Experiences of ethnic minority patients who are living with a primary chronic bowel condition: a systematic scoping review with narrative synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Prevalence of chronic gastrointestinal diseases has been rising amongst ethnic minority populations in Western countries, despite the first-generation migrants originating from countries of low prevalence. Differences caused by genetic, environmental, cultural, and religious factors in each context may contribute towards shaping experiences of ethnic minority individuals living with primary bowel conditions. This review aimed to explore the experiences of ethnic minority patients living with chronic bowel conditions. METHODS: We conducted a systematic scoping review to retrieve qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods studies from eight electronic databases, and manually searched reference lists of frequently cited papers. RESULTS: Fourteen papers met the inclusion criteria: focussing on inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and coeliac disease. Core themes were narratively analysed. South Asians had limited understanding of inflammatory bowel disease and coeliac disease, hindered by language and literacy barriers, particularly for older generations, suggesting that culturally relevant information is needed. Family support was limited, and Muslim South Asians referred to religion to understand and self-manage inflammatory bowel disease. Ethnic minority groups across countries experienced: poor dietary intake for coeliac disease and inflammatory bowel disease, cultural conflict in self-managing diet for inflammatory bowel disease which increased anxiety, and there was a need for better quality of, and access to, healthcare services. British ethnic minority groups experienced difficulties with IBD diagnosis/misdiagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Cultural, religious, and social contexts, together with language barriers and limited health literacy influenced experiences of health inequalities for ethnic minority patients living with chronic bowel diseases.

The effect of dietary fiber (oat bran) supplement on blood pressure in patients with essential hypertension: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Insufficient dietary fiber (DF) intake is associated with increased blood pressure (BP) and the mode of action is unclear. The intake of DF supplements by participants in previous interventional studies was still far below the amount recommended by the World Health Organization. Therefore, this study aims to explore the effect of supplementing relatively sufficient DF on BP and gut microbiota in patients with essential hypertension (HTN). METHODS AND RESULTS: Fifty participants who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into the DF group (n = 25) and control group (n = 25). All the participants received education on regular dietary guidance for HTN. In addition to dietary guidance, one bag of oat bran (30 g/d) supplement (containing DF 8.9 g) was delivered to the DF group. The office BP (oBP), 24 h ambulatory blood pressure, and gut microbiota were measured at baseline and third month. After intervention, the office systolic blood pressure (oSBP; P < 0.001) and office diastolic blood pressure (oDBP; P < 0.028) in the DF group were lower than those in the control group. Similarly, the changes in 24hmaxSBP (P = 0.002), 24hmaxDBP (P = 0.001), 24haveSBP (P < 0.007), and 24haveDBP (P = 0.008) were greater in the DF group than in the control group. The use of antihypertensive drugs in the DF group was significantly reduced (P = 0.021). The ß diversity, including Jaccard (P = 0.008) and Bray-Curtis distance (P = 0.004), showed significant differences (P < 0.05) between two groups by the third month. The changes of Bifidobacterium (P = 0.019) and Spirillum (P = 0.006) in the DF group were significant. CONCLUSIONS: Increased DF (oat bran) supplement improved BP, reduced the amount of antihypertensive drugs, and modulated the gut microbiota. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR1900024055.

The Role of Dietary Fiber Supplementation in Regulating Uremic Toxins in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

OBJECTIVES: The results of previously published meta-analyses showed that dietary fiber could reduce the levels of p-cresyl sulfate, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, these results were based on some trials with pre-post design and randomized controlled trials of low quality. Additionally, it has been suggested that the dosage and duration of fiber supplementation and patients' characteristics potentially influence the effect of dietary fiber in reducing uremic toxins, but it would appear that no research has provided reliable evidence. DESIGN AND METHODS: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library. Data were pooled by the generic inverse variance method using random effects models and expressed as standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Heterogeneity was quantified by I2. Publication bias was evaluated by Egger's test. RESULTS: Ten randomized controlled trials involving 292 patients with CKD were identified. Dietary fiber supplementation can significantly reduce the levels of indoxyl sulfate (SMD = -0.55, 95% CI = -1.04, -0.07, P = .03), p-cresyl sulfate (SMD = -0.47, 95% CI = -0.82, -0.13, P < .01), blood urea nitrogen (SMD = -0.31, 95% CI = -0.58, -0.03, P = .03), and uric acid (SMD = -0.60, 95% CI = -1.02, -0.18, P < .01), but not on reducing creatinine (SMD = -0.31, 95% CI = -0.73, 0.11, P = .14). In subgroup analyses, the reduction of indoxyl sulfate was more obvious among patients on dialysis than patients not on dialysis (P for interaction = .03); the reduction of creatinine was more obvious among patients without diabetes than those with diabetes (P for interaction <.01). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis indicates that dietary fiber supplementation can significantly reduce the levels of uremic toxins in patients with CKD, with evidence for a more obvious effect of patients on dialysis and without diabetes. These findings inform recommendations for using dietary fiber to reducing the uremic toxin among CKD patients in clinical practice.

Short report: depression and anxiety symptoms as predictors of adverse cardiovascular events in Chinese patients after percutaneous coronary intervention.

Depression and anxiety often co-occur in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This study was conducted to examine the predictive value of depression, anxiety, and their combination on the prognosis of Chinese PCI patients. A multicenter prospective study was undertaken with a sample of 309 primary PCI patients. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was completed at baseline to assess anxiety and depression symptoms. Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) were recorded for 12 months after PCI . Days from baseline to the first MACE was the outcome variable. MACEs occurred in 26 (8.4%) patients. After adjustments for socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, a Cox proportional hazards regression model revealed that depression (HR = 2.70, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.22-5.95; p =.014) and anxiety (HR = 2.56, 95% CI 1.18-5.54; p =.017) symptoms were independent predictors of MACEs. A subanalysis showed that the cumulative event-free survival curves did not differ among depressed and anxious patients and depressed but non-anxious patients (Log Rank p =.52). In conclusion, depression is associated with an increased risk for MACEs post-PCI, independent of anxiety. Although anxiety is associated with MACEs, it has no additional predictive value when co-occurring with depression.

Development and psychometric testing of a questionnaire to assess Nurse's perception of risks during enteral nutrition.

BACKGROUND: Enteral nutrition (EN) therapy is widely used in clinical practice to provide artificial nutrition to patients, while the incidence of adverse events are relatively highly. In the clinical setting, the occurrence of adverse events is associated with the nurse's risk perception. Thus, using tool to evaluate nurse's risk perception of enteral nutrition is necessary. METHODS: The draft questionnaire with 37-items was formed by comprehensive literature reviews and semi-structured in-depth interviews with 11 nurses. Two iterations of expert consultations were used to evaluate the content validity, and 4 items were deleted in this phrase. A 33-items questionnaire was used to survey 352 nurses from five tertiary hospitals in China from May to July 2019 with convenience sampling. Content validity, construct validity and known-groups validity were evaluated by content validity index (CVI), exploratory factor analysis, and the comparisons of the different EN risk perception levels of nurses at different working departments and different educational backgrounds, respectively. Reliability was tested by internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and split-half reliability. RESULTS: After the exploratory factor analysis, four items were excluded. Finally, the newly developed questionnaire included 29 items explaining 71.356% of the total variance. It consisted of three factors: Risks of operation (15 items); Risks of EN-related adverse events (11 items), and Risks of EN solution selection (3 items). The CVI of the questionnaire was 0.95 and the CVI of items ranged from 0.875-1.0. The results of known-groups validity showed that the nurses with different educational backgrounds had a statistically significant difference of EN risk perception (z = - 3.024, p = 0.002), whereas there was not significantly different between EN risk perception of nurses working in different departments (z = - 1.644, p = 0.100). The Cronbach's α, test-retest reliability, and split-half reliability of the questionnaire were 0.967, 0.818, and 0.815, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The newly developed questionnaire for assessing nurse's EN risk perception showed good reliability and validity. It can be used as a tool for nursing managers to assess Chinese nurses' EN risk perception ability, so as to help to reduce the occurrence of adverse events during EN implementation.

Contemporary views on dementia as witchcraft in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic literature review.

AIM: To explore the impact of cultural beliefs of dementia as witchcraft in sub-Saharan Africa. BACKGROUND: The population of sub-Saharan Africa is ageing, which increases the number of those at risk of dementia. Mental health and physical diseases that affect behaviour have often been associated with witchcraft. Accusations of witchcraft leave individuals vulnerable and at risk. METHOD: A systematic review, which followed the Preferred Reporting for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and completed a PRISMA checklist. CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Knowledge, PubMed and Science Direct databases were searched for relevant studies published from their inception to 31 May 2019 by applying appropriate Medical Subject Headings. Data analysis adhered to Thomas and Harding's thematic synthesis. RESULTS: The review identified limited literature on this topic, with only five papers meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Studies explored health provision, and knowledge and beliefs of dementia in Tanzania and South Africa. Three themes emerged as follows: (a) poor knowledge of dementia, including the belief of dementia as witchcraft; (b) challenges of supporting a family member with dementia in the community; and (c) health-seeking behaviours of and for people with dementia. CONCLUSION: There remains a need for dementia awareness and education across sub-Saharan Africa communities, including faith and traditional healers, and healthcare professionals to support pluralistic healthcare provision. Nurses are the best-placed healthcare professionals to support these initiatives and the development and implementation of low-resource nonpharmacological interventions to support people with dementia and their families living in the community. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Nurses working in sub-Saharan Africa and those caring for patients from sub-Saharan Africa can only provide person-centred care and support for a person with dementia and their family if they understand their cultural beliefs, one of which may include witchcraft.

Elements of a sustainable, competent, and empathetic workforce to support patients with dementia during an acute hospital stay: A comprehensive literature review.

Internationally, there has been a focus on the development of acute hospital workforces to support and care for people with dementia. Recommendations and initiatives to improve person-centred care in acute hospitals have included: education and training, dementia-specific roles, clinical leads, and environment changes. The aim of this literature review is to understand the elements of a sustainable, competent, and empathetic acute hospital workforce providing person-centred care for patients with dementia. The following databases were searched for literature published in English from January 1, 2006, to August 1, 2016: CINHAL, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, PubMed, and Science Direct. A thematic analysis was applied to develop a meta-synthesis of the data. A total of 12 papers with a range of methodological approaches from various countries were included. Emergent themes were as follows: understanding the current workforce, implementation and evaluation of training, and exploration of new and existing roles. An important element was the sustainability of acute hospital workforces competent in dementia care, as studies highlighted an ageing nursing population and a high turnover of staff. Dementia awareness training was sustainable, although there was a lack of consistency in the length, content, and delivery, which had a viable impact on the provision of empathetic and person-centred care. The lack of consistency of training and specialist dementia roles restricts recommendations from a robust evidence base.

The intersection of culture in the provision of dementia care: A systematic review.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To understand the intersection of healthcare professionals' and care workers' culture and their provision of person-centred care for people with dementia. BACKGROUND: Due to the nature of global immigration and recruitment strategies, health care is provided by a culturally diverse workforce. Consequently, there is a need to understand healthcare professionals' and care workers' cultural values of illness, disease and dementia. Cultural values and beliefs regarding dementia and care of the older person differ, and currently, there is a lack of clarity regarding the intersection of culture in the provision of person-centred dementia care. METHOD: A search of the following databases was completed: Medline, CINAHL, Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, PsycINFO and PubMed for papers published from 1st January 2006 to 31st July 2016. RESULTS: A total of seven qualitative studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria, all explored the impact of healthcare professionals' and care workers' culture in relation to their provision of person-centred dementia care. A meta-synthesis of the data from these studies identified four themes: cultural perceptions of dementia, illness and older people; impact of cultural perceptions on service use; acculturation of the workforce; and cross-cultural communication. CONCLUSION: Limited evidence was found on the impact of healthcare professionals' and care workers' culture on their provision of person-centred dementia care. The intersection of culture and dementia included the understanding of dementia, care and family roles. Acculturation of migrant healthcare workers to the culture of the host country, workplace, and support with the communication was identified as necessary for the provision of person-centred dementia care. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Open access education and training to support communication is required, alongside the development of robust interventions to support the process of acculturation of migrant healthcare professionals and care workers to provide culturally competent person-centred dementia care.

The effectiveness of alcohol-based gel for hand sanitising in infection control.

This article aims to evaluate the evidence relating to the effectiveness of alcohol-based gel for hand sanitising, or 'handrub', in infection control in healthcare settings with particular reference to renal nursing, as this has become pertinent due to the increasing reliance on evidence-based practice. There is a need to implement better infection control strategies and education, to reinforce knowledge among the public, health professionals and those at high risk of infection not only in renal nursing, but also in other areas of practice. Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) put patients' safety at risk, increase morbidity and mortality, extend the length of hospital admission and increase the cost to the NHS. There is evidence that the prevalence of HCAIs in England can be minimised through the use of different infection control measures. For example, alcohol-based handrub has been found to be associated with minimising the spread of gastrointestinal infections not only in hospital settings, but also in childcare centres. In addition, the UK national guidelines recommend regular handwashing (implementing the right technique) when hands are visibly dirty and hand disinfection with alcohol-based handrub when they are not visibly dirty. This should be before, in between and after different healthcare activities are performed.

The role of nutrition and hydration in disease prevention and patient safety.

Omorogieva Ojo, Senior Lecturer in Primary Care at the University of Greenwich, O.Ojo@greenwich.ac.uk , looks at the importance of nutrition and hydration across healthcare settings.

Enteral feeding for nutritional support in critically ill patients.

Omorogieva Ojo, Senior Lecturer in Primary Care at the University of Greenwich, O.Ojo@greenwich.ac.uk , highlights key recommendations on enteral nutrition for patients in critical care.

Assessing students' knowledge of healthcare-associated infections: a global perspective.

The aim of this review was to explore students' knowledge of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) from a global perspective. HCAIs may be the result of treatment in or contact with healthcare or social care settings and have been shown to cause an increase in morbidity, mortality and increased length of hospital stay. Student placements may involve interactions between university students, patients and/or health professionals and this may be a source of cross-contamination of the microbial agents that cause HCAIs. This situation may be exacerbated in some countries owing to variations in the levels of infrastructure development, knowledge, and economic status. A literature search was carried out, resulting in 12 studies selected for review. Findings were organised into two themes: nursing students' knowledge of HCAIs and students in other health-related subjects' knowledge of HCAIs. Nursing students' knowledge was adequate in some aspects of HCAIs, although poor in certain areas. Knowledge of HCAIs varied between students studying different health-related subjects. Curriculum differences between the student groups may account for this variation. A review of the curricula for healthcare students should ensure they include training and practical skills in the prevention of HCAIs, including modes of disease transmission, handwashing and disinfection techniques.

The use of oral nutritional supplements in the acute care setting.

Oral nutritional supplements offer support to patients in acute care who are undernourished or at risk of malnutrition. Yet doubts remain over cost and compliance. Omorogieva Ojo, Senior Lecturer in Primary Care at University of Greenwich weighs up the evidence.

Evaluating the effectiveness of smoking cessation in the management of COPD.

The aim of this literature review is to assess the effectiveness of smoking cessation in managing patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is the fifth leading cause of death in the world and smoking leads to COPD in more than 80% of cases. Smoking cessation aids are considered the most effective intervention to improve quality of life and prevent further deterioration in COPD. Evidence based on the use of pharmacotherapies, patient support and motivation as part of smoking cessation strategies were evaluated and discussed. The findings demonstrate that pharmacotherapies, support and counselling in smoking cessation help reduce hospital stay and hospitalisation and improve symptoms and quality of life. In addition, nurses need more education on how to use open-ended questions and motivation when giving advice on smoking cessation to patients with COPD.

Pumps, feed and sets: is procurement limiting outcomes?

This article aims to review the unique ways in which enteral feed, ancillary items and pumps are procured in the UK and to evaluate whether these are inhibiting innovation and reducing the choices of patients. There are a number of models that have been developed across the UK for the procurement of enteral feed, feeding accessories and pump. The two most common are the hospital-based nutrition support team, which may have an overarching role in the community, and the home enteral nutrition (HEN) team, a multidisciplinary community-based team with skilled health professionals dedicated to the delivery of the enteral nutrition service. While the HEN service has its advantages over other models in the community, it is primarily driven by its clinical role. The lack of significant opportunity for clinical audits and research within the service limits the prospects for service improvement, innovation and patients' choices.

Oral and enteral nutrition in dementia: an overview.

The number of people currently living with dementia in the UK is estimated to be 850 000 and this is expected to rise to over 1 million by the year 2025. Dementia is a progressive terminal disease and the rate of decline is unique to each person; however, cognitive deterioration can be accelerated by undernutrition. This article discusses evidence-based approaches in the use of oral and enteral nutrition interventions for people living with dementia and ways to support their caregivers. The discussion of interventions to improve oral nutrition includes changes to the environment, support with feeding difficulties, nutritional supplements and education and training for caregivers.

Venous thromboembolism: use of graduated compression stockings.

This article aims to review the use of graduated compression stockings in the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE). This is particularly important owing to the increasing number of people who die from hospital-acquired VTE and deep vein thrombosis. In addition, there is the need to raise awareness among nurses and other health professionals on the overall impact of VTE, and the number of patients with a range of conditions including cancer who may be at risk of developing VTE. Graduated compression stockings, when used alone, have been found to be effective in preventing VTE in a number of patients in hospital and community settings. However, there is evidence that when used together with other preventative measures such as pharmacological prophylaxis are more effective than graduated compression stockings alone. It is also important that the correct size of graduated compression stocking is used and how they are applied as these may have a significant impact on VTE. The role of the nurse in thromboprophylaxis and implications for practice are discussed.

Cognitive screening in patients with diabetes in primary care.

Diabetes mellitus is a risk factor for mild cognitive impairment and dementia. The prevalence of diabetes is increasing; therefore, early diagnosis and treatment of mild cognitive impairment within this population is important as it may improve these patients' diabetes self-care. Diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment commences with cognitive screening in the primary care setting. Although there is robust evidence of the link between diabetes and dementia, cognitive screening within this population is not routinely completed. This article reviews the most commonly used cognitive screening tools and evaluates the applicability of these within the primary care setting for patients with diabetes.

Problems with use of a Foley catheter in enteral tube feeding.

This article discusses the unlicensed use of a Foley catheter in home enteral tube feeding in the community. It is now clear that patients on long-term enteral feeding in the community may require replacement of their feeding tubes due to deterioration, damage or tube dislodgment. Often, these conventional feeding tubes such as percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy and radiologically inserted gastrostomy tubes are replaced with similar tubes or with balloon gastrostomy tubes. However, the use of a Foley catheter in place of conventional feeding tubes as replacement tube has been observed in a number of patients in practice and documented in literature. The Foley catheter is significantly less expensive and easily accessible than conventional feeding tubes or balloon gastrostomy tubes. However, its use as an enteral feeding tube has implications for practice in terms of its use as unlicensed product, consent, ethics and professional responsibilities. Issues relating to body image and quality of life are also discussed.

Non-Pharmacological Interventions for Type 2 Diabetes in People Living with Severe Mental Illness: Results of a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: People with serious mental illnesses (SMIs) such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder die up to 30 years younger than individuals in the general population. Premature mortality among this population is often due to medical comorbidities, such as type 2 diabetes (T2D). Being a disease directly related to diet, adverse lifestyle choices, and side effects of psychotropic medication, an effective approach to T2D treatment and management could be non-pharmacological interventions. This systematic review and meta-analysis (1) summarise the current evidence base for non-pharmacological interventions (NPI) for diabetes management in people living with SMI and (2) evaluate the effect of these interventions on diverse health outcomes for people with SMI and comorbid diabetes. METHODS: Six databases were searched to identify relevant studies: PubMed (MEDLINE), PsycINFO, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, and Web of Science. Studies were included if they reported on non-pharmacological interventions targeted at the management of T2D in people living with SMI. To be eligible, studies had to further involve a control group or report multiple time points of data in the same study population. Whenever there were enough interventions reporting data on the same outcome, we also performed a meta-analysis. RESULTS: Of 1867 records identified, 14 studies were included in the systematic review and 6 were also eligible for meta-analysis. The results showed that there was a reduction, although not significant, in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) in the NPI group compared with the control, with a mean difference of -0.14 (95% CI, -0.42, 0.14, p = 0.33). Furthermore, NPI did not significantly reduce fasting blood glucose in these participants, with a mean difference of -17.70 (95% CI, -53.77, 18.37, p = 0.34). However, the meta-analysis showed a significant reduction in psychiatric symptoms: BPRS score, -3.66 (95% CI, -6.8, -0.47, p = 0.02) and MADRS score, -2.63 (95% CI, -5.24, -0.02, p = 0.05). NPI also showed a significant reduction in the level of total cholesterol compared with the control, with a mean difference of -26.10 (95% CI, -46.54, -5.66, p = 0.01), and in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol compared with control, with a standardised mean difference of -0.47 (95% CI, -0.90, -0.04, p = 0.03). NPI did not appear to have significant effect (p > 0.05) on body mass index (BMI), health-related quality of life (HRQL), triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol compared with control. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated that NPI significantly (p < 0.05) reduced psychiatric symptoms, levels of total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes and SMI. While non-pharmacological interventions also reduced HbA1c, triglyceride, and BMI levels and improved quality of life in these people, the effects were not significant (p > 0.05).