Commentary: What should referral pathways have to improve healthcare experiences of women with female genital mutilation in Australia?

BACKGROUND: We examined the evidence derived from healthcare professionals' interfacing with women with female genital mutilation (FGM) to comprehend the referral pathways available to these women in Australia. MAIN BODY: Clinicians encountered FGM-related complications that included ruptured bladder and total urinary incontinence. Midwives and paediatricians indicated a lack of referral pathways for FGM, but used their discretion to refer such cases to social work departments, obstetric/gynaecological units, child protection service providers, psychological counsellors and surgeons. The continuum of care for women with FGM is characterised by inadequate and lack of clear referral pathways. This underscores the need to develop and strengthen referral pathways in response to physical, birthing and psychological complications of women with FGM to improve their care experiences in Australia. SHORT CONCLUSION: Capacity building initiatives on FGM-prevention and care for trainees and practising health providers and community involvement in high burden areas/populations should be implemented to promote uptake and utilization of the referral services. Provision of infrastructural support, including clinical management tools, job aids, posters, referral algorithms and electronic patient records with "drop-down menus" for referral sites for health complications of FGM to reinforce the providers' efforts are critical.

The effectiveness of interventions to improve the care and management of people with dementia in general hospitals: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: People with dementia are at greater risk of being admitted to hospital where care may not be tailored to their needs. Interventions improving care and management are vital. AIM: Assess the effectiveness of interventions designed to improve the care and management of people with dementia in hospital. METHOD: Six medical and trial registry, and grey literature databases were searched (1999-1998/2018). Search terms included "Dementia," "Hospital," and "Intervention" and limited to experimental designs. Interventions designed to improve the care and management of people with dementia in the general hospital setting were examined. Outcomes included behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), psychosocial, clinical, staff knowledge, and length of hospital stay. The CASP tools, Cochrane risk of bias tool, and GRADE system assessed methodological quality and certainty of evidence. RESULTS: 9003 unique citations were identified; 24 studies were included. Studies were limited in study design and their conduct was at a risk of bias. There is very low-quality evidence that multisensory behaviour therapy reduces BPSD. There is low-quality evidence that a multidisciplinary programme reduces postoperative complications and that robot-assisted therapy, music therapy, multimodal-comprehensive care, person-centred care, and family-centred function-focused care interventions improved staff knowledge, competence, efficacy, and communication. No studies reported reduced length of stay. CONCLUSIONS: Whilst we found that these interventions improved the care and management of people with dementia in hospital, it was low- to very low-quality evidence. New clinical recommendations cannot be made based on current evidence, and robust trial designs are necessary to inform evidence-based care.

Clinical Management of Psoriatic Arthritis in Spain: The CALIPSO Study. / Manejo clínico de la artritis psoriásica en España: estudio Calipso.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical management of psoriatic arthritis for patients being treated by dermatologists and rheumatologists in Spain. METHODS: Multicenter, retrospective, naturalistic observational study in which demographic and clinical variables were recorded for patients diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. Data referred to the previous 12 months and were collected during a single visit with the physician. RESULTS: A total of 266 patients were enrolled; 78.1% were being treated by rheumatologists and 21.9% by dermatologists. The data covered 1138 visits. The main reason for consulting a physician was to monitor psoriatic arthritis (82.7% of the visits). The most widely used examination was to determine the tender- and swollen-joint count (73.1%). The tests most frequently ordered were acute-phase reactants: erythrocyte sedimentation rate (79.8%) and C reactive protein level (74.5%). Affected body surface area and the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index were the main assessments used by dermatologists. Rheumatologists tended to examine the joints and record biochemical markers. A disease-modifying antirheumatic drug was prescribed for 71.1% of the patients; 51.8% were prescribed a biologic agent (61.5% in combination with another treatment). Treatment approach differed by specialty and was modified if response was nil or partial (the rationale for 45.1% of all changes). CONCLUSION: Differences in the management of psoriatic arthritis in dermatology and rheumatology were evident in both diagnostic and treatment approaches. These 2 specialties should cooperate to establish common practice guidelines for use in Spain.

Clinical care and therapeutic trials in PLS.

Primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) is an extremely rare central nervous system degenerative disorder characterized by slowly progressive upper motor neuron loss leading to severe limb and bulbar dysfunction and disability. Although not necessarily life-shortening, PLS disease burden is substantial and improved symptomatic treatments are a major unmet need, especially for the often refractory spasticity that is a core feature of the syndrome. In Section 1, we describe clinical care needs and emphasize a highly personalized approach that can be best attained through multidisciplinary management. In Section 2, we describe progress in clinical trials in PLS that includes advances in symptomatic treatment, disease-modifying therapy, and emerging innovative trials.

Effectiveness evaluation of peer-group level care and management mode in HIV infected patients / 上海预防医学

Objective To introduce and conduct effectiveness evaluation of peer-group level care and management mode in people living with HIV and AIDS(PLHAs)in Jing'an District, Shanghai. Methods We recruited PLHAs who were managed by Jing'an District and participated in the peer-group care activities from 2015 to 2016, and collected their data of general conditions, behavior, antiretroviral therapy, life quality, social support, mental status and medical modes, and then conducted effectiveness evaluation of the mode by multivariate logistic regression model and linear regression model. Results A total of 300 PLHAs were included with 150 cases in each group. PLHAs in target group had higher proportion of antiretroviral therapy[82.7%(124/150)and 64.7%(97/150)]. In addition, they got higher scores in mental health(48.5±9.2 and 43.9±10.6)and social support(28.7±8.2 and 24.8±6.6), and lower scores in depressive severity index(0.5±0.1)and avoidance of medical modes(16.1±3.0 and 17.0±2.5). Multivariate analysis showed that PLHAs in target group had less sex partners(zero partner, OR = 2.1, 95%CI:1.1-3.9;one partner, OR = 3.6, 95%CI:1.9-6.8)and increased condom use(no sex, OR = 5.3, 95%CI:2.4-11.7;complete use, OR = 10.6, 95%CI:4.7-24.1;random miss, OR = 5.1, 95%CI:1.8-14.8)in the last 12 months. Conclusion The effect of peer-group level care and management mode is significantly good in promoting behavior change, enhancing health concern and increasing antiretroviral therapy.

Nationwide study on the use of intravascular catheters in internal medicine departments.

BACKGROUND: The use of intravascular catheters (IVCs) in intensive care units (ICUs) has been well assessed in recent years. However, a high proportion of these devices are placed in patients outside the ICU, particularly in internal medicine departments (IMDs), where data on the quality of care are scarce. AIM: To assess the use and management of IVCs in IMDs in Spain. METHODS: We performed a point prevalence study of all adult inpatients on 47 IMDs from hospitals of different sizes on one day in June 2013. A local co-ordinator was appointed to assess patients and collect data from each site. FINDINGS: Out of the 2080 adult patients hospitalized on the study day, 1703 (81.9%) had one or more IVCs (95.4% of which were peripheral devices). Infection was detected at the insertion site in 92 catheters (5.0%); 87 patients (5.2%) had signs of sepsis, but only one case was considered to be catheter-related. The local co-ordinators estimated that 19% of the catheters in place were no longer necessary. A daily record of the need for a catheter was available in only 40.6% of cases. CONCLUSION: Our study shows clear opportunities for improvement regarding catheter use and care in Spanish IMDs. Strategies similar to those applied in ICUs should be implemented in IMDs.

Management mode of HIV infection and antiviral therapy adherence in Jing'an District, Shanghai / 上海预防医学

[Objective]To ascertain the status and related factors of antiretroviral therapy adherence and analyze the influence of management mode on adherence in HIV infected patients in Jing' an District, Shanghai. [Methods]We recruited 150 HIV infected patients who participated in the "peer group care"activities (target group) and those from another 150 patients who did not (control group) but received antiviral treatment during the period from 2015 to 2016 (221 cases in total) into the study. We collected data on general conditions, behavioral way, antiretroviral therapy adherence, life quality, social support, mental status and medical coping modes, and analyzed the related factors of antiretroviral therapy adherence by linear regression model. [Results]The 221 HIV infected patients were included, with 124 in target group and 97 in control group. The proportion of good antiretroviral therapy adherence was 86.0％, with 91.9％ in target group and 78.4％ in control group. Multiple analysis showed that the related factors of antiretroviral therapy adherence were management mode (β = 1.871, P < 0.001) , disposable income per month (β = 0.600, P = 0.001) , social support utilization (β = 0.174, P = 0.044) and yield attitude of medical coping modes (β =-0.153, P = 0.003). [Conclusion]Antiretroviral therapy adherence of HIV infected patients in Jing'an District should be further improved. "Peer group level care and management mode"could effectively promote the increase of antiretroviral therapy adherence; however, it should be improved and perfected in the aspects of its coverage and content.