New research and findings from open-access journals and the U.S. research agencies.
This quality improvement study assesses the feasibility and implementation of enhanced telehealth components, including remote blood pressure monitoring, mobile phlebotomy, and injections at home, for patients with prostate cancer receiving androgen deprivation therapy.
This comparative effectiveness research study examines the failure rate and other clinical outcomes associated with use of standard-dose ibuprofen, adjustable-dose ibuprofen, indomethacin, and acetaminophen for treatment of patent ductus arteriosus among infants born before 29 weeks’ gestation.
This quality improvement study evaluates whether the introduction of an acute care cardiology model in a freestanding children’s hospital is associated with changes in outcome, process, and balancing measures.
This cohort study examines the clinical characteristics and outcomes of children hospitalized with acute respiratory tract infections and the factors associated with risk of severe disease.
By fine-tuning domain-specific models with real clinical operations data — such as historical performance, feasibility outcomes, enrollment patterns, and resource utilization — hidden information can be translated into structured intelligence. The post How AI is Unlocking Smarter Clinical Trial Protocols appeared first on MedCity News .
Introduction Uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) is closely associated with the management of HIV and tuberculosis (TB) coinfection because it modulates the metabolism of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs. The frequency of UGT1A1 polymorphisms varies widely among sub-Saharan Africans. However, studies examining the frequency of UGT1A1 polymorphisms and their impact on drug response profiles, accounting for environmental factors, drug–drug and gene–drug interactions and non-compliance remain sparse. Given that HIV and TB treatments often involve complex drug regimens with a high…
Objectives This study assessed the spatial distribution of HIV test non-uptake among pregnant women who attended antenatal care (ANC) in sub-Saharan Africa. Design Cross-sectional study design. Setting Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region. 24 SSA countries were included in this study. Data source Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), 2016–2024. Participants 82 397 women who were pregnant in the last 2 years preceding the survey. Outcome measure HIV test non-uptake, which is a legacy indicator of HIV test among pregnant women. Result The HIV test non-uptake among ANC attending pregnant women was…
Objectives The Mental health care: Adverse Sequelae of COVID-19 study aimed to (1) compare the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for mental health services and people with pre-existing mental health conditions (MHCs) in six low- and middle-income countries and (2) identify good practice to mitigate these impacts. Design An observational study, using a mixed-methods convergent design triangulating data from (1) semistructured interviews or focus groups and/or a self-completed survey, (2) routine service utilisation data, (3) local grey literature and (4) expert consultation. Setting The…
Objectives This study aimed to describe the prevalence and determinants of financial precarity and examine its associations with mental health, healthcare avoidance and academic outcomes among French health students. Design Nationwide cross-sectional study based on an online self-administered questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with financial precarity. Setting All 34 French health universities. Participants A total of 12 565 health students participated, including medical (56%), paramedical (21%), midwifery, odontology, pharmacy or…
Objectives To identify profiles of compositional movement behaviour patterns among children and examine cross-sectional and 12-month associations with adiposity markers and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Design Secondary analysis of data from the TransformUs cluster randomised controlled trial with cross-sectional and 12-month follow-up analyses. Setting Primary schools in metropolitan and regional areas of Victoria, Australia. Participants Children aged 7–11 years with valid accelerometer at baseline, regardless of demographic, adiposity and HRQoL data available (n=792), were…
Background Previous studies and meta-analyses suggest an association between hypertension and tinnitus; however, the influence of hypertension severity and control status remains unclear. Objective We aimed to investigate the association between hypertension and tinnitus in detail using a large, population-based dataset from a rural setting. Design Observational cross-sectional study. Setting Sheshdeh, Fasa, Iran. Participants We analysed data from 9775 individuals in the general population, aged 35–70 years, excluding those with a history of cancer, pregnancy or medical conditions known to…
Objective To identify values and preferences regarding smoking cessation interventions among adults with severe mental illness Design Systematic review with best-fit framework synthesis Data sources MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL and Scopus from inception to 14 November 2025. Study selection Studies with any design, in any clinical and geographical setting, reporting on adult (18+) current or past smokers with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar or mood disorder, including major depressive disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder. We selected all quantitative and qualitative…
Objectives To investigate the impact of patient-held medication records (PHMRs) on identifying and/or resolving medication discrepancies and other drug-related problems (DRPs) before, during or after care transition. Design A systematic review and narrative synthesis. Data sources Medline, Embase, PubMed, Cochrane via Ovid and CINAHL were searched from 1990 to 2025. Eligibility Any study design investigating the impact of PHMRs in isolation or in combination with other interventions on medication discrepancies and other DRPs was included. Data extraction and synthesis Quality of studies was…
Objective To estimate the global, regional and national burden of maternal haemorrhage (2000–2021) and its 2050 projections in 204 countries and territories. Design This study systematic analysis of the burden of maternal haemorrhage sourced data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 study. We estimated the incidence, mortality, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), years lived with disability (YLDs) and years of life lost (YLLs) due to maternal haemorrhage. Changes in the burden from 2000 to 2021 were computed using AAPC. To detect statistically notable changes in the trends of…
Objectives Given the role of emotions in reasoning, we hypothesised that emotional competence (EC), defined as the ability to identify, understand, express, regulate and use emotions, would increase the quality of physician’s clinical reasoning (CR). The objectives of this study were to map the existing literature on the impact of EC on physician’s CR and to identify any literature gaps. Design This study is a scoping review. Data sources We included articles from Medline (via Ovid), Embase and Psychinfo and articles found manually, with no limitations in terms of publication date or location…
Objectives To understand the association between population mental health and economic prosperity at the small area level in England and explore regional differences. Design A longitudinal small area-level analysis exploring the association between a proxy for population mental health and economic prosperity across 6789 small areas in England from 2011 to 2019 (N x T=61 101). We apply linear regression models with fixed effects at the area level. Mental health in each area is proxied by a standardised index constructed from administrative data on the use of services related to mental health…
Objectives To explore healthcare professionals’ perceptions and experiences with point-of-care testing (PoCT) implementation within Australia’s healthcare system and identify potential strategies for effective governance and improvements to regulation and guidelines that facilitate coordinated integration of quality PoCT into healthcare systems. Design A descriptive qualitative study with thematic analysis with codes derived inductively from the transcriptions and a structured framework analysis using the six building blocks of the WHO Health Systems Framework exploring barriers and enablers…
Objectives Pharmaceutical manufacturers routinely launch high-cost, specialty medicines, including biologics and biosimilars, with an accompanying patient support program (PSP). PSPs offer patients financial support, case management and clinical services to facilitate access to the promoted medicine. Because these programs are proprietary, there is little publicly available information, thus, this study aimed to generate in-depth understandings of the patient, health system and policy-level implications of relying on manufacturer PSPs for affordable access to high-cost medicines. Design…
Introduction Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) is a leading cause of incurred personal healthcare costs and disability in the USA. It disproportionately affects rural populations, who are more likely to be uninsured, lack access to a regular healthcare provider and experience a higher prevalence of CMP. As a result of reduced access to non-pharmacological care, there is greater reliance on opioids. The Auricular Point Acupressure – Self-Management (APA-SM) program is a simple, needleless, evidence-based therapy that empowers individuals to self-manage their pain. Preliminary studies…
Introduction Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) represent a heterogeneous group of disorders, which have in common persistent inflammation and/or pulmonary fibrosis, involving mainly but not exclusively the interstitium. This results in restrictive ventilatory physiology and limited respiratory reserve. Patients with ILD can have frequent exacerbations of their disease, with subsequent acute respiratory failure that may require admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). The diagnosis and management of ILD in the ICU presents unique challenges due to the paucity of evidence supporting survival…
Objectives Understanding the factors associated with the severity categories of fall-related injuries and intervening on modifiable determinants can mitigate the risk of serious fall injuries, thereby enhancing patient safety, reducing length of hospital stay and alleviating the economic burden imposed by these injuries. This study aims to identify factors associated with the severity categories of fall-related injuries and to explore differences in the clinical characteristics of patients who sustain such injuries. Design A retrospective observational study. Setting A tertiary care hospital…
Background: Cataract surgery is usually performed with topical anesthesia and sedation, which may be provided through a number of different care models with or without involvement of a physician anesthesiologist. We sought to describe anesthesiology care for cataract surgery in Ontario, Canada, and examine the association between the model of anesthesiology care and health service and perioperative outcomes after cataract surgery. Methods: We conducted a population-based study of patients who underwent cataract surgery in Ontario using linked health administrative data between 2012 and 2021…