The impact of public performance reporting on health plan selection and switching: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The dissemination of public performance reporting (PPR) cards aims to increase utilisation of information on quality of care by consumers when making health plan choices. However, evaluations of PPR cards show that they have little impact on consumer choices. The aim of this study is to undertake a systematic review and meta-analysis of the impact of PPR cards in promoting health plan selection and switching between health plans by consumers. We searched five online databases and eight previous reviews for studies reporting findings on PPR and health plans. We extracted data and conducted quality assessment, systematic critical synthesis and meta-analyses on the included studies. We identified eight relevant health plan articles related to selection (n?=?2), switching (n?=?4), selection/switching (n?=?2). Meta-analyses showed that PPR was associated with an improvement in health plan selection and a very small deterioration in switching health plans though these changes were not statistically significant. Differences were observed between employer-sponsored health insurance and Medicare/Medicaid insurance. Given the small number of studies included in the review, further research examining the impact of PPR on health plan selection and switching in a range of insurance markets is required.     

Periodontal disease severity in subjects with dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background and objectiveDespite clinical trials and reviews attempt to assess a possible relationship between dementia and periodontal disease, no meta-analysis has been performed and this issue remains undetermined. The aim of this study is to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess severity of periodontitis in subjects with dementia.MethodsThe search was conducted in Pubmed, Embase/MEDLINE. Two independent reviewers extracted data and assessed the risk bias (Newcastle–Ottawa scale). Meta-analyses were performed using the means of probing depth (PD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL) in patients with or without dementia. The mean difference were analyzed (P ≤ 0.05).ResultsFourteen studies were included in the systematic review. In the qualitative analysis, most studies reported higher prevalence of periodontal disease in dementia patients. The studies had low risk of bias and two meta-analyses were performed for each parameter, including or not a cross-sectional study. The meta-analyses including the cross-sectional study demonstrated significant association between dementia and periodontal disease (mean difference: PD = 1.41; CAL = 1.40, P < 0.05), however, it wasn’t confirmed when the cross-sectional study was removed (1.25 mm, P < 0.22) and CAL (1.20 mm, P < 0.22).ConclusionAlthough the qualitative analysis have suggested worse periodontal conditions in dementia patients, due to different study types and the high heterogeneity among them, the meta-analysis does not support the association between dementia and severity of periodontal disease.     

Midwives and supervisors of midwives' perceptions of the statutory supervision of midwifery within the United Kingdom: A systematic review

Within the United Kingdom, the statutory supervision of midwives has a central role in both the provision of safe, high-quality maternity services and in the regulation of midwifery practice. Despite its long history, little is currently known about how midwives and their supervisors perceive and experience the statutory supervisory process.     

Training parents to implement communication interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD): A systematic review

This review identifies procedures used to train parents to implement communication interventions to children with autism spectrum disorders. Systematic search procedures identified 11 studies that met predetermined inclusion criteria. Across studies, 60 parents were trained to implement Pivotal Response Training, Enhanced Milieu Teaching, Natural Language Paradigm, or Early Start Denver Model. The mean time spent training parents was 17 hours. Training procedures used most often included: (a) verbal instruction and/or instruction manuals, (b) in vivo practice, (c) role playing, (d) modeling by trainer, and (e) reviewing videos of intervention sessions. Improvements in parent ability to implement intervention and child communication were ubiquitous. However, a paucity of studies in which baseline parent behavior was measured, coupled with the absence of studies evaluating individual training procedures, precludes definitive statements regarding the most effective and efficient approach to parent training and, therefore, warrant future research.     

Retrieval of overviews of systematic reviews in MEDLINE was improved by the development of an objectively derived and validated search strategy

ObjectivesLocating overviews of systematic reviews is difficult because of an absence of appropriate indexing terms and inconsistent terminology used to describe overviews. Our objective was to develop a validated search strategy to retrieve overviews in MEDLINE.Study Design and SettingWe derived a test set of overviews from the references of two method articles on overviews. Two population sets were used to identify discriminating terms, that is, terms that appear frequently in the test set but infrequently in two population sets of references found in MEDLINE. We used text mining to conduct a frequency analysis of terms appearing in the titles and abstracts. Candidate terms were combined and tested in MEDLINE in various permutations, and the performance of strategies measured using sensitivity and precision.ResultsTwo search strategies were developed: a sensitivity-maximizing strategy, achieving 93% sensitivity (95% confidence interval [CI]: 87, 96) and 7% precision (95% CI: 6, 8), and a sensitivity-and-precision–maximizing strategy, achieving 66% sensitivity (95% CI: 58, 74) and 21% precision (95% CI: 17, 25).ConclusionThe developed search strategies enable users to more efficiently identify overviews of reviews compared to current strategies. Consistent language in describing overviews would aid in their identification, as would a specific MEDLINE Publication Type.     

系统干预对子宫内膜息肉TCRP术后复发结局影响分析

目的探讨系统护理干预措施对子宫内膜息肉TCRP术后复发结局的影响。方法选择在我院就诊治疗的132例子宫内膜息肉患者,随机分为观察组和对照组,每组66例,两组均采用宫腔镜手术联合3个周期妈富隆治疗,对照组给予常规护理措施,观察组在术前、术后、出院后采取一对一系统护理干预措施,了解妈富隆服药依从性(按时、按量、无间断)、患者术后月经改善(经量、经期、周期恢复)、子宫内膜息肉复发情况。结果两组出院后10d、第二周期、第三周期不同时间段妈富隆服药依从性比较,观察组显著高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P0.01);术后子宫内膜息肉复发观察组5例(7.50%),对照组15例(22.72%),对照组复发率显著高于观察组,差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论服药不规律或随意终止孕激素周期治疗影响EP术后复发结局,采取系统干预措施可提高患者对妈富隆周期治疗依从性,减少复发率。     

酮替芬治疗感冒后咳嗽的系统评价

目的评价酮替芬治疗感冒后咳嗽临床疗效与安全性。方法检索主要中英文数据库从建库至2015年12月20日酮替芬治疗感冒后咳嗽随机对照试验研究,筛选合格研究。Cochrane评价员手册、Jadad评分法分别进行偏倚风险评价及质量评价。应用Rev Man5.3软件进行Meta分析。结果符合纳入标准的文献共3篇。Meta分析结果显示,酮替芬治疗感冒后咳嗽治疗组与对照组相比,临床疗效总有效率比值比(odds ratio,OR)为9.44,95%可信区间(confidence interval,CI)(2.81,31.70),差异有统计学意义(P=0.0003);不良反应OR为1.94,95%CI(0.40,9.54),差异无统计学意义(P=0.41)。结论酮替芬治疗感冒后咳嗽有显著临床疗效,但仍需更多高质量、大样本的临床研究来进一步验证。     

Effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD).MethodsEnglish, Chinese, and Korean electronic databases were searched up to June 2016. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were eligible. The methodological quality was assessed using Cochrane’s risk of bias tool. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3.ResultsIn total, 42 studies involving 2625 participants were systematically reviewed. Participants treated using combined acupuncture and conventional medication (CM) showed significant improvements in total Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS), UPDRS I, UPDRS II, UPDRS III, and the Webster scale compared to those treated using CM alone. The combination of electroacupuncture and CM was significantly superior to CM alone in total UPDRS, UPDRS I, UPDRS II, and UPDRS IV. Similarly, the combination of scalp electroacupuncture, acupuncture, and CM was significantly more effective than CM alone in total UPDRS. However, our meta-analysis showed that the combination of electroacupuncture and CM was not significantly more effective than CM alone in UPDRS III, the Webster, and the Tension Assessment Scale. The results also failed to show that acupuncture was significantly more effective than placebo acupuncture in total UPDRS. Overall, the methodological quality of the RCTs was low. No serious adverse events were reported.ConclusionsWe found that acupuncture might be a safe and useful adjunctive treatment for patients with PD. However, because of methodological flaws in the included studies, conclusive evidence is still lacking. More rigorous and well-designed placebo-controlled trials should be conducted.