Cognitive and behavioural correlates of non‐adherence to HIV anti‐retroviral therapy: Theoretical and practical insight for clinical psychology and health psychology

This cross‐sectional study identified variables associated with protease inhibitor (PI) non‐adherence in 179 patients taking anti‐retroviral therapy. Univariate analyses identified 11 variables associated with PI non‐adherence. Multiple logistic regression modelling identified three predictors of PI non‐adherence: low adherence self‐efficacy and seriousness of non‐adherence and HIV (p < .001), perceived absence of HIV associated illness (p < .01), and use of more than one type of recreational drug (p = .001). The model correctly classified 83.9% of the sample, offers psychologists insight into psychological barriers to treatment adherence to guide interventions for improving adherence, and supports a modified version of the reformulated health belief model.     

Policemen's physical fitness in relation to the frequency of leisure-time physical excercise

Summary Ninety to ninety-five men (aged 27 to 46 years) from the police academy were the study subjects. Their prior habits of physical excercise, estimated aerobic capacity ( ), muscular performance, and thickness of subcutaneous fat were determined. The policemen were taller (181 cm vs 175 cm) and heavier (84 kg vs 74 kg) than the average 20- to 40-year-old Finnish man, and their (1 · min^–1) was higher (3.41 1 · min^–1 vs 2.96 1 min^–1 The frequency of prior physical exercise significantly correlated with most of the variables studied. Those policemen who did not exercise at all (n = 12) were inferior to the average 20- to 40-year-old Finnish man on all the physical fitness tests, whereas the results of the most active policemen (n = 23) were clearly higher. The results indicate that the selection of heavier and taller men for police training guarantees a certain absolute level of physical performance capacity. However, the physical activity involved in police work is insufficient to maintain a high level of physical fitness, which must be achieved through participation in regular and effective physical training.     

Relational continuity of care in community pharmacy: A systematic review

Relational continuity of care (COC) is becoming an important concept related to improving healthcare quality, reducing medical costs and increasing patient satisfaction with primary care. While community pharmacy (CP) has a considerable role in primary care, there are few reports dedicated to the role of relational COC in CP. This study reviewed the existing evidence of relational COC in CP and its effect on patients. PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Library CENTRAL and Google Scholar were used to search for relevant studies from the date of database inception through to January 2021, which were appraised according to eligibility criteria. There were no limitations on the primary outcome or language. Case reports and studies without control groups were excluded. The Newcastle–Ottawa quality assessment scale was used to assess the quality of the studies. Database searches identified 13 records. Relational COC measures in the included studies were grouped in three kinds; pharmacy-visiting pattern, Continuity of Care Index and loyalty. The assessed outcomes were medication adherence behaviour (e.g., the proportion of days covered, medication possession ratio), adverse drug reactions, potentially inappropriate drug prescribing and clinical outcomes. The odds of patients adhering to their medication regimen were about 1.1~2.5 times higher among those who consistently visited a single pharmacy compared to patients visiting multiple pharmacies. Additionally, the care provision with a high level of relational continuity could lower inappropriate drug use by 21~32 per cent and the use of other costly services by 12~29 per cent. This study suggests that a high degree of relational COC in CP could improve safe use of medications among patients. Future research is needed to employ more rigorous methods to reduce heterogeneity and to measure effects on clinical outcomes.     

艾滋病患者渐进性肌肉放松训练配合心理干预的应用效果

目的 探讨渐进性肌肉放松训练配合心理干预对艾滋病患者服药依从性及心理状态的影响。方法 选择2017年8月—2020年8月于本院就诊的68例艾滋病患者,按随机数字表法分为对照组和观察组,每组34例。对照组实施常规护理干预,观察组在此基础上实施渐进性肌肉放松训练配合心理干预,比较两组服药依从性及医院焦虑抑郁量表(HospitalAnxietyand Depresseo Scale,HAD)评分。结果 观察组服药总依从率为97.06%,高于对照组的70.59%,(χ2=8.785,P=0.003);观察组干预2周后焦虑评分为(14.35±1.67)分、抑郁评分为(13.98±1.38)分,均低于对照组的(15.63±1.59)分、(15.08±1.27)分,(t=3.237、3.420,P=0.002、0.001)。结论 渐进性肌肉放松训练配合心理干预应用于艾滋病患者,能够提高患者服药依从性,改善患者心理状态。     

2018—2020年珠海市学校流感样病例暴发疫情流行特征及影响因素分析

目的 分析珠海市2018—2020年学校流感样病例暴发疫情的流行特征和影响疫情规模的相关因素,为制定防控策略提供依据。方法 采用描述流行病学方法分析学校流感样病例暴发疫情流行特征,采用χ2检验和Logistic回归分析疫情规模的影响因素。结果 2018—2020年珠海市学校累计报告67起流感样病例暴发疫情,累计发病人数1 746例。发病高峰为每年3月—6月和12月—次年1月,主要发生在小学,流感样病例的发病年龄高峰为6～8岁。病原体主要为B型、A(H3N2)亚型和A(H1N1)亚型流感病毒。暴发疫情涉及病例咽痛发生率>50%的学校发生大规模流感样病例暴发疫情的风险是咽痛发生率≤50%学校的4.308倍(95%CI:1.100～16.864)。结论 2018—2020年珠海市学校流感样病例暴发疫情主要集中在冬春季节的小学,高咽痛发生率是学校发生大规模疫情流感样病例暴发疫情的危险因素。     

2005—2020年盐城市丙型病毒性肝炎的流行病学特征分析

目的 分析2005—2020年盐城市丙肝病例报告资料,总结丙肝流行特征,为盐城市丙肝防制工作提供参考依据。方法 收集各年度丙肝报告病例和人口学资料,采用Excel 2016软件汇总并作描述性统计分析。采用Joinpoint regression program（JRP）4.9.0.0软件对丙肝年发病率进行趋势检验,采用SPSS 25.0软件和ArcGIS 10.6软件对病例数据进行统计分析。结果 2005—2020年盐城市累计报告丙肝病例2 555例,年报告发病率整体呈平缓增长趋势,最低为2005年的0.42/10万,最高为2019年的5.84/10万。年度变化百分比(annual percent change,APC)为14.5% （95% CI: 11.5%~17.6%）,P<0.01。除2019年外,其余各年丙肝疫情呈散发状态,无明显季节特征。报告病例数位居前三位的地区是亭湖区、滨海县以及东台市,分别占比19.77% （505/2 555）、14.01%（358/2 555）以及12.92%（330/2 555）。男女报告病例数比为1.33[DK]∶1,发病率最高的年龄组为70~79岁年龄组（56.94/10万）。农民为报告病例数最多的人群,占比59.33%（1 516/2 555）。确诊病例2 204例,临床诊断病例332例。结论 盐城市丙肝疫情呈上升趋势。全市应进一步扩大丙型肝炎病毒检测,加强丙肝防治宣传教育和完善社会医疗保障政策来提高丙肝治疗的可及性和可负担性,同时应进一步加强对于丙肝疫情的监测以及规范丙肝的诊疗,并对重点地区、重点人群开展精准的综合干预工作。     

Management of Chronic Pain in Nursing Homes: Navigating Challenges to Improve Person-Centered Care

Despite the dynamic demands in the nursing home (NH), a definitive approach to managing chronic pain in older adults has yet to be established. Due to concerns for potential adverse pharmacologic effects, balancing appropriate pain management is a challenge among NH residents. The challenges encompass but are not limited to medical complexities, functional disabilities, and physical frailty. Barriers to the successful implementation of a comprehensive chronic pain management at the NH may include ambiguous directions on specific therapeutic interventions, insufficient guidance on treatment duration, and limited available treatment options. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ reporting requirement of adequate pain control among NH residents coupled with widely variable clinician-prescribing habits highlights the difficulties in overcoming the preceding challenges and barriers. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has further complicated pain management due to its negative consequences on well-being of residents of NHs. Associated symptoms of psychosocial stress, anxiety and depression, and chronic pain symptoms can exacerbate during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to increased requirement for pain medications including but not limited to opioids.Pain is a multidimensional symptom and requires a strategic multimodal approach for its management. Nonpharmacologic modalities are underutilized in the NH setting and are the preferred first steps for mild pain, and nonopioid pharmacological agents can be added as a second step for a synergistic effect for moderate to severe pain. Opioids should be used as a last resort. Short-acting opioids are preferred over extended-release/long-acting opioids for chronic pain. Clinicians are encouraged to engage residents in proactive strategies in managing their pain, and to set realistic expectations toward improving their quality of life, as complete elimination of pain is not feasible in most cases.This review article provides the interdisciplinary team with a contemporary perspective of the multitude of changes and challenges influencing the prescribing as well as deprescribing of various pain medications.     

Antihypertensive Medication Classes and the Risk of Dementia: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

ObjectivesTo systematically review and synthesize the evidence on differential associations between antihypertensive medication (AHM) classes and the risk of incident dementia.DesignSystematic review and random effects frequentist network meta-analysis. Embase, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane library were searched from origin to December 2019.Setting and participantsRandomized controlled trials (RCTs) and prospective cohort studies that compared associations of different AHM classes with incident all-cause dementia and/or Alzheimer's disease over at least 1 year of follow-up.MeasuresAll cause dementia and/or Alzheimer's disease.ResultsFifteen observational studies and 7 RCTs were included. Data on AHM classes were available for 649,790 participants and dementia occurred in 19,600 (3.02%). Network meta-analysis showed that in observational studies, treatment with either calcium channel blockers (CCBs) or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) was associated with lower dementia risks than treatment with other antihypertensives: CCBs vs angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors) (HR=0.84, 95% CI 0.74-0.95), beta blockers (HR=0.83, 95% CI 0.73-0.95) and diuretics (HR=0.89, 95% CI 0.78-1.01) and ARBs vs ACE inhibitors (HR=0.88, 95% CI 0.81-0.97), beta blockers (HR=0.87, 95% CI 0.77-0.99), and diuretics (HR=0.93, 95% CI 0.83-1.05). There were insufficient RCTs to create a robust network based on randomized data alone.Conclusions and ImplicationsRecommending CCBs or ARBs as preferred first-line antihypertensive treatment may significantly reduce the risk of dementia. If corroborated in a randomized setting, these findings reflect a low-cost and scalable opportunity to reduce dementia incidence worldwide.     

The Effect of Medication Reconciliation via a Patient Portal on Medication Discrepancies: A Randomized Noninferiority Study

BackgroundMedication reconciliation has become standard care to prevent medication transfer errors. However, this process is time-consuming but could be more efficient when patients are engaged in medication reconciliation via a patient portal.ObjectivesTo explore whether medication reconciliation by the patient via a patient portal is noninferior to medication reconciliation by a pharmacy technician.Design (including intervention)Open randomized controlled noninferiority trial. Patients were randomized between medication reconciliation via a patient portal (intervention) or medication reconciliation by a pharmacy technician at the preoperative screening (usual care).Setting and ParticipantsPatients scheduled for elective surgery using at least 1 chronic medication were included.MeasuresThe primary endpoint was the number of medication discrepancies compared to the electronic nationwide medication record system (NMRS). For the secondary endpoint, time investment of the pharmacy technician for the medication reconciliation interview and patient satisfaction were studied. Noninferiority was analyzed with an independent t test, and the margin was set at 20%.ResultsA total of 499 patients were included. The patient portal group contained 241 patients; the usual care group contained 258 patients. The number of medication discrepancies was 2.6 ± 2.5 in the patient portal group and 2.8 ± 2.7 in the usual care group. This was not statistically different and within the predefined noninferiority margin. Patients were satisfied with the use of the patient portal tool. Also, the use of the portal can save on average 6.8 minutes per patient compared with usual care.Conclusions and ImplicationsMedication reconciliation using a patient portal is noninferior to medication reconciliation by a pharmacy technician with respect to medication discrepancies, and saves time in the medication reconciliation process. Future studies should focus on identifying patient characteristics for successful implementation of patient portal medication reconciliation.