Using an artificial intelligence tool can be as accurate as human assessors in level one screening for a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Artificial intelligence (AI) offers a promising solution to expedite various phases of the systematic review process such as screening. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the accuracy of an AI tool in identifying eligible references for a systematic review compared to identification by human assessors. METHODS: For the case study (a systematic review of knowledge translation interventions), we used a diagnostic accuracy design and independently assessed for eligibility a set of articles (n = 300) using human raters and the AI system DistillerAI (Evidence Partners, Ottawa, Canada). We analysed a series of 64 possible confidence levels for the AI's decisions and calculated several standard parameters of diagnostic accuracy for each. RESULTS: When set to a lower AI confidence threshold of 0.1 or greater and an upper threshold of 0.9 or lower, DistillerAI made article selection decisions very similarly to human assessors. Within this range, DistillerAI made a decision on the majority of articles (93-100%), with a sensitivity of 1.0 and specificity ranging from 0.9 to 1.0. CONCLUSION: DistillerAI appears to be accurate in its assessment of articles in a case study of 300 articles. Further experimentation with DistillerAI will establish its performance among other subject areas.

Mapping multicenter randomized controlled trials in anesthesiology: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that there are substantial inconsistencies in the practice of anesthesia. There has not yet been a comprehensive summary of the anesthesia literature that can guide future knowledge translation interventions to move evidence into practice. As the first step toward identifying the most promising interventions for systematic implementation in anesthesia practice, this scoping review of multicentre RCTs aimed to explore and map the existing literature investigating perioperative anesthesia-related interventions and clinical patient outcomes. METHODS: Multicenter randomized controlled trials were eligible for inclusion if they involved a tested anesthesia-related intervention administered to adult surgical patients (≥ 16 years old), with a control group receiving either another anesthesia intervention or no intervention at all. The electronic databases Embase (via OVID), MEDLINE, and MEDLINE in Process (via OVID), and Cochrane Central Register of Control Trials (CENTRAL) were searched from inception to February 26, 2021. Studies were screened and data were extracted by pairs of independent reviewers in duplicate with disagreements resolved through consensus or a third reviewer. Data were summarized narratively. RESULTS: We included 638 multicentre randomized controlled trials (n patients = 615,907) that met the eligibility criteria. The most commonly identified anesthesia-related intervention theme across all studies was pharmacotherapy (n studies = 361 [56.6%]; n patients = 244,610 [39.7%]), followed by anesthetic technique (n studies = 80 [12.5%], n patients = 48,455 [7.9%]). Interventions were most often implemented intraoperatively (n studies = 233 [36.5%]; n patients = 175,974 [28.6%]). Studies typically involved multiple types of surgeries (n studies = 187 [29.2%]; n patients = 206 667 [33.5%]), followed by general surgery only (n studies = 115 [18.1%]; n patients = 201,028 [32.6%]) and orthopedic surgery only (n studies = 94 [14.7%]; n patients = 34,575 [5.6%]). Functional status was the most commonly investigated outcome (n studies = 272), followed by patient experience (n studies = 168), and mortality (n studies = 153). CONCLUSIONS: This scoping review provides a map of multicenter RCTs in anesthesia which can be used to optimize future research endeavors in the field. Specifically, we have identified key knowledge gaps in anesthesia that require further systematic assessment, as well as areas where additional research would likely not add value. These findings provide the foundation for streamlining knowledge translation in anesthesia in order to reduce practice variation and enhance patient outcomes.

Can preventive hyperbaric oxygen therapy optimise surgical outcome?: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: A primary underlying cause of postoperative complications is related to the surgical stress response, which may be mitigated by hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), the intermittent administration of oxygen at a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure at sea level. Promising clinical studies have emerged suggesting HBOT's efficacy for reducing some postoperative complications. Notwithstanding, the effectiveness (if any) of HBOT across a range of procedures and postoperative outcomes has yet to be clearly quantified. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review aimed to summarise the existing literature on peri-operative HBOT to investigate its potential to optimise surgical patient outcome. DESIGN: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) with narrative summary of results. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched without language restrictions through to 19 June 2018. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Studies were included if they involved patients of any age undergoing any surgical procedure and provided with at least one HBOT session in the peri-operative period. Two independent reviewers screened the initial identified trials and determined those to be included. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool for RCTs. RESULTS: The search retrieved 775 references, of which 13 RCTs were included (627 patients). Ten RCTs (546 patients) reported treatment was effective for improving at least one of the patient outcomes assessed, while two studies (55 patients) did not find any benefit and one study (26 patients) found a negative effect. A wide range of patient outcomes were reported, and several other methodological limitations were observed among the included studies, such as limited use of sham comparator and lack of blinding. CONCLUSION: Peri-operative preventive HBOT may be a promising intervention to improve surgical patient outcome. However, future work should consider addressing the methodological weaknesses identified in this review. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The protocol (CRD42018102737) was registered with the International ProspectiveRegister of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO).

Evidence for simulation-based education in hyperbaric medicine: A systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Evidence from many areas of healthcare suggests that skills learned during simulation transfer to clinical settings; however, this has not yet been investigated in hyperbaric medicine. This systematic review aimed to identify, summarize, and assess the impact of simulation-based education in hyperbaric medicine. METHODS: Eligible studies investigated the effect of simulation-based education for learning in hyperbaric medicine, used any design, and were published in English in a peer-reviewed journal. Learning outcomes across all Kirkpatrick levels were included. MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched. Pairs of independent reviewers assessed references for study eligibility. RESULTS: We found no article assessing the impact of simulation-based education in hyperbaric medicine published in English. Only one potentially relevant paper published in German was found. CONCLUSIONS: More research is needed to determine how the hyperbaric medicine community and their patients may benefit from simulation-based education to optimize both practice and patient care.

Interprofessional communication in the operating room: a narrative review to advance research and practice.

PURPOSE: Communication failures are often at the root of adverse events for surgical patients; however, evidence to inform best communication practice in the operating room is relatively limited. This narrative review outlines the importance of interprofessional communication for surgical patient safety, maps its barriers and facilitators, and highlights key strategies for enhancing communication quality in the operating room. Based on this review, a research agenda to inform best practices in interprofessional operating room communication is suggested. SOURCE: The non-systematic literature search included searches of relevant databases (Medline (via OVID), PubMed, Scopus, and EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL), relevant grey literature sources (e.g., patient safety institute websites), and reference lists of selected articles. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Effective interprofessional communication plays a critical role in the operating room, but faces many challenges at the individual, team, environmental, and organizational level. Factors that support effective communication are less documented than barriers, but include team integration, flattened hierarchies, and structure/standardization. Checklists, safety briefings, and teamwork/communication training are the most common techniques used to improve communication in the operating room. Of all communication techniques, closed-loop communication may be the most practical and inexpensive strategy. CONCLUSION: The perioperative community should be encouraged to implement existing effective solutions to improve communication and investigate creative solutions to identified barriers. Improved methods of data collection are needed to enhance evidence quality, increase understanding of communication barriers and facilitators, and identify the best strategy to advance practice.

RéSUMé: OBJECTIF: Les problèmes de communication sont souvent à l'origine des événements indésirables pour les patients chirurgicaux, et les données probantes pour guider les meilleures pratiques de communication en salle d'opération sont encore relativement limitées. Ce compte rendu narratif souligne l'importance de la communication interprofessionnelle pour la sécurité des patients chirurgicaux, cartographie ses obstacles et les éléments la facilitant, et présente des stratégies clés pour améliorer la qualité de la communication en salle d'opération. Sur la base de ce compte rendu, un agenda de recherche visant à guider les meilleures pratiques en matière de communication interprofessionnelle en salle d'opération est proposé. SOURCE: Notre recherche de littérature non méthodique s'est intéressée aux bases de données pertinentes (Medline (via OVID), PubMed, Scopus, et EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL), aux sources pertinentes de la littérature grise (par ex., sites Internet des instituts sur la sécurité des patients), et aux listes de références des articles sélectionnés. CONSTATATIONS PRINCIPALES: Une communication interprofessionnelle efficace joue un rôle crucial en salle d'opération, mais elle est souvent mise à l'épreuve tant aux niveaux de l'individu, de l'équipe, de l'environnement que de l'organisation. Les facteurs facilitant une communication efficace sont moins documentés que les obstacles; ils comprennent l'intégration de l'équipe, une structure organisationnelle horizontale et la structure/standardisation. Les listes de contrôle, les réunions sur la sécurité et la formation en travail d'équipe/communications sont les techniques les plus fréquemment utilisées pour améliorer la communication en salle d'opération. Parmi toutes les techniques de communication, la communication en circuit fermé pourrait constituer la stratégie la plus pratique et la moins onéreuse. CONCLUSION: La communauté périopératoire devrait être encouragée à appliquer les solutions existantes ayant prouvé leur efficacité afin d'améliorer la communication et explorer des solutions créatives pour pallier les obstacles identifiés. De meilleures méthodes de collecte de données sont nécessaires pour améliorer la qualité des données probantes, augmenter la compréhension des obstacles et des aides à la communication, et identifier les meilleures stratégies pour améliorer la pratique.

Food and beverage marketing in primary and secondary schools in Canada.

BACKGROUND: Unhealthy food marketing is considered a contributor to childhood obesity. In Canada, food marketing in schools is mostly self-regulated by industry though it is sometimes restricted through provincial school policies. The purpose of this study was to document the type of food marketing activities occurring in Canadian schools and examine differences by school characteristics. METHODS: An online survey was sent to public primary and secondary schools from 27 school boards in Ontario, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia and was completed by 154 Principals in spring 2016. This survey queried the type of food marketing occurring in schools including advertisements, food product displays, fundraising, exclusive marketing agreements, and incentive programs, among others. The occurrence of food marketing was described using frequencies, medians, and ranges. Chi-square and Fisher Exact tests were conducted to assess school-level differences in the frequency of marketing activities by school type (primary versus secondary), province (Ontario versus British Columbia), and the socio-economic status of most students (low versus middle/high income). The significance level was set at α < 0.05 for all tests. RESULTS: Overall, 84% of schools reported at least one type of food marketing and the median number of distinct types of marketing per school was 1 (range 0-6). The most frequently reported forms of marketing were the sale of branded food, particularly chocolate, pizza, and other fast food, for fundraising (64% of schools); food advertisements on school property (26%), and participation in incentive programs (18%). Primary schools (n = 108) were more likely to report participating in incentive programs (25%) and selling branded food items (72%) compared to secondary schools (n = 46; 2 and 43% respectively; p < 0.01). Conversely, secondary schools were more likely to report food advertising on school property (56%), exclusive marketing arrangements with food companies (43%), and food product displays (19%) than primary schools (13, 5 and 2%, respectively; p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The presence of food marketing in most participating schools suggests that the current patchwork of policies that restrict food marketing in Canadian schools is inadequate. Comprehensive restrictions should be mandated by government in both primary and secondary schools to protect children and youth from this marketing.