Factors associated with in-hospital mortality from community-acquired pneumonia in Portugal: 2000-2014.

BACKGROUND: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, often leading to hospital admissions. In Portugal, the factors associated with in-hospital mortality due to CAP are not fully documented. The aim of this study was to characterize the trends of CAP hospitalization in all age groups and the factors associated with their mortality between 2000 and 2014. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study using CAP hospitalization data in all age groups, in Portugal Mainland. Logistic regression was used to identify the factors associated with in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: Between 2001 and 2011, CAP hospitalization rate increased from 2.8 to 4.3 per 1000 population. Hospitalization rates were higher in the extreme ages ( ≤ 4 and ≥ 75 years). However, a decrease in the hospitalization rate and its mortality was observed, in the younger ages. A total of 548,699 hospitalization CAP episodes, between 2000 and 2014, were analyzed, with male (56.2%) and elderly ≥65 years (91.7%) predominance, resulting in 101,740 deaths (18.5%). Men had a significantly lower mean age (64.3 ± 26.4 years versus 67.9 ± 27.5 years; p < 0.001). During the studied 15 years, there was an increase of 45.2% in the number of annual hospitalizations, concomitant with the admission increase of individuals aged over 75 years. Since 2012 a decrease in hospitalizations and associated deaths were detected. The increase in age represented a progressive and significant rise in the probability of death, except for the age group 1-4 years. The age group ≥85 years old (Adjusted OR = 124.256; 95%CI: 97.838-157.807) and males (Adjusted OR = 1.261; 95%CI: 1.243-1.280) were significantly associated with death risk for CAP hospitalization. After 2010, this risk decreased (Adjusted OR = 0.961; 95%CI: 0.940-0.982). The main factors affecting mortality were age, sex, unemployment rate, number of performed procedures and admission quinquennia. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a trend of decrease in CAP hospitalizations and associated death since 2012, the numbers of in-hospital mortality showed, in the 15 years under analysis, an overall increase over time, mainly associated with age, in particular very old people ( ≥ 75 years), males and a higher parish unemployment rate. Therefore, the implementation of CAP preventive measures should be reinforced in these vulnerable groups.

Telerehabilitation in Children and Adolescents with Cystic Fibrosis: A Scoping Review.

Cystic fibrosis requires regular monitoring and intervention by healthcare teams; despite that, adherence to therapeutic measures is less than desired. The evolution of technology has allowed much of the care provided in person to be replaced by a telehealth delivery model, but studies on telerehabilitation are scarce and dispersed. This scoping review aimed to identify which domains of rehabilitation intervention are mediated by information and communication technologies and how they are developed in the provision of care to children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis. The data collection was conducted in February and June 2023, following the three steps recommended by the JBI for this type of review: (1) the search was conducted in MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, JBI, and Web of Science; (2) the bibliographic references obtained from the included articles were analysed; and (3) the grey literature was checked. The eligibility criteria were children and adolescents and rehabilitation interventions mediated by information and communication technologies. The five studies included in this review were subjected to analysis, and a narrative synthesis of the results was carried out. The interventions identified included physical exercise programs (60%), management of the therapeutic regimen (40%), and symptom control (40%). The information and communication technologies were web-based platforms, video games, and telephones. The use of telerehabilitation included face-to-face meetings to ensure participants performed the exercises correctly, monitor their response to exercise, and teach them how to avoid risky situations during home workouts. In all studies, exercise sessions were supervised by the participants' parents or caregivers.

The Effect of Polarity and Hydrostatic Pressure on Operational Characteristics of Rutile Electrode in Underwater Welding.

In order to provide a better understanding of the phenomena that define the weld bead penetration and melting rate of consumables in underwater welding, welds were developed with a rutile electrode in air welding conditions and at the simulated depths of 5 and 10 m with the use of a hyperbaric chamber and a gravity feeding system. In this way, voltage and current signals were acquired. Data processing involved the welding voltage, determination of the sum of the anodic and cathodic drops, calculation of the short-circuit factor, and determination of the melting rate. Cross-sectional samples were also taken from the weld bead to assess bead geometry. As a result, the collected data show that the generation of energy in the arc-electrode connection in direct polarity (direct current electrode negative-DCEN) is affected by the hydrostatic pressure, causing a loss of fusion efficiency, a drop of operating voltage, decreased arc length, and increased number of short-circuit events. The combination of these characteristics kept the weld bead geometry unchanged, compared to dry weld conditions. With the positive electrode (direct current electrode positive-DCEP), radial losses were derived from greater arc lengths resulting from increasing hydrostatic pressure, which led to a decrease in weld penetration.

Propriedades psicométricas do Questionário Geral de Saúde 28 itens em enfermeiros: proposta com 24 itens / Psychometric properties of the 28-Item General Health Questionnaire in nurses: a proposal with 24 items / Propiedades psicométricas del Cuestionario de Salud General de 28 ítems en enfermeros: propuesta con 24 ítems

Resumo Enquadramento: A avaliação das propriedades psicométricas dos instrumentos de medida, quando aplicados em diferentes populações, é essencial. Objetivo: Analisar as propriedades psicométricas do Questionário de Saúde Geral 28 itens (GHQ28) em enfermeiros. Metodologia: Estudo metodológico de validação de instrumentos de medida. Análise das propriedades psicométricas, análise fatorial exploratória (AFE) pelo método dos componentes principais, e curva Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC), com uma amostra não probabilística de 1.264 enfermeiros. Resultados: A AFE propõe a manutenção de 4 fatores e eliminação de 4 itens em 3 dimensões (item 3,16, 21,26). A variância explicada pelos 4 fatores foi 61,5% e o alfa de Cronbach 0,93. Os resultados de saúde geral não sofreram variabilidade significativa após se retirarem os 4 itens. A curva ROC, comparando a versão 24 itens com a de 28, revelou uma área sob a curva (AUC) de 0,996 (p < 0,001) e ponto de corte 20,5, com uma sensibilidade de 96,3% e especificidade de 98,4%. Conclusão: A reavaliação das propriedades psicométricas do GHQ28 em enfermeiros, sugere redução para 24 itens.

Abstract Background: The psychometric properties of measurement instruments should be assessed in different populations. Objective: To analyze the psychometric properties of the 28-Item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) in nurses. Methodology: Methodological validation study of measurement instruments. Analysis of psychometric properties, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) by the principal component analysis method, and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve, with a nonprobability sample of 1,264 nurses. Results: EFA suggests keeping four factors and deleting four items in three dimensions (items 3, 16, 21, and 26). The variance explained by the four factors was 61.5%, and Cronbach's alpha was 0.93. The general health scores did not change significantly after deleting the four items. The comparison between the 24-item version and the 28-item version revealed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.996 (p <0.001) and a cutoff point of 20.5, with a 96.3% sensitivity and a 98.4 specificity. Conclusion: The reassessment of the psychometric properties of GHQ-28 in nurses suggests a reduction to 24 items.

Resumen Marco contextual: La evaluación de las propiedades psicométricas de los instrumentos de medición, cuando se aplican en diferentes poblaciones, es esencial. Objetivo: Analizar las propiedades psicométricas del Cuestionario de Salud General de 28 ítems (GHQ28) en enfermeros. Metodología: Estudio metodológico sobre la validación de instrumentos de medida. Análisis de las propiedades psicométricas, análisis factorial exploratorio (AFE) mediante el método de componentes principales y curva Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC), con una muestra no probabilística de 1264 enfermeros. Resultados: La AFE propuso el mantenimiento de 4 factores y la eliminación de 4 ítems en 3 dimensiones (ítem 3, 16, 21, 26). La varianza explicada por los 4 factores fue del 61,5% y el alfa de Cronbach del 0,93. Los resultados de salud general no experimentaron una variabilidad significativa tras eliminar los 4 ítems. La curva ROC, que compara la versión de 24 ítems con la de 28, mostró un área bajo la curva (AUC) de 0,996 (p < 0,001) y un punto de corte de 20,5, con una sensibilidad del 96,3% y una especificidad del 98,4%. Conclusión: La reevaluación de las propiedades psicométricas del GHQ28 en enfermeros sugiere una reducción a 24 ítems.