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Sionnadh Mairi McLean,1 Andrew Booth,2 Melanie Gee,3 Sarah Salway,2 Mark Cobb,4 Sadiq Bhanbhro,3 Susan A Nancarrow5 1Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK; 2School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK; 3Centre for Health and Social Care Research, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK; 4Therapeutics & Palliative Care, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, Sheffield, UK; 5School of Health and Human Science, Southern Cross University, East Lismore, NSW, Australia Abstract: Missed appointments are an avoidable cost and resource inefficiency which impact upon the health of the patient and treatment outcomes. Health care services are increasingly utilizing reminder systems to manage these negative effects. This study explores the effectiveness of reminder systems for promoting attendance, cancellations, and rescheduling of appointments across all health care settings and for particular patient groups and the contextual factors which indicate that reminders are being employed sub-optimally. We used three inter-related reviews of quantitative and qualitative evidence. Firstly, using pre-existing models and theories, we developed a conceptual framework to inform our understanding of the contexts and mechanisms which influence reminder effectiveness. Secondly, we performed a review following Centre for Reviews and Dissemination guidelines to investigate the effectiveness of different methods of reminding patients to attend health service appointments. Finally, to supplement the effectiveness information, we completed a review informed by realist principles to identify factors likely to influence non-attendance behaviors and the effectiveness of reminders. We found consistent evidence that all types of reminder systems are effective at improving appointment attendance across a range of health care settings and patient populations. Reminder systems may also increase cancellation and rescheduling of unwanted appointments. “Reminder plus”, which provides additional information beyond the reminder function may be more effective than simple reminders (ie, date, time, place) at reducing non-attendance at appointments in particular circumstances. We identified six areas of inefficiency which indicate that reminder systems are being used sub-optimally. Unless otherwise indicated, all patients should receive a reminder to facilitate attendance at their health care appointment. The choice of reminder system should be tailored to the individual service. To optimize appointment and reminder systems, health care services need supportive administrative processes to enhance attendance, cancellation, rescheduling, and re-allocation of appointments to other patients. Keywords: attendance, cancellation, rescheduling, TURNUP

Copyright of Gefaesschirurgie is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Gefaesschirurgie is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Summary: What is known and objective: Migraine is a common and costly neurological disorder that affects approximately 1 of every 7 people annually. Pharmacological therapy for prevention of migraine is warranted when patients experience at least 6 headache days, 4 headache days with at least some impairment or 3 headache days with severe impairment or requiring bed rest in a month. Levetiracetam is an antiepileptic drug that has the potential to be beneficial for migraine prophylaxis. The objective of this review was to assess the safety and efficacy of levetiracetam for migraine prophylaxis. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE (1946‐August 2017), EMBASE (1947‐August 2017) and CENTRAL using the terms: migraine disorders, migraine, or headache and etiracetam or levetiracetam. Animal studies, case reports, abstracts, letters to the editor and those not written in English were excluded. Results and discussion: Eleven articles were identified for inclusion. Of the studies included, 2 were retrospective chart reviews, 4 were randomized placebo‐ or active comparator‐controlled trials, and the remaining 5 were prospective, open‐label studies. All studies found a statistically significant decrease in headache frequency per month compared to baseline or placebo when used for treatment of episodic migraine (2.96‐10.9 headache/mo decrease), and 57.9%‐100% of patients had at least a 50% decrease in headache frequency from baseline. Significance was not consistently demonstrated in the prophylactic treatment of chronic migraine. The most common adverse effects noted included somnolence, dizziness and behavioural effects but generally did not require discontinuation. What is new and conclusion: The studies included in this review indicate that levetiracetam is well‐tolerated and may be an alternative treatment option for episodic migraine prophylaxis. Additional clinical evidence is necessary to establish the efficacy of levetiracetam for the prophylactic treatment of chronic migraine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This paper proposes novel strategies to enable multigrid preconditioners within iterative solvers for linear systems arising from contact problems based on mortar finite element formulations. The so‐called dual mortar approach that is exclusively employed here allows for an easy condensation of the discrete Lagrange multipliers. Therefore, it has the advantage over standard mortar methods that linear systems with a saddle‐point structure are avoided, which generally require special preconditioning techniques. However, even with the dual mortar approach, the resulting linear systems turn out to be hard to solve using iterative linear solvers. A basic analysis of the mathematical properties of the linear operators reveals why the naive application of standard iterative solvers shows instabilities and provides new insights of how contact modeling affects the corresponding linear systems. This information is used to develop new strategies that make multigrid methods efficient preconditioners for the class of contact problems based on dual mortar methods. It is worth mentioning that these strategies primarily adapt the input of the multigrid preconditioners in a way that no contact‐specific enhancements are necessary in the multigrid algorithms. This makes the implementation comparably easy. With the proposed method, we are able to solve large contact problems, which is an important step toward the application of dual mortar–based contact formulations in the industry. Numerical results are presented illustrating the performance of the presented algebraic multigrid method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundCompassion and compassionate care are central to radiographers’ professional policy and practice and are congruent with the core values of the National Health Service Constitution. The term compassion however is over-used, ambiguous and vague. This work sought to explore and provide contextual understanding to the term compassion in healthcare.MethodWalker and Avant’s eight-step model was used as the framework for the concept analysis. Data collection utilised a number of resources including online databases: Medline, CINAHL complete, Scopus, PubMed, PsycINFO, ScienceDirect, Cochrane and DARE; dictionaries, social media, Internet sources, books and doctoral theses. In all, 296 resources were included in the review.ResultsThe concept analysis distinguishes the defining characteristics of compassion within a healthcare context, allowing for associated meanings and behaviours to be outlined aiding understanding of compassion. Compassion in healthcare requires five defining attributes to be present: recognition, connection, altruistic desire, humanistic response and action.ConclusionThe findings identify the complexity of the term and subjective nature in which it is displayed and in turn perceived. The concept analysis forms the basis of further research aiming to develop a healthcare explicit definition of compassion within healthcare, specifically cancer care and radiography practices. Lucidity will enhance understanding, facilitating active engagement and implementation into practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Presents a study which thermally reduced Fe(Co)[sub5] to Fe(C) in the presence of monomolecular flakes of MoS[sub2]. Process of making monomolecular layers of MoS[sub2]; Results of the decomposition of Fe(CO)[sub5]; Dependence of the coercivity and saturation magnetization on the temperature of anneal for material produced in separate decompositions of Fe(CO)[sub5].

Presents a study which incorporated mono molecular layers of exfoliated molybdenum sulfur [sub2] in the process of the formation of cobalt ferrite from aqueous solutions. Magnetization of particulate media on metallic iron(cobalt); Effects of surface pinning on particles; Method used in preparing the cobalt ferrite particles; Overview of the M&oumlssbauer effect spectroscopy patterns for the sample particles.

Presents a study which produced the cobalt ferrite Co[subx]Fe[3-x]O[sub4] by precipitation from aqueous solutions. Details on the anisotropy of cobalt atoms; Method used in preparing the cobalt ferrite; Changes in the magnetization and the coercivity of the ferrite; Effects of heat treatment on the ferrite using Mössbauer effect spectroscopy.

Details a study which prepared fine particles of magnetic materials using monomolecular layers of molybdenum sulphide as substrates. Exfoliation of molybdenum sulphide; Composition and properties of iron, cobalt and nickel precipitated from aqueous solutions; Magnetic susceptibility of metal atoms.

Because aortic occlusion is arguably one of the most dangerous aortic manipulation maneuvers during cardiac surgery in terms of perioperative ischemic neurological injury, the purpose of this investigation is to assess the structural mechanical impact resulting from the use of existing and newly proposed occluders. Existing (clinically used) occluders considered include different cross-clamps (CCs) and endo-aortic balloon occlusion (EABO). A novel occluder is also introduced, namely, constrained EABO (CEABO), which consists of applying a constrainer externally around the aorta when performing EABO. Computational solid mechanics are employed to investigate each occluder according to a comprehensive list of functional requirements. The potential of a state of occlusion is also considered for the first time. Three different constrainer designs are evaluated for CEABO. Although the CCs were responsible for the highest strains, largest deformation, and most inefficient increase of the occlusion potential, it remains the most stable, simplest, and cheapest occluder. The different CC hinge geometries resulted in poorer performance of CC used for minimally invasive procedures than conventional ones. CEABO with a profiled constrainer successfully addresses the EABO shortcomings of safety, stability, and positioning accuracy, while maintaining its complexities of operation (disadvantage) and yielding additional functionalities (advantage). Moreover, CEABO is able to achieve the previously unattainable potential to provide a clinically determinable state of occlusion. CEABO offers an attractive alternative to the shortcomings of existing occluders, with its design rooted in achieving the highest patient safety. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Few studies have considered the factors independently associated with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and/or fibromyalgia (FM) or considered the impact of these conditions on health status using population-based data. Methods: We used data from the nationally representative 2010 Canadian Community Health Survey (n= 59 101) to describe self-reported health professional-diagnosed CFS and/or FM, and their associations with 6 health status indicators. Results: In 2010, diagnosed CFS and FM are reported by 1.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.3%–1.6%) and 1.5% (1.4%–1.7%), respectively, of the Canadian household population aged 12 years and over, with comorbid CFS and FM affecting 0.3% (0.3%–0.4%) of that population. Prevalent CFS and/or FM were more common among women, adults aged 40 years and over, those with lowest income, and those with certain risk factors for chronic disease (i.e. obesity, physical inactivity and smoking). After controlling for differences between the groups, people with CFS and/or FM reported poorer health status than those with neither condition on 5 indicators of health status, but not on the measure of fair/poor mental health. Having both CFS and FM and having multiple comorbid conditions was associated with poorer health status. Conclusion: Co-occurrence of CFS and FM and having other chronic conditions were strongly related to poorer health status and accounted for much of the differences in health status. Understanding factors contributing to improved quality of life in people with CFS and/or FM, particularly in those with both conditions and other comorbidities, may be an important area for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]