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Aims and objectives: To examine the effectiveness of cognitive interventions after general anaesthesia to improve cognitive functioning. Background: The number of surgical procedures performed worldwide is large and growing. Postoperative cognitive dysfunction is a common complication associated with poor postoperative outcomes. A variety of cognitive interventions have been developed to maintain or improve cognitive function in one or more cognitive domains. Cognitive interventions have shown to be effective in healthy older populations, those with mild cognitive impairment, and those with heart failure. The impact of cognitive interventions in surgical patients after general anaesthesia is a relatively new focus of research and is therefore less well established. Methods: Seven bibliographic databases were searched in relation to 'surgery' and 'cognitive interventions'; no date or language limits were imposed. Studies including adult patients who were scheduled for, or who had undergone surgery under general anaesthesia, had a baseline cognitive assessment using a validated measurement, and had engaged with any cognition‐based intervention were included. Full‐text review for inclusion, quality assessment and data extraction were undertaken independently by two authors. This study is reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines. Results: A total of 550 papers were identified for possible inclusion, of which nine met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. The majority were randomised controlled trials (RCTs) (n = 6 [66.7%]). Four studies used computerised cognitive interventions, while five used traditional cognitive interventions. Most of the studies used multi‐domain cognitive training focusing on two or more domains (n = 7 [77.8%]) while two studies used single‐domain cognitive training. Memory (n = 7 [77.8%]) and attention (n = 5 [55.6%]) were the cognitive domains most often targeted during the intervention. Conclusions: The use of cognitive interventions demonstrated some efficacy in improving cognitive function after general anaesthesia, particularly those targeting memory. Relevance for clinical practice The findings of this review suggest that cognitive interventions show promise at improving cognitive performance in patients with POCD and could be usefully implemented in clinical practice to improve patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: In recent years, new technologies and new approaches to scale up HIV testing have emerged. The objective of this paper was to synthesize the body of recent evidence on strategies aimed at increasing the uptake and coverage of HIV testing outside of health care settings in the European Union (EU)/European Economic Area (EEA). Methods: Systematic searches to identify studies describing effective HIV testing interventions and barriers to testing were run in five databases (2010–2017) with no language restrictions; the grey literature was searched for similar unpublished studies (2014–2017). Study selection, data extraction and critical appraisal were performed by two independent reviewers following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Results: Eighty studies on HIV testing in non‐health care settings were identified, the majority set in Northern Europe. Testing was implemented in 65 studies, with men who have sex with men the risk group most often targeted. Testing coverage and positivity/reactivity rates varied widely by setting and population group. However, testing in community and outreach settings was effective at reaching people who had never previously been tested and acceptability of HIV testing, particularly rapid testing, outside of health care settings was found to be high. Other interventions aimed to increase HIV testing identified were: campaigns (n = 8), communication technologies (n = 2), education (n = 3) and community networking (n = 1). Conclusions: This review has identified several strategies with potential to achieve high HIV testing coverage outside of health care settings. However, the geographical spread of studies was limited, and few intervention studies reported before and after data, making it difficult to evaluate the impact of interventions on test coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nurses are pivotal in the provision of high quality care in acute hospitals. However, the optimal dosing of the number of nurses caring for patients remains elusive. In light of this, an updated review of the evidence on the effect of nurse staffing levels on patient outcomes is required. Aim: To undertake a systematic review and meta-analysis examining the association between nurse staffing levels and nurse-sensitive patient outcomes in acute specialist units. Methods: Nine electronic databases were searched for English articles published between 2006 and 2017. The primary outcomes were nurse-sensitive patient outcomes. Results: Of 3429 unique articles identified, 35 met the inclusion criteria. All were cross-sectional and the majority utilised large administrative databases. Higher staffing levels were associated with reduced mortality, medication errors, ulcers, restraint use, infections, pneumonia, higher aspirin use and a greater number of patients receiving percutaneous coronary intervention within 90 minutes. A meta-analysis involving 175,755 patients, from six studies, admitted to the intensive care unit and/or cardiac/cardiothoracic units showed that a higher nurse staffing level decreased the risk of inhospital mortality by 14% (0.86, 95% confidence interval 0.79–0.94). However, the meta-analysis also showed high heterogeneity (I2=86%). Conclusion: Nurse-to-patient ratios influence many patient outcomes, most markedly inhospital mortality. More studies need to be conducted on the association of nurse-to-patient ratios with nurse-sensitive patient outcomes to offset the paucity and weaknesses of research in this area. This would provide further evidence for recommendations of optimal nurse-to-patient ratios in acute specialist units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adherence to medications is an essential part of heart failure self-care. Poor medication adherence leads to increased rates of exacerbation causing hospitalizations and increased morbidity and mortality. Aims: This meta-analysis aimed to quantify the effect of interventions to improve adherence to heart failure medications on adherence outcomes. Methods: Comprehensive search methods identified studies testing interventions designed to improve medication adherence among patients with heart failure. Data from eligible studies were independently coded by two coders and analyzed using random-effects meta-analysis methods. Moderator analyses to explain heterogeneity among the studies were conducted using meta-regression and ANOVA for moderators with sufficient numbers of comparisons. Results: Searching yielded 6665 potential study reports. From these studies, we identified 29 eligible treatment versus control comparisons of heart failure medication adherence interventions (total n=4285). The mean effect size (d-index) for two-group comparisons was 0.29 (SE=0.09, p=0.004). Moderator analyses found effect sizes were larger as samples were older. Medication adherence effect sizes were larger for studies conducted in Europe or Asia versus North America, and for interventions focused on changing only medication adherence. Smaller effect sizes were seen for interventions with components directed at health care providers, and those including social support as an intervention component. Conclusion: While the medication adherence effect size across all studies was significant, the effect was modest. Approaches to improving heart failure medication adherence may be most effective when focused on medication adherence alone, and when seeking to change behavior of patients, rather than health care provider behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the research that explores on the perspectives of African Americans and ethnic minority patients on the self-management of diabetes in Great Britain. The topics discussed include the barriers they experienced in managing their ailments and the importance of their insights in improving the healthcare services and policies.