Opportunities for Improving the Transplant Assessment and Education Process in British Columbia: Patient and Health Care Provider Perspective.

Background: There are several steps patients and their health care providers must navigate to access kidney transplantation in British Columbia (BC).

Objective: We explored perceptions and experiences with the pretransplant process across BC to determine where process improvements can be made to enhance access to transplantation.

Design: Anonymous surveys were sent online and via post to health care providers (including nephrologists, registered nurses, and coordinators) and patients across BC.

Growing a provincial patient and family engagement network to optimize kidney care.

Patient and family engagement is crucial for a responsive health system and improves patient outcomes. However, few practical resources for purposeful engagement are available to health leaders. Over the past five years, BC Renal, the provincial kidney care network in British Columbia, developed, operationalized, and implemented a framework to enable meaningful patient and family engagement.

Patient and Clinician Experiences With the Combination of Virtual and In-Person Chronic Kidney Disease Care Since the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Following onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, chronic kidney disease (CKD) clinics in BC shifted from established methods of mostly in-person care delivery to virtual care (VC) and thereafter a hybrid of the two.

Objectives: To determine strengths, weaknesses, quality-of-care delivery, and key considerations associated with VC usage to inform optimal way(s) of integrating virtual and traditional methods of care delivery in multidisciplinary kidney clinics.

Design: Qualitative evaluation.

Storytelling for impact: the creation of a storytelling program for patient partners in research.

Storytelling is a powerful means to evoke empathy and understanding among people. When patient partners, which include patients, family members, caregivers and organ donors, share their stories with health professionals, this can prompt listeners to reflect on their practice and consider new ways of driving change in the healthcare system. However, a growing number of patient partners are asked to 'share their story' within health care and research settings without adequate support to do so.

Relationship between left-behind status and cognitive function in older Chinese adults: a prospective 3-year cohort study.

Background: Due to the inaccuracy of the traditional geographical distance-based definition of left-behind status, data on the negative effect of left-behind status on cognitive function among older adults are controversial.

Aims: This study examined the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of left-behind status with cognitive function in older Chinese adults. The left-behind status definition was based on the frequency of face-to-face parent-child meetings.

Dementia and risk of visual impairment in Chinese older adults.

We had previously identified visual impairment increasing risk of incident dementia. While a bi-directional vision-cognition association has subsequently been proposed, no study has specifically examined the longitudinal association between dementia and incidence of clinically defined visual impairment. In this territory-wide community cohort study of 10,806 visually unimpaired older adults, we examined their visual acuity annually for 6 years and tested if dementia at baseline was independently associated with higher risk of incident visual impairment (LogMAR ≥ 0.

Network analysis of psychiatric symptoms in schizophrenia: Findings from the Research on Asian Psychotropic Prescription Patterns for Antipsychotics (REAP-AP).

Aims: Schizophrenia is a major mental disorder with a wide range of psychiatric symptoms. This study explored the structure of psychiatric symptoms of schizophrenia using network analysis in a large representative Asian sample based on a survey of clinical features and treatment used in schizophrenia patients across 15 countries/territories in Asia.

Methods: Data on the demographic characteristics and psychiatric symptoms in schizophrenia patients were extracted from the dataset of the fourth Research on Asia Psychotropic Prescription for Antipsychotics (REAP-AP) project.

Protocol for a Multistage Mixed-Methods Evaluation of Multidisciplinary Chronic Kidney Disease Care Quality Following Integration of Virtual and In-Person Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Multidisciplinary care of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) as it previously existed was predicated on an evidence and experience base of improved patient outcomes within an established and well-described service delivery model. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought with it a departure from this established care delivery model toward integration of virtual care and in-person care.

Objective: To develop an evaluation framework to determine whether this shift in service delivery models has affected quality of multidisciplinary kidney care and/or patient-clinician interactions and relationships.

Program Report: Can-SOLVE CKD Network Presents an Inclusive Method for Developing Patient-Oriented Research Tools.

Purpose Of Program: Given the growing interest in patient-oriented research (POR) initiatives, there is a need to provide relevant training and education on how to engage with patients as partners on research teams.

Sources Of Information: As part of its mandate to develop appropriate training materials, the patient-oriented renal research network, Canadians Seeking Solutions and Innovations to Overcome Chronic Kidney Disease (Can-SOLVE CKD), established a training and Mentorship Committee (TMC).

Methods: The committee brings together a unique combination of Indigenous and non-Indigenous patient partners (including caregivers, family members, and living donors), researchers, as well as patient engagement and knowledge translation experts, combining a multitude of perspectives and expertise.

Late-life longitudinal blood pressure trajectories as predictor of dementia.

While hypertension is widely recognized as a risk factor for dementia, few observational studies and clinical trials fully accounted for the effect of age on blood pressure (BP) changes prior to dementia onset. In this territory-wide population-based longitudinal study of 16,591 community-living dementia-free older adults, we followed their BP and cognitive status and tested if loss of longitudinal increase in BP in late life was associated with higher dementia risk in 6 years, with consideration of the confounding effects of hypertension, hypotension, BP variability, and other health problems and behaviours and, in the data analysis, exclusion of individuals who developed dementia within 3 years after baseline to minimize risk of reverse causality. Over 72,997 person-years of follow-up, 1429 participants developed dementia.

COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake, Acceptance, and Hesitancy Among Persons With Mental Disorders During the Second Stage of China's Nationwide Vaccine Rollout.

Persons with mental disorders (PwMDs) are a priority group for COVID-19 vaccination, but empirical data on PwMDs' vaccine uptake and attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines are lacking. This study examined the uptake, acceptance, and hesitancy associated with COVID-19 vaccines among Chinese PwMDs during China's nationwide vaccine rollout. In total, 906 adult PwMDs were consecutively recruited from a large psychiatric hospital in Wuhan, China, and administered a self-report questionnaire, which comprised standardized questions regarding sociodemographics, COVID-19 vaccination status, attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines, and psychopathology.

The healthier healthcare management models for COVID-19.

The worldwide pandemic situation of COVID-19 generates a situation in which healthcare resources such as diagnostic kits, drugs and basic healthcare infrastructure were on shortage throughout the period, along with negative impact on socio-economic system. Standardized public healthcare models were missing in pandemic situation, covering from hospitalized patient care to local resident's healthcare managements in terms of monitoring, assess to diagnosis and medicines. This exploratory and intervention-based study with the objective of proposing COVID-19 Care Management Model representing comprehensive care of society including patients (COVID-19 and other diseases) and healthy subjects under integrated framework of healthier management model.

Prevalence of depressive symptoms among Chinese university students amid the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aims: Chinese university students are at high risk for depressive symptoms and the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have exacerbated the mental health of university students. However, existing studies on depressive symptoms in Chinese university students during the COVID-19 pandemic reported a wide range of prevalence estimates, making mental health planning for this population difficult. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of surveys that assessed the prevalence of depressive symptoms in Chinese university students amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Risk of incident dementia varies with different onset and courses of depression.

Background: This study aims to examine if risk of dementia differs between adult- and late-onset depression.

Methods: 16,608 community-living dementia-free older adults were followed for 6 years to the outcome of incident dementia. Depression was diagnosed according to international diagnostic guidelines.

Continuous quadratus lumborum block as post-operative strategy for pain control in spinal fusion surgery.

Background And Aims: Lumbar spinal fusions have post-operative pain levels that can be difficult to treat. The objective of this study was to determine if using bilateral quadratus lumborum (QL) nerve block catheters for lumbar fusions changes the patient's post-operative recovery experience by reducing opioid consumption, thereby limiting potential risks and side effects and reducing recovery time.

Methods: There were a total of 52 surgical lumbar fusion patients in this single-center, retrospective cohort review.

Mental health problems, needs, and service use among people living within and outside Wuhan during the COVID-19 epidemic in China.

Background: Crisis mental health services for the general population are an essential component in combating the COVID-19 epidemic. To facilitate planning of mental health services, empirical data on mental health problems and service utilization of populations affected by the epidemic are urgently needed. This study investigated the prevalence of mental health problems of residents within and outside Wuhan, China, as well as their patterns of mental health service utilization.

Advancing Palliative Care in Patients With CKD: From Ideas to Practice.

A palliative approach to care focuses on what matters most to patients with life-limiting illness, including chronic kidney disease (CKD). Despite recent publication of related clinical practice guidelines in nephrology, there is limited information about how to practically implement these recommendations. In this Perspective, we describe our experience integrating a palliative approach within routine care of patients with CKD glomerular filtration rate categories 4 and 5 (G4-G5) across a provincial kidney care network during the past 15 years.

COVID-19 patients managed in psychiatric inpatient settings due to first-episode mental disorders in Wuhan, China: clinical characteristics, treatments, outcomes, and our experiences.

Data are scarce regarding the comorbid mental disorders and their management among COVID-19 patients. This study described the clinical characteristics and management of COVID-19 patients treated in psychiatric inpatient settings due to comorbid first-onset mental disorders in Wuhan, China. This electronic medical records-based study included 25 COVID-19 patients with first-onset mental disorders and 55 patients with first-onset mental disorders without COVID-19 (control group).