Background: This study aimed to determine factors associated with higher levels of health related quality of life (HRQL) among individuals HIV-infected through drug injection and to evaluate the impact of injecting drug status and opiate substitution treatment (OST) on HRQL.
Methods: Two hundred and forty-three patients, enrolled in the MANIF cohort of patients HIV-infected through IDUs, participated. They completed a self-administered questionnaire, which included an HRQL evaluation (SF-12) and socio-demographic/clinical characteristics at the 42-month visit. Injecting drug status, OST and experience of negative life events (NLE) were collected at any follow-up visit in order to reconstitute individual trajectories.
Results: Among the 243 patients, 35% reported a normal mental HRQL and 37% a normal physical HRQL. Independent predictors of "normal" mental HRQL were social support from partner, being a former IDU, no experience of violence-related NLE and few self-reported HAART-related side effects. "Normal" physical HRQL was predicted by younger age, stable partner, being a former IDU (> or = 6 months), CD4 cell count > 500, no experience of financial-related NLE and few HAART self-reported side effects.
Conclusions: As HRQL has been found to have a prognostic value on the survival of HIV patients infected through drug injection, then providing more comprehensive care (for example by paying more attention to patients' experience of stressful events, meeting their needs in psychosocial support and better management of perceived toxicity) could globally improve treatment outcomes in this vulnerable population.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2006.06.012 | DOI Listing |
J Med Internet Res
January 2025
Department of Healthcare Economics and Quality Management, School of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic, declared in March 2020, profoundly affected global health, societal, and economic frameworks. Vaccination became a crucial tactic in combating the virus. Simultaneously, the pandemic likely underscored the internet's role as a vital resource for seeking health information.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv
January 2025
Purpose: To investigate the effect of art therapy on quality of life and social functioning of individuals with schizophrenia receiving community mental health services.
Method: A quasi-experimental study design was used to assess the effects of art therapy on quality of life and social functioning. The study included 14 participants with schizophrenia, seven assigned to the intervention group and seven to the control group.
Importance: Fragility fractures result in significant morbidity.
Objective: To review evidence on osteoporosis screening to inform the US Preventive Services Task Force.
Data Sources: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and trial registries through January 9, 2024; references, experts, and literature surveillance through July 31, 2024.
JAMA Netw Open
January 2025
Department of Radiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Importance: The integration of patient-reported outcome (PRO) assessments in cardiovascular care has encountered considerable obstacles despite their established clinical relevance.
Objective: To assess the impact of a physician- and patient-friendly electronic PRO (ePRO) monitoring system on the quality of cardiovascular care in clinical practice.
Design, Setting, And Participants: This open-label, multicenter, pilot randomized clinical trial was phase 2 of a multiphase study that was conducted from October 2022 to October 2023 and focused on the implementation and evaluation of an ePRO monitoring system in outpatient clinics in Japan.
J Nephrol
January 2025
Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda, CA, USA.
The increasing prevalence of kidney failure highlights the crucial need for effective patient-physician communication to improve health-related quality of life and ensure adherence to treatment plans. This narrative review evaluates communication practices in the context of advanced kidney disease, focusing on the frameworks of shared decision-making, advanced care planning, and communication skills training among nephrologists. The findings highlight the significant gaps in patient-physician communication, particularly in the domains of advanced care planning, shared decision-making, and dialysis withdrawal.
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