Publications by authors named "J R Duff"
Background: Alpha-actinin-2, a protein with high expression in cardiac and skeletal muscle, is located in the Z-disc and plays a key role in sarcomere stability. Mutations in ACTN2 have been associated with both hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy and, more recently, with skeletal myopathy.
Methods: Genetic, clinical, and muscle imaging data were collected from 37 patients with an autosomal dominant ACTN2 myopathy belonging to 11 families from Spain and Belgium.
Objectives: This study aimed to identify the barriers to and enablers of secondary prevention care and cardiac rehabilitation (CR) utilization by patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) from the perspective of policymakers.
Methods: A qualitative study involving an interpretive descriptive design was conducted through recorded semistructured interviews with key decision-makers in cardiology care in Saudi Arabia. The analysis was guided by the updated Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), which informed the resulting themes.
Background: Acute application of adjunctive negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) significantly improves time to re-epithelialization in pediatric burn patients. This adjunctive treatment has not yet been broadly or routinely adopted as a standard primary burns dressing strategy. The Implementation of Negative PRessurE for acute Pediatric burns (INPREP) trial will implement and evaluate the impact of adjunctive NPWT in parallel with co-designed implementation strategies and resources across four major pediatric hospitals.
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- - This study explored how Florida's unique handling of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted gaps in state-level pandemic preparedness and response (PPR) strategies, emphasizing the need for informed recommendations.
- - Researchers conducted 25 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders from government, academia, and the private sector to identify challenges faced during the pandemic and suggestions for improvement.
- - Key findings included the necessity of a pandemic playbook to clarify agency roles, address jurisdictional conflicts, and improve public health messaging, while recognizing varying opinions on implementing restrictions to control disease spread.
Article Synopsis
- Occupational violence (OV) is a major issue affecting 62% of healthcare workers worldwide, prompting the introduction of a new role called "Ambassador," designed to prevent OV in healthcare by engaging with patients to de-escalate potential concerns.
- A pilot study in an Australian hospital over three months showed that the introduction of Ambassadors led to a 60% reduction in security calls and a 70% decrease in incident reports, while staff awareness of OV increased significantly.
- Overall, the program enhanced staff perceptions of safety, highlighting the importance of candidate selection, clear role definitions, training, and support resources for the success of the Ambassador initiative, with recommendations for further research in various healthcare settings.*