Barriers and Facilitators to Physical Activity Among Older Adults in Residential Aged Care Facilities: A Mixed Methods Systematic Review Using the Social Ecological Model.

Objective: To ascertain the barriers and facilitators to physical activity (PA) for older adults in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs), from the perspective of residents, staff, and family.

Methods: A mixed-methods systematic review, underpinned by the Social Ecological Model (SEM). Five databases were searched from inception to May 2024.

Experiences as a clinical teaching fellow: interviews with clinical teaching fellows in the West Midlands.

Background: The majority of junior doctors in the UK do not proceed directly into specialty training after completing mandatory foundation training but instead take a year out of training. A common post undertaken during a year out of training is a clinical teaching fellow (CTF) role which is used to provide undergraduate medical student teaching. There is only a small amount of literature available regarding CTF posts, and very little of this explores experiences or reasons for taking up such as post.

The Clinical Teaching Fellow role: exploring expectations and experiences.

Background: Many UK junior doctors are now taking a year out of the traditional training pathway, usually before specialty training, and some choose to work as a clinical teaching fellow (CTF). CTFs primarily have responsibility for delivering hospital-based teaching to undergraduate medical students. Only a very small amount of literature is available regarding CTF posts, none of which has explored why doctors choose to undertake the role and their expectations of the job.

Pressure-garment therapy for preventing hypertrophic scarring after burn injury.

Background: Burn damage to skin often results in scarring; however in some individuals the failure of normal wound-healing processes results in excessive scar tissue formation, termed 'hypertrophic scarring'. The most commonly used method for the prevention and treatment of hypertrophic scarring is pressure-garment therapy (PGT). PGT is considered standard care globally; however, there is continued uncertainty around its effectiveness.

A toolkit for capturing a representative and equitable sample in health research.

Research participants often do not represent the general population. Systematic exclusion of particular groups from research limits the generalizability of research findings and perpetuates health inequalities. Groups considered underserved by research include those whose inclusion is lower than expected based on population estimates, those with a high healthcare burden but limited research participation opportunities and those whose healthcare engagement is less than others.

The Clinical Teaching Fellow role: views of the Heads of Academy in the West Midlands.

Background: Increasingly junior doctors are taking a year out of the traditional training pathway, and some opt to spend a year in a clinical teaching fellow (CTF) post. The CTF post mainly involves delivering hospital-based teaching to undergraduate medical students. In NHS hospital Trusts in the West Midlands, Heads of Academy (HoAs) have oversight of medical education at each Trust and therefore have responsibility for employing and directing the work of CTFs.

Health technology assessment of diagnostic tests: a state of the art review of methods guidance from international organizations.

Objectives: To identify which international health technology assessment (HTA) agencies are undertaking evaluations of medical tests, summarize commonalities and differences in methodological approach, and highlight examples of good practice.

Methods: A methodological review incorporating: systematic identification of HTA guidance documents mentioning evaluation of tests; identification of key contributing organizations and abstraction of approaches to all essential HTA steps; summary of similarities and differences between organizations; and identification of important emergent themes which define the current state of the art and frontiers where further development is needed.

Results: Seven key organizations were identified from 216 screened.

Long-term impact of pre-incision antibiotics on children born by caesarean section: a longitudinal study based on UK electronic health records.

Background: Since changes in the national guidance in 2011, prophylactic antibiotics for women undergoing caesarean section are recommended prior to skin incision, rather than after the baby's umbilical cord has been clamped. Evidence from randomised controlled trials conducted outside the UK has shown that this reduces maternal infectious morbidity; however, the prophylactic antibiotics also cross the placenta, meaning that babies are exposed to them around the time of birth. Antibiotics are known to affect the gut microbiota of the babies, but the long-term effects of exposure to high-dose broad-spectrum antibiotics around the time of birth on allergy and immune-related diseases are unknown.

Long term impact of prophylactic antibiotic use before incision versus after cord clamping on children born by caesarean section: longitudinal study of UK electronic health records.

Objective: To investigate the impact on child health up to age 5 years of a policy to use antibiotic prophylaxis for caesarean section before incision compared with after cord clamping.

Design: Observational controlled interrupted time series study.

Setting: UK primary and secondary care.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions to preserve insulin-secreting β-cell function in people newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes: Results from intervention studies aimed at improving glucose control.

Aims: Type 1 diabetes is characterised by the destruction of pancreatic β-cells. Significant levels of β-cells remain at diagnosis. Preserving these cells improves glucose control and protects from long-term complications.

What is the effectiveness of community-based health promotion campaigns on chlamydia screening uptake in young people and what barriers and facilitators have been identified? A mixed-methods systematic review.

Background: The UK National Chlamydia Screening Programme uses an opportunistic approach. Many programmes use campaigns to raise awareness of chlamydia screening in young people. This review aimed to assess the effectiveness of campaigns on uptake of chlamydia screening in young people.

Rapid, point-of-care antigen and molecular-based tests for diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Background: Accurate rapid diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2 infection could contribute to clinical and public health strategies to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. Point-of-care antigen and molecular tests to detect current infection could increase access to testing and early confirmation of cases, and expediate clinical and public health management decisions that may reduce transmission.

Objectives: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of point-of-care antigen and molecular-based tests for diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Factors affecting consultant attitudes to undertaking undergraduate medical student teaching in the UK: a systematic review.

Objective: This systematic review aimed to explore consultant attitudes towards teaching undergraduate medical students in the UK.

Design: Systematic review.

Methodology: Standard systematic review methodology was followed.

Information given by websites selling home self-sampling COVID-19 tests: an analysis of accuracy and completeness.

Objectives: To assess the accuracy and completeness of information provided by websites selling home self-sampling and testing kits for COVID-19.

Design: Cross-sectional observational study.

Setting: All websites (n=27) selling direct to user home self-sampling and testing kits for COVID-19 (41 tests) in the UK (39 tests) and USA (two tests) identified by a website search on 23 May 2020.

Rapid, point-of-care antigen and molecular-based tests for diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the resulting COVID-19 pandemic present important diagnostic challenges. Several diagnostic strategies are available to identify or rule out current infection, identify people in need of care escalation, or to test for past infection and immune response. Point-of-care antigen and molecular tests to detect current SARS-CoV-2 infection have the potential to allow earlier detection and isolation of confirmed cases compared to laboratory-based diagnostic methods, with the aim of reducing household and community transmission.

Risk of bias assessment of test comparisons was uncommon in comparative accuracy systematic reviews: an overview of reviews.

Objectives: Comparative diagnostic test accuracy systematic reviews (DTA reviews) assess the accuracy of two or more tests and compare their diagnostic performance. We investigated how comparative DTA reviews assessed the risk of bias (RoB) in primary studies that compared multiple index tests.

Study Design And Setting: This is an overview of comparative DTA reviews indexed in MEDLINE from January 1st to December 31st, 2017.

Antibody tests for identification of current and past infection with SARS-CoV-2.

Background: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus and resulting COVID-19 pandemic present important diagnostic challenges. Several diagnostic strategies are available to identify current infection, rule out infection, identify people in need of care escalation, or to test for past infection and immune response. Serology tests to detect the presence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 aim to identify previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, and may help to confirm the presence of current infection.

Body image dissatisfaction in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review.

Background And Aims: Little is known about the relationship between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and body image. The aim of this systematic review was to summarise the evidence on body image dissatisfaction in patients with IBD across four areas: (1) body image tools, (2) prevalence, (3) factors associated with body image dissatisfaction in IBD and (4) association between IBD and quality of life.

Methods: Two reviewers screened, selected, quality assessed and extracted data from studies in duplicate.

Body image dissatisfaction in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review protocol.

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a debilitating chronic disease characterised by inflammation and ulceration of the gastrointestinal tract. It is associated with a range of debilitating symptoms and reduced quality of life. People living with IBD may also be at risk of body image dissatisfaction (BID).

Exploring the use and effects of deliberate self-harm websites: an Internet-based study.

Background: In the United Kingdom, rates of deliberate self-harm (DSH) are rising. Alongside this, there has been an increase in the number of websites available with DSH content, and the Internet is known as a valuable resource for those who feel isolated by their condition(s). However, there is little and contradictory evidence available on the effects of using such websites.