Trials
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Surgical wounds are covered to prevent bleeding, absorb the exudates, and provide a barrier against external contamination. Currently, in our hospital, after orthopedic surgery, traditional occlusive dressing of sterile gauze and non-woven hypoallergenic adhesive tape is placed. Some of the newest dressings have been shown to reduce the incidence of blisters compared with traditional dressing or colloid adhesive dressings. However, there are no comparative evaluations between the different types of dressings and their contribution to the overall results of the healing process. ⋯ The results of this study will be useful for clinical decision making by giving information on the contribution of the dressings studied to the outcome of the wound and may also show which dressing offers better results depending on the characteristics of patients.
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Safe Birth and Cultural Safety in southern Mexico: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.
Indigenous women in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero face poor maternal health outcomes. Living as they do at the very periphery of the Western health system, they often receive low-quality care from health services that lack human and financial resources. Traditional health systems remain active in indigenous communities where traditional midwives accompany women through motherhood. Several interventions have explored training birth attendants in Western birthing skills, but little research has focussed on supporting traditional midwives by recognising their knowledge. This trial supports traditional midwifery in four indigenous groups and measures its impact on maternal health outcomes. ⋯ Indigenous women at the periphery of Western health services do not benefit fully from the attenuated services which erode their own healthcare traditions. Western health service providers in indigenous communities often ignore traditional knowledge and resources, inadvertently or in ignorance, disrespecting indigenous cultures. Improved understanding between midwives and the official healthcare system can contribute to more appropriate referral of high-risk cases, improving the use of scarce resources while lowering costs of healthcare for indigenous families.
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Primary dysmenorrhea (PD), is one of main gynecological complaints in women of child-bearing age. Common medications for PD do not always achieve satisfactory outcome of pain relief. Hence, both health professionals and patients are seeking help from complementary and alternative medicine. The acupoint herbal plaster (AHP), which appears to be a safe and effective way to alleviate menstrual pain, as well as to improve other PD-related symptoms. Despite similar clinical studies for this condition in the past, no high-quality methodology-based clinical trial has been reported to date. The current study aims to assess the efficacy of the AHP compared with the acupoint placebo plaster (APP) and being placed on a waiting-list control group in patients with primary dysmenorrhea. ⋯ This is the first study to compare the changes in menstrual pain after three different interventions: the active intervention (AHP), the placebo intervention (APP), and a period of no intervention (WL). This three-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to investigate the relative contributions of the specific (AHP vs. APP) and non-specific (APP vs. WL) effects to the overall clinical effects of the active AHP on women with PDM. The scientific and rigorous methodology design of this trial should gather good evidence to assess the curative effects and safety of the AHP on PD. Moreover, the results of this study may provide evidence-based references for the treatment of menstrual pain in future.