Conectar
Despite anatomical correction, people born with oesophageal atresia±tracheoesophageal fistula (OA-TOF) experience lifelong morbidity. Core outcome sets (COSs) are recognised as a means of improving research quality and, as a consequence, improving patient outcomes; one was not available for this population.
The scope of the study was to develop a COS for people born with OA-TOF that would be applicable regardless of age or geographic location.
Patient input was paramount to this study. For long-list generation, in addition to the systematic review (SR), patients and representatives were invited to participate in focus groups, interviews or complete activity packs to ascertain outcomes that matter most to them. International consensus was then sought using a two-step Delphi survey followed by an online consensus meeting.
Eight outcomes were identified through patient events that had not been picked up from SR. 175 people completed the Delphi survey from 26 countries and health care professionals from 13 different disciplines. 24 outcomes met predefined criteria for inclusion and following discussion and voting in the consensus meeting, and 14/24 outcomes were agreed for inclusion in the COS.
14 outcomes have been agreed on to form the COS. 12 of these outcomes are relevant to people of all ages, 1 to paediatric population and 1 to adult cohorts. The COS is, therefore, truly applicable lifelong, which was the scope of the project. This COS will help reduce research heterogeneity, enabling better quality research outcomes and more comparable data.
To assess the impact of a National Enhanced Service (NES) incentive for weight management that financially rewarded practices for each eligible patient referred to a weight management programme.
Interrupted time-series analysis to examine the rate of weight management referral and weight management advice.
Primary healthcare records from January 2018 to December 2024 in the Oxford Clinical Informatics Digital Hub, covering 8.3 million patients in 1198 primary care clinics around England.
NES payments to practices for weight management were introduced in April 2021.
The rate of referral increased from 1 referral per 1000 patients per month before the incentive to around 4 referrals per 1000 patients per month afterwards. There was no evidence that the increase differed by age, gender, ethnic group or socioeconomic status. The occurrence of weight management advice was unchanged by the introduction of the NES and was at least three times more common than referral to weight management services.
The NES was associated with a fourfold increase in referrals to weight management services. However, clinicians are much more likely to offer advice rather than a referral to a weight management programme. There is a clear opportunity to improve outcomes for patients by encouraging greater use of referrals to effective weight management services in place of advice.
To determine the personal, National Health Service and wider societal resource use in relation to caring responsibilities for carers of people living with non-memory led dementias (NMLDs); and to design a resource use measure (RUM) that can be delivered in the Better Living with Non-memory-led Dementia (BELIDE) randomised controlled trial, part of the Rare Dementia (RD) - TALK research programme.
The first stage was to identify and review any existing RUMs that could be used or adapted to the trial population and setting. If no measures were identified, the second stage was initial informal discussions with healthcare professionals (HCPs) and the programme patient and public involvement representatives to inform the perspective, settings of care and main resource items to develop a new RUM. In the third stage, a first draft of the RUM was tested for content and face validity in a modified Delphi study comprising HCPs and carers. The measure was revised and, in the final stage, piloted in the first 3 months of the BELIDE trial to assess acceptability and feasibility of collecting the economic outcomes and the completeness of data collection. The key drivers of resource use and costs were assessed, and appropriate face validity checks were applied to ensure accurate description of the treatment pathways.
Carers and family of people living with NMLD recruited from Rare Dementia Support members in the UK, and a broad range of HCPs with experience of working with people who have NMLD to capture the different dimensions of experience, grade and skill mix.
In total, 20 people participated in the modified Delphi study, 11 HCPs and 9 carers. Rare Dementia Support groups and 1:1 calls were highly rated, as were general practitioner appointments. The greatest consensus was in the productivity and carer tasks; all caring tasks were highly rated. Healthcare practitioners rated healthcare items as higher importance than carers themselves.
Unpaid carers and HCPs are the experts in the resource impact of caring for someone with NMLD and have been underserved in research to date. This research, as part of preparatory stages of the BELIDE trial, has enabled the timely development of a comprehensive and valid RUM for unpaid carers of people with NMLD.
CRD42022356943.
Palliative care supports the physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of people with serious life-limiting illness. Future research must align with the priorities of people approaching the end of their lives, and those close to them.
To undertake a refresh of the James Lind Alliance Palliative and End of Life Care Priority Setting Partnership, to identify and prioritise areas for future research.
The James Lind Alliance process was applied, between May 2023 and February 2025. An initial online survey collected areas for future research from participants. These were synthesised into a long list of questions and shortlisted through a second online survey. Final ranking of priorities was achieved using an adapted Nominal Group Technique within a prioritisation workshop.
People living with serious life-limiting illnesses, carers, friends and family members supporting them, bereaved people, health and social care professionals, volunteers working in palliative and end-of-life care and members of the public.
1032 and 626 responses were received to survey 1 and 2, respectively. 20 people with lived and professional experience attended the prioritisation workshop. An updated list of 24 priorities for palliative and end-of-life care research was produced.
The priorities reflect the range of issues shaping end-of-life experiences and serve as a call to action for researchers and funders.
Providing peer support can benefit youth peer support workers (peers)et by supporting self-determination, recovery and resilience to self-stigma. There is a need to clarify the role of the organisation in providing benefits for peers. We aimed to identify the organisational contexts and mechanisms that result in the creation of healthy workplaces for peers.
Rapid realist review guided by the Realist and Meta-Narrative Evidence Syntheses–Evolving Standards guidelines and Pawson’s iterative approach.
MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ERIC, SocINDEX, Google Scholar and Embase were searched from 1979 to 2025.
We included qualitative and quantitative peer-reviewed studies and grey literature that captured characteristics of organisational practices and employment considerations in youth peer support programmes.
Articles were screened independently by multiple reviewers. Inclusion criteria were adjusted to capture literature on organisational practices, and employment considerations for youth peer support programmes. Data were extracted and analysed retroductively to develop Context-Mechanism-Outcome Configurations (CMOCs).
Five employment-related risks to peer well-being were identified: (1) difficulty entering the job market, (2) lack of role clarity, (3) pressure to live up to ideals, (4) retraumatisation and (5) stigma. Six CMOCs were developed; all focused on the creation of equitable employment and supporting peer development and empowerment were developed.
Community-based mental health organisations can facilitate equitable peer employment through strategies that reduce professional stigma, enhance peer resilience and promote professional and personal development. Policy reform that addresses precarious work conditions is needed to support healthy work environments.
by Paola Ximena Gonzalez-Lerma, Crystal Lloyd, Scarlet J. Park, Ken Dawson-Scully
Chemotherapeutic agents used for most common cancers are frequently associated with neurotoxicity, which often include debilitating side effects such as seizures. Docetaxel, one of the most widely and effectively used chemotherapeutic drugs, is associated with an array of symptoms referred to as Docetaxel-Induced Peripheral Neuropathies (DIPNs), including motor neuropathy, tingling, muscle weakness, and numbness. In this study, we use the electroconvulsive assay to model DIPN-related muscle weakness in C. elegans, via shock induction. We show that acutely or chronically exposing nematodes to docetaxel increases time to recovery from shock-induced seizure-like behaviors. Additionally, we find that sildenafil citrate, a PDE-5 inhibitor, and a novel bicyclic bridge compound, Resveramorph-3 (RVM-3), are both effective at rescuing the animals from prolonged seizure-like movement duration following acute and chronic exposure to docetaxel. The results demonstrate that sildenafil citrate and RVM-3 are potential candidates for mitigating the neurological deficits resulting from DIPNs.The carbon footprint of end-to-end healthcare deliveries by the National Health Service in England totalled 25.0 megatons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) in 2019. Optimal and sustainable healthcare can lead to better health outcomes as well as a lower environmental footprint.
To evaluate the potential impact of prevention and effective management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in adults on both the clinical outcomes and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the UK healthcare setting.
We incorporated an environmental module into the existing IQVIA core diabetes model to estimate the impact of improving clinical outcomes on GHG emissions over a lifetime horizon. We assessed two hypothetical scenarios: (1) preventing progression from pre-diabetes to T2DM through diet and exercise versus no intervention and natural disease progression to T2DM; and (2) well-controlled T2DM using interventions with clinical benefit on glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), and renal and cardiovascular outcomes versus uncontrolled T2DM.
Preventing progression to T2DM led to 6.357 additional undiscounted life years and 67% less kg CO2e emissions compared with subsequent natural progression to T2DM for a person with pre-diabetes over a lifetime (emissions of 9586 kg CO2e over 37.115 years vs 28 716 kg CO2e over 30.758 years, respectively). Well-controlled T2DM led to 1.947 additional undiscounted life years and 21% less kg CO2e emissions per patient over a lifetime compared with uncontrolled T2DM (emissions of 14 545 kg CO2e over 22.772 years vs 18 516 kg CO2e over 20.825 years, respectively). In both scenarios, the GHG emission savings were primarily due to reduced emissions related to avoidance of treating complications of T2DM including cardiovascular, renal and eye diseases.
Effective prevention and management of T2DM through implementation of evidence-based clinical guidelines can improve patient outcomes while reducing the healthcare-related environmental impacts.
Severe pectus excavatum (PE) may impair cardiopulmonary and physical function. The effectiveness of surgical treatment to correct PE and restore physical function is widely debated due to a lack of high-quality comparative evidence. The RESTORE trial aims to determine the clinical and cost-effectiveness of corrective surgery for severe PE compared with conservative management for the first time in a randomised controlled trial (RCT).
RESTORE is a pragmatic, multicentre, RCT with an embedded observational cohort. 200 participants aged ≥12 years with severe PE will be recruited at around 12 National Health Service cardiothoracic surgical centres in England. Participants will be randomised 1:1 to receive either surgery within 3 months of randomisation (intervention arm) or no surgery until after the primary outcome measurement at 1 year (comparator arm). The primary outcome is change in physical functioning from baseline to 1 year as measured by the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36v2) physical function score. The primary economic outcome is cost-effectiveness. The key secondary outcome is change in % predicted VO2peak at 1 year measured by cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET). Outcomes will be assessed at 1 year post-randomisation in the comparator arm and 1 year post-surgery in the intervention arm. The primary analyses will be undertaken on an intention-to-treat population using a linear mixed-effects model, adjusted for stratification variables via a binary covariate. Other secondary outcomes will include change from baseline of cardiopulmonary function (CPET and spirometry), health-related quality of life using the EuroQol 5 Dimension 5 Level (EQ-5D-5L) and SF-36v2 questionnaires, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and disease specific symptoms (Phoenix Comprehensive Assessment for Pectus Excavatum Symptoms and Pectus Excavatum Evaluation Questionnaire). Adverse events, complications from surgery and operative technical success (Haller and Compression Indices from preoperative and postoperative CT scans) will also be assessed. Health economic analysis will estimate the incremental cost per quality adjusted life year at 1 year.
The trial was approved by East of Scotland Research and Ethics Service (24/ES/0034). Participants who are ≥16 years of age will be required to provide written informed consent. For participants
Many pregnant women have a history of trauma, such as abuse or violence, which can significantly impact their mental and physical health. Discussing these experiences in maternity care presents an opportunity to support women, reduce stigma and connect them with resources. However, concerns persist about stigmatisation, re-traumatisation and unwarranted safeguarding referrals.
The objective of this study was to explore how trauma discussions should be approached in maternity care, drawing on the perspectives of women with lived experience, voluntary sector representatives and healthcare providers in the UK. Findings aim to inform the development of a future intervention.
Semistructured interviews were conducted with women with trauma histories (experts by experience; n=4), representatives of voluntary sector organisations (n=7) and healthcare providers (n=12). Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. A qualitative content analysis approach was employed, supported by a Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement group (named as the ‘Research Collective’ for this study) comprising experts by experience, maternity care professionals and voluntary sector practitioners. The group contributed to both study design and data analysis.
Five descriptive categories emerged: (1) Rationale for discussions—whether and why trauma should be addressed; (2) Professionals and settings—who should lead discussions and in what environment; (3) Timing considerations—when discussions should occur; (4) Communicating about trauma—strategies to sensitively explore prior trauma; and (5) Supporting care providers—training and emotional support needs. Participants highlighted both the benefits of trauma discussions and the practical, emotional and systemic challenges involved.
Trauma discussions in maternity care are complex but essential. Findings provide practical, UK-specific insights into timing, communication and staff support considerations, highlighting the need for culturally sensitive, co-designed approaches to facilitate safe and effective trauma-informed care.
Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) supports Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) management, but healthcare professionals (HCPs) often face challenges interpreting data. E-learning platforms can enhance knowledge, skills and confidence. This systematic review identified enablers and barriers to e-learning for CGM interpretation.
Systematic review conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.
PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science and CINAHL were searched on 7 February 2024.
Studies of HCPs using e-learning for T2D management were included, both comparative and non-comparative. Outcomes included enablers and barriers. Eligible designs were randomised, quasi-experimental, controlled before-and-after and observational studies. No restrictions on setting or language; conference abstracts included if full text was available
Two reviewers independently screened and extracted data using a predefined form; disagreements were resolved by a third reviewer. Thematic analysis identified key enablers and barriers. Methodological quality was assessed using the Downs and Black checklist, and findings were synthesised narratively.
Four studies met inclusion criteria, including 6790 participants (physicians, nurses, midwives and medical residents). E-learning improved knowledge and skills. Emami et al reported increased knowledge of T2D diagnosis and treatment (p=0.001), while Okuroğlu and Alpar found improvements in diabetes care knowledge and skills (pet al noted enhanced self-reported performance (p=0.03) and 84% satisfaction. Enablers included flexibility and accessibility, while barriers involved time constraints, resistance to change and methodological limitations (self-selection bias, lack of blinding). Study quality ranged from fair (three studies) to poor (one study).
Based on current evidence, it is unclear if e-learning can significantly enhance HCPs’ knowledge, skills and confidence in T2D management. Barriers such as time constraints and resistance to change remain, and the limited number and quality of studies restrict the generalisability of these findings. E-learning may offer potential benefits, but further robust randomised controlled trials are needed to evaluate long-term outcomes and strategies to overcome these challenges.
CRD42023455156.
Taking multiple medicines can be appropriate but has the potential to be problematic. The Implementing Stimulating Innovation in the Management of Polypharmacy and Adherence THrough the Years (iSIMPATHY) project used the 7-Steps person-centred approach for medication reviews, supporting patients and clinicians to define and achieve realistic goals for drug treatment, and helping enable patients to lead healthy and active lives.
To assess the impact of pharmacist-led comprehensive person-centred medication reviews using the 7-Steps methodology.
iSIMPATHY sought to transform the approach to optimisation of medicinces through the delivery of person-centred medication reviews for people taking multiple medicines in primary care, hospital and outpatient clinics. The reviews were conducted by embedding a single approach for polypharmacy management, building on key recommendations from SIMPATHY.
Interventions made were graded, with 82% being classified as clinically significant and 4% potentially preventing major organ failure, adverse drug reactions or incidents of similar clinical importance. The average number of medications reduced from 12 to 11, with 92% of the reviews resulting in more appropriate medication use, thereby decreasing the likelihood of medication-related harm. Inappropriate medicines were stopped, reduced or altered to improve appropriateness. There were significant healthcare resource utilisation benefits as indicated by a positive return on investment for both medication and healthcare costs with a quality-adjusted life year gain of 7.4 per 100 patients.
Pharmacist-led, person-centred medication review using the 7-Steps approach was delivered across jurisdictions and healthcare settings, with positive impacts on the number and appropriateness of medicines, clinical interventions and cost savings outweighing expenditure on the service. The approach is scalable by means of the tools and resources developed over the duration of the project.
To describe telephone-triage nurses' perceptions of their well-being and the system factors that influenced their well-being while conducting telephone-triage for COVID-19 during the pandemic.
This descriptive, qualitative study applied both inductive and deductive analysis to generate themes.
We interviewed a convenience sample of 27 nurses from two health systems about their perceptions of well-being when triaging patient calls about COVID-19 and reasons for those perceptions. Data collection occurred between November 2020 and June 2021. Themes were organised using the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine framework.
Telephone-triage nurses' well-being was significantly impacted by COVID-19. Uncertainty regarding evolving COVID-19 guidance, increased call volumes and difficult patient responses were some of the key work system challenges that impacted nurses' well-being.
Our findings suggest the need to revisit work system factors that impact the well-being of telephone-triage nurses and develop organisational interventions to support nurses to provide optimal care during crisis situations.
Organisational information infrastructure should be bolstered for future pandemic responses to minimise impacts on nurses' well-being. Additionally, leaders need to realign tasks, workflows and workload of telephone triage during pandemic surges to prevent excessive demands on nurses.
This work contributes to understanding telephone-triage nurses' well-being during COVID-19. The increased demands they faced and impact on their well-being point to opportunities for organisational well-being interventions and development of crisis standards for tele-triaging to support nurses during high-stress, crisis situations.
The authors have adhered to COREQ guidelines for reporting.
No patient or public contribution.
Carers of people with non-memory-led dementias such as posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), primary progressive aphasia (PPA) and behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) face unique challenges. Yet, little evidence-based support and guidance are available for this population. To address this gap in services, we have developed a novel, web-based educational programme: the Better Living with Non-memory-led Dementia programme (BELIDE). BELIDE was co-designed with people with lived experience of non-memory-led dementia and a previous pilot study confirmed its feasibility as an online intervention. This protocol outlines the randomised controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of BELIDE.
This is a parallel-group, single-blind, RCT of 238 unpaid caregivers of people diagnosed with PCA, PPA or bvFTD recruited internationally among members of the UK-based organisation Rare Dementia Support. The intervention (BELIDE programme) consists of six structured online educational modules tailored to each phenotype, a virtual onboarding session, real-life practice tasks and up to two follow-up facilitation sessions. The group receiving the intervention will be given access to the programme, while the control group will receive treatment as usual and be placed on a wait-list to receive access to the programme once they complete their participation in the trial. The allocation ratio will be 1:1 stratified by dementia diagnosis and gender. The primary outcome is reduction in caregiver depressive symptoms. Secondary outcomes include stress, anxiety, self-efficacy, quality of life and caregiver-patient relationship quality. Data will be collected online via Qualtrics surveys at baseline, 8 weeks and 6 months post-randomisation. A mixed-method process evaluation with a subgroup of intervention participants will explore barriers and facilitators for engagement. A health economics evaluation will also be conducted to assess cost-effectiveness. If effective, this programme could improve access to caregiver support for non-memory-led dementias by providing scalable, tailored education.
Ethical approval has been granted by University College London Research Ethics Committee (8545/007). The results will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications, conferences, stakeholder events and open-access resources.
This trial has been registered prospectively on the Clinical Trials registry, first posted on 5 February 2024 under registration number NCT06241287.
Post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) describes a cluster of ongoing symptoms experienced by a large proportion of patients previously admitted to critical care. Despite a large rise in survival following critical care, interventions to support recovery and combat PICS are lacking. It has been suggested that the use of digital tools such as virtual reality (VR) may play a useful role in the development of recovery-supporting interventions. We engaged with people with lived experience of critical care admission to coproduce a VR intervention (ViRtual REality to AiD recoverY post ICU (VR READY)). Here, we present a protocol for the initial feasibility and acceptability testing of this intervention.
This is a single-arm, single-site, non-randomised feasibility trial of VR READY. Up to 25 participants recently admitted to critical care will be recruited to use the VR READY intervention for at least 5 min per day for a period of 14 days. Participants must have capacity to consent and be free from ongoing delirium in order to participate. Outcomes relating to sleep and well-being will be measured at baseline and at day 14 after intervention delivery. The primary outcome is feasibility, which will be assessed according to prespecified criteria. Participants will complete a qualitative interview to assess acceptability of the intervention, trial design and outcomes approximately 1 month after completing the intervention period. No formal statistical analysis of outcomes will be conducted, but these will be summarised descriptively. Interviews will be subjected to reflexive thematic analysis.
This study received a favourable ethical opinion by North-East York Research Ethics Committee (Ref 23/NE/0113) in June 2024. Study results will be disseminated through the peer review literature, ISRCTN registry and directly to participants, which will be facilitated by the study public and patient involvement steering group.
To integrate the quantitative and qualitative data collected as part of the PEACH (Procalcitonin: Evaluation of Antibiotic use in COVID-19 Hospitalised patients) study, which evaluated whether procalcitonin (PCT) testing should be used to guide antibiotic prescribing and safely reduce antibiotic use among patients admitted to acute UK National Health Service (NHS) hospitals.
Triangulation to integrate quantitative and qualitative data.
Four data sources in 148 NHS hospitals in England and Wales including data from 6089 patients.
A triangulation protocol was used to integrate three quantitative data sources (survey, organisation-level data and patient-level data: data sources 1, 2 and 3) and one qualitative data source (clinician interviews: data source 4) collected as part of the PEACH study. Analysis of data sources initially took place independently, and then, key findings for each data source were added to a matrix. A series of interactive discussion meetings took place with quantitative, qualitative and clinical researchers, together with patient and public involvement (PPI) representatives, to group the key findings and produce seven statements relating to the study objectives. Each statement and the key findings related to that statement were considered alongside an assessment of whether there was agreement, partial agreement, dissonance or silence across all four data sources (convergence coding). The matrix was then interpreted to produce a narrative for each statement.
To explore whether PCT testing safely reduced antibiotic use during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Seven statements were produced relating to the PEACH study objective. There was agreement across all four data sources for our first key statement, ‘During the first wave of the pandemic (01/02/2020-30/06/2020), PCT testing reduced antibiotic prescribing’. The second statement was related to this key statement, ‘During the first wave of the pandemic (01/02/2020-30/06/2020), PCT testing safely reduced antibiotic prescribing’. Partial agreement was found between data sources 3 (quantitative patient-level data) and 4 (qualitative clinician interviews). There were no data regarding safety from data sources 1 or 2 (quantitative survey and organisational-level data) to contribute to this statement. For statements three and four, ‘PCT was not used as a central factor influencing antibiotic prescribing’, and ‘PCT testing reduced antibiotic prescribing in the emergency department (ED)/acute medical unit (AMU),’ there was agreement between data source 2 (organisational-level data) and data source 4 (interviews with clinicians). The remaining two data sources (survey and patient-level data) contributed no data on this statement. For statement five, ‘PCT testing reduced antibiotic prescribing in the intensive care unit (ICU)’, there was disagreement between data sources 2 and 3 (organisational-level data and patient-level data) and data source 4 (clinician interviews). Data source 1 (survey) did not provide data on this statement. We therefore assigned dissonance to this statement. For statement six, ‘There were many barriers to implementing PCT testing during the first wave of COVID-19’, there was partial agreement between data source 1 (survey) and data source 4 (clinician interviews) and no data provided by the two remaining data sources (organisational-level data and patient-level data). For statement seven, ‘Local PCT guidelines/protocols were perceived to be valuable’, only data source 4 (clinician interviews) provided data. The clinicians expressed that guidelines were valuable, but as there was no data from the other three data sources, we assigned silence to this statement.
There was agreement between all four data sources on our key finding ‘during the first wave of the pandemic (01/02/2020-30/06/2020), PCT testing reduced antibiotic prescribing’. Data, methodological and investigator triangulation, and a transparent triangulation protocol give validity to this finding.
To assess the impact of opening a large community-based asynchronous review ophthalmic clinic on attendance delays among patients with stable chronic eye disease attending a London teaching eye hospital network.
Interrupted time-series analysis of routine electronic health records of appointment attendances.
A large eye hospital network with facilities across London, UK, between June 2018 and April 2023.
We analysed 69 257 attendances from 39 357 patients, with glaucoma and medical retina accounting for 62% (n=42 982) and 38% (n=26 275) of visits, respectively. Patients over 65 made up 54% (n=37 824) of attendances, while 53% (n=37 014) were from the more deprived half of the population, and 51% (n=35 048) were males.
An asynchronous review clinic opened in a shopping centre in London, in autumn 2021, following the COVID-19 lockdown in spring 2020.
Average attendance delays (days), calculated as the difference between follow-up attendance date and the latest clinically appropriate date determined at the preceding attendance.
Pre-COVID-19, attendance delays for chronic eye disease monitoring were increasing by 0.9 days per week (95% CI, 0.8 to 0.9) on average, worsening to 2.0 days per week (95% CI, 2.0 to 2.0) after the first COVID-19 national lockdown, mid-March 2020. Opening the asynchronous review clinic increased appointment capacity, with delays decreasing on average by 8.1 days per week (95% CI, 8.1 to 8.2) shortly after opening. The rate of decrease slowed to 0.3 days per week (95% CI, 0.3 to 0.3) after 5 months. We found no significant differences in average attendance delays by age, gender or level of deprivation.
The asynchronous review clinic significantly reduced attendance delays across the hospital network, addressing pre-existing backlog for stable chronic eye diseases. The reduction appeared to be maintained after the initial backlog had been cleared.
Commentary on: Chaiken, S.R., Darney, B.G., Schenck, M. and Han, L., 2023. Public perceptions of abortion complications. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 229(4), pp.421-e1.
Implications for practice and research Information provision, including clinical messaging and public health campaigns, needs to emphasise the safety of abortion, stressing accurate information on ‘true’ risks associated with respective procedures. Further research should focus on exploring and tackling misinformation for all abortion methods, establishing which perceived risks are associated with which procedure type.
Despite firm evidence on the safety of abortion,
FreshRSS 