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Background: Radiotherapy for localised prostate cancer has many known and distressing side effects. The efficacy of group interventions for reducing psychological morbidity is lacking. This study investigated the relative benefits of a group nurse-led intervention on psychological morbidity, unmet needs, treatment-related concerns and prostate cancer-specific quality of life in men receiving curative intent radiotherapy for prostate cancer.Methods: This phase III, two-arm cluster randomised controlled trial included 331 men (consent rate: 72 %; attrition: 5 %) randomised to the intervention (n = 166) or usual care (n = 165). The intervention comprised four group and one individual consultation all delivered by specialist uro-oncology nurses. Primary outcomes were anxious and depressive symptoms as assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Unmet needs were assessed with the Supportive Care Needs Survey-SF34 Revised, treatment-related concerns with the Cancer Treatment Scale and quality of life with the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index -26. Assessments occurred before, at the end of and 6 months post-radiotherapy. Primary outcome analysis was by intention-to-treat and performed by fitting a linear mixed model to each outcome separately using all observed data.Results: Mixed models analysis indicated that group consultations had a significant beneficial effect on one of two primary endpoints, depressive symptoms (p = 0.009), and one of twelve secondary endpoints, procedural concerns related to cancer treatment (p = 0.049). Group consultations did not have a significant beneficial effect on generalised anxiety, unmet needs and prostate cancer-specific quality of life.Conclusions: Compared with individual consultations offered as part of usual care, the intervention provides a means of delivering patient education and is associated with modest reductions in depressive symptoms and procedural concerns. Future work should seek to confirm the clinical feasibility and cost-effectiveness of group interventions.Trial Registration: Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ANZCTRN012606000184572 . 1 March 2006. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A robust evidence base is needed to reduce the disproportionately high rates of diabetes-related mortality and complications among Indigenous peoples. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the quantity and methodological quality of published intervention research on Type 2 and gestational diabetes in the Indigenous populations of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States from 1989 to 2008. A robust evidence base is needed to reduce the disproportionately high rates of diabetes-related mortality and complications among Indigenous peoples. Methods: Systematic searches of Medline, Embase, and EBM Reviews identified publications focused on Type 2 or gestational diabetes in Indigenous peoples published between 1 January 1989 and 31 December 2008. Total publication number and proportion of research involving interventions over time were examined. The quality of intervention studies was evaluated using Cochrane''s Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) criteria. Results: Total publication number increased significantly over the 20years (p <0.004). Research was predominantly descriptive (87%), with the proportion of research involving interventions increasing from 3% in 1989–1993 to 12% in 2003–2008 (χ 2 =12.42, df =3, p =0.006). However, only 25% (95%CI: 9–41%) of intervention studies met the EPOC methodological quality criteria; other studies lacked sufficient controls or measurements over time. Conclusions: Increases in the amount of high-quality intervention research for prevention and treatment of Type 2 and gestational diabetes among Indigenous populations of these countries are needed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]