Systematic review of the relationship between burn-out and spiritual health in doctors.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between burn-out and spiritual health among medical doctors. DESIGN: Systematic literature review and narrative synthesis of cross-sectional studies. SETTING: Any setting, worldwide. DATA SOURCES: Five databases were searched from inception to March 2022, including Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Scopus and Web of Science. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Any study design that involved medical doctors (and other healthcare staff if assessed alongside medical doctors), that measured (in any way) both burn-out (or similar) and spiritual health (or similar) medical doctors. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: All records were double screened. Data extraction was performed by one reviewer and a proportion (10%) checked by a second reviewer. Quality was assessed using the Appraisal of Cross-sectional Studies tool. Due to the heterogeneity of the included studies, a narrative review was undertaken without a meta-analysis. RESULTS: Searches yielded 1049 studies. 40 studies met eligibility criteria and were included in this review. Low reported levels of spirituality were associated with high burn-out scores and vice versa. Religion was not significantly associated with lower levels of burn-out. Few studies reported statistically significant findings, few used validated spiritual scores and most were vulnerable to sampling bias. CONCLUSIONS: Published research suggests that burn-out is linked to spiritual health in medical doctors but not to religion. Robust research is needed to confirm these findings and develop effective interventions. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020200145.

Promoting sexual health in older adults: Findings from two rapid reviews.

BACKGROUND: Sexual health throughout the life course is increasingly recognised as important to maintaining one's overall health, wellbeing, and relationships. We aimed to provide an overview of the evidence on sexual health needs and sexual health promotion in later life. METHODS: We undertook two rapid reviews, drawing on systematic review evidence. Searches were conducted in Epistemonikos. Studies were eligible if they reported evidence about the sexual health needs of, or sexual health promotion interventions for, people aged 50+ years. Evidence was quality assessed and summarised in a narrative synthesis. RESULTS: Fifteen systematic reviews were included in Review 1 (sexual health needs) and 12 in Review 2 (interventions). Key concerns and needs of older adults included the impacts of cultural stigma/misperceptions, barriers to sexual expression, and a need for tailored support in a welcoming environment. Key concerns and needs of health and social care professionals included mixed attitudes towards and knowledge of later-life sexuality and a need for more training and education. Approaches to promoting sexual health in later life included training and workshops for care home professionals, education for older people at risk of/living with HIV, and interventions to address sexual health-related symptoms of menopause. Gaps in the evidence from current reviews and methodological issues in primary studies were identified. CONCLUSION: Older people have specific needs relating to their sexual health. Health and social care professionals working with older people may benefit from education/training around sexuality in later life. Evidence on effective interventions and strategies is limited.