years, respectively. About 46% of the pre-menarche girls had not received any information on menstruation. Common sources of initial menstruation information were mother (87.3%), school (52.2%) and peers (20.0%). Among the 1091 (85.0% (1091/1283)) post-menarche girls, last menstrual period, last menstrual period duration and cycle length could not be recalled by 53.9%, 34.4% and 39.3%, respectively. Majority (98.3%) who could recall last menstrual period had a cycle length of ⩽30 days and the mean duration of menses was 4.4 ± 0.84 days. Disposable sanitary pad was mostly (60%) cited as recommended product, but cloth/rags (40.6%) or tissue paper (32. 3%) were predominantly used. Majority (88.6%) took their bath ⩾twice/day, 50.9% changed sanitary product ⩽twice/day while 72.5% exhibited poor hand washing. Sanitary products were mostly discarded by burning (45.4%). Fifty-one percent could not change in school predominantly due to lack of functional toilets/changing rooms (84.2%) while 72.5% of those who changed did so in bushes or unused spaces. Challenges faced during menstruation include restriction from holy places (38.9%), waist pain (74.9%), blood stains (36.1%) and lack of money to buy pad (27.0%). Factors significantly associated with using commercial pads were age (p = 0.047), class (p = 0.006), mother's educational status (p < 0.001), social class (p < 0.001), ability to recall last menstrual period date (p = 0.029) or duration (p = 0.001). Conclusion: Menstrual hygiene management was unsatisfactory among studied adolescents. Continuous education of adolescent girls on menstrual hygiene management and advocacy for adequate menstrual hygiene management support are imperative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This study aims to examine the prevalence of anxiety symptoms and identify predictors of anxiety among pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and their partners and explore the mediating role of marital satisfaction between maternal and paternal anxiety. Design: A cross‐sectional study was conducted in Guangzhou, China, from July 2021 to May 2022. Methods: A total of 306 dyads of pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and their partners completed the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory, Locke–Wallace Marital Adjustment Test and the socio‐demographic and clinical data sheet. Results: The prevalence of anxiety symptoms was 32.4% and 36.6% in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and their partners, respectively. The predictors of maternal anxiety were paternal anxiety, maternal marital satisfaction, maternal monthly salary, fasting glucose value and 1‐h glucose value. By contrast, the predictors of paternal anxiety were maternal anxiety, paternal marital satisfaction and paternal monthly salary. Moreover, the relationship between maternal and paternal anxiety was mediated by marital satisfaction. Conclusions: The anxiety symptoms of pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and their partners influence each other, and this relationship was mediated by marital satisfaction. Every couple should be screened for anxiety symptoms and treated as a team rather than focusing solely on the pregnant woman. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? Gestational diabetes mellitus is strongly associated with various short‐ and long‐term adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes.The diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus is stressful for pregnant women and their partners.No studies have been conducted to examine and compare the anxiety symptoms among pregnant women with GDM and their partners in mainland China. What this paper adds? The anxiety symptoms of pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and their partners influence each other.The prevalence of anxiety symptoms was high in both pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and their partners.Marital satisfaction played a mediating role between maternal and paternal anxiety. The implications of this paper: Study findings provide important information to guide future practice for nurses and other health‐care professionals.For the future, routine screening for anxiety symptoms is necessary for both pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and their partners; mental health support should be delivered in a timely fashion for couples.Pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and their partners should be treated as a team rather than focusing solely on pregnant women, with couples given training on enhancing marital satisfaction skills to prevent and reduce their anxiety symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. China will inevitably enter a medium, severe, or deep aging society in the future, and the number of elderly people living alone is also increasing. Mental health is a major issue for older people living alone. With the deepening of aging, social participation has become an important way to promote mental health and improve the quality of life of the elderly. Methods. This study uses data from Chinese Longitudinal Health Longevity Survey (CLHLS). Based on the CLHLS data of 2018, this paper uses multiple ordered logistic models to measure the mental health level of elderly people living alone through two dimensions of depression and anxiety and carries out a heterogeneity analysis on the mental health level of elderly people living alone. Results. The analysis of 2477 elderly people living alone shows that the increase of social participation in simple communication can reduce the degree of depression and anxiety of elderly people living alone, and the decrease of social participation in self-recreation can reduce the degree of depression and anxiety of elderly people living alone. In addition, the heterogeneity analysis found that the heterogeneity of social participation was more significant among the elderly living alone with different genders, ages, places of residence, and self-care abilities. Limitations. This study has some limitations, and CES-D-10 is a screening tool and cannot fully determine the presence of depression in high-rise older adults living alone. Conclusions. In the future, primary healthcare-targeted interventions can be provided according to the different degrees of depression and anxiety of elderly people living alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenic emissions from "hotspots", i.e. cites, power plants and industrial facilities, can be determined from remote sensing images obtained from airborne and space-based imaging spectrometers. In this paper, we present a Python library for data-driven emission quantification (ddeq) that implements various computationally light methods such as Gaussian plume inversion, cross sectional flux method, integrated mass enhancement method and divergence method. The library provides a shared interface for data input and output as well as tools for pre- and post-processing of data. The shared interface makes it possible to easily compare and benchmark the different methods. The paper describes the theoretical basis of the different emission quantification methods and their implementation in the ddeq library. The application of the methods is demonstrated using Jupyter Notebooks included in the library, for example, for NO2 images from the Sentinel-5P/TROPOMI satellite and for synthetic CO2 and NO2 images from the Copernicus CO2 Monitoring (CO2M) satellite constellation. The library can be easily extended for new datasets and methods, providing a powerful community tool for users and developers interested in emission monitoring using remote sensing images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as a pandemic on 11 March 2020, and educational institutions have had to modify most of their activities (face-to-face activities were suspended). This situation forced academic institutions to modify the evaluation format of students. The use of proctoring systems quickly became widespread, although some controversies arose. The two main discussions regarding these systems are the integrity of the assessment and the capacity of the students to adapt to this new assessment method, without changes in theirs scores. To elucidate two controversies, we have analyzed the preferences and the scores obtained from a trial of 660 scores from 332 students of the third grade of Veterinary Medicine. The experiment involved three modalities of exam: an online format from home using the Respondus Lockdown Browser system (Modality 1), online in person using the Respondus Lockdown Browser system with the supervision of a teacher (Modality 2), or paper format in person with the supervision of a teacher (Modality 3). The results obtained showed that the students preferred Modality 1 (online at home with Respondus Lockdown Browser system). No statistical differences between the scores obtained by students were found between the three modalities analyzed. The proctoring system is a good method to adjudicate exams in higher education institutions, and the scores of students are similar to those obtained through traditional evaluation and control systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Recruitment through Facebook is gaining favor as an approach for research, including clinical trials, because of the platform's ability to reach broad and diverse populations. As older adults increase their social media use, recruitment through Facebook has become a viable option. The purposes of this paper are to report the methodological process and lessons learned from recruiting custodial grandmothers (CGMs) for a cross‐sectional study examining parenting self‐efficacy and psychological well‐being. Participants: A total of 113 people consented and accessed the survey online, with 40 (35.4%) completing surveys. The final sample comprised 68 grandmothers, with 59% recruited via Facebook. Methods: Facebook recruitment for the online survey included creating a dedicated Facebook study page, accessing existing Facebook pages for custodial grandparents, and using paid advertising. Face‐to‐face recruitment strategies also were used with paper surveys. Results: We compared the characteristics of those completing online surveys versus paper surveys. CGMs completing the survey online were significantly younger and more likely to be Caucasian than those completing the paper survey. Conclusions: Findings indicated online recruitment via Facebook is an advantageous method to reach CGMs. However, additional research is needed to determine if other online and social media platforms would be useful in recruiting this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extent, range, and nature of available research in the field of primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) have not been understood fully. This study aimed to map the literature available on pSS, and identify global hotspots and trends in the research. Papers on pSS published between 2004 and 2021 were searched from Web of Science Core Collection. The quantity and citations of publications, and the research hotspots and trends in the field of pSS were analyzed and presented visually by Microsoft Excel and Citespace software. A total of 3606 papers mainly from 526 institutions in 83 countries/regions were included for analysis. The number of publications presented an overall upward trend in the field of pSS from 2004 to 2021. The USA ranked first in the number of publications (n = 661), followed by China (n = 491), Italy (n = 405), France (n = 351), and Japan (n = 292). Moreover, seven of the top ten countries by the number of publications on pSS were from Europe. The University of Groningen (n = 661), Xavier Mariette (n = 95), and Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology (n = 184) were the most prolific affiliation, author, and journal, respectively. Vitali C (n = 2009) and Arthritis and Rheumatism (n = 3918) held the record for the most cited papers by an author and journal, respectively. At present, the hot keywords in the field of pSS include disease activity, ultrasonography, management, consensus, and data-driven. Lymphoid organization, clinical phenotypes outcome, salivary gland ultrasonography, and Toll-like receptor are the emerging research trends in pSS. Research on pSS is flourishing. Current research of pSS mainly focuses on disease activity, ultrasonography, and management. While, the emerging research trends in pSS are lymphoid organization, clinical phenotypes outcome, salivary gland ultrasonography, and Toll-like receptor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of aerosol type is important for source attribution and for determining the magnitude and assessing the consequences of aerosol radiative forcing. However, atmospheric aerosol is frequently not a single pure type, but instead occurs as a mixture of types, and this mixing affects the optical and radiative properties of the aerosol. This paper extends the work of earlier researchers by using the aerosol intensive parameters measured by the NASA Langley Research Center airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL-1) to develop a comprehensive and unified set of rules for characterizing the external mixing of several key aerosol intensive parameters: extinction to-backscatter ratio (i.e. lidar ratio), backscatter color ratio, and depolarization ratio. We present the mixing rules in a particularly simple form that leads easily to mixing rules for the covariance matrices that describe aerosol distributions, rather than just scalar values of measured parameters. These rules can be applied to infer mixing ratios from the lidar-observed aerosol parameters, even for cases without significant depolarization. We demonstrate our technique with measurement curtains from three HSRL-1 flights which exhibit mixing between two aerosol types, urban pollution plus dust, marine plus dust, and smoke plus marine. For these cases, we infer a time-height cross-section of mixing ratio along the flight track, and partition aerosol extinction into portions attributed to the two pure types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Brazil is one of the countries with the highest rates of caesarean sections (CS), reaching almost 90% of births in the private sector. A quality improvement project called "Adequate Childbirth Project (PPA)" was conceived to reduce CS in the private sector. This project consisted of four primary components: "Governance", "Participation of Women", "Reorganization of Care" and "Monitoring". This paper aims to evaluate: (1) which specific activities of the PPA had the largest effect on the probability of a woman having a vaginal delivery; (2) which primary component of the PPA had the largest effect on the probability of vaginal delivery and (3) which scenarios combining the implementation of different activities planned in the PPA had a higher effect on the probability of vaginal delivery. Methods: A sample of 12 private hospitals participating in the PPA was evaluated. We used a Bayesian Network (BN) to capture both non-linearities and complex cause-effect relations. The BN integrated knowledge from experts and data from women to estimate 26 model parameters. The PPA was evaluated in 2473 women belonging to groups 1–4 of the Robson classification, who were divided into two groups: those participating or not participating in the PPA. Results: The probability of a woman having a vaginal delivery was 37.7% higher in women participating in the PPA. The most important component of the project that led to an increase in the probability of vaginal delivery was "Reorganization of Care", leading to a 73% probability of vaginal delivery among women in labor. The activity that had the greatest effect on the type of delivery was access to best practices during labor, with a 72% probability of vaginal delivery. Considering the 12 scenarios combining the different activities of the PPA, the best scenarios included: a non-scheduled delivery, access to information about best practices, access to at least 4 best practices during labor and respect of the birth plan, with an 80% probability of vaginal delivery in the best combinations. Conclusion: PPA has been shown to be an effective quality improvement program, increasing the likelihood of vaginal delivery in private Brazilian hospitals. Plain English Summary: Introduction: Brazil boasts one of the highest rates of caesarean sections (CS) globally, with nearly 90% of births in private facilities being delivered via CS. In response, the 'Adequate Childbirth Project – PPA' was launched as a quality improvement initiative aimed at curbing CS rates in private healthcare. Its goal is to improve the quality of childbirth and reduce the number of CS in private healthcare. The project has four main parts: 'Governance', 'Participation of Women', 'Reorganization of Care', and 'Monitoring'. Method: an evaluative study was conducted across 12 private hospitals involved in the PPA, involving 2473 women who were categorized into PPA participants and non-participants. They used a method called a cause-effect network to see which parts of the PPA helped more women have vaginal deliveries. Results: They found that women in the PPA were 37.7% more likely to have a vaginal delivery. Giving women access to good practices during labor and birth was really important. Also, 'Reorganization of Care' was the most important part of the project. It led to a 73% chance of vaginal delivery for women in labor. Conclusion: The PPA is effective in helping more women in private hospitals have vaginal deliveries. This means it's a good program for improving childbirth in Brazil's private hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Turkish and Syrian earthquake on February 6th 2023, was one of the deadliest earthquakes in the last decade. It affected approximately 26 million people and left at least 50.000 dead. In this paper, we analyzed the psychological impact and the relationship between mental health factors, earthquake-related experiences and stressors, and resources related to the earthquake, 4 months after the event. Methods: We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study, applying a survey to 320 adults (18–93 years old) in Adiyaman, Turkey. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were assessed using the PC-PTSD, general psychiatric morbidity using the GHQ-12, together with questions focusing on suicidality, drug abuse, as well as experiences, related stressors and received support related to the earthquake. Results: We found a high prevalence of general mental health symptoms, and of PTSD. Fear of aftershocks and the loss of close family members were found to be risk factors for such symptoms. We didn't find significant differences in the GHQ or the PC-PTSD scores when considering ethnicity, religion or financial income. Conclusions: High levels of general mental health symptoms and PTSD symptoms were found 4 months after the earthquake and need to be addressed in all groups, independently from potential religious, social or ethnic backgrounds. The results indicate a large psychiatric and material burden on the entire sample and some priority needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To identify the influence of teamwork, communication skills, and structural empowerment on providing patient‐centered care among nurses in Eswatini. Design: A quantitative, cross‐sectional survey was used. Methods: This survey conducted in Eswatini selected registered nurses working as full‐time nurses with more than 3 months of working experience using convenience sampling. Different measures were adopted and used to collect data among 130 eligible nurses from February to March 2022. Data were analyzed using Statistical Program for Social Sciences version 26.0. Results: A total of 123 nurses responded in the study and the mean age was 31.05 years with a standard deviation of 5.49. The overall response rate was 94.6% in this study. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that teamwork (β = 0.236, p < 0.05) and communication skills (β = 0.328, p < 0.05) were significant predictors of the provision of patient‐centered care among nurses. Conclusion: Team‐building exercises and management interventions to empower nurses should be established to improve the provision of patient‐centered care among nurses. Nurses should be empowered to provide patient‐centered care in health facilities by encouraging them to provide their input in management procedures and planning programs. Impact: Clinical practice requires nurses to use effective communication skills and work as a team. Nursing care established on teamwork, respect, empathy, and communication skills allows patients to express their concerns and views in health facilities as they feel involved in care. Patient or public contribution: No patient or public contribution in this paper. This study only involved registered nurses as health professionals. Summary Statement: What is already known? : Patient‐centered care gives patients the chance to participate actively in discussions and consultations.Patient‐centered care requires nurses to work as a team, use effective communication skills, and feel empowered during the execution of their work.Nurses who are empowered are less likely to make medical errors, and collaborative nurses provide better patient‐centered care. What does this paper add? : Highlights that teamwork and communication skills influence nurses' ability to provide patient‐centered care.Add to the growing evidence‐based support that there is a need for teamwork and communication education programs for registered nurses in the workplace.Empowering nurses to participate in management processes and program planning will enable them to deliver patient‐centered care in healthcare facilities. Implications for practice/policy : Education programs focusing on teamwork and communication skills should be provided to nurses working in the clinical setting to enhance the quality of patient care and improve collaboration.All hospitals should adopt a tailored intervention designed to enhance the delivery of patient‐centered care to raise the standard of care.It is imperative that nurses prioritize the development of their teamwork, respect, empathy, and communication skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Emergency medical services (EMS) are intended to provide people with immediate, effective, and safe access to the healthcare system. The effects of pandemics on emergency medical services (EMS) have not been studied sufficiently. The aim of this paper is to assess the frequency and structure of calls at an ambulance station in Kazakhstan during the period of 2019–2023. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted to estimate the incidence of emergency assistance cases from 2019 to 2023. Results: An analysis of the structure and number of ambulance calls before the pandemic, during the pandemic, and post-pandemic period did not reveal significant changes, except for calls in urgency category IV. Patients of urgency category IV handled by an ambulance decreased by 2 and 1.7 times in 2020 and 2021, respectively, which appears to be related to quarantine measures. In 2022 and 2023, category IV calls were 4.7 and 4.5 times higher than in 2019. Conclusions: This study's findings suggest no changes in the dynamics of ambulance calls, except urgency category IV calls. The number of category IV urgent calls decreased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic and increased in the post-pandemic period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Smartphone applications (apps) for pharmacovigilance present an opportunity for integration as cost-effective healthcare service intervention into basic healthcare services in low-resource settings. This study aimed to (i) evaluate the implementation of the Med Safety app in Burkina Faso, and (ii) compare the characteristics of the reports sent by the Med Safety app with those sent on paper form. Methods: The study had two components: (i) a cross-sectional online survey assessing the Med Safety app, and (ii) a retrospective analysis comparing the characteristics of the Med Safety reports with those of the paper form, received by the National Pharmacovigilance Centre of Burkina Faso (CNVPS), from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2022. We evaluated the success of the implementation of the Med Safety intervention using measures of acceptability, usefulness and feasibility. This assessment involved a set of 14 items rated on a 4-point Likert scale. Acceptability, feasibility, and usefulness were determined based on achieving a total score higher than the mean. Subsequently, we computed the proportion of participants whose overall score for all items exceeded the mean. Continuous and categorical variables were compared using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test and the Chi2 test, respectively. The significance level of the statistical test was set at 5%. Results: The survey participation rate was 51.9% (160/308). Half of the respondents were in the 35-44 age group (50.6%), and participants were predominantly male (71.9%). The Med Safety app was acceptable, feasible, and useful to 58.1% of respondents. The most useful features of the app were "reporting" (53.1%), "news" (13.6%) and "watch list" (12.4%). During the period, a total of 1,472 reports were received, including 357 (24.3%) through Med Safety and 1,115 (75.7%) through the paper form. The reports of adverse events following immunization received at the CNVPS numbered 974 (66.2%), these were related to COVID-19 vaccines, with 256 (26.3%) through the Med Safety and 718 (73.7%) through the paper form. The median time to submit the reports to the CNVPS was 159 (IQR 59–187) days for the Med Safety and 166 (IQR 107–281) days for the paper form (p < 0.001). Conclusion: In Burkina Faso, the Med Safety was found to be acceptable, useful, and feasible by users surveyed. In addition, and compared to the paper form, the app reduces the time to submit a report, and with increase in use, the reporting timeframe could be further improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A lifelong gluten‐free (GF) diet to manage coeliac disease is recognised to be challenging. This paper comprises two studies: study one aimed to report the opinions of adults with coeliac disease on review provision and explore factors influencing dietary adherence. Study two aimed to report dietetic provision for adults with coeliac disease. Methods: A cross‐sectional online survey was completed by 722 adults with coeliac disease, including validated dietary adherence, health literacy and quality‐of‐life questionnaires. An online and paper survey designed to capture the provision of dietetic services to adults with coeliac disease was completed by 88 dietetic departments within the United Kingdom. Results: Only 26% of adults with coeliac disease were offered annual reviews. In contrast, 85% considered reviews important, with 62% preferring dietetic provision. Those who considered reviews important had lower health literacy, greater dietary burden, poorer GF dietary adherence and lower GF food knowledge (all p < 0.05) compared with those who did not consider reviews important. GF dietary adherence was associated with health literacy, self‐regulatory behaviours, dietary burden and GF food knowledge; 53% agreed with the 'cost of GF food restricts what I eat'; they had poorer GF dietary adherence compared with those who disagreed (p < 0.001). More than 72% of dietetic coeliac review provision provided content on improving access to GF foods and eating out of the home. Conclusions: A subpopulation of adults with coeliac disease have a greater need for support and guidance, which supports the viewpoint that limited resources should be targeted towards patients with the most need for support to enable successful disease management. Key points: The majority of adults with coeliac disease were not receiving healthcare reviews for coeliac disease, whereas 85% would like to have reviews.Adults living with coeliac disease who had lower health literacy, poorer gluten‐free (GF) food knowledge and poorer GF dietary adherence score rated healthcare reviews as important.A varied provision of dietetic services for coeliac disease reviews was evident across the United Kingdom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To develop and test the psychometric properties of an expanded catheter self‐management scale for patients with in‐dwelling urinary catheters. Design: A cross‐sectional validation study. Despite the utility of the original 13‐item catheter self‐management scale, this instrument did not include bowel management, general hygiene and drainage bag care, which are fundamental skills in urinary catheter self‐management to prevent common problems resulting in unnecessary hospital presentations. The expanded catheter self‐management scale was developed with 10 additional items to comprehensively assess all five essential aspects of urinary catheter self‐management. Methods: A total of 101 adult community‐dwelling patients living with indwelling urinary catheters were recruited from Western Sydney, Australia. Using exploratory factor analysis with Varimax rotation, the number of factors to be extracted from the expanded 23‐item expanded catheter self‐management scale was determined using a scree plot. The reliability of the overall scale and subscales was measured using Cronbach's alpha. Convergent validity was assessed using Spearman's correlations between clinical characteristics, overall scale and subscales. Results: The 23‐item expanded catheter self‐management scale yielded a 5‐factor solution, labelled as: (i) self‐monitoring of catheter function, (ii) proactive, help‐seeking behaviour function, (iii) bowel self‐care function, (iv) hygiene‐related catheter site function and (v) drainage bag care function. Cronbach's alpha of the expanded catheter self‐management scale indicating all 23 items contributed to the overall alpha value. Convergent validity results showed a negative correlation between the overall expanded catheter self‐management scale and catheter‐related problems. Conclusion: The 5‐factor structure provided a comprehensive assessment of key aspects of urinary catheter self‐management essential to reduce the likelihood of catheter‐related hospital presentations. Implications: The expanded catheter self‐management scale can be used to assess and monitor effective patient‐centred interventions for optimal self‐management to prevent catheter‐related problems and improve the quality of life of patients. Impact: Many patients start their journey of living with a urinary catheter unexpectedly and are not supported with quality information to care for their catheter.The findings of this study show the correlation between catheter self‐management skills and catheter‐related problems.The expanded catheter self‐management scale (E‐CSM) assists with analysing the self‐management skills of patients living with a catheter and developing tailored interventions to prevent problems and improve their quality of life. In addition, this screening tool can be included in policies, guidelines, and care plans as a standard for improving catheter management and developing educational resources for patients. Reporting Method: STROBE checklist was used to report all aspects of this study comprehensively and accurately. Patient or Public Contribution: Patients living with indwelling urinary catheter and their carers have participated in surveys, interviews and co‐designing interventions. This paper reports the psychometric analysis of the expanded catheter self‐management scale (E‐CSM) used in the patient survey as part of the main study 'Improving Quality of Life of Patients Living with Indwelling Urinary Catheters: IQ‐IDC Study' (Alex et al. in Collegian, 29:405–413, 2021). We greatly value our consumers' contributions and continue to communicate the progress of the study to them. Their contributions will be acknowledged in all publications and presentations. In addition, all participants will be provided the option of receiving the interventions and publications generated from this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper was to determine how different types of posterior staphyloma (PS) may affect the appearance and degree of myopic maculopathy. A cross-sectional study was conducted, in which 467 eyes from 246 highly myopic patients [axial length (AL) ≥ 26 mm] were studied. A complete ophthalmic exploration was carried out on all patients, including imaging tests. The presence of macular PS was established as the main comparison variable between groups (macular PS vs. non-macular PS vs. non-PS). The variables analyzed included age, AL, decimal best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), Atrophy (A)/Traction (T)/Neovascularization (N) components according to the ATN grading system, and the presence of severe pathologic myopia (PM). Out of the total, 179 eyes (38.3%) presented macular PS, 146 eyes presented non-macular PS (31.2%), and 142 eyes showed no PS (30.4%). The group without PS was significantly younger than macular PS and non-macular PS groups (53.85 vs. 66.57 vs. 65.20 years; p < 0.001 each, respectively). There were no age differences between PS groups. Eyes with macular PS (31.47 ± 2.30 mm) were significantly longer than those with non-macular PS (28.68 ± 1.78 mm, p < 0.001) and those without PS (27.47 ± 1.34 mm, p < 0.001). BCVA was significantly better in the non-PS group (0.75 ± 0.27) compared to the non-macular PS (0.56 ± 0.31) and macular PS groups (0.43 ± 0.33), with p < 0.001 each. Eyes without PS showed significantly lower A and T components (1.31 ± 0.96 and 0.30 ± 0.53, respectively) than non-macular PS (2.21 ± 0.75 and 0.71 ± 0.99, respectively, p < 0.001 each) and macular PS eyes (2.83 ± 0.64 and 1.11 ± 1.10, respectively, p < 0.001 each). The N component was lower in non-PS eyes vs. non-macular PS eyes (0.20 ± 0.59 vs. 0.47 ± 0.83, p < 0.001) and as compared to the macular PS group (0.68 ± 0.90, p < 0.01). Additionally, the N component was significantly lower in the non-macular PS group than in the macular PS one (p < 0.05). The prevalence of severe PM was different between groups (p < 0.001). It was higher among macular PS eyes (138/179) when compared to other groups (p < 0.001, each), followed by the non-macular PS eyes (40/146) and being the lowest in the non-PS group (20/142). To conclude, macular PS is associated with a more advanced maculopathy, worse vision, and higher rates of severe PM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible Summary: What is known about the subject?: Loneliness is common among young and middle‐aged stroke survivors. It not only hinders the recovery of their neurological and physical functions but also increases the risk of stroke recurrence, disability, and even death.Improving the mental health of young and middle‐aged stroke survivors is of utmost importance. However, previous research has not yet investigated the impact of interpersonal sensitivity and resilience on the relationship between stigma and feelings of loneliness. What the paper adds to existing knowledge?: This study confirms that stigma has a positive impact on loneliness among young and middle‐aged stroke survivors.Interpersonal sensitivity partially mediates the relationship between stigma and loneliness, and resilience plays a moderating role in the mediating mechanism. What are the implications for practice?: Mental health nurses can formulate nursing interventions to reduce loneliness of young and middle‐aged stroke survivors with the goals of improving stigma, reducing interpersonal sensitivity and cultivating resilience. Introduction: Previous studies have not explored the impact of interpersonal sensitivity and resilience on the relationship between stigma and loneliness. However, improving the resilience of young and middle‐aged stroke survivors and increasing their social participation is of great significance for reducing patients' loneliness of patients and promoting their physical and mental rehabilitation. Aims: To investigate the influence of stigma, interpersonal sensitivity and resilience on loneliness among young and middle‐aged stroke survivors. Methods: A cross‐sectional design was used to collect data. A total of 330 participants completed measures of stigma, resilience, interpersonal sensitivity and loneliness. The descriptive statistical approach, Pearson's correlation analysis and Hayes' PROCESS Macro Model 4 and 7 in regression analysis were used to analyse the available data. Results: The results revealed that young and middle‐aged stroke survivors' stigma, resilience, interpersonal sensitivity and loneliness were significantly correlated between every two variables, with coefficients ranging between −0.157 and 0.682. Interpersonal sensitivity played a partial mediating role in stigma and loneliness, accounting for 63.27% of the total effect; This process was moderated by resilience. Discussion: Stigma positively predicts participants' loneliness. As a mediating mechanism with moderating, interpersonal sensitivity and resilience further explain how stigma affects loneliness. Implications for Practice: Understanding this mechanism is of guiding significance to reduce loneliness of young and middle‐aged stroke patients and promote their physical and mental rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible Summary: What is known on the subject?: Recovery‐oriented services have been shown to promote recovery in people with mental illness; their implementation is important for current psychiatric practice and is being considered by many professional institutions.The Japanese government released the policy 'A Vision for Reform of Mental Health and Medical Welfare' (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 2004; https://www.mhlw.go.jp/topics/2004/09/dl/tp0902‐1a.pdf), aiming to update public consciousness, reorganize the mental healthcare welfare system and strengthen the foundation of mental healthcare to promote a basic policy focusing on the transition 'from hospital to community life'. What the paper adds to existing knowledge?: This is the first study to clarify recovery‐oriented attitudes among psychiatric nursing directors and related factors in Japan. It shows an association between recovery‐oriented attitudes and hospital size. What are the implications for practice?: A relationship exists between the recovery knowledge and recovery‐oriented attitudes of psychiatric nursing directors. It may thus be valuable for directors to see and hear about the experiences of patients living in the community during their recovery process. As hospital size and organizational climate may hinder the successful implementation of recovery‐oriented practices, these factors must be considered when introducing such practices.Further research is needed on the relationship between psychiatric nursing directors' recovery‐oriented attitudes and practices. Moreover, to develop intervention studies that uncover success factors for enhancing recovery‐oriented attitudes, organizational factors that enable recovery‐oriented practices must be further investigated. Introduction: Recovery‐oriented practices in mental health services have become a global priority. Despite their proven effectiveness, Japanese hospitals have not widely implemented such practices. Aim: This study clarified psychiatric nursing directors' recovery‐oriented attitudes and factors regarding promoting recovery‐oriented practices to identify methods for developing these practices in Japan. Method: This cross‐sectional study used a questionnaire survey with 250 nursing directors from 1287 Japanese psychiatric hospitals. Multivariable regression analysis assessed how socio‐demographic variables and Recovery Knowledge Inventory (RKI) scores affected Recovery Attitudes Questionnaire (RAQ‐7) scores. Results: The analysis revealed that more clinical and managerial experience was associated with more negative recovery‐oriented attitudes. High RKI scores, knowledge of strength, hospital size and outpatient work experience were associated with more positive recovery‐oriented attitudes. Discussion: Implementing recovery practices requires consideration of knowledge and experience in recovery and hospital size alongside recovery training based on a hospital's organizational structure. Although the low response rate could influence the study's generalisability, it could also indicate low interest in recovery‐oriented practices among professionals. Implications for Practice: Acquiring more knowledge and experience regarding recovery promotes recovery‐oriented attitudes among nursing directors. An appropriate organizational culture and consideration of hospital size are required when introducing such recovery practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to examine the roles and needs of allied health professionals (AHPs) working in public healthcare settings in rural and regional Victoria, Australia in providing components of palliative care in their routine practice. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between March and May 2023. Surveys were collected from AHPs working in public healthcare settings in the Loddon Mallee region of Victoria, Australia. Clinicians reported on the frequency of provision of care to patients with terminal illness, and their self-reported skill and confidence in providing interventions to patients with palliative care needs. Results: In total, 121 clinicians completed the survey. Almost every respondent reported they had provided care to patients with a terminal illness, with 41% of clinicians providing this care daily or weekly. The respondents were confident carrying out generalist interventions such as maintaining physical function but reported lower confidence in managing common symptoms of terminal illness such as loss of appetite, swallowing difficulties and changing communication needs. Two-thirds of respondents had not undertaken any training specific to palliative care, with many unaware of how to access palliative care-specific training. Conclusion: AHPs in rural and remote areas regularly provide care to patients with terminal illness. As the number of patients seen in non-specialist palliative care settings is likely to increase in rural and regional areas, the low self-reported confidence in providing common components of care, and the low uptake of palliative care-specific training must be addressed to ensure AHPs can provide high-quality care to people with terminal illness. What is known about the topic? Due to the increasing demand for palliative care services, this care is increasingly delivered by general non-specialist clinicians such as allied health professionals. What does this paper add? This study provides evidence for how often a surveyed population of allied health professionals in rural and regional Australia are providing care to people with a terminal illness, as well as their confidence, competence and learning needs. What are the implications for practitioners? High-quality care is needed at end-of-life, therefore rural and regional health services need to support allied health professionals to increase confidence and competence in providing palliative care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In Australia, there is little evidence exploring why higher degrees by research (HDRs) are undertaken by surgeons. This study aims to describe the attitudes and experiences of surgical trainees and surgeons towards HDRs. Methods: A 23-question cross-sectional survey of surgical trainees and consultant surgeons from three Australian public hospitals was undertaken between August and December 2022. Data were analysed according to stage of career and HDR status and assessed using chi-squared test, with P < 0.05 considered significant. Results: Out of 270 participants, 72 (27%) completed the survey including 30 (42%) trainees and 42 (58%) consultants. Overall, 43 (60%) participants had completed or were undertaking a HDR, which was similar between trainees (n = 18) and consultants (N = 25; P = 0.968). A HDR was associated with more publications (P < 0.5). Respondents with a HDR were more likely to have a salaried academic position (50%) than those without (15%). There was no significant difference in academic appointments based on HDR attainment (P = 0.192). For surgical trainees, 93% rated the strengthening of resumes as the primary driver, compared with only 60% of consultants. For consultants, academic career aspirations and research interests were ranked the highest at 64% equally. Lack of time and competing nature of surgical training were equally ranked among all as the key barriers to completing a HDR. Conclusions: These results provide insight into the academic pursuits of surgeons with an understanding of the role HDRs play, including the different drivers for Masters and Doctorates. This is important for supporting future surgeons who seek to pursue research. What is known about the topic? The value of research is well-recognised as a crucial part of the surgical training pathway. Despite this, minimal contemporary evidence exists which explores the impact of higher degrees by research (HDR) on academic career pathways in the Australian context. What does this paper add? Contemporary evidence was obtained to understand why Australian surgeons undertake HDRs and how their completion impacts the surgical career pathway. What are the implications for practitioners? By understanding the role of HDRs in the surgical landscape, practitioners can ensure beneficial support for future academic surgeons is in place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background High-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) is a known cause of cervical cancer (CC). Latvia has a high incidence of CC compared with the average incidence in the European Union. This study aims to fill the data gap on the HR-HPV burden in Latvia, providing information on its prevalence and associated factors. Methods The cross-sectional study was conducted from February 2021 to April 2022. Participants 25–70 years old visiting a general practitioner (general population) or those referred to a colposcopy clinic with changes in their cervical cytology (colposcopy population) collected vaginal self-sample and completed a paper-based questionnaire. Samples were analyzed with Cobas 6800 System (Roche) for HPV16, HPV18 and other HR-HPV (HPV31/33/35/39/45/51/52/56/58/59/66/68). Descriptive statistics for categorical variables were performed. The Chi-square test was used to determine for the statistical significance of differences in the proportions of the dependent variable between subgroups of the independent variable. Univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression were used to identify factors associated with positive HR-HPV status. Results were considered statistically significant at P  < 0.05. Results A total of 1274 participants provided a valid sample. The prevalence of any HR-HPV infection was 66.8% in the colposcopy group and 11.0% in the general population. Factors associated with positive HR-HPV status were marital status single/divorced/widowed (vs. married/cohabiting) [adjusted OR (aOR) 2.6; P  = 0.003], higher number of lifetime sex partners [aOR 5.1 (P  < 0.001) and 4.0 (P  = 0.001)] for six or more and three to five partners in the general population; in the colposcopy group, the statistical significance remained only for Latvian ethnicity (vs. other) (aOR 1.8; P  = 0.008) and current smoking (vs. never) (aOR 1.9; P  = 0.01). Conclusion We documented a comparison to European Union HR-HPV infection burden in Latvia. Any HR-HPV positivity was significantly associated with sexual and other health behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the population continues to age, the occurrence of chronic illnesses and comorbidities that often necessitate the use of polypharmacy has been on the rise. Polypharmacy, among other factors that tend to coincide with chronic diseases, such as obesity, impaired kidney and liver function, and older age, can increase the risk of medication errors (MEs). Our study aims to evaluate the prevalence of MEs in the Internal medicine, Cardiology, and Neurology departments at the secondary‐level university hospital. We conducted a prospective observational study of 145 patients' electronic or paper‐based data of inpatient prescriptions and patients' pharmacokinetic risk factors, such as an impairment of renal and/or hepatic function, weight, and age. All included patients collectively received 1252 prescribed drugs. The median (Q1; Q3) number of drugs per patient was 8 (7;10). At least one ME was identified in 133 out of the 145 patients, indicating a significantly higher prevalence than hypothesized (91.7% vs. 50%; p <.001). There was moderate, positive correlation between the quantity of prescribed drugs and the number of MEs, meaning that the more drugs are prescribed, the higher the number of identified MEs (Spearman's ρ = 0.428; p <.001). These findings suggest that there is a need for continuous medication education activity for prescribing physicians, continuous evaluation of prescription appropriateness to objectively identify the MEs and to contribute to more rational patient treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In orthodontics, the triage system is used to assess the preadolescents to rule out interventions needed earlier and to assess the nature of orthodontic problems as complex or moderate. The objective of this study was to determine the knowledge and awareness of orthodontic triage and its uses among dental healthcare professionals (DHCP). Materials and methods: A triage awareness questionnaire (TAQ) was formulated and validated as reliable by a panel of five orthodontic specialists which was then circulated online among 400 DHCP. The questionnaire consisted of nine sections that assessed the current knowledge and usage of orthodontic triage among the dental community. Frequencies and percentages were reported for all categorical variables. Chi-square was used to assess the association among the variables. Results: The response rate was 28.2% with the majority of participants being general dentists. Regarding the knowledge and use of triage, 40% of DHCP were only familiar with the word "orthodontic triage" while being unaware of how it works and 79% denied using orthodontic triage. Regarding the management of anomalies, 42% of DHCP preferred extraction as the management of supernumerary teeth (p = 0.013). Practitioners belonging to private setups performed visual inspection in growing patients for assessment of their facial features (p = 0.012). Clinicians with more than one year of experience referred young patients to orthodontic specialists for the management of crossbite (p = 0.024). Younger clinicians (25–35 years) with more than one year of experience referred adult patients to orthodontists for correction of their unesthetic smile (p = 0.013). Conclusions: This paper provides foundational data for the development of future policies and protocols supporting structured, evidence-based approaches to patient management via use of orthodontic triage. This study underscores the importance of targeted educational interventions to enhance understanding and implementation of orthodontic triage principles in clinical practice. Further probing is necessary to discern the disparity between understanding the orthodontic triage and effective employment of its components among practicing dental healthcare professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Teleworking (TW) has recently shifted from a marginal into a common practice. Yet, concerns have been raised regarding potential work-health negative effects, related to the reduced socialization, and extended working hours with computers at home, possibly offset by reduced commuting time or better individual work-life balance. This paper aims at describing the influence of TW on health, well-being, and productivity perceptions, and how this is shaped by TW conditions. Methods: We collected data from workers of 25 companies that exert their activity in Portugal. Data were completed with a representative sample of workers who regularly participate in surveys (total N = 1,069). We applied an on-line questionnaire from September the 1st 2022 to December the 1st 2022. We performed a simple descriptive analysis of each variable. Then, we analyzed the relationship between TW conditions and self-reported health, and between TW conditions at home and productivity, using logistic regression models. Results: We observed a high prevalence of self-perceived health worsening (15.9%), mostly among those with poor TW conditions. Most teleworkers enjoyed favorable TW conditions, despite limited company support. Relevant changes were observed in lifestyle factors, towards more smoking (5.5%), alcohol drinking (4.5%), and worse diet (10.1%). Two thirds reported enhanced productivity. A statistically significant relationship was observed between inadequate TW conditions, health deterioration, and lower productivity. A 6.0% point (pp) increased risk of productivity worsening was observed when employees faced at least one inadequate condition at home (no private working place at home, inadequate heating, artificial light, or absence of well-being at home). The risk of health deterioration increased by 12.9 pp when facing at least one of these inadequate conditions, and by 6.3 under hybrid TW, compared to one or two days of TW. Conclusions: Most teleworkers highlighted a positive perspective about teleworking. Yet, TW conditions are not favorable for all workers, with consequences on health, well-being, and productivity, suggesting that further support is needed for teleworkers to protect their health at home, and reach its maximum benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informal healthcare providers (IHPs) often serve as the first point of contact for healthcare services for non-communicable diseases in urban slums and their ability to identify risk factors and symptoms of the diseases is crucial for early detection and management. This paper assesses level of knowledge of hypertension and diabetes mellitus (DM) among IHPs. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in eight slums in Enugu and Onitsha cities in south-eastern Nigeria. Data was collected from 238 IHPs including patent medicine vendors, traditional birth attendants, traditional bonesetters, and herbalists. Knowledge scores were computed for each respondent. Adequate knowledge was set at ≥ 50% score and inadequate knowledge at < 50%. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors/independent variables associated with adequate knowledge among IHPs. Independent variables in the regression model were seven items that describe the profile of IHPs and can influence their access to information on non-communicable diseases. Knowledge of risk factors and symptoms of hypertension and DM among IHPs was low since only 21 (8.82%) and 19 (7.98%) of them had adequate knowledge of hypertension and DM, respectively. In regression analysis, IHPs who had received formal training in the past demonstrated significantly higher levels of knowledge, with odds of adequate knowledge in hypertension being 14.62 times greater for trained providers, and the odds of adequate knowledge of both non-communicable diseases being 21.34 times greater for trained providers. Training of IHPs is needed to address the critical knowledge deficit of risk factors and symptoms of hypertension and DM. This would contribute to better health outcomes and reduced disease burden in urban slums. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The gaps in healthy life expectancy (HLE) between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians are significant. Detailed and accurate information is required to develop strategies that will close these health disparities. This paper aims to quantify and compare the causes and their relative contributions to the life expectancy (LE) gaps between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous population in the Northern Territory (NT), Australia. Methods: The age-cause decomposition was used to analyse the differences in HLE and unhealthy life expectancy (ULE), where LE = HLE + ULE. The data was sourced from the burden of disease and injury study in the NT between 2014 and 2018. Results: In 2014–2018, the HLE at birth in the NT Indigenous population was estimated at 43.3 years in males and 41.4 years in females, 26.5 and 33.5 years shorter than the non-Indigenous population. This gap approximately doubled the LE gap (14.0 years in males, 16.6 years in females) at birth. In contrast to LE and HLE, ULE at birth was longer in the Indigenous than non-Indigenous population. The leading causes of the ULE gap at birth were endocrine conditions (explaining 2.9–4.4 years, 23–26%), followed by mental conditions in males and musculoskeletal conditions in females (1.92 and 1.94 years, 15% and 12% respectively), markedly different from the causes of the LE gap (cardiovascular disease, cancers and unintentional injury). Conclusions: The ULE estimates offer valuable insights into the patterns of morbidity particularly useful in terms of primary and secondary prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Electronic versions of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) seem to have a clear administrative logging advantage to traditional paper versions. However, most of them have not been formally evaluated for their suitability to replace paper outcome measures for assessment of individuals with lower-limb amputations. The aim of this study is to examine the usability and equivalence of electronic to paper versions of PROMs suitable for use in prosthetic clinical care and research for persons with lower-limb loss. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 10 participants remotely completed the following PROMs online and then on paper: Orthotic and Prosthetic User Survey (OPUS), Modified Falls Efficacy Scale (MFES), Prosthetic Evaluation Questionnaire (PEQ), Patient Health Questionnaire–9 (PHQ-9), and Community Participation Indicators (CPI). Participants also answered open-ended and standardized questions regarding the usability of the electronic surveys. Wilcoxon signed rank tests, comparisons to minimum detectable change, intraclass correlation coefficients, and Bland-Altman plots were used to evaluate differences between the two survey versions, meaningful changes in scores, reliability, and systematic biases, respectively. Results: Electronic surveys had fewer missing or ambiguous responses than paper surveys; however, the PEQ Social Burdens subscale could not be evaluated due to error in the creation of the electronic survey. No significant differences were found between scores of the two versions for any of the measures, but multiple participants had meaningful changes in the Appearance and Sounds PEQ subscales. All measures demonstrated acceptable reliability between versions, except the Appearance, Perceived Response, and Sounds subscales of the PEQ. No systematic biases in scores or usability concerns were found for any measures. Conclusions: This study analysis showed that most of the electronic PROMs studied are easily used and demonstrate equivalence to the paper versions. However, the PEQ Appearance, Perceived Response, Sounds, and Social Burden subscales require further evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Evidence suggests telehealth in speech and language therapy can enhance access to care, cost‐effectiveness and satisfaction. However, little is known about use of telehealth in the United Kingdom. Moreover, many assessments/outcome measures for aphasia have been tested for face‐to‐face administration only, posing challenges to reliable use within the telehealth context. We explored the experiences and views of speech and language therapists (SLTs) working with people with aphasia on using telehealth to conduct assessments/outcome measures, perceived barriers and facilitators in telehealth, and their priorities for research in telehealth aphasia assessment. Method: We explored views of UK SLTs through an online cross‐sectional survey (2021) delivered through the Qualtrics platform. The survey covered three main areas: (i) participant demographics; (ii) experience of using telehealth and doing telehealth assessments with people with aphasia post‐stroke during the COVID‐19 pandemic; and (iii) plans for telehealth post‐pandemic. Response formats included yes/no, multiple choice, 5‐point Likert scales and open‐ended text responses. The survey was expected to take no more than 10 min to complete. Survey data were analysed through descriptive statistics and content analysis of open‐ended questions. Results: One hundred twenty‐four SLTs responded to the survey. The majority (>80%) used telehealth during the COVID‐19 pandemic and >90% planned to continue to use telehealth in the future. The most used platforms were Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Attend Anywhere. Access to internet and telehealth platforms, and practical problems (e.g., difficulties sharing resources online, limited functionality of telehealth platforms for assessment) were common barriers. Therapists highlighted that training, resources and materials that assist the administration of assessments were important. Most participants responded that there was a need for existing measures to be tested for administration via telehealth (n = 68, 70.8%). Participants overall felt there was a need for online interactive assessments, more online resources that have been trialled for use via telehealth, accessible formats for resources for people with aphasia and clear instructions for how people with aphasia can access resources. Conclusions: This study provides new insights into the current use of telehealth assessment with people with aphasia in the United Kingdom and directions for future research. Barriers and facilitators identified can support the implementation of telehealth assessment in SLT services. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject: The use of telehealth in speech and language therapy has advantages in terms of access to care, cost‐effectiveness and satisfaction with care. However, little is known about the use of telehealth in aphasia rehabilitation in the United Kingdom, especially in the area of assessment and outcome measurement. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: This study identified that the majority (>80%) of aphasia therapists used telehealth during the COVID‐19 pandemic and >90% planned to continue to use telehealth in the future. A need was identified for existing measures to be tested for administration via telehealth and for training, resources (e.g., online interactive assessments) and materials (e.g., accessible formats for people with aphasia). What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: To facilitate the successful implementation of telehealth assessment, there is a need for measures validated for use via telehealth and more online resources that have been trialled for use via telehealth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Traumatic injury survivors often experience negative health consequences, impacting recovery. No studies have assessed the feasibility of evaluating the resiliency of hospitalized trauma patients using the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10). Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the most efficient method to collect survey responses on the CD-RISC-10. Methods: This cross-sectional study used a convenience sample of admitted patients with traumatic injury. Patients were randomized to complete the CD-RISC-10 using pen and paper, tablet, or workstation on wheels. Results: Of the 161 patient surveys, the tablet-based survey took the shortest time to complete (2 minutes, 21 seconds), and the paper survey resulted in the lowest percentage of missed questions (0.5%). Trauma patients reported high levels of resiliency. Conclusion: The CD-RISC-10 can be easily administered to trauma patients. Clinicians should balance efficiency and patient preferences when deciding on a survey collection method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme has been the central focus of the POSHAN Abhiyaan to combat maternal and child malnutrition under the national nutrition mission in India. This paper examined the linkages between utilization of ICDS and underweight among children aged 6–59 months. The study utilized data from two recent rounds of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS‐4 [2015–2016] and NFHS‐5 [2019–2021]). Descriptive analyses were used to assess the change in utilization of ICDS and the prevalence of underweight at the national and state levels. Multivariable logistic regressions were performed to examine factors associated with the utilization of ICDS and underweight. Linkages between utilization of ICDS and underweight were examined using the difference‐in‐differences (DID) approach. Utilization of ICDS increased from 58% in 2015–2016 to 71% in 2019–2021. The prevalence of underweight decreased from 37% to 32% in the same period. Changes in ICDS utilization and underweight prevalence varied considerably across states, socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. Results from decomposition of DID models suggest that improvements in ICDS explained 9%–12% of the observed reduction in underweight children between 2016 and 2021, suggesting that ICDS made a modest but meaningful contribution in addressing undernutrition among children aged 6–59 months in this period. Key messages: Utilization of ICDS services among children aged 6–59 months increased from 58% (2015–2016) to 71% (2019–2021) nationally. The programme's expansion was prominent in urban areas, showcasing progress across states.The prevalence of underweight among children in India declined by 5 percentage points from 2016 to 2021, but almost one‐third of children are still underweight.Increase in coverage and service delivery strengthening of ICDS explained 9%–12% of the observed reduction in underweight between 2016 and 2021.The findings suggest that optimizing quality of interventions under ICDS can have a modest but meaningful contribution in reducing childhood underweight in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]