Enhancing Hybrid Photovoltaic-Thermal System Efficiency with Boron Dipyrromethene Dyes.

A library of boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) compounds was studied to assess their efficacy as components of a working liquid in hybrid photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) systems. Two series of BODIPY dyes were investigated: series I included alkylBODIPYs with varying substitution patterns, while series II included 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-substituted BODIPYs featuring electron-rich aromatic groups in the position, such as naphthalene, anthracene, and carbazole. Series II dyes were designed to exhibit luminescence downshifting due to enhanced UV absorption (300-400 nm) and excited-state energy transfer, leading to visible-region fluorescence under UV excitation.

Care Home Safety Incidents and Safeguarding Reports Relating to Hospital to Care Home Transitions: A Retrospective Content Analysis.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to further the understanding of reported patient safety events at the interface between hospital and care home including what active failings and latent conditions were present and how reporting helped learning.

Methods: Two care home organizations, one in the North East and one in the South West of England, participated in the study. Reports relating to a transition and where a patient safety event had occurred were sought during the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) virus prepandemic and intrapandemic periods.

Systematic review of types of safety incidents and the processes and systems used for safety incident reporting in care homes.

Aims: To identify the safety incident reporting systems and processes used within care homes to capture staff reports of safety incidents, and the types and characteristics of safety incidents captured by safety incident reporting systems.

Design: Systematic review following PRISMA reporting guidelines.

Methods: Databases were searched January 2023 for studies published after year 2000, written in English, focus on care homes and incident reporting systems.

Bathing Adaptations in the Homes of Older Adults (BATH-OUT-2): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial, economic evaluation and process evaluation.

Background: The onset of disability in bathing is particularly important for older adults as it can be rapidly followed by disability in other daily activities; this may represent a judicious time point for intervention in order to improve health, well-being and associated quality of life. An important environmental and preventative intervention is housing adaptation, but there are often lengthy waiting times for statutory provision. In this randomised controlled trial (RCT), we aim to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of bathing adaptations compared to no adaptations and to explore the factors associated with routine and expedited implementation of bathing adaptations.

A pilot examination of the validity of stylus and finger drawing on visuomotor-mediated tests on ACEmobile.

Introduction: Cognitive assessments, such as the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE-III) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), have been modified for administration using tablet computers. While this offers important advantages for practice, it may also threaten the test validity. The current study sought to test whether administering visuospatial and writing tests using a tablet (finger or stylus drawing), would demonstrate equivalence to traditional pencil and paper administration on ACEmobile.

Analysing patient-generated data to understand behaviours and characteristics of women with epilepsy of childbearing years: A prospective cohort study.

Background: Women with epilepsy (WWE) are vulnerable in pregnancy, with increased risks to mother and baby including teratogenic risks, especially from valproate. The free EpSMon mobile-phone app allows self-monitoring to afford patient-centred feedback on seizure related risks, such as sudden death in epilepsy (SUDEP) to its users. We sought to generate insights into various seizure related risks and its treatments in WWE of childbearing age (16 to 60 years ) using EpSMon.

Workload effects of online consultation implementation from a Job-Characteristics Model perspective: a qualitative study.

Background: Online consultation (OC) was previously promoted by the NHS to solve primary care workload challenges. Its implementation was sped up during the COVID-19 pandemic. Workload effects are widely debated.

Keep safe: The when, why and how of epilepsy risk communication.

Purpose: Risk communication between clinicians and people with epilepsy (PWE) and their families is under researched. There is limited guidance about when and how to have these discussions. This paper explores the current evidence on quality of risk related conversations in epilepsy and suggests a concept of an evidence-based guideline for person centred structured risk communication.

Bridging the gap of risk communication and management using the SUDEP and Seizure Safety Checklist.

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is a tragic condition and, despite varied risk levels among the population with epilepsy, is the cause of significant premature mortality. In the last 20 years, though awareness of SUDEP has increased among epilepsy professionals, little has changed with regard to the death rates per se, in rates of informing people with epilepsy (PWE) of their person-centered SUDEP risks, or in the awareness levels of nonepilepsy clinicians, such as, primary care practitioners and hospital doctors. The challenges to make aware and inform PWE have been multifold, in particular, 'when', 'what', and 'how' to tell about SUDEP.

Improving epilepsy management with EpSMon: A Templar to highlight the multifaceted challenges of incorporating digital technologies into routine clinical practice.

The digital epilepsy self-monitor (EpSMon) app was developed to address the challenge of improving risk education and management in the UK. The tool, which has emerged out of quality improvement methodology, demonstrates efficacy and has been met with peer-reviewed support and international awards. The focus of this paper is about the development and integration into care of a digital self-assessment epilepsy risk empowerment tool into the UK health system.

Methods of usability testing in the development of eHealth applications: A scoping review.

Background: The number of eHealth applications has exponentially increased in recent years, with over 325,000 health apps now available on all major app stores. This is in addition to other eHealth applications available on other platforms such as PC software, web sites and even gaming consoles. As with other digital applications, usability is one of the key factors in the successful implementation of eHealth apps.

Has the Time Come to Stratify and Score SUDEP Risk to Inform People With Epilepsy of Their Changes in Safety?

Recent publication of the American Academy of Neurology SUDEP guidance highlighted the importance to American clinicians of making people with epilepsy aware of SUDEP risk. It is the first guideline to do this in the United States. It follows precedent set out in the UK by National Institute of Clinical Excellence in 2004.

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy in children: a focused review of incidence and risk factors.

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) in children, although rare, needs critical attention given the tragic nature and devastating consequences for families and caregivers. True incidence is unknown and risk factors are not completely understood, more so in children compared with adults. A focused narrative review of available studies on paediatric SUDEP was undertaken to comprehend its risk factors and to develop strategies to recognise and where possible modify SUDEP risk and ultimately reduce incidence.

Improving the quality of cognitive screening assessments: ACEmobile, an iPad-based version of the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-III.

Introduction: Ensuring reliable administration and reporting of cognitive screening tests are fundamental in establishing good clinical practice and research. This study captured the rate and type of errors in clinical practice, using the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-III (ACE-III), and then the reduction in error rate using a computerized alternative, the ACEmobile app.

Methods: In study 1, we evaluated ACE-III assessments completed in National Health Service (NHS) clinics ( = 87) for administrator error.

Digital Care in Epilepsy: A Conceptual Framework for Technological Therapies.

Epilepsy is associated with a significant increase in morbidity and mortality. The likelihood is significantly greater for those patients with specific risk factors. Identifying those at greatest risk of injury and providing expert management from the earliest opportunity is made more challenging by the circumstances in which many such patients present.

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy: measures to reduce risk.

This review looks at the strategies that may help to reduce the risk of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy beyond that of trying to achieve seizure cessation, which is not possible for up to 30% of patients with epilepsy. These strategies include seizure safety checklists, mobile phone technology, telehealth and various devices currently available or in development. We highlight interventions where there is evidence of benefit, and draw attention for the need both to involve patients with epilepsy in risk reduction and to improve communication with those at risk.

Validity and Reliability of the Hearing Handicap Inventory for Elderly: Version Adapted for Use on the Portuguese Population.

Background: The use of the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE) questionnaire enables us to measure self-perceived psychosocial handicaps of hearing impairment in the elderly as a supplement to pure-tone audiometry. This screening instrument is widely used and it has been going through adaptations and validations for many languages; all of these versions have kept the validity and reliability of the original version.

Purpose: To validate the HHIE questionnaire, translated into Portuguese of Portugal, on the Portuguese population.

Steps to prevent SUDEP: the validity of risk factors in the SUDEP and seizure safety checklist: a case control study.

Our objectives were to compare people with epilepsy (PWE) who died of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) with live controls using the risk factor items of the SUDEP and Seizure Safety Checklist. All 48 SUDEPs of 93 epilepsy deaths which occurred in Cornwall UK 2004-2012 were compared to 220 live controls using the SUDEP and Seizure Safety Checklist, an evidenced based tool used to communicate person centered risk of SUDEP to PWE. The odds ratio for having a specific factor in those who died was compared to controls and ranked according to P value using a sequential Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons.

Developing an Evidence-Based Epilepsy Risk Assessment eHealth Solution: From Concept to Market.

Introduction: Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is possibly the most common cause of death as a result of complications from epilepsy. The need to educate and regularly review risk for all patients with epilepsy is paramount, but rarely delivered in actual clinical practice. Evidence suggests that education around SUDEP and modifiable risk variables translate into better self-management of epilepsy.

Safe and sound? A systematic literature review of seizure detection methods for personal use.

Purpose: The study aims to review systematically the quality of evidence supporting seizure detection devices. The unpredictable nature of seizures is distressing and disabling for sufferers and carers. If a seizure can be reliably detected then the patient or carer could be alerted.

Keeping patients with epilepsy safe: a surmountable challenge?

This quality improvement project was inspired as an answer to a problem that intellectual disability teams have been struggling to manage whilst caring for people with epilepsy (PWE). The issue was that despite guidance to discuss the possibility of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) be discussed with a newly diagnosed PWE this is rarely done. Additionally when, how, and what to discuss about SUDEP and reduce its risk is arbitrary, non-person centred, and with no structured evidence.

A Speech Perception Test in Simulated Reverberation Conditions.

Purpose: This study developed new test materials by applying various reverberation treatments to sentences having high and low contextual redundancy.

Method: The Speech Perception in Noise-Revised (SPIN-R; Bilger, Nuetzel, Rabinowitz, & Rzeczkowski, 1984; Kalikow, Stevens, & Elliott, 1977) sentences were modified (SPIN-Reverb) with reverberation times (RT60) from simulated environments: unprocessed, RevCond 1 (RT60 = 600 ms), RevCond 2 (RT60 = 1200 ms), and RevCond 3 (RT60 = 3600 ms). Phase 1 investigated list equivalency among 75 listeners with normal hearing; Phase 2 examined the utility of SPIN-Reverb for 15 cochlear implant (CI) recipients.

Clinical practice guideline: tinnitus executive summary.

The American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) has published a supplement to this issue featuring the new Clinical Practice Guideline: Tinnitus. To assist in implementing the guideline recommendations, this article summarizes the rationale, purpose, and key action statements. The 13 recommendations developed address the evaluation of patients with tinnitus, including selection and timing of diagnostic testing and specialty referral to identify potential underlying treatable pathology.