Long-term care

Residents of long-term care facilities are particularly vulnerable to communicable diseases. Low-cost interventions to increase air exchange rates (AERs) may be useful in reducing the transmission of airborne communicable diseases between long-term care residents and staff. In this study, carbon dioxide gas was used as a tracer to evaluate the AER associated with the implementation of low-cost ventilation interventions. Under baseline conditions with the room's door closed, the mean AER was 0.67 ACH; while baseline conditions with the door open had a significantly higher mean AER of 3...

INTRODUCTION: Stoma site incisional hernias (SSIHs) are associated with substantial long-term morbidity, and the rate can be as high as 30% to 40%. Recent efforts using prophylactic mesh reinforcement (PMR) to reduce the development of hernias have shown encouraging outcomes. The objective of this study was to assess the use of prophylactic biosynthetic mesh at the time of stoma reversal on the overall SSIH rate. METHODS: This is an observational retrospective cohort study...

IMPORTANCE: Severe maternal morbidity (SMM) can have long-term health consequences for the affected mother. The association between SMM and future maternal mental health conditions has not been well studied. OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between SMM in the first recorded birth and the risk of hospitalization or emergency department (ED) visits for a mental health condition over a 13-year period. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This population-based retrospective cohort study used data from postpartum individuals aged 18 to 55 years with a first hospital delivery between 2008 and 2021 in 11 provinces and territories in Canada, except Québec...

The number of myocardial infarctions declined during the early COVID-19 pandemic but mechanisms behind these declines are poorly understood. COVID-19 infection is also associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction which could lead to higher incidence rates in the population. This study aims to shed light on the seemingly paradoxical relationship between COVID-19 and myocardial infarction occurrence on the population level by exploring long-term trends in incidence rates, case fatality, and proportion of patients dying before reaching a hospital...

Acute invasive fungal sinusitis (AIFS) classically presents as an aggressive fungal infection that can spread beyond its origin in the sinuses in immunocompromised patients. Although there have been reports of AIFS in immunocompetent, non-diabetic patients, it is extremely rare and the true mechanism behind it is unknown. A thirty-eight year old immunocompetent, non-diabetic woman underwent bilateral ESS for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps at a tertiary care center and post-operatively developed AIFS...

Patients with Solid Organ Transplantations (SOTx) face long-term lifestyle adaptations, psychological and social adjustments, and complex self-care regimes to maintain health post-transplant. Self-management (SM) skills represent important aspects of nursing communication with SOTx patients; however, there is potential for SM to be defined narrowly in terms of medication adherence. The study presented here collated the existing definitions in a mixed method review in order to identify SM attributes for this group (including those unique to this population)...

BACKGROUND: Aging populations are driving a shift in emphasis toward enhancing chronic disease care, reflected in Catalonia's regional plan which prioritizes standardized nursing care plans in primary care settings. To achieve this, the ARES-AP program was established with a focus on harmonizing standards and supporting routine nursing clinical decision-making. This study evaluates nurses' perceptions of ARES-AP's standardized care plans for chronic diseases. METHODS: A mixed-methods approach based on an ad hoc questionnaire (n = 141) and a focus group (n = 14) was used...

The maintenance of oral health is a crucial aspect of general well-being; however, a significant proportion of the worldwide population experiences a range of oral diseases. Dental caries is a highly prevalent non-communicable disease globally, especially in children and adolescents. Fluoride is involved in the control of dental caries, primarily by decreasing the critical pH for dental hard tissue dissolution and decreasing enamel solubility. Due to the substantial data supporting the efficacy of fluoride in controlling dental caries, many community-level fluoridation initiatives have been devised and executed as global public health preventive interventions...

In the United States and around the world, newborns are screened on a population basis for conditions benefiting from pre-symptomatic diagnosis and treatment. The number of screened conditions continues to expand as novel technologies for screening, diagnosing, treating, and managing disease are discovered. While screening all newborns facilitates early diagnosis and treatment, most screened conditions are treatable but not curable. Patients identified by newborn screening often require lifelong medical management and community support to achieve the best possible outcome...

The Connecticut Newborn Screening (NBS) Network, in partnership with the Connecticut Department of Public Health, strategically utilized the Epic electronic health record (EHR) system to establish registries for tracking long-term follow-up (LTFU) of NBS patients. After launching the LTFU registry in 2019, the Network obtained funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration to address the slow adoption by specialty care teams. An LTFU model was implemented in the three highest-volume specialty care teams at Connecticut Children's, involving an early childhood cohort diagnosed with an NBS-identified disorder since the formation of the Network in March 2019...

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of adult spinal deformity (ASD) has increased in recent years. Patients often have to live for a prolonged period from the onset of the condition, up until the need for surgical treatment. Self-management plays a crucial role in disease progression and prognosis. OBJECTIVES: This project aimed to promote evidence-based practices for the self-management of patients with ASD. METHODS: This project was guided by the JBI Evidence Implementation Framework project and was conducted in the orthopedic department of a tertiary care hospital in China...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a 12-month early postnatal lifestyle intervention program in women with gestational diabetes in a recent pregnancy. METHODS: This study was a prospective randomized intervention study conducted at a diabetes center in Hong Kong. Chinese women aged 18-45 years, who developed gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in their most recent pregnancy, were invited. Eligible women were randomized in 1:1 ratio at baseline (6-12 weeks postpartum), to standard care or lifestyle intervention (diet and physical activity) groups for 12 months...

BACKGROUND: With the rapid aging of the population, the health needs of the older adult have increased significantly, resulting in the frequent occurrence of the "social hospitalization" problem, which has led to a rapid increase in hospitalization costs. This study investigates whether the "social hospitalization problem" arising from the long-term care needs can be solved through the implementation of long-term care insurance, thereby improving the overall health of the older adults and controlling the unreasonable increase in hospitalization costs...

Pain management is a critical aspect of cancer treatment and palliative care, where pain can significantly impact quality of life. Chronic pain, which affects a significant number of people worldwide, remains a prevalent and challenging symptom for patients. While medications and psychosocial support systems play a role in pain management, surgical and radiological interventions, including cingulotomy, may be necessary for refractory cases. Cingulotomy, a neurosurgical procedure targeting the cingulate gyrus, aims to disrupt neural pathways associated with emotional processing and pain sensation, thereby reducing the affective component of pain...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: No recovery related surveillance system exists but given the evidence of effectiveness and growing supply, a house- and resident- level recovery house (RH) surveillance system could be beneficial for data collection on recovery support service (RSS) engagement, and retention; for improved standardization of RH programs and services; and for identification of outcomes associated with long-term recovery. METHODS: This study aimed to explore current data collection practices at the resident- and house- level through qualitative focus interviews of RH representatives...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Diabetes mellitus (DM) can result in detrimental complications which are connected with long-term impairments and disabilities. Chronic complications are well-known consequences of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) progression, which reduce patient quality of life, place a burden on the healthcare system, and increase mortality. Measures to promote health outcomes for people with DM are scanty; the study therefore aimed at determining the effects of self-management and social support on glycemic control of T2DM with complications in Ghana...

BACKGROUND: Cesarean hysterectomy is a dominant and effective approach during delivery in patients with placenta accreta spectrum (PAS). However, as hysterectomy results in a loss of fertility, conservative management is an alternative approach. However, management selection may be affected by a country's overall economic level. Thus the preferred treatment for PAS generates controversy in middle-income countries. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to compare conservative management and cesarean hysterectomy for managing PAS in middle-income countries...

AIM: In routine dental care, various dental luting cements are utilized to cement the dental prosthesis. Thus, the aim of the current study was to assess the Cytotoxic effect of three different dental luting cements on human gingival mesenchymal stem cell and evaluation of cytokines and growth factors release. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Cytotoxicity of glass ionomer cement (GIC), resin modified glass ionomer cement (RMGIC) and resin cement (RC) on the human gingival mesenchymal stem cells (HGMSCs) was evaluated...

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with a significant clinical, economic, and human burden. The JAK1 Atopic Dermatitis Efficacy and Safety (JADE) program's Phase 3 trials demonstrated that as a treatment for moderate-to-severe AD in adults with previous exposure to immunotherapy, abrocitinib showed superior efficacy and safety compared with standard of care (SoC), consisting of topical corticosteroids. This study assessed the cost-effectiveness of abrocitinib with SoC versus SoC alone for this patient population in Japan from a societal perspective...

BACKGROUND: Given the high rates of common mental disorders and limited resources, task-shifting psychosocial interventions are needed to provide adequate care. One such intervention developed by the World Health Organization is Problem Management Plus (PM+). AIMS: This review maps the evidence regarding the extent of application and usefulness of the PM+ intervention, i.e. adaptability, feasibility, effectiveness and scalability, since it was introduced in 2016...