Establishment and clinical impacts of decision-support system for older patients with aortic valve stenosis: A retrospective observational study.

Objectives: Treatment decisions for severe aortic stenosis (AS) are complex, since there are two active and comparable options: transcatheter aortic valve implantation and surgical aortic valve replacement. The disease predominantly affects older individuals, who are frequently comorbid with from cognitive impairment. This study aimed to establish a screening-triggered system to assess the decision-making capacity of patients with AS, support their decision-making, and facilitate referrals to specialists when necessary.

Knowledge of Illness Trajectory and Symptoms of Heart Failure in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome.

Background: Preventive management of heart failure (HF) should involve strategies to increase awareness of HF in patients with pre-HF and those at risk of HF. However, the perception of HF in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains unclear. This study aimed to assess patient understanding of the definition of HF for the public-that is, its illness trajectory (intermittent decline), impact on life expectancy (HF would limit life expectancy), and symptoms (shortness of breath, swelling)-that was introduced by the Japanese Circulation Society.

Nurse-Led Screening-Triggered Early Specialized Palliative Care Program for Patients With Advanced Lung Cancer: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: We aimed to examine the effectiveness of a nurse-led, screening-triggered early specialized palliative care intervention program for patients with advanced lung cancer.

Methods: Patients with advanced lung cancer who underwent initial chemotherapy were randomized to intervention and usual care groups between January 2017 and September 2019. The intervention comprised comprehensive needs assessments, counseling, and service coordination by advanced-level nurses.

Self-compassion-based online group psychotherapy for bereavement-related grief: The COMPACT feasibility trial.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of online group psychotherapy focused on self-compassion for individuals experiencing bereavement-related grief.

Method: This single-arm feasibility trial involved participants aged 18 years or older who had experienced bereavement at least 6 months prior the five-week intervention. Outcomes were measured at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and 4 and 12 weeks later.

Quality of life, psychological states, and personality traits in patients with pectus excavatum.

Objective: The quality of life (QOL) and psychological states of patients with pectus excavatum (PE) have yet to be well understood. This study aimed to evaluate the health-related QOL (HRQOL), psychological states, and personality traits of patients with PE, alongside the associations of these factors with the severity of PE.

Methods: A cross-sectional evaluation was prospectively performed in patients scheduled to undergo PE repair surgery between July 2019 and April 2021.

Development and preliminary validation of the Group Cognitive Therapy Scale.

Aim: The aim of this research was to create a scale to assess the competency of therapists who conduct group cognitive behavioral therapy (G-CBT). The scale is intended to serve as a tool to aid the training of therapists.

Methods: Three stepped studies were conducted.

Qualitative analysis of expressions used in the end-of-life discussions and their associated factors.

Objectives: Discussing end-of-life (EOL) issues with patients remains challenging for health professionals. Physicians may use various expressions, including euphemistic ones, when disclosing the prognosis to their patients to reduce their psychological impact. However, the actual expressions of EOL disclosure in clinical practice are unclear.

Perspectives of hospitalized heart failure patients: preferred and perceived participation roles in treatment decisions.

Shared decision-making (SDM) is a pivotal process in seeking optimal individual treatment and incorporating clinical evidence and patients' autonomous preferences. However, patients' actual attitudes toward participation in decision-making for state-of-the-art heart failure (HF) treatment remain unclear. We conducted a questionnaire-based survey distributed by nurses and physicians specializing in HF care to assess patients' preferred and perceived participation roles in treatment decision-making during the index hospitalization, rated on five scales (from extremely passive to purely autonomous attitudes).

Decreased Interoceptive Awareness as a Risk Factor for Moderate to Severe Pain in Japanese Full-Time Workers: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Interoceptive awareness, the conscious perception of internal bodily states, is a key construct of mind-body interaction. Decreases in interoceptive awareness, as measured by the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA), are found in chronic pain patients. In this study, we explored whether a specific aspect of interoceptive awareness is a risk for the onset and chronicity of pain.

Comorbid psychiatric disorders and long-term survival after liver transplantation in transplant facilities with a psychiatric consultation-liaison team: a multicenter retrospective study.

Objective: Comorbid psychiatric disorders negatively affect the survival rate of patients with some physical disorders. In liver transplant recipients, various psychiatric disorders have been identified as worsening prognosis. However, little is known about how the presence of any comorbid (overall) disorders affect the survival rate of transplant recipients.

Intravenous pulse methylprednisolone and corticosteroid-induced psychiatric disorders: A retrospective study.

Objective: Corticosteroids can cause psychiatric symptoms known as corticosteroid-induced psychiatric disorders (CIPDs). Little is known regarding the relationship between intravenous pulse methylprednisolone (IVMP) and CIPDs. Therefore, we aimed to examine the relationship between corticosteroid use and CIPDs in this retrospective study.

3-day intervention program for family members of hikikomori sufferers: A pilot randomized controlled trial.

Backgrounds: Hikikomori, pathological social withdrawal, is becoming a crucial mental health issue in Japan and worldwide. We have developed a 3-day family intervention program for hikikomori sufferers based on Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT). This study aims to confirm the effectiveness of the 3-day program by a randomized controlled trial.

Influence of dosing pattern of antipsychotics on treatment outcome of delirium in patients with advanced cancer.

Background: Clinical guidelines recommend antipsychotics for the treatment of delirium; however, there has been no confirmed recommendation regarding their administrating patterns. This study aims to investigate whether different dosing patterns of antipsychotics (single or multiple administrations) influence the outcomes of delirium treatment.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of a prospective observational study involving patients with advanced cancer and delirium receiving antipsychotics.

Development of a novel COMPAssion focused online psyChoTherapy for bereaved informal caregivers: the COMPACT feasibility trial protocol.

Introduction: An easy-to-access and effective psychotherapy for bereaved informal caregivers has not been established. People with higher self-compassion status tend to have lower bereavement related grief, psychotherapy focused on self-compassion can be promising for this population. This study aimed to examine the feasibility of online self-compassion focused psychotherapy for bereaved informal caregivers.

Experience of application of the meaning-centered psychotherapy to Japanese bereaved family of patients with cancer - A mixed-method study.

Objectives: This study aimed to adapt the meaning-centered psychotherapy (MCP) to treat post-bereavement grief in Japanese bereaved families who lost their loved ones to cancer and to examine the feasibility of the intervention using both quantitative and qualitative methods.

Methods: A modified version of MCP was developed with cultural consideration. Bereaved individuals aged ≥18 years who had lost their family members to cancer at least 6 months before and had severe or persistent grief with a score of ≥26 on the Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG-19) were included in the study.

Group multi-component programme based on cognitive behavioural therapy and positive psychology for family caregivers of people with dementia: a randomised controlled study (3C study).

Background: Caregivers of people with dementia frequently experience an elevated level of psychological distress and burden. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a group-format multi-component programme which is based on cognitive behavioural therapy and positive psychology.

Methods: Family caregivers of dementia were allocated (1:1) to the intervention group and the wait-list control group, stratified by age (<65 years, ≥65 years) and care status (at home or in an institution).

Most Important Things and Associated Factors With Prioritizing Daily Life in Patients With Advanced Lung Cancer.

Purpose: Patients' values and priorities in their lives should be appreciated from an early phase of incurable diseases such as advanced cancer. However, studies examining these characteristics have been lacking. This study attempted to determine what patients with advanced lung cancer valued most, once they had been diagnosed, and any associated factors.

Trazodone and Mianserin for Delirium: A Retrospective Chart Review.

Background: Although antipsychotics are commonly used for delirium, their adverse effects are a serious concern in light of extrapyramidal symptoms and cardiovascular disturbances. In clinical practice, sedative antidepressants are frequently used as an alternative treatment for delirium; however, there is scarce evidence. Thus, we conducted a retrospective chart review to examine the use and effectiveness of trazodone and mianserin for delirium.

Social Isolation and Implementation of Advanced Care Planning Among Hospitalized Patients With Heart Failure.

Background The implementation of advance care planning (ACP) in heart failure management is insufficient. Social isolation (SI) could be a barrier to ACP initiation, albeit the relationship between SI and patients' preference for ACP or end-of-life care remains unknown. Methods and Results We conducted a questionnaire survey, including assessments of SI using the 6-item Lubben Social Network Scale as well as patients' perspectives on ACP and end-of-life care.