Specifics of chronic fatigue syndrome coping strategies identified in a French flash survey during the COVID-19 containment

The COVID-19 pandemic has focused health systems on supporting patients affected by this virus. Meanwhile in the community, many other contained patients could only use self-care strategies, especially in countries that have set up a long and strict containment such as France. The study aimed to compare coping strategies deployed by patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS; a poorly recognised syndrome) to those with better known and referenced chronic conditions. An online flash survey was conducted during the containment period in partnership with French Patients Organizations including ME/CFS national association. Therefore, ‘Brief COPE’ version of Lazarus and Folkman's Ways of Coping Check List has been adapted to the specificity of the containment. The survey was e-distributed in France from 15 April to 11 May 2020. Differences of coping strategies were analyzed using Wilcoxon–Mann–Withney test. Amongst 637 responses, 192 were complete, presenting a wide variety of diseases, including 93 ME/CFS. The latter have significantly different coping strategies than recognised diagnosed diseases patients: similar uses of emotion focused coping but less uses of seek social support and problem-focused copings. In conclusion, coping strategies are different for those who deal with the daily experience of ME/CFS, highly disabling chronic condition with diagnostic ambiguity, low degree of medical and social recognition and without treatment. Better understanding of those strategies is needed to provide the means for health promotion researchers, managers and clinicians, to accompany those patients.     

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.     

How to stay motivated: A focus group study of Norwegian caregivers' experiences with community healthcare services to their parents with dementia

Motivation to provide care is a significant predictor of informal caregiving among family caregivers of persons with dementia. Adequate support is an important source of help and relief to caregivers, but fragmentation of dementia care services is common and better ways of supporting these caregivers are needed. Knowledge of adult-child caregivers' motivation and how this motivation is influenced by community healthcare services is lacking. The aim of this study is therefore to describe and explore adult children's experiences with community healthcare services for their home-dwelling parent with dementia and how these influence their caregiver motivation. The study applied a qualitative design based on three focus group interviews with 15 of these caregivers (40–69 years) in Norway in 2017. The study results indicate three categories supporting adult children's sustained motivation as caregivers: (a) caregivers prioritize their parent's need for healthcare services over their own need for support; (b) caregivers need acknowledgement through respect and involvement; and (c) caregivers need timely information and competence as the dementia progresses. To stimulate collaboration among adult-child caregivers, their parents with dementia, and community healthcare services, we claim that a relationship-centred care framework could be emphasised as a way of supporting sustained motivation among caregivers to parents with dementia as part of community healthcare services.     

代谢综合征组分及不同组合与脑卒中发病的关联分析*

摘 要：目的：通过对上海地区的实证数据检验家庭医生在健康与费用管理中的“守门人”作用。方法：2018年5—6月 在上海市“1+1+1”家庭医生签约试点的某街道开展现场问卷调查,采集有效问卷1 745份。结果：签约居民在抽烟、酗酒、 熬夜等健康行为自评健康管理成效中均优于未签约居民。签约居民健康管理成效为好的有 54.96%,显著高于未签约居民 （31.27%）;在费用控制指标中,签约居民认为签约家庭医生能够节省费用的占 66.73%,而未签约居民仅为 48.63%。结论： 上海市“1+1+1”家庭医生签约政策已经在一定程度上取得了家庭医生健康与费用“守门人”的管理成效,在将来的研究中 有必要在全市范围内开展健康管理与实际医疗费用控制的分析。     

Universal School Meals and Associations with Student Participation,Attendance, Academic Performance,Diet Quality,Food Security,and Body Mass Index: A Systematic Review

The school environment plays an important role in children’s diets and overall health, and policies for universal free school meals have the potential to contribute to positive child health outcomes. This systematic review evaluates studies examining the association between universal free school meals and students’ school meal participation rates, diets, attendance, academic performance, and Body Mass Index (BMI), as well as school finances. The search was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). A search for studies published in economically developed countries published through December 2020 was performed in PubMed, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), Thomson Reuters’ Web of Science, and Academic Search Ultimate, followed by examining the references in the resultant literature. A total of 47 studies were identified and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was applied to assess bias. Nearly all studies examining universal free school meals found positive associations with school meal participation. Most studies examining universal free school meals that included free lunch found positive associations with diet quality, food security, and academic performance; however, the findings of studies examining only universal free breakfast were mixed. Research findings were similarly mixed when examining attendance as an outcome. Concerns about adverse outcomes on student BMI were not supported by the literature; in fact, several studies detected a potentially protective effect of universal free school meals on BMI. Research examining the impact of universal free meals on school finances was limited, but suggest that lower-income school districts in the U.S. may have positive financial outcomes from participation in universal free school meal provisions. Additionally, providing free meals to students may be associated with improved household incomes, particularly among lower-income families with children. Further research is needed to examine the financial implications of universal free meals for both school districts and families. Overall, universal free school meals may have multiple benefits for students and countries should consider universal free school meal provisions with strong nutrition guidelines. (PROSPERO registration: CRD42020221782).     

Pakistan’s Response to COVID-19: Overcoming National and International Hypes to Fight the Pandemic

The COVID-19 outbreak started as pneumonia in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. The subsequent pandemic was declared as the sixth public health emergency of international concern on January 30, 2020, by the World Health Organization. Pakistan could be a potential hotspot for COVID-19 owing to its high population of 204.65 million and its struggling health care and economic systems. Pakistan was able to tackle the challenge with relatively mild repercussions. The present analysis has been conducted to highlight the situation of the disease in Pakistan in 2020 and the measures taken by various stakeholders coupled with support from the community to abate the risk of catastrophic spread of the virus.     

Ten years of Pan-InfORM: modelling research for public health in Canada

Modelling and simulation methods can play an important role in guiding public health responses to infectious diseases and emerging health threats by projecting the plausible outcomes of decisions and interventions. The 2003 SARS epidemic marked a new chapter in disease modelling in Canada as it triggered a national discussion on the utility and uptake of modelling research in local and pandemic outbreaks. However, integration and application of model-based outcomes in public health requires knowledge translation and contextualization. We reviewed the history and performance of Pan-InfORM (Pandemic Influenza Outbreak Research Modelling), which created a national infrastructure in Canada with a mandate to develop innovative knowledge translation methodologies to inform policy makers through modelling frameworks that bridge the gaps between theory, policy, and practice. This review demonstrates the importance of a collaborative infrastructure as a “Community of Practice” to guide public health responses, especially in the context of emerging diseases with substantial uncertainty, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Dedicated resources to modelling and knowledge translation activities can help create synergistic strategies at the global scale and optimize public health responses to protect at-risk populations and quell socioeconomic and health burden.     

城市社区在公共卫生管理中的干预机制构建

公共卫生管理和防控作为基础性、长期性的重大民生工程,对人民群众的身体健康、生命安全有着重要影响。社区作为社会基层,在突发公共卫生事件的防控中成为工作重心。当前城市社区在公共卫生管理和防控中还存在诸多问题,应从激发社区内生动力、精准施策、强化社区主体责任、加强信息化建设、科学舆情疏导等方面着力实施,不断提升社区干预在突发公共卫生事件防控中的治理水平。     

社区1~3岁儿童语言发育与屏幕暴露的相关性调查研究

目的 分析研究社区1~3岁儿童语言发育与屏幕暴露的相关性,为儿童屏幕暴露现状提供改进意见。方法 选取2016年1月-2018年7月于本院儿童保健门诊随访的1~3岁幼儿共827例,男童406例,女童421例,平均年龄为(24.5±5.3)月。采用自制式调查问卷,由本科保健医生指导调查对象的父母或抚养人现场完成,并结合Gesell 婴幼儿发育量表评估调查对象语言发育情况。结果 827例儿童中,93例诊断为语言发育迟缓,734例语言发育正常。两组儿童接触屏幕年龄段、儿童性别、家庭情况、母亲文化程度、父亲文化程度、母亲年龄、屏幕暴露时间、入睡是否规律、接触屏幕时家长陪同和限制屏幕暴露时间差异均有统计学意义(P＜0.05),控制混杂因素影响后多因素Logistic回归分析结果显示,屏幕暴露时间>2 h(OR=1.687,95%CI:1.022~2.236,P<0.001)、接触屏幕时无家长陪同(OR=2.035,95%CI:1.588~2.634,P=0.002)、未限制屏幕暴露时间(OR=1.475,95%CI:1.087~2.156,P=0.035)为语言发育迟缓的重要危险因素。结论 长时间的屏幕暴露会影响家庭语言环境和儿童睡眠,不利于儿童的语言发育,建议家长禁止小于18月的儿童接触屏幕,大于18月的儿童在家长陪同讲解下接触屏幕,时间控制在2 h以内,严格避免睡觉前观看电子屏幕。