Impacts of COVID-19 pandemic prevention measures to the palliative care in Taiwan.

Background: Prevention measures for palliative care and the provision of discharge planning services for inpatients in Taiwan before and during the COVID-19 pandemic had not been investigated. This study was aimed to investigate the factors associated with heightened palliative care needs and increased mortality rates.

Methods: This research adopts a retrospective case-control study design.

Development of the Readiness for Home-Based Palliative Care Scale (RHBPCS) for Primary Family Caregivers.

In Chinese or Eastern society, most end-of-life (EOL) patients still choose to die at home. However, primary family caregivers usually do not prepare themselves to face the death of patients. Therefore, a measurement of the readiness for home-based palliative care for primary family caregivers is needed.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Utilization of Hospice Care Services: A Cohort Study in Taiwan.

Context: Hospice care focuses on improving the quality of end-of-life care and respecting patients' preferences regarding end-of-life treatment. The impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the utilization of hospice services is unknown.

Objectives: To investigate the utilization of hospice care services before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Life Experiences Among Primary Family Caregivers of Home-Based Palliative Care.

Background: An increasing number of patients with terminal illnesses prefer to die in their own homes due to aging, high medical payments, a limited number of hospitalization days, and the ability to receive care from family members. However, few studies have been conducted on the subjective perception and value of caregivers for home-based palliative care (HBPC).

Objective: To identify common themes and topics of primary family caregivers' lived experiences with HBPC when taking care of terminally ill family members.

Ink-jet patterning of graphene by cap assisted barrier-guided CVD.

Barrier-guided CVD growth could provide a new route to printed electronics by combining high quality 2D materials synthesis with scalable and cost-effective deposition methods. Unfortunately, we observe the limited stability of the barrier at growth conditions which results in its removal within minutes due to hydrogen etching. This work describes a route towards enhancing the stability of an ink-jet deposited barrier for high resolution patterning of high quality graphene.

CYP24A1 genetic variants in the vitamin D metabolic pathway are involved in the outcomes of hepatitis C virus infection among high-risk Chinese population.

Background And Aims: It has been demonstrated that 1,25-hydroxyvitamin-D3-24-hydroxylase, encoded by CYP24A1 gene, is a key enzyme that neutralizes the active vitamin D3 metabolite 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)D] in response to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. This study aimed to investigate whether CYP24A1 genetic variation is associated with HCV infection outcomes.

Methods: 848 HCV chronically infected subjects, 507 natural clearance subjects, and 1017 uninfected controls were enrolled.

Health-promotion interventions enhance and maintain self-efficacy for adults at cardiometabolic risk: A randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: To investigate whether a community-based intervention program, based on self-efficacy theory, might improve older adults' self-care behaviors as well as health outcomes related to hypertension and dyslipidemia.

Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted in Taipei, Taiwan, From October 16, 2011 to July 31, 2014. Residents identified during community screening for the over 50 s were invited to participate if their blood pressure was 120-139/80-89 mmHg, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was <40 mg/dL (men) or <50 mg/dL (women), or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was 130-159 mg/dL.

Vitamin D binding protein polymorphisms influence susceptibility to hepatitis C virus infection in a high-risk Chinese population.

Vitamin D binding protein (VDBP) plays an important role in the immune modulation and pathogenesis of hepatitis C viral (HCV) infection by influencing serum vitamin D levels. The present study aims to evaluate the association of VDBP genetic polymorphisms with susceptibility to and chronicity of HCV infection in a high-risk Chinese population. Seven genetic variants in the VDBP gene were genotyped in a case-control study of 886 patients with HCV persistent infection, 539 subjects with spontaneous clearance, and 1081 uninfected controls.

[The Promotion of Resources Integration in Long-Term Care Service: The Experience of Taipei City Hospital].

The home-based medical care integrated plan under Taiwan National Health Insurance has changed from paying for home-based medical care, home-based nursing, home-based respiratory treatment, and palliative care to paying for a single, continuous home-based care service package. Formerly, physician-visit regulations limited home visits for home-based nursing to providing medical related assessments only. This limitation not only did not provide practical assistance to the public but also caused additional problems for those with mobility problems or who faced difficulties in making visits hospital.

An Empirical Study on the Successful Implementation of Nursing Information System.

This study investigated the major NIS implementation factors and their capability of predicting the effectiveness of NIS implementation by using the clinical information systems success model. The triangulation method was employed in this study. A total of 348 nurses were recruited from regional hospitals in two districts of Taipei through purposive sampling.

Genetic variations in vitamin D receptor were associated with the outcomes of hepatitis C virus infection among Chinese population.

Vitamin D has been considered as an immune modulator, and exerted the effect through the vitamin D receptor (VDR). This study investigated the associations of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of VDR with the outcomes of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Three SNPs (rs2228570, rs757343 and rs739837) were genotyped by TaqMan assay among Chinese population, including 538 HCV spontaneous clearance subjects, 834 persistent infection subjects and 1030 uninfected subjects.

Human Leukocyte Antigen Class II Alleles Are Associated with Hepatitis C Virus Natural Susceptibility in the Chinese Population.

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II molecule influences host antigen presentation and anti-viral immune response. The aim of this study was to investigate whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within HLA class II gene were associated with different clinical outcomes of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Three HLA class II SNPs (rs3077, rs2395309 and rs2856718) were genotyped by TaqMan assay among Chinese population, including 350 persistent HCV infection patients, 194 spontaneous viral clearance subjects and 973 HCV-uninfected control subjects.

Self-efficacy, professional commitment, and job satisfaction of diabetic medical care personnel.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among the self-efficacy, professional commitment, and job satisfaction of diabetic health-care personnel. The research design was cross-sectional. Three teaching hospitals, one from each of northern, middle and southern parts of Taiwan, were selected for data collection and used questionnaires to collect data; 202 participants were recruited.

Self-efficacy, self-care behavior, anxiety, and depression in Taiwanese with type 2 diabetes: A cross-sectional survey.

The relationships between self-efficacy, self-care behavior, anxiety, and depression for Taiwanese individuals with type 2 diabetes were determined in this study. Depression and anxiety are common symptoms that can contribute toward adverse medical outcomes. A descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational design was used.

Effectiveness of a community-based health promotion program targeting people with hypertension and high cholesterol.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a community-based health promotion program targeting people with hypertension and high cholesterol. A pre-experimental study was conducted. A total of 60 residents were recruited to participate.

The effectiveness of a self-management program on quality of life for knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients.

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of the Taipei Osteoarthritis Program (TOAP) for community elderly persons who suffer from knee OA.

Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted between January 2008 and December 2008. Two hundred and five community-dwelling individuals aged 67±10 years with knee OA were recruited from four districts in Taipei City and randomized.

Effects of an osteoarthritis self-management programme.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a self-management programme among osteoarthritis knee sufferers.

Background: Osteoarthritis of the knee is a major cause of loss of function and is common in the older people. A self-management programme is an effective way to increase arthritis self-efficacy, and helps with mastering self-management practices.

Integrated care for severely disabled long-term care facility residents: is it better?

The demands of long-term care facilities (LTCFs) residents are complex which usually require a range of professionals and caregivers to provide treatment and care. To reduce this fragmentation of care, integrated care models are developed in modern health care system, and a gradual change from traditional LTCF care to integrated care has occurred in many countries. Although integrated care is assumed to improve the quality of care, evidences supporting these effects are insufficient.