The global population is aging, and it is becoming increasingly common for older people to suffer from multiple diseases. The development of digital health technologies has assisted the self-management of multimorbid older patients. Currently, there is a lack of qualitative review that synthesizes the needs and experiences of multimorbid older patients using digital health technologies for self-management.
To synthesize the needs and experiences of multimorbid older adults using digital health technologies for self-management.
The following six electronic databases were searched: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL. The search timeframe was from construction to November 4, 2024. Thematic synthesis by Thomas and Harden was used for meta-synthesis. Study selection and data extraction were conducted independently by two researchers, and quality was evaluated using the 10-item Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool.
Ten studies were included. Three themes and seven subthemes were synthesized: (1) different impressions and perceptions, (2) challenges of use, and (3) conveniences and benefits. Older adults with multiple medical conditions have positive or negative impressions and perceptions of digital health technologies and experience multiple challenges in their use (lack of expertise, technical and equipment barriers, need support), while at the same time, digital health technologies offer huge benefits for their self-management (improved communication with healthcare professionals, enhanced self-management skills).
This review provides support for healthcare professionals to understand the experiences of multimorbid older adults using digital health technologies for self-management. Healthcare professionals and technology developers should establish collaborative relationships to design comprehensive, usable, and less burdensome digital health technologies for older adults with multiple morbidities. Additionally, comprehensive technical support services should be provided to ensure the effective utilization of these technologies by older adults.
PROSPERO number: CRD42024599433
To summarise the currently developed risk prediction models for medication adherence in patients with chronic diseases and evaluate their performance and applicability.
Ensuring medication adherence is crucial in effectively managing chronic diseases. Although numerous studies have endeavoured to construct risk prediction models for predicting medication adherence in patients with chronic illnesses, the reliability and practicality of these models remain uncertain.
Systematic review.
We conducted searches on PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, CINAHL, Embase and Medline from inception until 16 July 2023. Two authors independently screened risk prediction models for medication adherence that met the predefined inclusion criteria. The Prediction Model Risk of Bias Assessment Tool (PROBAST) was employed to evaluate both the risk of bias and clinical applicability of the included studies. This systematic review adhered to the 2020 PRISMA checklist.
The study included a total of 11 risk prediction models from 11 studies. Medication regimen and age were the most common predictors. The use of PROBAST revealed that some essential methodological details were not thoroughly reported in these models. Due to limitations in methodology, all models were rated as having a high-risk for bias.
According to PROBAST, the current models for predicting medication adherence in patients with chronic diseases exhibit a high risk of bias. Future research should prioritise enhancing the methodological quality of model development and conducting external validations on existing models.
Based on the review findings, recommendations have been provided to refine the construction methodology of prediction models with an aim of identifying high-risk individuals and key factors associated with low medication adherence in chronic diseases.
This systematic review was conducted without patient or public participation.
To evaluate the diagnostic potential of exosome-based circular RNAs (circRNAs) as biomarkers for wound healing in patients after breast cancer surgery, we conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis of studies that measured exosome-based circRNA levels in breast cancer patients post-surgery. Data sources included several biomedical databases up to April 2023. Two independent reviewers extracted the data and assessed study quality. Sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic odds ratios were synthesized using random-effects model with subgroup analyses performed based on study characteristics. Seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria, encompassing a total of 1234 patients. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of exosome-based circRNA for detecting wound healing complications were 0.85 (95% CI: 0.77–0.91) and 0.83 (95% CI: 0.78–0.88), respectively. The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve was 0.90, indicating high diagnostic accuracy. Subgroup analyses revealed that diagnostic performance was consistent across studies of different geographic regions and sample types but indicated potential variability related to patient age and study design. Exosome-based circRNA profiles exhibited the high diagnostic accuracy for monitoring wound healing in breast cancer post-operative care. These findings supported the potential utility of circRNA as non-invasive biomarkers for post-surgical recovery. However, variability among studies suggested the need for standardized protocols in biomarker measurement. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies to validate the prognostic value of these biomarkers and investigate their role in personalized patient management.
The aim of this study is to evaluate the relative merits of various heart failure models of care with regard to a variety of outcomes.
Systematic review.
Five databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, Embase and Science Direct were searched from the inception date of databases to August 20, 2022.
This review used the Cochrane Collaboration's ‘Risk of Bias’ tool to assess quality. Only randomised controlled trails were included in this review that assessed all care models in the management of adults with heart failure. A categorical summary of the pattern of the papers was found, followed by extraction of outcome indicators.
Twenty articles (19 studies) were included. Seven examined nurse-led care, two examined multidisciplinary specialist care, nine (10 articles) examined patient self-management, and one examined nurse and physiotherapist co-led care. Regarding outcomes, this review examined how well the four models performed with regard to quality of life, health services use, HF self-care, and anxiety and depression for heart failure patients. The model of patient self-management showed more beneficial results than nurse-led care, multidisciplinary specialist care, and nurse and physiotherapist co-led care in reducing hospital days, improving symptoms, promoting self-care behaviours of HF patients, enhancing the quality of life, and strengthening self-care ability.
This systematic review synthesises the different care models and their relative effectiveness. Four different models of care were summarised. Of these models, the self-management model demonstrated better outcomes.
The self-management model is more effective in increasing self-management behaviours and self-management abilities, lowering the risk of hospitalisation and death, improving quality of life, and relieving anxiety and depression than other models.
There was no funding to remunerate a patient/member of the public for this review.
The present study aimed to investigate the effect of local oxygen therapy combined with vacuum sealing drainage (VSD) on the healing of stage IV pressure ulcers sacrococcygeal. In this prospective study, we included a total of 98 patients with stage IV sacrococcygeal pressure ulcers in our hospital between February 2021 and June 2022. The patients enrolled were randomly and equally divided into two groups: the study group (undergoing local oxygen therapy combined with VSD treatment) and the control group (receiving conventional treatment). The wound healing time and hospital stay were compared between the two groups. Additionally, the wound area, tissue type, wound exudation and pain intensity were assessed before treatment, 10, 20, 30 and 40 days after treatment. The incidence of complications was also calculated. The study group demonstrated significantly shorter wound healing time and hospital stays compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Before treatment, there were no significant differences in terms of wound area, tissue type and wound exudation between the two groups (p > 0.05); after 10, 20, 30 and 40 days of treatment, however, evidently smaller wound areas, improved tissue types and reduced wound exudation were observed in the study group compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the study group exhibited increased microvascular count compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Before treatment, there was no significant difference in pain intensity between the two groups (p > 0.05), whereas markedly lower pain intensity was seen in the study group than in the control group after 10, 20, 30 and 40 days of treatment (p < 0.05). The incidence of complications did not significantly differ between the two groups after 40 days of treatment (p > 0.05). Local oxygen therapy combined with VSD was found to effectively accelerate the healing process of stage IV sacrococcygeal pressure ulcers, leading to shorter hospital stays and improved patient prognosis. This combined therapy shows promise for widespread application in clinical practice.