Chronic care programme

INTRODUCTION: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is increasingly prevalent, and supervised physical exercise programmes are recommended as the first-line treatment. However, these programmes are underused. Alternative delivery models may be able to expand treatment coverage. The objective of this study was to compare a home-based exercise programme (HBEP) and a centre-based exercise (CBE) in terms of their effects on functional capacity, peripheral muscle oxygenation and quality of life in individuals with PAD...

BACKGROUND: Socio-economic inequalities in health have been in the public agenda for decades. General practice has an influential role to play in mitigating the impact of inequalities especially regarding chronic conditions. At the moment, general practice is dealing with serious challenges in relation to workforce shortages, increasing workload and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to identify effective ways so that general practice can play its role in reducing health inequalities...

Chronic pain exerts a significant impact on the quality of life, giving rise to both physical and psycho-social vulnerabilities. It not only leads to direct costs associated with treatments, but also results in indirect costs due to the reduced productivity of affected individuals. Chronic conditions can be improved by reducing modifiable risk factors. Various educational programs, including the Chronic Disease Self-Management Programme (CDSMP), have demonstrated the advantages of enhancing patient empowerment and health literacy...

BACKGROUND: Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) inflict significant comorbid disability on the most vulnerable communities; yet interventions targeting the mental health of affected communities are lacking. A pilot study to assess the effectiveness of a chronic disease self-management program (CDSMP) was introduced to lymphatic filariasis peer support groups in Léogâne, Haiti. METHODS: Using a closed-cohort stepped-wedge cluster trial design, Hope Clubs were assigned into Arm 1 (n=118 members) and Arm 2 (n=92)...

BACKGROUND: Autoimmune limbic encephalitis (ALE) is a neurological disease characterised by inflammation of the limbic regions of the brain, mediated by pathogenic autoantibodies. Because cognitive deficits persist following acute treatment of ALE, the accurate assessment of long-term cognitive outcomes is important for clinical assessments and trials. However, evaluating cognition is costly and an unmet need exists for validated digital methods. METHODS: In this cross-sectional validation study, we investigated whether a remote digital platform could identify previously characterised cognitive impairments in patients with chronic ALE and whether digital metrics would correlate with standard neuropsychological assessment and hippocampal volume...

INTRODUCTION: Chronic stable angina is common and disabling. Cardiac rehabilitation is routinely offered to people following myocardial infarction or revascularisation procedures and has the potential to help people with chronic stable angina. However, there is insufficient evidence of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness for its routine use in this patient group. The objectives of this study are to compare the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the 'Activate Your Heart' cardiac rehabilitation programme for people with chronic stable angina compared with usual care...

BACKGROUND: Community health worker (CHW) programmes contribute towards strengthening adherence support, improving maternal and child health outcomes and providing support for social services. They play a valuable role in health behaviour change in vulnerable communities. Large-scale, comprehensive CHW programmes at health district level are part of a South African (SA) strategy to re-engineer primary healthcare and take health directly into communities and households, contributing to universal health coverage...

Obesity is the most common chronic condition in the United States (US), yet primary care physicians face barriers in providing obesity treatment. This study examines the prevalence of American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM) certified obesity specialists on the faculty of US Family Medicine residency training programmes, the preparedness of graduating resident physicians to treat obesity, and residency training programme director preferences for supporting faculty development to improve residency education in obesity management...

BACKGROUND: The SARS-CoV-2 virus can bind to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptors on host renal cells and may cause acute kidney injury (AKI). The comparative risks of AKI in patients severely ill with COVID-19 and influenza A have not been examined. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study including patients with positive PCR results for SARS-CoV-2 or influenza A virus admitted to the intensive care units (ICUs) of 15 public hospitals in Hong Kong between 1st January 2013 and 30th April 2023...

BACKGROUND: Chronic subdural haematoma is a collection of 'old blood' and its breakdown products in the subdural space and predominantly affects older people. Surgical evacuation remains the mainstay in the management of symptomatic cases. OBJECTIVE: The Dex-CSDH (DEXamethasone in Chronic SubDural Haematoma) randomised trial investigated the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of dexamethasone in patients with a symptomatic chronic subdural haematoma. DESIGN: This was a parallel, superiority, multicentre, pragmatic, randomised controlled trial...

AIMS: Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) significantly impacts health-related quality of life (HR-QoL). Existing HR-QoL questionnaires can show inconsistencies, potentially misrepresenting patient self-reports. This study examines the variation in HR-QoL measurement tools for HFrEF patients, identifying related determinants. METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively analysed 134 hospitalized patients with acute decompensated HFrEF at a Taiwanese tertiary centre's Heart Failure Post-Acute-Care (HF-PAC) programme...

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is a programme of exercise and education and the most effective treatment for the symptoms and disability associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, the benefits of PR are limited by poor uptake and completion. This trial will determine whether using trained volunteer lay health workers, called "PR buddies," improves uptake and completion of PR and is cost-effective. This trial protocol outlines the methods for evaluating effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and acceptability...

BACKGROUND: Australia is struggling to meet its National Hepatitis B Strategy care targets, particularly in nonmetropolitan settings. It is vital to engage priority populations and improve their access to recommended care to reach these targets. AIMS: This retrospective study examined people living with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in regional North Queensland, Australia, and determined whether their care adhered to current national CHB management guidelines. The analysis aimed to identify gaps in care that might be addressed to improve future outcomes...

INTRODUCTION: Breast cancer survivors (BCSs) are often faced with multiple mental and physical sequelae and are at increased risk of emotional distress, degraded health-related quality of life (HRQoL), chronic pain and fatigue.Physical activity is strongly associated with improved HRQoL and survival rates; however, adherence rates to recommendations for a healthy lifestyle are seldom satisfactory among BCSs. Also, few studies have examined the effectiveness of multicomponent and personalised interventions that integrate physical activity and motivational techniques to improve the HRQoL of BCS...

AIMS: To describe what is known from existing scientific literature on children's and parents' experiences of hospital-based home care and to identify future research areas. DESIGN: The scoping review design used adheres to the methodological framework of Arksey and O'Malley, and to the PRISMA-ScR checklist. REVIEW METHODS: A systematic search was conducted, and peer-reviewed scientific papers were screened through the application of Rayyan software...

BACKGROUND: A small share of patients account for a large proportion of costs to the healthcare system in Denmark as in many Western countries. A telephone-based self-management support, proactive health support (PaHS), was suggested for prevention of hospitalisations for persons at risk of hospital admission. These persons have chronic diseases, unplanned hospitalisations and age ≥ 65 years. However, evidence is limited on whether this type of intervention is cost-effective...

BACKGROUND: Mental health difficulties are common in children and young people with chronic health conditions, but many of those in need do not access evidence-based psychological treatments. The study aim was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of integrated mental health treatment for children and young people with epilepsy, a common chronic health condition known to be associated with a particularly high rate of co-occurring mental health difficulties. METHODS: We conducted a parallel group, multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled trial of participants aged 3-18 years, attending epilepsy clinics across England and Northern Ireland who met diagnostic criteria for a common mental health disorder...

INTRODUCTION: Chronic autoimmune (type 1 diabetes and coeliac disease) and metabolic/cardiovascular (type 2 diabetes, dyslipidaemia, hypertension) diseases are highly prevalent across all age ranges representing a major public health burden. Universal screening for prediction/early identification of these conditions is a potential tool for reducing their impact on the general population. The aim of this study is to assess whether universal screening using capillary blood sampling is feasible at a population-based level...

INTRODUCTION: The HIV and hepatitis B virus (HBV) epidemics are interconnected with shared routes of transmission and specific antiviral drugs that are effective against both viruses. Nearly, 300 million people around the world live with chronic HBV, many of whom are from priority populations who could benefit from HIV prevention services. Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV has implications in the prevention and treatment of HBV infection, but many people at increased risk of HIV acquisition may instead prefer long-acting formulations of PrEP, which are currently not active against HBV...

BACKGROUND: Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is both physically and emotionally stressful, and guideline recommendations are often not optimally implemented in clinical practice. The objective of this study was to provide an overview on the patient journey in CSU and to develop a mathematical model based on solid data. METHODS: The journey of CSU patients in Germany was traced through literature review and expert meetings that included medical experts, pharmacists and representatives of patient organizations...