Impact of Ramadan fasting on kidney function and related outcomes in chronic kidney disease and kidney transplant recipients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: Ramadan fasting is an Islamic religious practice involving abstinence from food and drink from dawn to sunset. Its consequences on kidney-relevant outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and kidney transplant recipients remain unclear.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the Medical Library Association: a look back at the last twenty-five years.

Over the past twenty-five years, the Medical Library Association (MLA) has pursued a range of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. This article, written by members of the 's Equity Advisory Group (EAG), outlines significant measures taken to raise awareness about specific concepts, opportunities, and challenges related to DEI among MLA members. Topics discussed include the impact of influential Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) leaders, the establishment of DEI and social justice-focused membership communities, and specific initiatives led by various working groups and committees which have served to strengthen MLA's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion during the last three decades.

Striving for equity: An update from the .

In 2020, the () launched an initiative aimed at providing more equitable opportunities for authors, reviewers, and editorial team members. This editorial provides an update on the steps we have taken thus far to empower authors, increase the diversity of our editorial team, and make equity-minded recommendations to the Medical Library Association.

Racial, gender, sexual, and disability identities of the 's editorial board, reviewers, and authors.

The recently issued a call for submissions that recognize and address social injustices; speak to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workforce and among our user populations; and share critical perspectives on health sciences librarianship as well as those on any topic within 's scope written by authors who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color. We also committed to creating more equitable opportunities for authors, reviewers, and editorial board members from marginalized groups. As part of this effort, we conducted a demographic survey of all individuals who served as a member of the editorial board or reviewer or had submitted a manuscript to between 2018 and 2020.

Characteristics and Outcomes of Physician-to-Physician Telephone Consultation Programs: Environmental Scan.

Background: Telephone consultations between physicians provide quick access to medical advice, allowing patients to be cared for by calling physicians in their local settings.

Objective: As part of a quality assurance study of a physician-to-physician consultation program in Alberta, Canada, this environmental scan aims to identify the characteristics and outcomes of physician-to-physician telephone consultation programs across several countries.

Methods: We searched 7 databases to identify English publications in 2007-2017 describing physician-to-physician consultations using telephones as the main technology.

Bladder and bowel preferences of patients at the end of life: a scoping review.

Background: Following patient preferences at the end of life should improve outcomes of care, yet patient preferences regarding bladder and bowel care are not often accommodated, as they are not well known in the literature.

Aims: This scoping review sought to identify bladder and bowel care preferences of patients at the end of life in published literature.

Methods: Papers published in or after 1997 (in English) that focused on adult preferences for bladder and bowel care at the end of life were included.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the correlation between maternal and neonatal iron status and haematologic indices.

Background: Iron deficiency (ID) is the leading single-nutrient deficiency in the world. Anaemia is a common outcome of ID that affects half of pregnancies worldwide with serious consequences for child development. Whether haematologic indices and biomarkers of iron status in pregnant women correlate with those of their neonates is unclear.

Systematic review of the measurement properties of indices of prenatal care utilization.

Background: An accurate assessment of the adequacy of prenatal care utilization is critical to inform the relationship between prenatal care and pregnancy outcomes. This systematic review critically appraises the evidence on measurement properties of prenatal care utilization indices and provides recommendations about which index is the most useful for this purpose.

Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Web of Science were systematically searched from database inception to October 2018 using keywords related to indices of prenatal care utilization.

Systematic review of the use of process evaluations in knowledge translation research.

Background: Experimental designs for evaluating knowledge translation (KT) interventions can provide strong estimates of effectiveness but offer limited insight into how the intervention worked. Consequently, process evaluations have been used to explore the causal mechanisms at work; however, there are limited standards to guide this work. This study synthesizes current evidence of KT process evaluations to provide future methodological recommendations.

Implementation of a fee-based service model to university-affiliated researchers at the University of Alberta.

Background: There is growing demand for specialized services in academic libraries, including supporting systematic reviews and measuring research impact.

Study Purpose: The John W. Scott Health Sciences Library implemented a fee-based pilot project for the Faculty of Nursing for one year to test a fee-based model for specialized services, to evaluate its sustainability and scalability for the longer term, and to assess the feasibility of extending this service model to other health sciences faculties.

Postpartum Mental Health Disorders in Indigenous Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: This systematic review synthesized and evaluated the evidence on the prevalence of postpartum mental health disorders in Indigenous women.

Methods: Comprehensive searches of biomedical electronic databases including Medline, EMBASE, PsychINFO, CINAHL, and Web of Science were performed for peer-reviewed literature published from 1990 to September 2018. The search strategy included terms related to the postpartum period, mental health disorders, and Indigenous ancestry.

Social determinants of health and adverse maternal and birth outcomes in adolescent pregnancies: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Adverse outcomes in adolescent pregnancies have been attributed to both biological immaturity and social determinants of health (SDOH). The present systematic review evaluated the evidence on the association between SDOH and adverse maternal and birth outcomes in adolescent mothers.

Methods: Comprehensive literature searches were conducted to identify observational studies evaluating the relationship between SDOH and adverse adolescent pregnancy outcomes.

A Scoping Review on Intimate Partner Violence in Canada's Immigrant Communities.

Canada relies on newcomers for population growth, labor supply, and cultural diversity. Newcomers, in turn, see Canada as a haven of economic opportunities. However, the extent to which these mutual benefits can be realized depends on how well newcomers fare in Canada.

Emergency Physician Training on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review.

Objectives: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is the most common emergency department (ED) brain injury presentation worldwide. Despite its frequency, practice variation and care gaps exist among emergency physicians (EPs) in diagnosing and appropriately managing mTBI in the ED. The objective of this review was to identify mTBI-specific training undertaken to improve the detection and management of mTBIs by EPs and its impact on practice.

Comprehensive geriatric assessment for older people admitted to a surgical service.

Background: Aging populations are at increased risk of postoperative complications. New methods to provide care for older people recovering from surgery may reduce surgery-related complications. Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) has been shown to improve some outcomes for medical patients, such as enabling them to continue living at home, and has been proposed to have positive impacts for surgical patients.

Research evaluation support services in biomedical libraries.

Objective: The paper provides a review of current practices related to evaluation support services reported by seven biomedical and research libraries.

Methods: A group of seven libraries from the United States and Canada described their experiences with establishing evaluation support services at their libraries. A questionnaire was distributed among the libraries to elicit information as to program development, service and staffing models, campus partnerships, training, products such as tools and reports, and resources used for evaluation support services.

Economic evaluations of comprehensive geriatric assessment in surgical patients: a systematic review.

Background: Seniors presenting with surgical disease face increased risk of postoperative morbidity and mortality and have increased treatment costs. Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) is proposed to reduce morbidity, mortality, and the cost after surgery.

Methods: A systematic review of CGA in emergency surgical patients was conducted.

The Care of Older Adults Experiencing Cognitive Challenges: How Interprofessional Teams Collaborate.

We conducted a scoping study to examine how interprofessional health care teams improve the outcomes of older adults experiencing cognitive challenges. We searched Ovid, Medline 1946, and MEDLINE In-Process and other non-indexed citations, using the concepts multi or interdisciplinary care teams, confusion or cognitive impairment, and elderly adults. Of 4,554 articles the review yielded, 34 relevant to our inquiry, using Arksey and O'Malley's methodological framework.

Parenting Practices of African Immigrants in Destination Countries: A Qualitative Research Synthesis.

Problem: While studies have discussed the parenting practices and challenges of African immigrants, no paper has synthesized the results of these qualitative studies. We conducted a qualitative synthesis of the literature to summarize and interpret knowledge of African immigrants' parenting practices and challenges in destination countries to identify future directions for research, policy, and practice.

Eligibility: We used a qualitative research synthesis method involving meta-summary and meta-synthesis of the literature.

A metasynthesis study of family caregivers' transition experiences caring for community-dwelling persons with advanced cancer at the end of life.

Background: Family caregivers (broadly defined as family and friends) experience multiple concurrent transitions when caring for a person with advanced cancer.

Aims: To (a) explore the transition experience of family caregivers caring for persons with advanced cancer living in the community, (b) describe potential triggers for transitions, (c) identify what influences this experience, and (d) develop a conceptual framework of their transition experience.

Design: Sandelowski and Barroso's methodology for synthesizing qualitative research included (a) a comprehensive search of empirical literature, (b) quality appraisal of qualitative studies, (c) classification of studies, and (d) synthesis of the findings.

A Scoping Literature Review of Dementia-Friendly Hospital Design.

Purpose: We report the findings of a knowledge synthesis research project on the topic of dementia-friendly acute care (D-FAC) design. This exploratory project systematically mapped what is known about D-FAC physical design in hospitals. We discuss our challenges in locating reportable evidence and the implications of such design for maximizing independent function while ensuring safety and harm reduction in older people living with dementia.

Help seeking by health professionals for addiction: A mixed studies review.

Background: When health professionals practice with active and untreated addiction, it is a complex occupational and professional issue impacting numerous stakeholders. Health professionals are responsive to evidence-based addiction interventions and their return-to-work has been demonstrated to be achievable, sustainable and safe. Facilitating help seeking in health professionals with addiction is a priority for reducing associated risks to their health and to patient safety.

Nocturnal Enuresis in Older People: Where Is the Evidence and What Are the Gaps?

While there is extensive literature regarding nocturnal enuresis in children and young adults, relatively little research explores this problem in older people. This scoping review sought to identify knowledge gaps and provide research direction specifically for older, institutionalized adults with nocturnal enuresis. A comprehensive search of 8 electronic databases and the gray literature was undertaken.

Assessing cognitive function in adults during or following chemotherapy: a scoping review.

Purpose: The purpose of this scoping review was to determine the feasibility of conducting a systematic review of approaches for screening or assessing cognitive function that were comprehensive and that could be incorporated into clinical settings.

Methods: Using the scoping review approach developed by Arksey and O'Malley, we searched Ovid Embase 1980-, Ovid PsycINFO 1806-, Ovid Health and Psychosocial Instruments 1985-, EBSCOhost CINAHL, ISI Web of Science (Science Citation Index 1900-), Social Sciences Citation Index 1900-, Conference Proceedings Citation Index -Science 1990-, Conference Proceedings Citation Index -Social Science & Humanities 1990-, Scopus 1960-, with no language restrictions. Searches were conducted in April 2009 and updated in February 2013.

Non-pharmacological cancer pain interventions in populations with social disparities: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Global advances in pain relief have improved the quality of life of cancer populations. Yet, variation in cancer pain outcomes has been found in populations with social disparities compared to mainstream groups. Populations with social disparities bear an inequitable distribution of resources such as ethnic minorities, low income individuals, and women in vulnerable circumstances.