Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2005
Review Meta AnalysisPsychological treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Psychological interventions are widely used in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). ⋯ There was evidence that individual TFCBT, stress management and group TFCBT are effective in the treatment of PTSD. Other non-trauma focused psychological treatments did not reduce PTSD symptoms as significantly. There was some evidence that individual TFCBT is superior to stress management in the treatment of PTSD at between 2 and 5 months following treatment, and also that TFCBT was also more effective than other therapies. There was insufficient evidence to determine whether psychological treatment is harmful. There was some evidence of greater drop-out in active treatment groups.
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Neck disorders are common, limit function, and are costly to individuals and society. Exercise therapy is a commonly used treatment for neck pain. The effectiveness of exercise therapy remains unclear. ⋯ The evidence summarised in this systematic review indicates that specific exercises may be effective for the treatment of acute and chronic MND, with or without headache. To be of benefit, a stretching and strengthening exercise program should concentrate on the musculature of the cervical, shoulder-thoracic area, or both. A multimodal care approach of exercise, combined with mobilisation or manipulation for subacute and chronic MND with or without headache, reduced pain, improved function, and global perceived effect in the short and long term. The relative benefit of other treatments (such as physical modalities) compared with exercise or between different exercise programs needs to be explored. The quality of future trials should improve through more effective 'blinding' procedures and better control of compliance and co-intervention. Phase II trials would help identify the most effective treatment characteristics and dosages.
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Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) are computer-based information systems used to integrate clinical and patient information to provide support for decision-making in patient care. They may be useful in aiding the diagnostic process, the generation of alerts and reminders, therapy critiquing/planning, information retrieval, and image recognition and interpretation. CDSS for use in adult patients have been evaluated using randomised control trials and their results analysed in systematic reviews. There is as yet no systematic review on CDSS use in neonatal medicine. ⋯ There are very limited data from randomised trials on which to assess the effects of clinical decision support systems in neonatal care. Further evaluation of CDSS using randomised controlled trials is warranted.
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Whooping cough is a highly contagious disease. Infants are the population at highest risk of severe disease and death. Erythromycin for 14 days is recommended for treatment and contact prophylaxis but this regime is considered inconvenient and prolonged. The value of contact prophylaxis is uncertain. ⋯ Antibiotics are effective in eliminating B. pertussis from patients with the disease, rendering them non-infectious, but do not alter the subsequent clinical course of the illness. Effective regimens include: three days of azithromycin, seven days of clarithromycin, seven or 14 days of erythromycin estolate, and 14 days of erythromycin ethylsuccinate. Considering microbiological clearance and side effects, three days of azithromycin or seven days of clarithromycin are the best regimens. Seven days of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole also appeared to be effective for the eradication of B. pertussis from the nasopharynx and may serve as an alternative antibiotic treatment for patients who cannot tolerate a macrolide. There is insufficient evidence to determine the benefit of prophylactic treatment of pertussis contacts.
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Acute bacterial meningitis remains a disease with high mortality and morbidity rates. However, with prompt and adequate antimicrobial and supportive treatment, the chances for survival have improved, especially in infants and children. Careful management of fluid and electrolyte balance is an important supportive therapy. Both over and under hydration are associated with adverse outcomes. ⋯ There is some evidence to support the use of intravenous maintenance fluids in preference to restricted fluid intake in the first 48 hours in settings with high mortality rates and where patients present late. However, where children present early and mortality rates are lower there is insufficient evidence to guide practice.