interRAI is a global collaboration of clinicians, researchers and policy-makers who have developed a suite of assessment tools to assess the health status and care needs of older adults in various settings (ie, home, long-term care, etc). We aim to determine how interRAI tools have been used as an intervention and to evaluate intervention efficacy in older adults (65+) across diverse healthcare settings. Importantly, given the deployment of interRAI primarily in high-income countries, we anticipate that the findings may have minimal relevance to low- and middle-income nations, where there is an immediate and urgent need for equity in geriatric assessment.
To be included, all studies must satisfy our inclusion criteria, outlined by the population (ie, older adults and/or individuals providing some element of care to older adults), intervention (ie, randomised or non-randomised), comparator (ie, with or without one) and outcome (ie, how the interRAI formed the basis of a study intervention). Our search strategy is based on previous reviews of interRAI tools, our research and clinical experience, and the expertise of a specialised librarian. In addition to PubMed, we will conduct our search without date or language restrictions in Scopus, Embase,Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Academic Search Premier and PsycInfo. Study screening will employ a team-based approach, with Kappa statistics >0.8 indicating ‘substantial’ agreement and an acceptable threshold. Data extraction will capture the study ID and design, as well as sample characteristics and outcomes. Reporting will adhere to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews, with findings presented graphically and narratively.
Ethics approval is not required. Our knowledge dissemination strategies include traditional research avenues (ie, manuscript publications). We will also create an infographic to disperse widely and leverage existing partnerships to provide community presentations.
To estimate the prevalence of dry eye disease (DED) and explore its association with depression and poor sleep quality.
A cross-sectional study.
The study was conducted at the ophthalmology outpatient clinic of a tertiary university hospital in Thailand, from September 2022 to April 2023.
A total of 1321 patients aged 18 years or older, without any history of orbital disease, active superficial or intraocular infection/inflammation, eyelid pathology, or prior intraocular or eyelid surgery within the past 6 months, were enrolled in the study.
All patients underwent dry eye examination, including the Ocular Surface Disease Index questionnaire, tear break-up time and ocular surface staining. Physical activity was measured using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire, which was expressed as total Metabolic Equivalent of Task-minutes per week. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Composite Scale of Morningness (CSM) and STOP-Bang. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9).
Prevalence of DED and association pathways involving depression, sleep quality and DED.
The mean age of the participants was 58.3±14.0 years, with a female predominance of 73.7%. Of the 1321 patients, 668 were diagnosed with DED, resulting in a hospital-based prevalence of 50.6% (95% CI: 47.8%, 53.3%). After adjusting for age, sex and underlying disease, PSQI, PHQ-9, STOP-Bang and CSM scores remained significantly associated with DED with adjusted ORs of 2.48 (95% CI: 1.96, 3.14; p
DED is notably common among Thai patients. Depression and poor sleep quality are significantly associated with DED. Poor sleep quality may mediate the relationship between depression and DED.
The quality of care provided in long-term care (LTC) homes has been a concern for many years, and the COVID-19 pandemic has further raised awareness of this issue. Care planning helps identify and prioritise areas to improve LTC residents’ health. Data are routinely collected to support care planning, for example, the interRAI LTC facilities instrument and real-time location systems. However, the best way to use these data to inform care planning and decision-making while including residents and family members remains elusive. This study aims to develop a data-informed care planning improvement intervention that uses routinely collected data to guide resident-centred care planning in LTC. Specifically, we will: (1) examine how, where and why routinely collected data are used in current care planning processes in LTC; (2) identify barriers and facilitators to using data to guide care planning from the perspectives of staff, residents and family caregivers; and (3) develop care planning intervention guided by the Behaviour Change Wheel.
An advisory committee of residents, family members and LTC staff will provide study oversight of this interpretive qualitative description study, conducted in LTC homes in Nova Scotia from May 2023 to April 2025. Participants, including LTC residents, their family members and staff, will be invited to participate in two 60–90 min focus groups or 45–60 min individual interviews and/or three 2-hour observation sessions. Data from interviews, focus groups and care observations will be analysed using inductive content analysis to answer the objectives. Next, we will deductively map the identified barriers and facilitators onto the Behaviour Change Wheel, which suggests that Capability, Opportunity and Motivation are needed for a Behaviour to occur (COM-B system). Subsequently, we will have a 1 day advisory committee meeting to: (1) select the intervention components using the APEASE criteria, which asks whether the function is
This study has been approved by the Dalhousie University Health Sciences Research Ethics Board. Informed consent will be obtained from all participants or their substitute decision-makers before they take part in interviews, focus group discussions and care observations. Data will be de-identified, and privacy and confidentiality will be maintained through secure storage and handling of both electronic and physical documents. Study findings will be shared with participants through lay summaries and infographics after the second interview and observation, as well as at the conclusion of the study. Results will also be disseminated to researchers, healthcare professionals and LTC providers across Canada via presentations at local, national and international conferences, publications in open-access journals and through print and video materials tailored to the audience.
Wound healing is a complex process that orchestrates the coordinated action of various cells, cytokines and growth factors. Nanotechnology offers exciting new possibilities for enhancing the healing process by providing novel materials and approaches to deliver bioactive molecules to the wound site. This article elucidates recent advancements in utilizing nanoparticles, nanofibres and nanosheets for wound healing. It comprehensively discusses the advantages and limitations of each of these materials, as well as their potential applications in various types of wounds. Each of these materials, despite sharing common properties, can exhibit distinct practical characteristics that render them particularly valuable for healing various types of wounds. In this review, our primary focus is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state-of-the-art in applying nanoparticles, nanofibres, nanosheets and their combinations to wound healing, serving as a valuable resource to guide researchers in their appropriate utilization of these nanomaterials in wound-healing research. Further studies are necessary to gain insight into the application of this type of nanomaterials in clinical settings.