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The article discusses the urgent need for environmental accountability in nephrology clinical trials. It highlights the significant carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions associated with clinical trials and emphasizes the lack of studies assessing the environmental impact of these trials. The article suggests various strategies to mitigate the environmental effects, such as optimizing trial site locations, reducing unnecessary data and sample collection, favoring local lab work, and minimizing travel for patients and the trial team. It also explores the potential benefits of digitalization, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning in improving the sustainability of clinical trials. The article calls for collective efforts from the nephrology community, including researchers, pharmaceutical companies, and funding bodies, to prioritize sustainability in clinical trials. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses how the Medical Library Association (MLA) is adapting and navigating to changes and innovations. Topics discussed include the role of the board of directors in leading the direction of MLA, the strategies of MLA to grow the organization, address its financial challenges and achieve long-term sustainability, and its strategic goals from 2015 to 2024.

Professional associations provide resources to support members' career development and facilitate ways for members to engage with and learn from one another. This article describes Medical Library Association (MLA) activities related to the revision of professional competencies and the restructuring of the organization's communities during the past twenty-five years. Grounded in MLA's Platform for Change, the MLA competency statement underwent two revisions with core themes remaining consistent. Major efforts went into rethinking the structure of MLA communities, and it became a strategic goal of the association. Numerous groups spent considerable time guiding the changes in MLA's community structure. Sections and special interest groups were transformed into caucuses. Domain hubs were established to facilitate project coordination across caucuses and create more leadership opportunities for MLA members, but their implementation did not meet expectations. Member engagement and leadership are ongoing challenges for MLA. The next twenty-five years will undoubtedly see additional revisions to the competencies and continued iterations of the community structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The COVID-19 pandemic demanded quick exchanges between experts and institutions supporting governments to provide evidence-based information in response to the crisis. Initially, there was no regular cross-country forum in the field of population health. This paper describes the set-up and benefits of implementing such a forum. Methods A group of public health practitioners from academia, national public health institutes and ministries of health decided in April 2020 to meet bi-monthly to discuss a vast array of population health topics in a structured format called a Rapid Exchange Forum (REF). An ad-hoc mailing group was established to collect responses to questions brought forward in the forum from at least five countries within 24 h. This endeavour, which evolved as network of networks was awarded an EU grant in autumn 2020 and was called PHIRI (Population Health Information Research Infrastructure). Results Responses from up to 31 countries were compiled and shared immediately via the European Health Information Portal. This exchange was complemented by special REFs that focused on the advantages and disadvantages of vaccination, for example. By July 2023, 54 REFs had taken place with topics going beyond COVID-19. Conclusion The REF demonstrated its value for quick yet evidence-based cross-country exchange in times of crisis and was highly appreciated by countries and European Commission. It demonstrated its sustainability even after the acute crisis by expanding the topics covered and managing to continue exchange with the aim of capacity building and mutual learning, making it a true EU response and coordination mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Timely and high-quality population-level health information is needed to support evidence-informed decision-making, for planning and evaluation of prevention, care and cure activities as well as for research to generate new knowledge. FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) principles are one of the key elements supporting health research and making it more cost-effective through the reuse of already existing data. Currently, health data are in many countries dispersed and difficult to find and access. Methods Two EU Public Health Programmes co-funded Joint Actions, Information for Action (InfAct) and Population Health Information Research Infrastructure (PHIRI) have established a European Health Information Portal, a web-based service, to facilitate better findability, access, interoperability and reuse of existing health information. Results The European Health Information Portal (www.healthinformationportal.eu) has been established including sections on National Nodes, data sources, publications, health information projects within countries and across Europe, research networks and research infrastructures, ethical and legal issues for health information exchange and use, capacity-building activities in all areas of population health and a dedicated COVID-19 section. Conclusions The European Health Information Portal, being a central place for a wide range of population health information from EU Member States, is an information source for researchers, policy-makers and other relevant stakeholders. It is important to ensure the sustainability of the portal, especially in light of the European Health Data Space (EHDS) Regulation proposal and its requirements regarding the secondary use of health data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and aim. Orthorexia nervosa is described as an obsession with consuming solely healthy foods accompanied by restrictive behaviors. Patients with chronic conditions frequently require dietary interventions alongside medication to manage symptoms and slow down disease progression. However, when dietary restrictions are taken to extremes, individuals may develop orthorexia nervosa, resulting in malnutrition and weight loss. This poses risks during treatment, where maintaining a balanced diet is vital. In this review we aim to display the prevalence of orthorexia nervosa in patients suffering from selected chronic diseases. Material and methods. A literature review was performed to investigate the prevalence of orthorexia nervosa among individuals with type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer. Description of the State of Knowledge. The occurrence of orthorexia reaches up to 7% in the general population, 72% in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, 77% in case of inflammatory bowel disease, 71% among individuals suffering from celiac disease, 75% in those with rheumatoid arthritis, and 50% in case of cancer. Orthorexia nervosa predominantly affects females who are younger, have higher levels of education, select organic foods, prepare their own meals, and have other concurrent chronic illnesses. The distress associated with diagnosis is considered the primary factor contributing to the development of this condition. Orthorexia ultimately leads to malnutrition, weight loss, impaired social functioning, and poses a risk of complications during the management of patients suffering from chronic diseases. Conclusion. The prevalence of orthorexia nervosa in patients suffering from the exhibited chronic illnesses is significantly higher compared to the general population. Therefore, early detection of this condition and intervention are necessary to improve patient management. Further research is needed to assess the frequency of orthorexia among individuals suffering from other chronic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precision livestock farming (PLF) tools are increasingly used in daily herd management to improve health, welfare, and overall production. While not intended to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on farm, PLF tools can do so indirectly by improving overall efficiency, thereby reducing the emissions per unit of product. This work modelled the potential effects of commercially available PLF tools on whole enterprise and product emissions of two average Scottish dairy farm systems (an 8,000 L and 10,000 L herd) using the Agrecalc carbon footprinting tool. Scenarios modelled included an improvement in fertility and an improvement in fertility and yield from the introduction of an accelerometer-based sensor, and an improvement in health from introduction of an accelerometer-based sensor, with and without the use of management interventions. Use of a sensor intended to improve fertility had the largest reduction in total emissions (kg CO2e) of -1.42% for a 10,000 L farm, with management changes applied. The largest reduction in emissions from milk production (kg CO2e) of -2.31% was observed via fertility technology application in an 8,000 L farm, without management changes. The largest reduction in kg CO2e per kg fat and protein corrected milk of -6.72% was observed from an improvement in fertility and yield in a 10,000 L herd, with management changes. This study has highlighted the realistic opportunities available to dairy farmers in low and high input dairy systems to reduce their emissions through adoption of animal mounted PLF technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The editorial article of the magazine "Information, Culture and Society" celebrates its 50th edition, highlighting its commitment to quality and academic relevance. For 25 years, the magazine has been a space for interdisciplinary exchange in the field of Library Science and Information Sciences. Open access to publications is emphasized, which democratizes access to scientific and technical information. In addition, contributions are presented on topics such as digital preservation in Colombia, electronic documentation management, and local cultural policy in the Barcelona Library network, among others. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Low-quality data presents a significant challenge for community health workers (CHWs) in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Mobile health (mHealth) applications offer a solution by enabling CHWs to record and submit data electronically. However, the barriers and benefits of mHealth usage among CHWs in informal urban settlements remain poorly understood. This study sought to determine the barriers and benefits of mHealth among CHWs in Banda parish, Kampala. Methods: This qualitative study involved 12 key informant interviews (KIIs) among focal persons from Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) and NGOs involved in data collected by CHWs, and officials from the Ministry of Health (MOH) and two mixed-sex Focused Group Discussions (FGDs) of CHWs from Banda parish, Kampala district. Data analysis utilised Atlas Ti Version 7.5.7. Thematic analysis was conducted, and themes were aligned with the social-ecological model. Results: Three themes of institutional and policy, community and interpersonal, and individual aligning to the Social ecological model highlighted the factors contributing to barriers and the benefits of mHealth among CHWs for iCCM. The key barriers to usability, acceptability and sustainability included high training costs, CHW demotivation, infrastructure limitations, data security concerns, community awareness deficits, and skill deficiencies. Conversely, mHealth offers benefits such as timely data submission, enhanced data quality, geo-mapping capabilities, improved CHW performance monitoring, community health surveillance, cost-effective reporting, and CHW empowering with technology. Conclusion: Despite limited mHealth experience, CHWs expressed enthusiasm for its potential. Implementation was viewed as a solution to multiple challenges, facilitating access to health information, efficient data reporting, and administrative processes, particularly in resource-constrained settings. Successful mHealth implementation requires addressing CHWs' demotivation, ensuring reliable power and network connectivity, and enhancing capacity for digital data ethics and management. By overcoming these barriers, mHealth can significantly enhance healthcare delivery at the community level, leveraging technology to optimize resource utilization and improve health outcomes. mHealth holds promise for transforming CHW practices, yet its effective integration necessitates targeted interventions to address systemic challenges and ensure sustainable implementation in LMIC contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To examine patient and provider perspectives on privacy and security considerations in telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic. STUDY DESIGN: Qualitative study with patients and providers from primary care practices in 3 National Patient- Centered Clinical Research Network sites in New York, New York; North Carolina; and Florida. METHODS: Semistructured interviews were conducted, audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded using an inductive process. Data related to privacy and information security were analyzed. RESULTS: Sixty-five patients and 21 providers participated. Patients and providers faced technology-related security concerns as well as difficulties ensuring privacy in the transformed shared space of telemedicine. Patients expressed increased comfort doing telemedicine from home but often did not like their providers to offer virtual visits from outside an office setting. Providers initially struggled to find secure and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act--compliant platforms and devices to host the software. Whereas some patients preferred familiar platforms such as FaceTime, others recognized potential security concerns. Audio-only encounters sometimes raised patient concerns that they would not be able to confirm the identity of the provider. CONCLUSIONS: Telemedicine led to novel concerns about privacy because patients and providers were often at home or in public spaces, and they shared concerns about software and hardware security. In addition to technological safeguards, our study emphasizes the critical role of physical infrastructure in ensuring privacy and security. As telemedicine continues to evolve, it is important to address and mitigate concerns around privacy and security to ensure high-quality and safe delivery of care to patients in remote settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Management of medical records at Sandi Karsa Hospital Makassar is still lacking in the process of assembling, reporting, and filing. This study aims to analyze the inpatient medical record management system at Sandi Karsa Hospital, Makassar. Methods: The type of research used in this research is qualitative research and data collection using interviews, observation, and documentation with key informants and supporting informants using purposive sampling techniques. Result: There is a shortage of medical records officers, and they have not received training. There are fewer computers available, SIMRS is only integrated with patient registration, and the management room is combined with the filing room. The assembly process has not been carried out in the last few months, reporting has been delayed, and there is a backlog of files. Implementation of management SOPs has not been optimal, and socialization activities have not been carried out. Completeness and returns are not up to standard. Medical record quality indicators are low, and there are no feedback activities. Conclusion: Lack of staff they have never participated in training and socialization regarding SOPs. There is a lack of facilities such as computers, the medical record room has lots of files, SIMRS is not yet integrated with medical record management, and there are delays in returns and incomplete filling out of medical record files. The hospital can provide outreach and hold regularly scheduled meetings to evaluate or assess officers' performance managing medical records. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metal pollution in agricultural soils is one of the main problems in agricultural production worldwide, which threatens human health and the environment. To evaluate the pollution levels of heavy metals and the ecological risks in an agricultural area from Sánchez Ramírez Province, Dominican Republic, the concentration levels of heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, and As) were measured using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (EDXRF). Several pollution indices, including the geo-accumulation index (Igeo), enrichment factor (EF), and single pollution index (PI), were used to investigate the pollution status. The spatial distribution of different heavy metals in the studied soils was also determined. The mean concentrations of Fe, Mn, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, and As were 73735, 1616, 426; 34; 20; 200; 43; and 5 mg kg−1, respectively. These results indicated that the mean concentration of Cr, Cu, Zn, and Pb exceeded FAO-recommended levels for healthy agricultural soils. However, the potential ecological risks assessment indicated a low-risk status. The results obtained could help improve soil–rice–environment management practices and prevent heavy metal pollution in this type of production system, protecting the health of the local population and the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Food safety has always been a major concern for people, and frequent food safety incidents pose a serious threat to people's health and safety. To identify high-risk patterns in the field of food safety and assist regulatory authorities in scientifically managing food safety risks, this study aims to evaluate food safety risks from multiple dimensions and provide a scientific basis for formulating targeted food safety management measures. Methods: The risk matrix method, along with the Borda method, is used to evaluate food safety risks. Based on the constructed food safety incident database, the risk matrix method is applied for static risk assessment from seven aspects: food categories, years, provinces, incident entities, causes, pollution sources, and links, and for dynamic risk assessment in different provinces. Results: The top five food categories in risk ranking are meat and meat products, fruits and vegetables, grain and grain products, other category, and aquatic products. Food safety risks show an increasing trend year by year, with the years 2006, 2012-2015 and 2019 having higher risk rankings. The top three provinces in risk ranking are Hunan, Guangdong, and Shaanxi. The top four entities in risk ranking are restaurants, enterprises, households, and canteens. The top four causes in risk ranking are human intention, human error, mismanagement, and production and social environment. The top four pollution sources in risk ranking include chemical pollution, other pollution, biological pollution, and food additives. The top three links in risk ranking include production and processing link, catering link, and agricultural production link. Across provinces, food safety risks in the years 2012-2015 are generally higher compared to other years, with the highest number of high-risk provinces in 2014. Implication: The findings of this study have significant implications for food safety management in China. By implementing food safety risk prevention and control countermeasures proposed, China can strengthen its food safety management framework, reduce the incidence of food safety incidents, and safeguard the health and well-being of its population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Family doctors, serving as gatekeepers, are the core of primary health care to meet basic health needs, provide accessible care, and improve attainable health. The study objective was to evaluate the impact of the family doctor system on health service utilization among patients with hypertension and diabetes in China. Methods: Difference-in-Differences (DID) models are constructed to estimate the net effect of the family doctor system, based on the official health management records and medical insurance claim data of patients with hypertension and diabetes in an eastern city of China. Results: The family doctor system significantly increases follow-up visits (hypertension patients coef. = 0.13, diabetes patients coef. = 0.08, both p < 0.001) and outpatient visits (hypertension patients coef. = 0.08, diabetes patients coef. = 0.05, both p < 0.001) among the contracted compared to the non-contracted. The proportion of outpatient visits in community health centers among the contracted significantly rose (hypertension patients coef. = 0.02, diabetes patients coef. = 0.04, both p < 0.001) due to significantly more outpatient visits in community health centers and fewer in secondary and tertiary hospitals. It also significantly mitigates the increase in inpatient admissions among hypertension patients but not among diabetes patients. Conclusions: The examined family doctor system strengthens primary care, both by increasing follow-up visits and outpatient visits and promoting a rationalized structure of outpatient utilization in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers a perspective on options, opportunities and limits of health system evaluation. Innovations in evaluation methods, approach and data that have opened possibilities for health system evaluation include randomized health system trials, causal inference methods and technologies for data collection and analysis. It discusses the challenges of data quality and completeness in regions that lack registration data system, as well as the applications of big data for health research.

Objective: In the age of digital transformation, there is a need for a sustainable information management vision in health. Understanding the accumulation of health information management (HIM) knowledge from the past to the present and building a new vision to meet this need reveals the importance of understanding the available scientific knowledge. With this research, it is aimed to examine the scientific documents of the last 40 years of HIM literature with a holistic approach using science mapping techniques and to guide future research. Methods: This study used a bibliometric analysis method for science mapping. Co-citation and co-occurrence document analyses were performed on 630 academic publications selected from the Web of Science core collection (WoSCC) database using the keyword "Health Information Management" and inclusion criteria. The analyses were performed using the R-based software Bibliometrix (Version 4.0; K-Synth Srl), Python (Version 3.12.1; The Python Software Foundation), and Microsoft® Excel® 2016. Results: Co-occurrence analyses revealed the themes of personal health records, clinical coding and data quality, and health information management. The HIM theme consisted of five subthemes: "electronic records", "medical informatics", "e-health and telemedicine", "health education and awareness", and "health information systems (HISs)". As a result of the co-citation analysis, the prominent themes were technology acceptance, standardized clinical coding, the success of HISs, types of electronic records, people with HIM, health informatics used by consumers, e-health, e-mobile health technologies, and countries' frameworks and standards for HISs. Conclusions: This comprehensive bibliometric study shows that structured information can be helpful in understanding research trends in HIM. This study identified critical issues in HIM, identified meaningful themes, and explained the topic from a holistic perspective for all health system actors and stakeholders who want to work in the field of HIM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare the efficacy and safety of micropercutaneous nephrolithotomy (MPCNL) and flexible ureteroscopy (FURS) in the treatment of single upper ureteral calculi measuring 1 to 2 centimeters. Methods: This study is a retrospective analysis that combines a review of medical records with an outcomes management database. A total of 163 patients who underwent MPCNL and 137 patients who had FURS were identified between January 2017 and December 2021. Demographic data, operation time, hospitalization time, stone-free rate, and complication rate were collected and analyzed. Results: Preoperative general data of sex, age, BMI, serum creatinine, time of stone existence, stone hardness, stone diameter, preoperative hydronephrosis, and preoperative infection of the MPCNL group have no statistically significant difference with that of the FURS group. All MPCNL or FURS operations in both groups were successfully completed without any instances of reoperation or conversion to another surgical procedure. Patients who underwent MPCNL had a considerably reduced operation time (49.6 vs. 72.4 min; P<0.001), but a higher duration of hospitalization (9.1 vs. 3.9 days; P<0.001) compared to those who underwent FURS. The stone-free rate in the MPCNL group was superior to that of the FURS group, with a percentage of 90.8% compared to 71.5% (P<0.001). There was no statistically significant disparity in the rate of complications between the two groups (13.5% vs. 15.3%; P = 0.741). Conclusion: Both MPCNL and FURS are viable and secure surgical choices for individuals with solitary upper ureteral calculi measuring 1 to 2 cm. The FURS procedure resulted in a shorter duration of hospitalization compared to MPCNL. However, it had a comparatively lower rate of successfully removing the stones and required a longer duration for the operation.There were no substantial disparities observed in the complication rate between the two groups.FURS is the preferable option for treating uncomplicated upper ureteral calculi, whereas MPCNL is the preferable option for treating complicated upper ureteral calculi.Prior to making treatment options, it is crucial to take into account the expertise of surgeons, the quality of the equipment, and the preferences of the patient. Trial registration: No. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recurrences of low back pain (LBP) are frequent and associated with high levels of disability and medical costs. Regular exercise practice may be an effective strategy to prevent recurrences of LBP, however, the promotion of this behaviour by physiotherapists seems to be challenging. This study aims to explore physiotherapists' perceived barriers and facilitators to the implementation of a behaviour change-informed exercise intervention to promote the adoption of regular exercise practice by patients at risk of recurrence of low back pain. Methods: Two focus groups with primary healthcare physiotherapists were conducted, based on a semi-structured interview schedule informed by the Behaviour Change Wheel, including the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation–Behaviour (COM-B) model and the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). All focus groups were held through videoconference, audio and video recorded and transcribed verbatim. A deductive content analysis, using a coding matrix based on the COM-B and TDF, was performed by two independent researchers. A third researcher was approached to settle disagreements. Results: In total, 14 physiotherapists participated in the focus groups. The analysis revealed a total of 13 barriers (4 COM-B components and 7 TDF domains) and 23 facilitators (5 COM-B and 13 TDF) to physiotherapists' implementation of a behaviour change-informed exercise intervention. The most common barriers were the lack of skills and confidence to implement the proposed intervention. These were explained by the fact that it differs from the usual practice of most participants and requires the learning of new skills applied to their contexts. However, for those who had already implemented other similar interventions or whose rationale is aligned with the new intervention, there seemed to exist more positive determinants, such as potential benefits for physiotherapists and the profession, improvement of quality of care and willingness to change clinical practice. For others who did not previously succeed in implementing these types of interventions, more context-related barriers were mentioned, such as lack of time to implement the intervention, schedule incompatibilities and lack of material and human resources. Conclusions: This study identified modifiable barriers and facilitators to physiotherapists' implementation of a behaviour change-informed exercise intervention for patients at risk of recurrence of LBP in primary healthcare. The findings of this study will allow the systematic and theory-based development of a behaviour change-informed training programme, aimed at physiotherapists and supporting the successful implementation of the exercise intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Text clustering is the task of grouping text data based on similarity, and it holds particular importance in the medical field. sIn healthcare, medical data clustering is a highly active and e ective research area. It not only provides strong support for making correct medical decisions from medical datasets but also aids in patient record management and medical information retrieval. With the development of the healthcare industry, a large amount of medical data is being generated, and traditional medical data clustering faces significant challenges. Many existing text clustering algorithms are primarily based on the bag-of-words model, which has issues such as high dimensionality, sparsity, and the neglect of word positions and context. Pre-trained models are a deep learning-based approach that treats text as a sequence to accurately captureword positions and context information. Moreover, compared to traditional K-means and fuzzy C-means clustering models, deep learning-based clustering algorithms are better at handling high-dimensional, complex, and nonlinear data. In particular, clustering algorithms based on autoencoders can learn data representations and clustering information, e ectively reducing noise interference and errors during the clustering process. This paper combines pre-trained language models with deep embedding clustering models. Experimental results demonstrate that our model performs exceptionally well on four public datasets, outperforming most existing text clustering algorithms, and can be applied to medical data clustering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI) represents a revolutionary fusion of computer science and human-like problem-solving capabilities. In medicine, AI promises transformative changes, automating medical documentation, streamlining health insurance processes, and enhancing medical image analysis. The rising prevalence of mental illness across the world underscores the need for AI in psychiatry, where innovative approaches, such as speech analysis and real-time mental health assessments, are emerging. However, challenges loom. AI's performance in radiology remains inconsistent. Biased training data, workflow disruptions, and a lack of validation standards pose hurdles. Speech recognition systems suffer from word errors, impacting clinical notes' accuracy. The black-box nature of AI algorithms and their opacity in clinical settings require attention, particularly in safeguarding patient safety. Establishing guidelines for responsible AI use in mental health, addressing confidentiality, and handling critical situations is crucial. In conclusion, while AI holds immense promise in revolutionizing psychiatry and medicine, recognizing and addressing its challenges is imperative for its responsible and effective integration into clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Chronic coronary syndrome is predominantly related to the atherosclerotic obstruction of the coronary artery or arteries. However, this phenomenon is not the only causative factor in this disease. It is usually forgotten, that there is a possibility of ischemia of the cardiac muscle with no obstruction found in the main vessel. The trigger of such pathology might be underlying in the microcirculatory system and the inappropriate dilation or constriction of those small vessels, which results in insufficient blood supply to the cardiomyocytes, similarly to the typical obstructive coronary artery disease. In this article we are willing to show that such dysfunction poses a great danger to the health and life and therefore we should be able to properly diagnose and treat it. Purpose of the work The aim of this review of up-to-date literature is to raise awareness among both doctors and patients about the phenomenon of coronary artery disease but with no significant obstruction in the vessels supplying the cardiac muscle. The common cause of such condition is coronary microvascular dysfunction, that leads to a disease called microvascular angina. Our purpose was to reveal, how dangerous to the health of the patients this could be and therefore how essential it is to provide a proper diagnose and management. In addition, we have noticed a need for a summary of what has already been discovered on this topic, available therapeutic methods and future perspectives. Materials and methods The search of English and Polish language literature up to December 2023 has been done using the PubMed database, Google Scholar database and several international guidelines. The search regarded the topics of microvascular angina, coronary microvascular dysfunction, cardiac syndrome X and chronic coronary syndrome. Summary Microvascular angina, like any chronic coronary syndrome, means a chest pain developed when the cardiac muscle is insufficiently supplied with blood, although in this case the symptoms usually occur untypically, since there is no obstruction in the main epicardial arteries. The pathology arises in the smallest of vessels: arterioles, capillaries and venules. They might be minuscule, but they play a crucial role in the distribution of local blood flow and an exchange between cardiomyocytes and red blood cells or plasma. We must be aware of that and stop underestimating the implications that it brings. The diagnosis of the impaired microcirculation is challenging but not impossible. There still a lot to develop in this field, we especially should keep seeking new methods of targeted treatment for this condition. Doctors must be able to properly care about their patients suffering from microvascular angina. It is essential to stratify their cardiovascular risk, propose different therapeutic strategies, since the treatment may frequently be fruitless, and to monitor their mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prophylactic treatment with emicizumab has become an important and effective bleeding prevention for people with hemophilia A (PwHA). Perioperative management of PwHA using emicizumab prophylaxis is still challenging due to a lack of experience. Medical records of perioperative management and outcomes were reviewed, and data were collected for adult PwHA receiving emicizumab and undergoing surgical procedures between August 2019 and July 2022 at the University Medical Center Ljubljana. Twelve surgical procedures were performed in eight PwHA (one with FVIII inhibitors) while on emicizumab prophylaxis. Three minor procedures included cataract surgery, cystoscopic lithotripsy, and percutaneous coronary intervention. Nine major surgeries included four osteosyntheses, necrectomy of chronic osteomyelitis with new ankle arthrodesis, two below-knee amputations, total knee replacement, and placement of ventriculostomy after a spontaneous intraventricular hemorrhage. No major bleeds, thrombotic events or deaths, or new inhibitors appeared. Our real-world experience demonstrates that minor and major surgeries can be performed safely in PwHA on emicizumab prophylaxis. Additional data are needed to optimize dosing/duration of additional hemostatic agents in diverse invasive procedures and complex clinical situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Each country is providing various community care services owing to the increasingly aging population. Therefore, Korea needs to develop multiple approaches to the healthcare utilization system that can reflect the complex needs of older adult patients. Current Concepts: Considering the characteristics of older adult patients, it is essential to connect the treatment at medical institutions with home or nursing facilities. Some patients need medical and long-term healthcare simultaneously. Currently, healthcare services for older adult patients in Korea are fragmented across various service areas. Therefore, healthcare service plans need to be explored to provide integrated and long-term healthcare for older adult patients. Discussion and Conclusion: We propose to establish a healthcare information linkage center to provide comprehensive information on the appropriate services needed by patients. The healthcare information linkage center would refer patients to their local community or local primary healthcare provider if they want home services. Through this process, doctors and healthcare teams would visit the patient's residence to provide services and perform a comprehensive assessment of their condition to create a personalized care plan. The core of this proposal lies in the establishment of a single point of contact in the region to link and integrate healthcare. Consequently, information on services appropriate to the needs of the target population would be appropriately linked in one place and overlapping services would be coordinated to improve operational efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs), exemplified by ChatGPT, are promising for revolutionizing data and information management in healthcare and medicine. However, there is scant literature guiding their integration for non-AI professionals. This study conducts a scoping literature review to address the critical need for guidance on integrating generative AI and LLMs into healthcare and medical practices. It elucidates the distinct mechanisms underpinning these technologies, such as Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLFH), including few-shot learning and chain-of-thought reasoning, which differentiates them from traditional, rule-based AI systems. It requires an inclusive, collaborative co-design process that engages all pertinent stakeholders, including clinicians and consumers, to achieve these benefits. Although global research is examining both opportunities and challenges, including ethical and legal dimensions, LLMs offer promising advancements in healthcare by enhancing data management, information retrieval, and decision-making processes. Continued innovation in data acquisition, model fine-tuning, prompt strategy development, evaluation, and system implementation is imperative for realizing the full potential of these technologies. Organizations should proactively engage with these technologies to improve healthcare quality, safety, and efficiency, adhering to ethical and legal guidelines for responsible application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ACCEPT-AI is a framework of recommendations for the safe inclusion of pediatric data in artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) research. It has been built on fundamental ethical principles of pediatric and AI research and incorporates age, consent, assent, communication, equity, protection of data, and technological considerations. ACCEPT-AI has been designed to guide researchers, clinicians, regulators, and policymakers and can be utilized as an independent tool, or adjunctively to existing AI/ML guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agile project management (APM) refers to a set of project management frameworks that are increasingly common in a range of industries. Even though the positive effects of APM for employees and organizations are widely assumed, no systematic account of affective, behavioural and cognitive outcomes appears in the academic literature. In this pre‐registered meta‐analysis, we examine the effects of APM based on K = 40 records (with k = 41 independent studies, N = 73,825). Our analyses indicate the beneficial effects of APM across outcomes: For the affective outcomes of job satisfaction, affective strain and organizational commitment, the effect sizes were, on average, small. For the behavioural outcomes of performance and innovative behaviour, the effect sizes were medium to large. For the cognitive outcome of psychological empowerment, the results of our meta‐analysis suggest a medium effect. Furthermore, we explore the moderating effects of contextual (team size, occupational groups, culture) and methodological boundary conditions (publication status, study design, levels of analysis, study quality). Compared to studies conducted with software developers, the effect sizes are stronger in other occupations, such as manufacturing, health care and logistics. Moreover, stronger effect sizes are found in published than in unpublished records. We conclude by discussing the state of quantitative APM research and highlight avenues for future study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim and Objectives: The aim of the study was to obtain information on documentation of patient record maintenance among private dental practitioners in Bangalore city". The objective was to assess the knowledge, attitude and behavior regarding documentation and patient record maintenance among private dental practitioners in Bangalore city. Method: A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted in August-September 2021 among Dentists engaged in active clinical practices in private clinics/hospitals in Bangalore city, India [N=470]. Results: A response rate of 86.4% [n=411] was obtained.73% of them were aware of the documentation of patient records as per Laws, Ethics and Jurisprudence act of 1997. 53% of them documented patient records in their clinical practice and 64% mentioned that only they have access to patient records.13% mentioned that they include patient consent as a part of documentation. Although 73% of them said that they were aware of all the guidelines, a large proportion of respondents lack knowledge about the minimum time period for which patient records should be maintained in their possession. 21% of them felt that patient record keeping is not necessary and the most common problem cited for documentation of patient records was lack of time to give attention to the records. Conclusion: Dentists needs more information and should spare more time for documentation of patient records. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2019, the World Health Organization, set a target to halve the burden of snakebite, by 2030, and identified 'health systems strengthening' as a key pillar of action. In India, the country with most snakebite deaths, the Union Government identified (in September 2022) training of health workers as a priority action area. In this policy context, we provide empirical evidence by analysing the most recent nationwide survey data (District Level Household and Facility Survey − 4), to assess structural capacity and continuum of snakebite care in primary health care system in India. Methodology: We evaluated structural capacity for snakebite care under six domains: medicines, equipment, infrastructure, human resources, governance and finance, and health management information systems (HMIS). We categorised states (aspirant, performer, front-runner, achiever) based on the proportion of primary health centres (PHC) and community health centres (CHC), attaining highest possible domain score. We assessed continuum of snakebite care, district-wise, under five domains (connectivity to PHC, structural capacity of PHC, referral from PHC to higher facility, structural capacity of CHC, referral from CHC to higher facility) as adequate or not. Results: No state excelled (front-runner or achiever) in all six domains of structural capacity in PHCs or CHCs. The broader domains (physical infrastructure, human resources for health, HMIS) were weaker compared to snakebite care medicines in most states/UTs, at both PHC and CHC levels. CHCs faced greater concerns regarding human resources and equipment availability than PHCs in many states. Among PHCs, physical infrastructure and HMIS were aspirational in all 29 assessed states, while medicines, equipment, human resources, and governance and finance were aspirational in 8 (27.6%), 2 (6.9%), 17 (58.6%), and 12 (41.4%) states respectively. For CHCs, physical infrastructure was aspirational in all 30 assessed states/UTs, whereas HMIS, medicines, equipment, human resources, and governance and finance were aspirational in 29 (96.7%), 11 (36.7%), 27 (90%), 26 (86.7%), and 3 (10%) states respectively. No district had adequate continuum of snakebite care in all domains. Except for transport availability from CHC to higher facilities (48% of districts adequate) and transport availability from PHC to higher facilities (11% of districts adequate), fewer than 2% of districts were adequate in all other domains. Conclusion: Comprehensive strengthening of primary health care, across all domains, and throughout the continuum of care, instead of a piece-meal approach towards health systems strengthening, is necessitated to reduce snakebite burden in India, and possibly other high-burden nations with weak health systems. Health facility surveys are necessitated for this purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The inter-laboratory comparison results of occupational health testing laboratories in Gansu Province were analyzed to evaluate the testing capabilities and quality of occupational health testing laboratories in the province. Methods Laboratories participating in the inter-laboratory comparison of occupational health technical service organizations in Gansu Province during the period of 2019-2021 were selected for the study, and the test results of the levels of organic substances, metals, and inorganic non-metallic chemicals in the air of the workplaces, metal chemicals in biological materials, and the levels of free silica in dust were statistically analyzed. Results A total of 272 comparison items were conducted from 2019 to 2021, and 242 items were reported and 220 were qualified, for a qualification rate of 90.9%. The qualification rates of organic substances, metals, and inorganic non-metallic chemicals in the air of the workplaces, metal chemicals in biological materials, and the levels of free silica in dust were 91.4%, 88.6%, 97.9%, 92.9%, and 80.8%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the qualification rate between grade A and grade B institutions or between public and private institutions (P > 0.05). The qualification rate and the number of participating institutions increased year by year over this time, with the qualification rate increasing from 82.69% to 93.48% and the number of institutions increasing from 13 to 28. Conclusions The testing level of occupational health technical service organization laboratories in Gansu Province was good; however, the overall quality and level of laboratory testing still need to be improved, and investment in and management of various laboratories should be increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Team-based primary care has been shown to be an important initiative for transforming primary care to achieve whole-person care, enhance health equity, and reduce provider burnout. Organizational approaches have been explored to better implement team-based care but a thorough understanding of the role of system functions is lacking. We aimed to identify the combinations of system functionalities in primary care practices that most enable effective teamwork. We used a novel method, qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), to identify cross-case patterns in 19 primary care practices in the Harvard Academic Innovations Collaborative (AIC), an initiative for transforming primary care practices by establishing teams and implementing team-based care. QCA findings identified that primary care practices with strong team dynamics exhibited strengths in three operational care process functionalities, including management of abnormal test results, cancer screening and medication management for high-priority patients, care transitions, and in health information technology (HIT) functionality. HIT functionality alone was not sufficient to achieve the desired outcomes. System functionalities in a primary care practice that support physicians and their teams in identifying patients with urgent and complex acute illnesses requiring immediate response and care and overcoming barriers to collaboration within and across institutional settings, may be essential for sustaining strong team-based primary care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As foundation doctors, we have often found ourselves informing patients that a certain aspect of their medical information cannot be immediately found, either because it is on an electronic system we cannot access, or it is in a hospital that is unlinked to our own. Unsurprisingly, this frequently leaves patients flabbergasted and confused. We started to wonder: if patients' data are entered onto an electronic system: where do those data go? If medical data are searched for, where do those data come from? Why are there so many hidden sources of information that clinicians cannot access? In an ever-increasing digital sphere, electronic data will be the future of holistic health and social care planning, impacting every clinician's day-to-day role. From electronic healthcare records to the use of artificial intelligence solutions, this article will serve as an introduction to how data flows in modern healthcare systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To analyze the factors influencing the future health emergency management of communities in Zhejiang Province and summarize the health emergency management pathways. Methods Based on policy releases and official reports on future community health emergency management in Zhejiang Province, the first batch of 24"future communities" in Zhejiang Province were used as the research objects. The fs/QCA 3.0 software was used to assign values to the factors influencing future community health emergency management, as well as consistency scores and combined coverage scores. Results The number and capacity of health personnel, the degree of digitalization, health emergency plans, emergency supplies storage and security, and health emergency sites are the main influencing factors for future community emergency management. The consistency scores were 0.93, 0.78, 0.69, 0.65, and 0.34 in that order. Number and capacity of health personnel * degree of digital construction *-original coverage rate of health emergency sites is 0.54. Number and capacity of health personnel* emergency supplies stockpile and security * health emergency plan * -original coverage rate of health emergency sites is 0.32. Conclusions The number and capacity of health personnel is a necessary condition for evaluating the future of community health emergency management. The design of the pathway for grassroots community health emergency management needs to further focus on and plan for the number and capacity of health personnel, the stockpiling and securing of emergency supplies, and health emergency plans, as well as digitally empowering the various bodies of community health emergency management in conjunction with digital construction to improve the capacity and effectiveness of community health emergency management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The farmland around the industrial areas in the Upper Yellow River is crucial for agricultural production but is vulnerable to contamination from the surrounding industries. This research focused on analyzing the spatial distribution and environmental risks of heavy metal pollution in the farmland around the Ganhe Industrial Park in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. A total of 138 surface soil samples were collected, and the concentration of seven heavy metals (Cd, As, Pb, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn) was analyzed using the random forest (RF) model. Pollution indicators, including the pollution index and Nemero index, were used to evaluate the pollution levels of soil heavy metals. The human health and ecological risks were estimated using the hazard index (HI) and the potential ecological risk index (RI). Cd and Zn were identified as the primary soil pollutants in the study area, with Cd being more concentrated than other heavy metals. Heavy metal contamination was most severe in the central–eastern region of the study area, with a ring-shaped distribution, which correlated with the presence of zinc smelting and chemical plants. Furthermore, the study revealed that soil heavy metal contamination posed a health threat to the local population, with children being particularly vulnerable to non-carcinogenic risks when the HI was 1.21 and to potential carcinogenic risks when the CR was 2.27 × 10−5. Additionally, heavy metal pollution caused a moderate to high ecological risk in 56.4% of the samples. The results highlighted the severe impact of soil heavy metal pollution on the delicate ecosystem of the Upper Yellow River and Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. The government should take action to improve soil environment management and prevent heavy metal pollution to protect the health of the local population and the ecological environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effective management of medical records is essential in the ordinary and emergency operations of healthcare providers. This work uses blockchain to develop a smart contract algorithm for users of a medical record platform. This algorithm provides immutable execution and addresses authentication and reliability issues to control access to healthcare platforms. An executable distributed code is used to build the smart contract algorithm. In the proposed algorithm, management operations of the clinical history are carried out and integrated in an automated way in a distributed environment. Solidity is the programming language used to create the algorithm for a private and permissioned architecture with a proposed consensus algorithm requiring significantly less computational power using a 22% faster hash function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common data models solve many challenges of standardizing electronic health record (EHR) data but are unable to semantically integrate all of the resources needed for deep phenotyping. Open Biological and Biomedical Ontology (OBO) Foundry ontologies provide computable representations of biological knowledge and enable the integration of heterogeneous data. However, mapping EHR data to OBO ontologies requires significant manual curation and domain expertise. We introduce OMOP2OBO, an algorithm for mapping Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) vocabularies to OBO ontologies. Using OMOP2OBO, we produced mappings for 92,367 conditions, 8611 drug ingredients, and 10,673 measurement results, which covered 68–99% of concepts used in clinical practice when examined across 24 hospitals. When used to phenotype rare disease patients, the mappings helped systematically identify undiagnosed patients who might benefit from genetic testing. By aligning OMOP vocabularies to OBO ontologies our algorithm presents new opportunities to advance EHR-based deep phenotyping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fundamental importance of informed consent as a prerequisite for the lawfulness of the medical act is an indisputable cornerstone of clinical practice. However, the provision of effective information and the collection of informed consent presents important critical issues in the underage patient, even considering that in general terms he or she does not have the power to directly express consent, which must be provided by parents or legal guardians. These critical issues are amplified in the context of telemedicine. The present study aims, through a scoping review of the literature of the past 10 years, to outline the operational practices adopted in the collection of informed consent from children in the context of telemedicine and to identify solutions devised to address the critical issues related to the provision of adequate information to the child in this particular care setting. The results of the research show that the activity of delivering adequate information to the child, itself complex, is made even more complex by the particular setting of telemedicine, which, however, could be effectively exploited to facilitate communication with the child patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolving availability of health information on social media, regardless of its credibility, raises several questions about its impact on our health decisions and social behaviors, especially during health crises and in conflict settings where compliance with preventive measures and health guidelines is already a challenge due to socioeconomic factors. For these reasons, we assessed compliance with preventive measures and investigated the role of infodemic in people's non-compliance with COVID-19 containment measures in Yemen. To this purpose and to triangulate our data collection, we executed a mixed method approach in which raw aggregated data were taken and analyzed from multiple sources (COVID-19 Government Response Tracker and Google COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports), then complemented and verified with In-depth interviews. Our results showed that the population in Yemen had relatively complied with the governmental containment measures at the beginning of the pandemic. However, containment measures were not supported by daily COVID-19 reports due to low transparency, which, together with misinformation and lack of access to reliable sources, has caused the population not to believe in COVID-19 and even practice social pressure on those who showed some compliance with the WHO guidelines. Those results indicate the importance of adopting an infodemic management approach in response to future outbreaks, particularly in conflict settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work we introduce a novel medical image style transfer method, StyleMapper, that can transfer medical scans to an unseen style with access to limited training data. This is made possible by training our model on unlimited possibilities of simulated random medical imaging styles on the training set, making our work more computationally efficient when compared with other style transfer methods. Moreover, our method enables arbitrary style transfer: transferring images to styles unseen in training. This is useful for medical imaging, where images are acquired using different protocols and different scanner models, resulting in a variety of styles that data may need to be transferred between. Our model disentangles image content from style and can modify an image's style by simply replacing the style encoding with one extracted from a single image of the target style, with no additional optimization required. This also allows the model to distinguish between different styles of images, including among those that were unseen in training. We propose a formal description of the proposed model. Experimental results on breast magnetic resonance images indicate the effectiveness of our method for style transfer. Our style transfer method allows for the alignment of medical images taken with different scanners into a single unified style dataset, allowing for the training of other downstream tasks on such a dataset for tasks such as classification, object detection and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the impact of an electronic medical record management system (EMRMS) on disease activity and the frequency of outpatient visits among patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). We identified 652 patients with AS who were followed up for at least 1 year before and after the first Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS) assessment and compared the number of outpatient visits and average visit time within 1 year before and after the initial ASDAS assessment. Finally, we analyzed 201 patients with AS who had complete data and received ≥ 3 continuous ASDAS assessments at an interval of 3 months, and we compared the results of the second and third ASDAS assessments with those of the first. The number of annual outpatient visits increased after ASDAS assessment (4.0 (4.0, 7.0) vs. 4.0 (4.0, 8.0), p < 0.001), particularly among those with a high initial disease activity. The average visit time was reduced within 1 year after ASDAS assessment (6.4 (8.5, 11.2) vs. 6.3 (8.3, 10.8) min, p = 0.073), especially among patients whose with an inactive disease activity was < 1.3 (ASDAS C-reactive protein (CRP) 6.7 (8.8, 11.1) vs. 6.1 (8.0, 10.3) min, p = 0.033; ASDAS erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) 6.4 (8.7, 11.1) vs. 6.1 (8.1, 10.0) min, p = 0.027). Among patients who received at least three ASDAS assessments, the third ASDAS-CRP tended to be lower than the first (1.5 (0.9, 2.1) vs. 1.4 (0.8, 1.9), p = 0.058). The use of an EMRMS increased the frequency of ambulatory visits among AS patients with high and very high disease activity and reduced the visit time among those with an inactive disease. Continual ASDAS assessments may help control the disease activity of patients with AS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Promoting the immunity of pregnantwomenduring the Covid-19 pandemic through vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 infection is one of the main challenges. It is important to manage the information related to receiving the vaccine and its possible complications for surveillance of its safety and to deal with the challenges. Based on this, it is necessary to design a national information management system for the COVID-19 vaccination. Objectives: To promote the safety of pregnant women by providing a national model of an information management system for pregnant women's COVID-19 vaccination in Iran. Methods: The present research was of applied descriptive type. Based on the review of articles and information sources and a comparative study of the information management and surveillance system for the vaccination of pregnant women in developed countries, and according to the country's organizational structure, the national model of the information management system for pregnant women's COVID-19 vaccination was designed for Iran. Then the validation of the model was examined in two steps using the Delphi technique. Finally, after analyzing the data, the final model was presented. Results: The findings were categorized into two main groups, including the structural components (responsible organization and databases, surveillance center, participating organizations, and data sources) and informational process (data set, data collection, quality control, data exchanges, data processing, reporting) that reached 100% consensus of experts. Conclusions: For developing IMS for the COVID-19 vaccination of pregnant women, it is necessary to specify the responsible organization and the participating centers, create surveillance centers and databases, and define the information management system process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aim to investigate the alteration in disease activity of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) individuals before, during, and after the COVID-19 wave in Taiwan by using electronic medical-record management system (EMRMS). We identified 126 AS individuals from the single center, and gathered data of the three disease activities (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index [BASDAI], Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score with erythrocyte sedimentation rate [ASDAS-ESR], and Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score with C-Reactive Protein [ASDAS-CRP]) by using EMRMS before (7 February to 1 May, 2021), during (2 May to 24 July, 2021), and after the COVID-19 wave (25 July to 16 October, 2021). We compared the disease activity measures of the three phases through a paired t test. Among the 126 individuals, CRP was significantly higher during the COVID-19 wave (0.2 (0.1, 0.5) mg/dl, p = 0.001) than before the wave (0.2 (0.1, 0.4) mg/dl), ESR (8.0 (4.0, 15.0) mm/h, p = 0.003) and ASDAS-ESR (1.4 (1.0, 1.9), p = 0.032) were significantly higher after the wave than during the wave (6.0 (3.0, 12.0) mm/h and 1.2 (0.9, 1.8) mm/h) e. ESR, CRP, ASDAS-ESR and ASDAS-CRP were all significant higher after COVID-19 wave than before. The disease activities of AS individuals in Taiwan worsened after 2021 COVID-19 wave in Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was conducted to investigate the causes and measures for overcoming preretirement anxiety among Academic Librarians in the Federal Universities of the Northwest Geo-Political zone of Nigeria. The research employed mixed methodology (quantitative and qualitative approach) based on the pragmatic school of thought using sequential explanatory research design. The population of the study comprised two hundred and ten (210) academic librarians and nine (9) pension desk Officers of the Universities under study. Three types of data collection instruments, questionnaire, interview and content analysis were used. The general reliability score of all items is .837. The quantitative data collected was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 for both descriptive and inferential statistics. The qualitative data was coded, interpreted and reported in thematic analysis. The findings of the study revealed that the causes of pre-retirement anxiety among academic librarians are inadequate saving behaviors, challenges in adjusting to a new life style, inadequate planning for retirement, total dependence on present salary and inadequate information on retirement. The finding also revealed some measures for overcoming pre-retirement anxiety to include, among others, to acquire one or more relevant skills for resource material management in preparation to retirement and provision of counseling. The study discovered that there is no significant difference between the levels of pre-retirement anxiety and age. Similarly, there is no significant difference between the level of pre-retirement anxiety of male and female. A proposed framework for overcoming pre-retirement anxiety was developed based on the study findings. The recommendations include; the Federal government through the universities management should provide security to employees in terms of finance, health, social and environmental to address the major causes of pre-retirement anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every organization requires records. Transparency, accountability, and efficient service delivery are all enhanced by effective records management. The capacity to exercise one's right to access records is contingent on effective records management and its availability in government ministries and public bodies. The study investigated the records management and the right to information in some selected metropolitan assemblies in Ghana. These selected metropolitan assemblies include the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, and Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly. A survey research design was used to carry out the study. A total of 80 participants were used for the study. Questionnaires were used as the data collection instrument which resulted in a 100% response rate. Descriptive analysis was used for the findings which revealed that the assembly manages and keeps their records updated and records are restricted to the public domain, there is also an association between restrictions and access to records of the assembly, additionally, the majority of the staff are familiar with the assembly's records management legal framework, and this majority of people were aware of the importance of maintaining and disposing of manual and electronic records. Also, majority of the respondents are aware of the Freedom of Information Act. However, majority of the respondents also indicated that there were no preparations made in the metropolitan assemblies towards the implementation of the Right to Information. The study recommends that the metropolitan assemblies include a records management budget in the entire budgeting structure of the assembly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Medical Library Association (MLA) has defined 7 domain hubs aligning to different areas of information professional practice. To assess the extent to which content in the Journal of the Medical Library Association (JMLA) is reflective of these domains, we analyzed the magnitude of JMLA articles aligning to each domain hub over the last 10 years. Bibliographic records for 453 articles published in JMLA from 2010 to 2019 were downloaded from Web of Science and screened using Covidence software. Thirteen articles were excluded during the title and abstract review because they failed to meet the inclusion criteria, resulting in 440 articles included in this review. The title and abstract of each article were screened by two reviewers, each of whom assigned the article up to two tags corresponding to MLA domain hubs (i.e., information services, information management, education, professionalism and leadership, innovation and research practice, clinical support, and health equity & global health). These results inform the MLA community about our strengths in health information professional practice as reflected by articles published in JMLA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The great challenge medical library professionals are facing is how we evolve and respond to the emerging digital era. If we successfully understand and adapt to the emerging digital information environment, medical librarians/Health Information Professionals (HIPs) can play an even greater role in the advance in the health care of our nation and its residents. The opportunities and challenges are at the level we successfully responded to in the late 1960's and the 1970's under the leadership of the National Library of Medicine with its MEDLARS/Medline programs and Medical Library Assistance Act which enabled medical libraries to enter what I have referred to as The Golden Age of Medical Libraries. In this presentation, I focused on the transition of the health-related print Knowledge-Based Information base to the emerging digital health-related ecosystem. I review how this transition is being driven by evolving information technology. The development of "data driven health care" built on this emerging information ecosystem is being led by the National Library of Medicine's 2017-2027 Strategic plan and the Medical Library Association's programs in support of developing medical librarian/HIP's training, skills, and services to support their users access and use of this rapidly expanding health information ecosystem. I then present a brief description of the digital health information ecosystem that is just starting to emerge and the emerging new roles and services HIPs and their libraries are developing to support effective institutional access and use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the second series of workshops for the EHC Think Tank Workstreams on Registries, Hub and Spoke Model and Patient Agency, stakeholder participants worked towards consensus on addressing challenges to progress in areas identified in the first series of workshops. Each workshop identified a 'guiding star' determining the direction of ongoing focus, defined achievable 'near star' milestones, and explored the enablers and 'constraints' to achieving these. The Registries Workstream recommended establishing rights- and responsibility-based international guidance to ensure accountability from all stakeholders contributing, collecting, handling and registry data. The Hub and Spoke Model Workstream proposed the development of a dynamic and agile health provision system to meet individual treatment, care and quality of life goals for people with rare disorders as they evolve. The Patient Agency Workstream recommended achieving a new cultural norm for patient agency embedded at all systemic levels, whereby health care is collaborative and based on patients' ability to make choices and take ownership of decisions relating to their care and quality of life. Four common themes emerged in near star milestones across all workstreams: 1. Mapping the system; 2. Collaborating and sharing; 3. Education and training; 4. Organisational change and good governance. Enablers include stakeholder experience in other specialties undergoing similar change; relevant examples of best practice; tapping into existing policy-making networks; adherence to government, regulatory, and inter-/intra-institutional quality standards; leveraging frustration in current systems to challenge mindsets and demonstrate the benefit of patient-centred insights to improve outcomes; and application of technologies (e.g. distributed analytics, algorithms, telemedicine, remote monitoring). Constraints include limited understanding of national and cross-border legal and regulatory requirements; a lack of awareness of and reluctance to accept the need for change or to take responsibility for making it happen, or a misunderstanding of whose responsibility it is; time limitations; a lack of meaningful outcome measures; a lack of understanding of key factors for success; and financial issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]