Publications by authors named "Meron Begashaw"
Importance: Massage therapy is a popular treatment that has been advocated for dozens of painful adult health conditions and has a large evidence base.
Objective: To map systematic reviews, conclusions, and certainty or quality of evidence for outcomes of massage therapy for painful adult health conditions.
Evidence Review: In this systematic review, a computerized search was conducted of PubMed, the Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, the Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Web of Science from 2018 to 2023.
Background: The problem of loneliness has garnered increased attention from policymakers, payors, and providers due to higher rates during the pandemic, particularly among seniors. Prior systematic reviews have in general not been able to reach conclusions about effectiveness of interventions.
Methods: Computerized databases were searched using broad terms such as "loneliness" or "lonely" or "social isolation" or "social support" from Jan 1, 2011 to June 23, 2021.
Background: Antiplatelet agents are central in the management of vascular disease. The use of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) for the management of thromboembolic complications must be weighed against bleeding risk in the perioperative setting. This balance is critical in patients undergoing cardiac or non-cardiac surgery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Obesity is a major threat to public health and traditional bariatric surgery continues to have low utilization. Endoscopic treatments for obesity have emerged that offer less risk, but questions remain regarding efficacy, durability, and safety. We compared the efficacy of endoscopic bariatric procedures as compared to other existing treatments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The Choice Act of 2014 and the MISSION Act of 2018 were enacted to improve healthcare access for veterans by allowing them to receive care at non-VA facilities, addressing long wait times in the VA system.
- A review of 18 studies from 2015 to 2021 found that the quality and safety of surgical care in VA facilities were generally equal to or better than that in non-VA facilities, while patient experience ratings were similar.
- Although non-VA care may reduce inpatient length of stay and potentially cost less, the overall findings suggest that expanding community care for veterans might not improve access or quality of surgical procedures.
Background: The Veterans Health Administration (VA) serves Veterans in the nation's largest integrated healthcare system. VA seeks to provide high quality of healthcare to Veterans, but due to the VA Choice and MISSION Acts, VA increasingly pays for care outside of its system in the community. This systematic review compares care provided in VA and non-VA settings, and includes published studies from 2015 to 2023, updating 2 prior systematic reviews on this topic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: Acupuncture is a popular treatment that has been advocated for dozens of adult health conditions and has a vast evidence base.
Objective: To map the systematic reviews, conclusions, and certainty or quality of evidence for outcomes of acupuncture as a treatment for adult health conditions.
Evidence Review: Computerized search of PubMed and 4 other databases from 2013 to 2021.
Importance: Housing insecurity-that is, difficulty with housing affordability and stability-is prevalent and results in increased risk for both homelessness and poor health. However, whether interventions that prevent housing insecurity upstream of homelessness improve health remains uncertain.
Objective: To review evidence characterizing associations of primary prevention strategies for housing insecurity with adult physical health, mental health, health-related behaviors, health care use, and health care access.
Importance: Inadequate access to food is a risk factor for poor health and the effectiveness of federal programs targeting food insecurity, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), are well-documented. The associations between other types of interventions to provide adequate food access and food insecurity status, health outcomes, and health care utilization, however, are unclear.
Objective: To review evidence on the association between food insecurity interventions and food insecurity status, clinically-relevant health outcomes, and health care utilization among adults, excluding SNAP.
Introduction: Transportation is an important social determinant of health. We conducted a systematic review of the associations on health and health care utilization of interventions aimed at reducing barriers to non-emergency transportation and non-medical transportation.
Methods: We searched three databases and the gray literature through mid-January 2022.
Article Synopsis
- Robotic ventral hernia repair (VHR) is becoming more common, but research comparing its effectiveness and cost to other methods like laparoscopic and open surgery is limited.
- A systematic review analyzing 25 studies found that while robotic VHR took longer to perform, it resulted in fewer blood transfusions, shorter hospital stays, and lower complication rates compared to open surgery, but it was more expensive than laparoscopic repair.
- The study suggests that more comprehensive data is needed to fully understand the benefits and costs of robotic VHR in the long term.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the clinical outcomes of robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) compared to video-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (VAMIE) and open esophagectomy (OE) for treating esophageal cancer, due to the rising use of RAMIE despite limited comparative data.
- A systematic review was conducted, analyzing 21 studies that included nearly 9,355 patients, with a focus on various intraoperative and short- to long-term outcomes, following established reporting guidelines.
- The results showed RAMIE had a lower rate of pulmonary complications compared to VAMIE, but no significant differences in lymph node harvest, anastomotic leaks, or estimated blood loss were found between the two surgical methods.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the effectiveness of robot-assisted cholecystectomy versus the traditional laparoscopic method for treating benign gallbladder disease, examining various clinical outcomes and complications.
- Out of 887 articles reviewed, only 44 met inclusion criteria, revealing longer operating times for the robotic approach in most cases, but similar rates of complications, hospital stays, and readmissions between the two techniques.
- The findings suggest that while both methods yield comparable outcomes, further high-quality research is necessary as robot-assisted surgeries advance into more complex cases.
Article Synopsis
- The study aims to evaluate the outcomes of robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) compared to laparoscopic (LPN) and open partial nephrectomy (OPN) for treating small renal cancers.
- RAPN showed less intraoperative blood loss and potential benefits like shorter hospital stays and fewer complications, though long-term kidney function results were inconsistent across studies.
- Overall, RAPN appears to have comparable long-term survival rates but more research is needed to confirm its effectiveness and functional outcomes.