BMJ open
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Meta Analysis
Meta-ethnography to understand healthcare professionals' experience of treating adults with chronic non-malignant pain.
We aimed to explore healthcare professionals' experience of treating chronic non-malignant pain by conducting a qualitative evidence synthesis. Understanding this experience from the perspective of healthcare professionals will contribute to improvements in the provision of care. ⋯ This is the first qualitative evidence synthesis of healthcare professionals' experiences of treating people with chronic non-malignant pain. We have presented a model that we developed to help healthcare professionals to understand, think about and modify their experiences of treating patients with chronic pain. Our findings highlight scepticism about chronic pain that might explain why patients feel they are not believed. Findings also indicate a dualism in the biopsychosocial model and the complexity of navigating therapeutic relationships. Our model may be transferable to other patient groups or situations.
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Orientation and mobility (O&M) specialists assess the functional vision and O&M skills of people with mobility problems, usually relating to low vision or blindness. There are numerous O&M assessment checklists but no measures that reduce qualitative assessment data to a single comparable score suitable for assessing any O&M client, of any age or ability, in any location. Functional measures are needed internationally to align O&M assessment practices, guide referrals, profile O&M clients, plan appropriate services and evaluate outcomes from O&M programmes (eg, long cane training), assistive technology (eg, hazard sensors) and medical interventions (eg, retinal implants). This study aims to validate two new measures of functional performance vision-related outcomes in orientation and mobility (VROOM) and orientation and mobility outcomes (OMO) in the context of ordinary O&M assessments in Australia, with cultural comparisons in Malaysia, also developing phone apps and online training to streamline professional assessment practices. ⋯ Ethical approval has been granted by the Human Research Ethics Committee at Swinburne University (SHR Project 2016/316). Dissemination of results will be via agency reports, journal articles and conference presentations.
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To estimate the cancer incidence by age group for the Lahore district population within the Punjab Cancer Registry (PCR), Pakistan. The average annual population of Lahore was 9.8 million in 2010-2012. This is a sequel to a study published earlier. ⋯ The ASIR was higher in adult women than in men, but it was lower in girls and young women than their corresponding male counterparts. Leukaemia was the most common diagnosis in children and bone tumour in adolescents, regardless of gender. Among women, breast cancer and, in men, prostate cancer, were the leading cancer types, in adults. These estimates could be used for the expansion of health coverage in the region including setting-up low cost, diagnostic tests for early detection of cancers.
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To characterise postmarketing studies for drugs that were newly approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency. ⋯ Postmarketing pharmaceutical research was highly variable and predominantly located in North America and Europe. Postmarketing studies were frequently designed to study indications other than the originally approved one. Although some findings were reassuring, others question the lack of coordination of postmarketing research.
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The incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is now at least threefold higher in HIV-infected patients as compared with the general population. Although platelet activation and reactivity are implicated in the development of CVDs in HIV-infected patients, its precise role remains inconclusive. We aim to assess the association between platelet activation and selected cardiovascular risk factors in HIV-1-infected individuals on highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART). ⋯ CRD42017062393.