Long-term health conditions and UK labour market outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Long-term health conditions can affect labour market outcomes. COVID-19 may have increased labour market inequalities, e.g. due to restricted opportunities for clinically vulnerable people. Evaluating COVID-19's impact could help target support. AIM: To quantify the effect of several long-term conditions on UK labour market outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic and compare them to pre-pandemic outcomes. METHODS: The Understanding Society COVID-19 survey collected responses from around 20,000 UK residents in nine waves from April 2020-September 2021. Participants employed in January/February 2020 with a variety of long-term conditions were matched with people without the condition but with similar baseline characteristics. Models estimated probability of employment, hours worked and earnings. We compared these results with results from a two-year pre-pandemic period. We also modelled probability of furlough and home-working frequency during COVID-19. RESULTS: Most conditions (asthma, arthritis, emotional/nervous/psychiatric problems, vascular/pulmonary/liver conditions, epilepsy) were associated with reduced employment probability and/or hours worked during COVID-19, but not pre-pandemic. Furlough was more likely for people with pulmonary conditions. People with arthritis and cancer were slower to return to in-person working. Few effects were seen for earnings. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 had a disproportionate impact on people with long-term conditions' labour market outcomes.

Associations of health-related quality of life with major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events for individuals with ischaemic heart disease: systematic review, meta-analysis and evidence mapping.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) in individuals with ischaemic heart disease (IHD). METHODS: Medline(R), Embase, APA PsycINFO and CINAHL (EBSCO) from inception to 3 April 2023 were searched. Studies reporting association of HRQoL, using a generic or cardiac-specific tool, with MACCE or components of MACCE for individuals with IHD were eligible for inclusion. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale to assess the quality of the studies. Descriptive synthesis, evidence mapping and random-effects meta-analysis were performed stratified by HRQoL measures and effect estimates. Between-study heterogeneity was assessed using the Higgins I2 statistic. RESULTS: Fifty-one articles were included with a total of 134 740 participants from 53 countries. Meta-analysis of 23 studies found that the risk of MACCE increased with lower baseline HeartQoL score (HR 1.49, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.93) and Short Form Survey (SF-12) physical component score (PCS) (HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.28 to 1.51). Risk of all-cause mortality increased with a lower HeartQoL (HR 1.64, 95% CI 1.34 to 2.01), EuroQol 5-dimension (HR 1.17, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.22), SF-36 PCS (HR 1.29, 95% CI 1.19 to 1.41), SF-36 mental component score (HR 1.18, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.30). CONCLUSIONS: This study found an inverse association between baseline values or change in HRQoL and MACCE or components of MACCE in individuals with IHD, albeit with between-study heterogeneity. Standardisation and routine assessment of HRQoL in clinical practice may help risk stratify individuals with IHD for tailored interventions. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021234638.

Cohort profile: Evaluation of the Methods and Management of Acute Coronary Events (EMMACE) Longitudinal Cohort.

AIMS: The Evaluation of the Methods and Management of Acute Coronary Events (EMMACE) longitudinal cohort study aims to investigate health trajectories of individuals following hospitalization for myocardial infarction (MI). METHODS AND RESULTS: EMMACE is a linked multicentre prospective cohort study of 14 899 patients with MI admitted to 77 hospitals in England who participated in the EMMACE-3 and -4 studies between 1st November 2011 and 24th June 2015. Long-term follow-up of the EMMACE cohorts was conducted through the EMMACE-XL (27th September 2020 to 31st March 2022) and EMMACE-XXL (1st July 2021 to 1st July 2023) studies. EMMACE collected individual participant data for health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measured by three-level EuroQol five-dimension and visual analogy scale at admission, 1 month, 6 months, 12 months, and 10 years follow-up, as well as medications, medication adherence, beliefs about medicines, Satisfaction with Information about Medicines Scale, and illness perceptions. Participant data were deterministically linked to the Myocardial Infarction National Audit Project (MINAP) for information on baseline treatments and comorbidities, Hospital Episode Statistics Admitted Patient Care (for cause-specific hospitalization data), and the Office for National Statistics (for mortality data) up to 2020. CONCLUSION: EMMACE is a nationwide prospective cohort that will provide unique insights into fatal and non-fatal outcomes, medication adherence, and HRQoL following MI.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01808027 and NCT01819103.

Sex differences in health-related quality of life trajectories following myocardial infarction: national longitudinal cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate sex-based differences in baseline values and longitudinal trajectories of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a large cohort of myocardial infarction (MI) survivors after adjusting for other important factors. DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort study. SETTING: Population-based longitudinal study the Evaluation of the Methods and Management of Acute Coronary Events study linked with national cardiovascular registry. Data were collected from 77 hospitals in England between 1 November 2011 and 24 June 2015. PARTICIPANTS: 9551 patients with MI. Patients were eligible for the study if they were ≥18 years of age. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: HRQoL was measured by EuroQol five-dimension, visual analogue scale (EQ-5D, EQ VAS) survey at baseline, 1, 6 and 12 months after discharge. Multi-level linear and logistic regression models coupled with inverse probability weighted propensity scoring were used to evaluate sex differences in HRQoL following MI. RESULTS: Of the 9551 patients with MI and complete data on sex, 25.1% (2,397) were women. At baseline, women reported lower HRQoL (EQ VAS (mean (SD) 59.8 (20.4) vs 64.5 (20.9)) (median (IQR) 60.00 (50.00-75.00) vs 70.00 (50.00-80.00))) (EQ-5D (mean (SD) 0.66 (0.31) vs 0.74 (0.28)) (median (IQR) 0.73 (0.52-0.85) vs 0.81 (0.62-1.00))) and were more likely to report problems in each HRQoL domain compared with men. In the covariate balanced and adjusted multi-level model sex differences in HRQoL persisted during follow-up, with lower EQ VAS and EQ-5D scores in women compared with men (adjusted EQ VAS model sex coefficient: -4.41, 95% CI -5.16 to -3.66 and adjusted EQ-5D model sex coefficient: -0.07, 95% CI -0.08 to -0.06). CONCLUSIONS: Women have lower HRQoL compared with men at baseline and during 12 months follow-up after MI. Tailored interventions for women following an MI could improve their quality of life. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04598048, NCT01808027, NCT01819103.

Outcomes of conduction system pacing compared to right ventricular pacing as a primary strategy for treating bradyarrhythmia: systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Right ventricular pacing (RVP) may cause electrical and mechanical desynchrony leading to impaired left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). We investigated the outcomes of RVP with His bundle pacing (HBP) and left bundle branch pacing (LBBP) for patients requiring a de novo permanent pacemaker (PPM) for bradyarrhythmia. METHODS AND RESULTS: Systematic review of randomized clinical trials and observational studies comparing HBP or LBP with RVP for de novo PPM implantation between 01 January 2013 and 17 November 2020 was performed. Random and fixed effects meta-analyses of the effect of pacing technology on outcomes were performed. Study outcomes included all-cause mortality, heart failure hospitalization (HFH), LVEF, QRS duration, lead revision, atrial fibrillation, procedure parameters, and pacing metrics. Overall, 9 studies were included (6 observational, 3 randomised). HBP compared with RVP was associated with decreased HFH (risk ratio [RR] 0.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.49-0.94), preservation of LVEF (mean difference [MD] 0.81, 95% CI - 1.23 to 2.85 vs. - 5.72, 95% CI - 7.64 to -3.79), increased procedure duration (MD 15.17 min, 95% CI 11.30-19.04), and increased lead revisions (RR 5.83, 95% CI 2.17-15.70, p = 0.0005). LBBP compared with RVP was associated with shorter paced QRS durations (MD 5.6 ms, 95% CI - 6.4 to 17.6) vs. (51.0 ms, 95% CI 39.2-62.9) and increased procedure duration (MD 37.78 min, 95% CI 20.04-55.51). CONCLUSION: Of the limited studies published, this meta-analysis found that HBP and LBBP were superior to RVP in maintaining physiological ventricular activation as an initial pacing strategy.

Psychometric evaluation of a newly developed measure of emotionalism after stroke (TEARS-Q).

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate, psychometrically, a new measure of tearful emotionalism following stroke: Testing Emotionalism After Recent Stroke - Questionnaire (TEARS-Q). SETTING: Acute stroke units based in nine Scottish hospitals, in the context of a longitudinal cohort study of post-stroke emotionalism. SUBJECTS: A total of 224 clinically diagnosed stroke survivors recruited between October 1st 2015 and September 30th 2018, within 2 weeks of their stroke. MEASURES: The measure was the self-report questionnaire TEARS-Q, constructed based on post-stroke tearful emotionalism diagnostic criteria: (i) increased tearfulness, (ii) crying comes on suddenly, with no warning (iii) crying not under usual social control and (iv) crying episodes occur at least once weekly. The reference standard was presence/absence of emotionalism on a diagnostic, semi-structured post-stroke emotionalism interview, administered at the same assessment point. Stroke, mood, cognition and functional outcome measures were also completed by the subjects. RESULTS: A total of 97 subjects were female, with a mean age 65.1 years. 205 subjects had sustained ischaemic stroke. 61 subjects were classified as mild stroke. TEARS-Q was internally consistent (Cronbach's alpha 0.87). TEARS-Q scores readily discriminated the two groups, with a mean difference of -7.18, 95% CI (-8.07 to -6.29). A cut off score of 2 on TEARS-Q correctly identified 53 of the 61 stroke survivors with tearful emotionalism and 140 of the 156 stroke survivors without tearful emotionalism. One factor accounted for 57% of the item response variance, and all eight TEARS-Q items acceptably discriminated underlying emotionalism. CONCLUSION: TEARS-Q accurately diagnoses tearful emotionalism after stroke.

Association of cardiac rehabilitation and health-related quality of life following acute myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVE: To study the association of cardiac rehabilitation and physical activity with temporal changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) following acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: Evaluation of the Methods and Management of Acute Coronary Events-3 is a nationwide longitudinal prospective cohort study of 4570 patients admitted with an AMI between 1 November 2011 and 17 September 2013. HRQoL was estimated using EuroQol 5-Dimension-3 Level Questionnaire at hospitalisation, 30 days, and 6 and 12 months following hospital discharge. The association of cardiac rehabilitation and self-reported physical activity on temporal changes in HRQoL was quantified using inverse probability of treatment weighting propensity score and multilevel regression analyses. RESULTS: Cardiac rehabilitation attendees had higher HRQoL scores than non-attendees at 30 days (mean EuroQol 5-Visual Analogue Scale (EQ-VAS) scores: 71.0 (SD 16.8) vs 68.6 (SD 19.8)), 6 months (76.0 (SD 16.4) vs 70.2 (SD 19.0)) and 12 months (76.9 (SD 16.8) vs 70.4 (SD 20.4)). Attendees who were physically active ≥150 min/week had higher HRQoL scores compared with those who only attended cardiac rehabilitation at 30 days (mean EQ-VAS scores: 79.3 (SD 14.6) vs 70.2 (SD 17.0)), 6 months (82.2 (SD 13.9) vs 74.9 (SD 16.7)) and 12 months (84.1 (SD 12.1) vs 75.6 (SD 17.0)). Cardiac rehabilitation and self-reported physical activity of ≥150 min/week were each positively associated with temporal improvements in HRQoL (coefficient: 2.12 (95% CI 0.68 to 3.55) and 4.75 (95% CI 3.16 to 6.34), respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac rehabilitation was independently associated with temporal improvements in HRQoL at up to 12 months following hospitalisation, with such changes further improved in patients who were physically active.

Association of prevalence of active transport to work and incidence of myocardial infarction: A nationwide ecological study.

BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of population-based geospatial data about the association between active transport and myocardial infarction. We investigated the association between active transport to work and incidence of myocardial infarction. DESIGN: This ecological study of 325 local authorities in England included 43,077,039 employed individuals aged 25-74 years (UK Census, 2011), and 117,521 individuals with myocardial infarction (Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project, 2011-2013). METHODS: Bayesian negative binomial regression models were used to investigate the association of active transport to work and incidence of myocardial infarction adjusting for local levels of deprivation, obesity, smoking, diabetes and physical activity. RESULTS: In 2011, the prevalence of active transportation to work for people in employment in England aged 25-74 years was 11.4% (4,531,182 active transporters; 8.6% walking and 2.8% cycling). Active transport in 2011 was associated with a reduced incidence of myocardial infarction in 2012 amongst men cycling to work (incidence rate ratio (95% credible interval) 0.983 (0.967-0.999); and women walking to work (0.983 (0.967-0.999)) after full adjustments. However, the prevalence of active transport for men and women was not significantly associated with the combined incidence of myocardial infarction between 2011-2013 after adjusting for physical activity, smoking and diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: In England, the prevalence of active transportation was associated with a reduced incidence of myocardial infarction for women walking and men cycling to work in corresponding local geographic areas. The overall association of active transport with myocardial infarction was, however, explained by local area levels of smoking, diabetes and physical activity.

Quality of life trajectories in survivors of acute myocardial infarction: a national longitudinal study.

AIM: To define trajectories of perceived health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among survivors of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and identify factors associated with trajectories. METHODS: Data on HRQoL among 9566 survivors of AMI were collected from 77 National Health Service hospitals in England between 1 November 2011 and 24 June 2015. Longitudinal HRQoL was collected using the EuroQol five-dimension questionnaire measured at hospitalisation, 1, 6 and 12 months post-AMI. Trajectories of perceived HRQoL post-MI were determined using multilevel regression analysis and latent class growth analysis (LCGA). RESULTS: One or more percieved health problems in mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression was reported by 69.1% (6607/9566) at hospitalisation and 59.7% (3011/5047) at 12 months. Reduced HRQoL was associated with women (-4.07, 95% CI -4.88 to -3.25), diabetes (-2.87, 95% CI -3.87 to -1.88), previous AMI (-1.60, 95% CI -2.72 to -0.48), previous angina (-1.72, 95% CI -2.77 to -0.67), chronic renal failure (-2.96, 95% CI -5.08 to -0.84; -3.10, 95% CI -5.72 to -0.49), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (-3.89, 95% CI -5.07 to -2.72) and cerebrovascular disease (-2.60, 95% CI -4.24 to -0.96). LCGA identified three subgroups of HRQoL which we labelled: improvers (68.1%), non-improvers (22.1%) and dis-improvers (9.8%). Non-improvers and dis-improvers were more likely to be women, non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and have long-term health conditions, compared with improvers. CONCLUSIONS: Quality of life improves for the majority of survivors of AMI but is significantly worse and more likely to decline for women, NSTEMI and those with long-term health conditions. Assessing HRQoL both in hospital and postdischarge may be important in determining which patients could benefit from tailored interventions. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01808027 and NCT01819103.

A nationwide causal mediation analysis of survival following ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVE: International studies report a decline in mortality following ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The extent to which the observed improvements in STEMI survival are explained by temporal changes in patient characteristics and utilisation of treatments is unknown. METHODS: Cohort study using national registry data from the Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project between first January 2004 and 30th June 2013. 232 353 survivors of hospitalisation with STEMI as recorded in 247 hospitals in England and Wales. Flexible parametric survival modelling and causal mediation analysis were used to estimate the relative contribution of temporal changes in treatments and patient characteristics on improved STEMI survival. RESULTS: Over the study period, unadjusted survival at 6 months and 1 year improved by 0.9% and 1.0% on average per year (HR: 0.991, 95% CI: 0.988 to 0.994 and HR: 0.990, 95% CI: 0.987 to 0.993, respectively). The uptake of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (HR: 1.025, 95% CI: 1.021 to 1.028) and increased prescription of P2Y12 inhibitors (HR: 1.035, 95% CI: 1.031 to 1.039) were significantly associated with improvements in 1-year survival. Primary PCI explained 16.8% (95% CI: 10.8% to 31.6%) and 13.2% (9.2% to 21.9%) of the temporal survival improvements at 6 months and 1 year, respectively, whereas P2Y12 inhibitor prescription explained 5.3% (3.6% to 8.8%) of the temporal improvements at 6 months but not at 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: For STEMI in England and Wales, improvements in survival between 2004 and 2013 were significantly explained by the uptake of primary PCI and increased use of P2Y12 inhibitors at 6 months and primary PCI only at 1 year. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03749694.

A Feasibility Study Of Administering The Electronic Research And Development Culture Index To The Multidisciplinary Workforce In A UK Teaching Hospital.

PURPOSE: The study aims were: (i) to convert the Research and Development Culture Index (a validated rating instrument for assessing the strength of organizational Research and Development culture) into electronic format (eR&DCI), and (ii) to test the format and assess the feasibility of administering it to the multidisciplinary (allied health professionals, doctors and nurses) workforce in a National Health Service Hospital (NHS) in the United Kingdom (UK) by trialing it with the workforce of the tertiary Children's Hospital within the organization. POPULATION AND METHODS: The eR&DCI was emailed to all professional staff (n=907) in the Children's Hospital. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 22. RESULTS: The eR&DCI was completed by 155 respondents (doctors n=38 (24.52%), nurses n=79 (50.96%) and allied health professionals (AHPs) n=38 (24.52%)). The response rate varied by professional group: responses were received from 79 out of 700 nurses (11%); 38 out of 132 doctors (29%) and 38 out of 76 AHPs (50%). Index scores demonstrated a positive research culture within the multidisciplinary workforce. Survey responses demonstrated differences between the professions related to research training and engagement in formal research activities. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to assess the feasibility of assessing the strength of an organization's multidisciplinary workforce research and development (R&D) culture by surveying that workforce using the eR&DCI. We converted the index to "Online Surveys" and successfully administered it to the entire multidisciplinary workforce in the Children's Hospital. We met our criteria for feasibility: ability to administer the survey and a response rate comparable with similar studies. Uptake could have been increased by also offering the option of the paper-based index for self-administration. Results of the survey are informing delivery of the research strategy in the Children's Hospital. This methodology has potential application in other healthcare contexts.

Sex differences in quality indicator attainment for myocardial infarction: a nationwide cohort study.

AIM: To investigate sex differences in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) guideline-indicated care as defined by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Acute Cardiovascular Care Association (ACCA) quality indicators. METHODS: Nationwide cohort study comprising 691 290 AMI hospitalisations in England and Wales (n=233 hospitals) from the Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project between 1 January 2003 and 30 June 2013. RESULTS: There were 34.5% (n=238 489) women (median age 76.7 (IQR 66.3-84.0) years; 33.9% (n=80 884) ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI)) and 65.5% (n=452 801) men (median age 67.1 (IQR 56.9-77.2) years; 42.5% (n=192 229) STEMI). Women less frequently received 13 of the 16 quality indicators compared with men, including timely reperfusion therapy for STEMI (76.8% vs 78.9%; p<0.001), timely coronary angiography for non-STEMI (24.2% vs 36.7%; p<0.001), dual antiplatelet therapy (75.4% vs 78.7%) and secondary prevention therapies (87.2% vs 89.6% for statins, 82.5% vs 85.6% for ACE inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blockers and 62.6% vs 67.6% for beta-blockers; all p<0.001). Median 30-day Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events risk score adjusted mortality was higher for women than men (median: 5.2% (IQR 1.8%-13.1%) vs 2.3% (IQR 0.8%-7.1%), p<0.001). An estimated 8243 (95% CI 8111 to 8375) deaths among women could have been prevented over the study period if their quality indicator attainment had been equal to that attained by men. CONCLUSION: According to the ESC ACCA AMI quality indicators, women in England and Wales less frequently received guideline-indicated care and had significantly higher mortality than men. Greater attention to the delivery of recommended AMI treatments for women has the potential to reduce the sex-AMI mortality gap.

Anaesthetic efficacy of 4% articaine and 2% lidocaine for extraction and pulpotomy of mandibular primary molars: an equivalence parallel prospective randomized controlled trial.

AIM: To compare the anaesthetic efficacy for pain and behaviour during treatment with mandibular infiltration using 4% articaine (BI) with inferior dental nerve clock (IDNB) using 2% lidocaine for extraction or pulp therapy in mandibular primary molars. DESIGN: This was equivalence parallel prospective RCT. A total of 98 children aged 5-9 years old were randomly assigned into two groups: BI supplemented by buccal intrapapillary infiltration with 4% articaine; IDNB with 2% lidocaine supplemented with long buccal infiltration. Behaviour during the injection and treatment procedures was assessed using Wong-Baker Facial Rating Scale (W-BFRS), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and Frankl Behaviour Rating Scale (FBRS). RESULTS: During the injection phase, the absolute differences in success rates between the two techniques were 0.06 (95% CI: -0.11 to 0.23) for VAS and -0.08 (95% CI: -0.19 to 0.03) for the behaviour of the child (FBRS). FBRS results showed the equivalence of the two, whereas the VAS results showed nonequivalence with the 95% confidence intervals slightly exceeding the equivalence margin (±0.20). W-BFRS success rates were 63.3% for both. During the treatment, VAS results showed similar success rates, demonstrating equivalence between the two as did the results for FBRS. CONCLUSION: The results suggested equivalence in success rates for both anaesthetic techniques during treatment.

The impact of dental caries and its treatment by conventional or biological approaches on the oral health-related quality of life of children and carers.

BACKGROUND: The effect of untreated dental caries and the approaches taken to its treatment have not been extensively elucidated in children. AIM: To investigate the impact of untreated dental caries on children aged 4-9 years and whether its treatment with either a conventional or a biological approach influenced the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of the children and their carers. DESIGN: Children (n = 110) and their carers attending two specialist centres for treatment of carious primary teeth completed the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale and the Self-reported Scale of Oral Health Outcomes for 5-year-old Children at baseline prior to dental treatment and at 3-6 months following completion of dental care. Dental treatment was provided using either a conventional or a biological approach. RESULTS: Dental caries showed a negative impact on the child and family's OHRQoL (P = 0.001). Children reported difficulty eating (55.5%), sleeping (40%), and avoiding smiling because of how the teeth looked (27.3%). More than half of the parents reported their child had toothache. Parents perceived difficulty eating (40.9%), being irritable (38.2%), and difficulty drinking (30.9%) as being impacts of caries on their child's OHRQoL. In addition, approximately half the parents reported feeling a sense of guilt because of their child's dental disease. Following dental treatment, participants reported significant improvement in their overall health status (P = 0.001). Children's age, gender, or the treatment approach were not statistically significantly associated with changes in OHRQoL of the child or carer. Children and parents who initially reported greater impacts of untreated dental caries demonstrated greater improvements in their overall oral health status (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Dental caries was associated with negative impacts on children and parents' quality of life. Treatment of caries improved the quality of life of children and families significantly, irrespective of whether the treatment was provided by a conventional or a biological approach.

The effect of nurse-to-patient ratios on nurse-sensitive patient outcomes in acute specialist units: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Nurses are pivotal in the provision of high quality care in acute hospitals. However, the optimal dosing of the number of nurses caring for patients remains elusive. In light of this, an updated review of the evidence on the effect of nurse staffing levels on patient outcomes is required. AIM: To undertake a systematic review and meta-analysis examining the association between nurse staffing levels and nurse-sensitive patient outcomes in acute specialist units. METHODS: Nine electronic databases were searched for English articles published between 2006 and 2017. The primary outcomes were nurse-sensitive patient outcomes. RESULTS: Of 3429 unique articles identified, 35 met the inclusion criteria. All were cross-sectional and the majority utilised large administrative databases. Higher staffing levels were associated with reduced mortality, medication errors, ulcers, restraint use, infections, pneumonia, higher aspirin use and a greater number of patients receiving percutaneous coronary intervention within 90 minutes. A meta-analysis involving 175,755 patients, from six studies, admitted to the intensive care unit and/or cardiac/cardiothoracic units showed that a higher nurse staffing level decreased the risk of inhospital mortality by 14% (0.86, 95% confidence interval 0.79-0.94). However, the meta-analysis also showed high heterogeneity (I2=86%). CONCLUSION: Nurse-to-patient ratios influence many patient outcomes, most markedly inhospital mortality. More studies need to be conducted on the association of nurse-to-patient ratios with nurse-sensitive patient outcomes to offset the paucity and weaknesses of research in this area. This would provide further evidence for recommendations of optimal nurse-to-patient ratios in acute specialist units.

Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome: Chest X-ray or lung ultrasound? A systematic review.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome is a leading cause of morbidity in preterm new-born babies (<37 weeks gestation age). The current diagnostic reference standard includes clinical testing and chest radiography with associated exposure to ionising radiation. The aim of this review was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of lung ultrasound against the reference standard in symptomatic neonates of ≤42 weeks gestation age. METHODS: A systematic search of literature published between 1990 and 2016 identified 803 potentially relevant studies. Six studies met the review inclusion criteria and were retrieved for analysis. Quality assessment was performed before data extraction and meta-analysis. RESULTS: Four prospective cohort studies and two case control studies included 480 neonates. All studies were of moderate methodological quality although heterogeneity was evident across the studies. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of lung ultrasound were 97% (95% confidence interval [CI] 94-99%) and 91% (CI: 86-95%) respectively. False positive diagnoses were made in 16 cases due to pneumonia (n = 8), transient tachypnoea (n = 3), pneumothorax (n = 1) and meconium aspiration syndrome (n = 1); the diagnoses of the remaining three false positive results were not specified. False negatives diagnoses occurred in nine cases, only two were specified as air-leak syndromes. CONCLUSIONS: Lung ultrasound was highly sensitive for the detection of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome although there is potential to miss co-morbid air-leak syndromes. Further research into lung ultrasound diagnostic accuracy for neonatal air-leak syndrome and economic modelling for service integration is required before lung ultrasound can replace chest radiography as the imaging component of the reference standard.

Study protocol-investigation of the Delirium Observation Screening Scale (DOSS) for the routine detection of delirium in the care home setting: a prospective cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Delirium is a common and distressing condition associated with frailty, dementia and comorbidity. These are common in long-term care settings. Residents in care homes are therefore at particular risk of delirium. Despite this, methods to detect delirium in care homes are lacking, with existing diagnostic tools taking too long, or requiring specific training to deliver. This limits their feasibility for use for the routine detection of delirium by care home staff. Routine screening for delirium in care homes would allow timely attention to exacerbating factors to attenuate the episode, and facilitate future research into delirium in the care home environment. METHODS: Residents from 4 large care homes will be asked to consent (or their consultees asked to provide a declaration of agreement) to participate in the study. Care home staff will administer the 25-item Delirium Observation Screening Scale (DOSS)-a delirium screening tool based on observed behaviours-and this will be tested against the research standard Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) administered by trained research assistants performed two times per week for all participating residents. ANALYSIS: Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, likelihood ratios and a diagnostic OR will be calculated for the detection of delirium with the 25-item DOSS. The feasibility of routine delirium screening and the scaling properties of the 25-item DOSS will also be explored. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: For residents lacking capacity to participate, a consultee will be approached for a declaration of agreement for inclusion in the study. Results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and disseminated in written format to clinical commissioning groups, general practitioners and relevant third parties. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN14608554.

Switching methods of self-harm at repeat episodes: Findings from a multicentre cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Self-poisoning and self-injury have widely differing incidences in hospitals and in the community, which has led to confusion about the concept of self-harm. Categorising self-harm simply by a method may be clinically misleading because many hospital-attending patients switch from one method of harm to another on subsequent episodes. The study set out to determine the frequency, pattern, determinants and characteristics of method-switching in self-harm episodes presenting to the general hospital. METHODS: The pattern of repeated self-harm was established from over 33,000 consecutive self-harm episodes in a multicentre English cohort, categorising self-harm methods as poisoning, cutting, other injury, and combined methods. RESULTS: Over an average of 30 months of follow-up, 23% of people repeated self-harm and one-third of them switched method, often rapidly, and especially where the person was male, younger, or had self-harmed previously. Self-poisoning was far less likely than other methods to lead on to switching. LIMITATIONS: Self-harm episodes that do not lead to hospital attendance are not included in these findings but people who self-harmed and went to hospital but were not admitted from the emergency department to the general hospital, or did not receive designated psychosocial assessment are included. People in the study were a mix of prevalent as well as incident cases. CONCLUSIONS: Method of self-harm is fluctuating and unpredictable. Clinicians should avoid false assumptions about people׳s risks or needs based simply on the method of harm.

Testing measurement invariance of the GHQ-28 in stroke patients.

BACKGROUND: In order to combine self-reported measures data from multiple studies to conduct an integrated data analysis, the construct measured must have the same meaning across the studies. This study investigated the measurement invariance of the General Health questionnaire (GHQ-28) in two stroke studies before combining the data for an integrative data analysis. METHODS: The study used data from the Stroke Outcomes Study 1 (SOS1, n = 448) and second Stroke Outcomes Study (SOS2, n = 585). The initial analysis was a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for each study separately to confirm the four-factor structure of GHQ-28 questionnaire. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MG-CFA) was used to assess the measurement invariance of the GHQ-28 questionnaire in the two stroke cohorts. Measurement invariance at configural invariance (same items associated with same factor across groups); factor loading invariance (equal factor loadings across groups) and scalar invariance (equal intercepts across groups) was examined. RESULTS: CFA supported all three invariances measured. CONCLUSION: Results showed that the GHQ-28 questionnaire has comparable measurement properties in the SOS1 and SOS2 stroke studies. Strong measurement invariance was established, and based on the results from this study, integrative data analysis of GHQ-28 scores from the two stroke studies is merited.

Do we need primer for orthodontic bonding? A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical performance of APC™II Victory Series™ (3M Unitek) brackets in direct orthodontic bonding with and without the use of primer. DESIGN: A single-operator, two-centre prospective, non-inferiority randomized controlled clinical trial. SETTING: The Orthodontic departments at the Leeds Dental Institute and St Luke's Hospital, Bradford, UK. ETHICAL APPROVAL: Ethical approval was granted by Leeds (East) Research Ethics Committee on 18th of December 2009 (Reference 09/H1306/102). PROTOCOL: The protocol was not published prior to trial commencement. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Ninety-two patients requiring orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances were randomly allocated to the control (bonded with primer) or test groups (bonded without primer). Patients were randomly allocated to either the control or experimental group. This was performed by preparing opaque numbered sealed envelopes in advance using a random numbers table generated by a computer by an independent third party . Once the envelopes were opened, blinding of the operator and the patient was no longer possible due to the nature of the intervention. Patients were approached for inclusion in the trial if they qualified for NHS orthodontic treatment requiring fixed appliances and had no previous orthodontic treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Number of bracket failures, time to bond-up appliances, and the adhesive remnant index (ARI) when bracket failure occurred, over a 12-month period RESULTS: Failure rate with primer was 11.1 per cent and without primer was 15.8 per cent. Bonding without primer was shown statistically to be non-inferior to bonding with primer odds ratio 0.95-2.25 (P = 0.08). Mean difference in bond-up time per bracket was 0.068 minutes (4 seconds), which was not statistically significant (P = 0.402). There was a statistically significant difference in the Adhesive Remnant Index - ARI 0 with primer 49.4 per cent, no primer 76.5 per cent, (P < 0.0001). LIMITATIONS: As the study was only performed by one operator, the results can therefore only be truly be applied to their practice. Also this study was powered to ascertain if there was no difference between the 2 groups up to 5%, however orthodontists may consider a change in the bracket failure rate of 2% to be clinically significant. CONCLUSION: When bonding with APC™II Victory Series™ brackets without primer was shown statistically to be non-inferior to bonding with primer (P =0.08). There was no significant difference in bond-up times. Bond failure was more likely to happen at the composite-enamel interface when bonded without a primer. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: No conflict of interest for all authors. FUNDING: No funding sources were used. REGISTRATION: Study was not registered on external databases.