Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Sajal K. Chattopadhyay, Verughese Jacob, David P. Hopkins, Amy Lansky, Randy Elder, Alison E. Cuellar, Ned Calonge, John M. Clymer
Summary: The Community Guide systematic economic reviews provide important information on the economic aspects of public health interventions. The methods used in these reviews have been updated to address methodological challenges and improve reliability. Two examples of these updated methods are presented in this paper.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Hossein Motahari-Nezhad, Hana Al-Abdulkarim, Meriem Fgaier, Mohamed Mahdi Abid, Marta Pentek, Laszlo Gulacsi, Zsombor Zrubka
Summary: This study evaluated the methodological quality and evidence quality of meta-analyses of digital biomarker-based interventions, finding high-quality evidence in improvements in mortality, transplant risk, cardiac arrhythmia detection, and stroke incidence. Researchers are recommended to consider the AMSTAR-2 criteria and GRADE for producing high-quality studies in the future, and patients, clinicians, and policymakers are advised to take the results of this study into consideration before making clinical decisions regarding digital biomarkers.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Psychology, Social
Zahraee Asgari, Azam Naghavi, Mohammad Reza Abedi
Summary: This review aimed to synthesize the results of 16 studies on grief interventions and their effectiveness over the past two decades. The findings showed that 19 types of interventions were used to reduce grief symptoms. Two main themes, theory-based and technique-based approaches, were identified. While technique-based approaches were generally effective in reducing grief symptoms, there was inconsistency in the effectiveness of theory-based approaches. Further research comparing the effectiveness of theory- and technique-based interventions is recommended.
JOURNAL OF LOSS & TRAUMA
(2023)
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Henry David Jeffry Hogg, Mohaimen Al-Zubaidy, James Talks, Alastair K. Denniston, J. Kelly, Johann Malawana, Chrysanthi Papoutsi, Marion Dawn Teare, Pearse A. Keane, Fiona R. Beyer, Gregory Maniatopoulos
Summary: This qualitative systematic review identifies key stakeholders and their perspectives on clinical AI implementation, highlighting the interdependent factors and the importance of considering multiple stakeholder perspectives in research and practice. The underrepresentation of perspectives from stakeholders other than healthcare professionals may limit the understanding and management of factors influencing successful clinical AI implementation.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Bethany A. Van Dort, Jonathan Penm, Angus Ritchie, Melissa T. Baysari
Summary: Digital interventions have been shown to reduce antimicrobial use and improve antimicrobial appropriateness in hospitals, but the extent to which different types of digital interventions achieve these outcomes remains uncertain. Evaluation of sociotechnical aspects of digital intervention implementation is limited.
JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Caio Fabio Schlechta Portella, Ricardo Ghelman, Veronica Abdala, Mariana Cabral Schveitzer, Rui Ferreira Afonso
Summary: This study presents a summary of research on the effects of meditation on various clinical and health conditions, including 191 studies. Most results indicate positive impacts of meditation on health, especially in the areas of mental health and quality of life.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Review
Anesthesiology
Erfan Shafiee, Joy MacDermid, Tara Packham, Ruby Grewal, Maryam Farzad, Pavlos Bobos, David Walton
Summary: This article summarizes the current systematic reviews on conservative management of CRPS, finding that mirror therapy and graded motor imagery programs have significant improvement on pain and disability for CRPS patients. However, the existing evidence is not sufficient to make definitive recommendations about the effectiveness of other rehabilitation interventions.
CLINICAL JOURNAL OF PAIN
(2023)
Review
Cell Biology
Yaguan Zhou, Xiaochen Dai, Yujie Ni, Qingyong Zeng, Yangyang Cheng, Rodrigo M. Carrillo-Larco, Lijing L. Yan, Xiaolin Xu
Summary: Combined interventions are preferred for promoting different types of health outcomes in multimorbidity, with challenges at patient, provider, and organization levels. A holistic and integrated approach is required to address the challenges and optimize care.
AGEING RESEARCH REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Orthopedics
Sarah Morgan, Alice Kongsted, Birgitte Norgaard
Summary: Using focus groups and individual interviews, this study identified recommendations for systematic data collection in a nationwide cohort regarding the management of back pain. Both GPs and patients emphasized the importance of recruitment through GPs, considering individualized treatment and care, and providing a generic patient pathway flowchart or guideline.
BMC MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Paul Whaley, Thomas Piggott, Rebecca L. Morgan, Sebastian Hoffmann, Katya Tsaioun, Lukas Schwingshackl, Mohammed T. Ansari, Kristina A. Thayer, Holger J. Schuenemann
Summary: Biological plausibility plays a role in drawing conclusions when direct evidence is lacking, involving evidence from other study designs like experimental animal and in vitro research. It consists of a generalisability aspect related to inferring from experimental models to human scenarios, and a mechanistic aspect concerning certainty in knowledge of biological mechanisms.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Emma B. Kemp, Olaf P. Geerse, Reegan Knowles, Richard Woodman, Leila Mohammadi, Larissa Nekhlyudov, Bogda Koczwara
Summary: Despite a large volume of research, systematic review-level research on breast cancer survivorship care interventions is unevenly distributed, siloed, and with significant gaps in key domains and outcomes.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Nursing
Theresa Lyons, Therese Hennesey, Maria Noonan
Summary: This study systematically identified, appraised, and synthesized qualitative evidence on fathers' experiences and perspectives of their partners' postpartum psychosis. The findings revealed that fathers experienced a sense of loss across multiple domains and had a need for informational and emotional support. This study provides important insights into fathers' experiences and perspectives in supporting partners with postpartum psychosis.
JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING
(2023)
Review
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Ryan Chow, Eileen Huang, Allen Li, Sophie Li, Sarah Y. Fu, Jin S. Son, Warren G. Foster
Summary: The study found that antidepressants and telemedicine were the most effective treatments for PPD, while traditional herbal medicine and aromatherapy also showed improvement in PPD symptoms. However, the evidence for physical exercise and cognitive behavioral therapy in treating PPD remains equivocal.
BMC PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Miranda S. Cumpston, Joanne E. McKenzie, Vivian A. Welch, Sue E. Brennan
Summary: This article introduces the major revision in guidance for authors of systematic reviews in public health in the second edition of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, highlighting new guidance addressing key methodological challenges faced by authors.
JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Charis Wong, Jenna M. Gregory, Jing Liao, Kieren Egan, Hanna M. Vesterinen, Aimal Ahmad Khan, Maarij Anwar, Caitlin Beagan, Fraser S. Brown, John Cafferkey, Alessandra Cardinali, Jane Yi Chiam, Claire Chiang, Victoria Collins, Joyce Dormido, Elizabeth Elliott, Peter Foley, Yu Cheng Foo, Lily Fulton-Humble, Angus B. Gane, Stella A. Glasmacher, Aine Heffernan, Kiran Jayaprakash, Nimesh Jayasuriya, Amina Kaddouri, Jamie Kiernan, Gavin Langlands, D. Leighton, Jiaming Liu, James Lyon, Arpan R. Mehta, Alyssa Meng, Vivienne Nguyen, Na Hyun Park, Suzanne Quigley, Yousuf Rashid, Andrea Salzinger, Bethany Shiell, Ankur Singh, Tim Soane, Alexandra Thompson, Olaf Tomala, Fergal M. Waldron, Bhuvaneish T. Selvaraj, Jeremy Chataway, Robert Swingler, Peter Connick, Suvankar Pal, Siddharthan Chandran, Malcolm Macleod
Summary: This study presents a systematic and structured evidence-based approach to select the first two drugs for evaluation in the MND-SMART trial. Through a comprehensive evaluation of clinical studies and animal models, memantine and trazodone were selected as the first two drugs based on supportive evidence.
Review
Criminology & Penology
Jasmin Ranu, Natasha Kalebic, G. J. Melendez-Torres, Pamela J. Taylor
Summary: There is a relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and later psychosis and violence, especially in cases of childhood maltreatment. Studies show that histories of physical abuse, sexual abuse, having a criminal/violent parent or living with family alcohol/drug use are each associated with around twice the odds of psychosis with violence as psychosis alone. However, due to methodological differences and divergent measurement results, the pathways between ACEs and later problems remain unclear.
TRAUMA VIOLENCE & ABUSE
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Leah Z. Rand, G. J. Melendez-Torres, Aaron S. Kesselheim
Summary: This study analyzed whether other outcome measures used in health technology assessment (HTA) address the criticisms of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). The study found that among the seven alternative outcome measures currently used for HTA, none of them address all the criticisms of QALYs while retaining their advantageous features.
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Social Work
Simon Haworth, Jason Schaub, Elaine Kidney, Paul Montgomery
Summary: This article systematically reviews the assessment tools for child neglect, and finds that only two tools meet the inclusion criteria but still have limitations. The study highlights the lack of suitable assessment tools for child neglect and the need for robust testing in the social work setting.
RESEARCH ON SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE
(2024)
Article
Psychiatry
David Villarreal-Zegarra, C. Mahony Reategui-Rivera, Sharlyn Otazu-Alfaro, Gloria Yantas-Alcantara, Percy Soto-Becerra, G. J. Melendez-Torres
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the burden of mental disorders globally. Peru, one of the countries most affected by COVID-19, lacks studies evaluating the medium and long-term consequences of the pandemic on mental health. This study aimed to estimate the impact of the pandemic on the prevalence and treatment of depressive symptoms in Peru using nationally representative surveys.
SOCIAL PSYCHIATRY AND PSYCHIATRIC EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Criminology & Penology
Rebecca Meiksin, Chris Bonell, Amiya Bhatia, G. J. Melendez-Torres, Nambusi Kyegombe, Anjalee Kohli
Summary: Adolescent dating and relationship violence (DRV) is a prevalent issue with negative impacts on mental health outcomes and partner violence. This study aimed to assess how social norms related to DRV and gender were measured in existing literature. A total of 24 eligible studies were identified, using 40 measures of DRV norms and gender norms. The measures showed significant association with DRV outcomes and had defined reference groups, but evidence on measure quality was mixed. Future research should focus on developing valid and reliable measures for DRV and gender norms, and exploring the mediating role of norms in interventions' impact on DRV.
TRAUMA VIOLENCE & ABUSE
(2023)
Editorial Material
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Chris Bonell, G. J. Melendez-Torres
Summary: Many sociological analyses view evidence-based policy as rationalizing social relations and being influenced by systems of knowledge/power. However, these analyses often overlook the emancipatory potential of evidence and the possibility of rational adjudication of truth claims. By incorporating Habermas' work, sociological engagement with evidence-based policy could be transformed by taking into account whether it leads to depoliticization or marginalization of citizens' voices. Habermas' idea of the ideal speech situation as a procedural basis for truth can serve as a standard for exploring power asymmetries and evaluating truth claims in relation to evidence-based policy.
CRITICAL PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary
Simon Haworth, Paul Montgomery, Jason Schaub
Summary: Social work and allied professions face challenges in accurately assessing child neglect. Our research project aims to develop a new measurement tool for multi-agencies to address this issue. The project employed a Delphi study to gather expert opinions and reach consensus on the tool's items and elements.
SOCIAL SCIENCES-BASEL
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
David Villarreal-Zegarra, Sharly Otazu-Alfaro, Piero Segovia-Bacilio, Jackeline Garcia-Serna, C. Mahony Reategui-Rivera, G. J. Melendez-Torres
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2023)
Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
G. J. Melendez-Torres, R. Ponsford, J. Falconer, C. Bonell
Summary: This study found that whole-school interventions have the potential to reduce health inequalities by promoting student commitment to school through school-level change. However, there is a lack of comprehensive evidence on the effectiveness of these interventions in improving policy-relevant health outcomes such as substance use and violence.
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Amy Sanders, Hayley Gains, Ruth Baer, Susan Ball, Benjamin Jones, Hazel Banks, G. J. Melendez-Torres, Obioha C. Ukoumunne
Summary: This study examined the structure and performance of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM) in a school-based mindfulness program in the UK. The results showed that the CAMM has a 2-factor structure and there were small differences in item functioning across groups.
Article
Social Work
Jason Schaub, Willem J. Stander, Paul Montgomery
Summary: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning (LGBTQ+) young people in residential care face discrimination, unmet health needs, but also show resilience. This study conducted interviews with twenty LGBTQ+ young people in England and identified four themes: discrimination, unmet health needs, importance of professional relationships, and resilience. The findings highlight the need for inclusive policies, training, and incorporating the voices of LGBTQ+ youth in service delivery.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK
(2023)
Review
Criminology & Penology
Bridget Steele, Mackenzie Martin, Alessandra Sciarra, G. J. Melendez-Torres, Michelle Degli Esposti, David K. Humphreys
Summary: Sexual assault among higher education students has detrimental impacts on survivors' health and educational outcomes. This systematic review synthesizes quantitative evidence on sexual assault prevalence among this population. The meta-analysis reveals that the prevalence of sexual assault is 17.5% for women, 7.8% for men, and 18.1% for transgender and gender diverse individuals. Different types of sexual assault were identified, with forced sexual touching being the most common. It is crucial for higher education institutions, particularly those outside the United States, to conduct surveys and allocate more resources to support student survivors.
TRAUMA VIOLENCE & ABUSE
(2023)
Article
Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary
Gene Lim, G. J. Melendez-Torres, Natalie Amos, Joel Anderson, Thomas Norman, Jennifer Power, Jami Jones, Adam Bourne
Summary: Homelessness is highly prevalent among young LGBTQ+ individuals, posing a structural risk to their health and future prospects. The distribution of homelessness burden varies among different LGBTQ+ subgroups and is associated with experiences of harassment, alcohol consumption, and psychological distress.
JOURNAL OF YOUTH STUDIES
(2023)
Article
Social Work
Jason Schaub, Jolie R. Keemink, Willem J. Stander, Paul Montgomery
Summary: The study demonstrates the effectiveness of an e-learning training module in improving social workers' knowledge of, and attitudes toward, LGBTQ+ young people. Participants who underwent the training showed decreased heteronormative attitudes and beliefs, and increased perceived LGBTQ+ knowledge compared to those who did not undergo the training.
RESEARCH ON SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE
(2023)
Article
Health Policy & Services
G. J. Melendez-Torres, Louise Crathorne, Eleanor Hepworth, Vanessa Sloane, Sally Jackson, Rachel Nicholas, Charlotte E. Cohen
Summary: The role of Domestic Abuse Coordinators in healthcare institutions has a positive impact in increasing the rate of referrals for high-risk domestic abuse cases. It improves the response to victim-survivors at the highest risk and proves to be cost-saving for the employing acute trust.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
