Effect of cetuximab plus FOLFOX4 regimen on clinical outcomes in advanced gastric carcinoma patients receiving evidence-based care

BACKGROUND Although chemotherapy is effective for treating advanced gastric carcinoma(aGC),it may lead to an adverse prognosis.Establishing a highly effective and low-toxicity chemotherapy regimen is necessary for improving efficacy and outcomes in aGC patients.AIM To determine the efficacy and safety of cetuximab(CET)combined with the FOLFOX4 regimen(infusional fluorouracil,folinic acid,and oxaliplatin)as firstline therapy for patients with aGC,who received evidence-based care(EBC).METHODS A total of 117 aGC patients who received EBC from March 2019 to March 2022 were enrolled.Of these,60 in the research group(RG)received CET+FOLFOX4 as first-line therapy,whereas 57 in the control group(CG)received FOLFOX4.The efficacy[clinical response rate(RR)and disease control rate(DCR)],safety(liver and kidney dysfunction,leukopenia,thrombocytopenia,rash,and diarrhea),serum tumor marker expression[STMs;carbohydrate antigen(CA)19-9,CA72-4,and carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA)],inflammatory indicators[interleukin(IL)-2 and IL-10],and quality of life(QOL)of the two groups were compared.RESULTS A markedly higher RR and DCR were observed in the RG compared with the CG,with an equivalent safety profile between the two groups.RG exhibited notably reduced CA19-9,CA72-4,CEA,and IL-2 levels following treatment,which were lower than the pre-treatment levels and those in the CG.Post-treatment IL-10 was statistically increased in RG,higher than the pre-treatment level and the CG.Moreover,a significantly improved QOL was evident in the RG.CONCLUSION The CET+FOLFOX4 regimen is highly effective as first-line treatment for aGC patients receiving EBC.It facilitates the suppression of STMs,ameliorates the serum inflammatory microenvironment,and enhances QOL,without increased adverse drug effects.

Needs assessment and expectations regarding evidence-based practice knowledge acquisition and training activities:A cross-sectional study of healthcare personnel in China

Objectives Evidence-based healthcare contributes to the improvement of healthcare quality and informs healthcare decision-making.The provision of timely high-quality evidence is always required to fulfil the ever-changing needs and expectations of healthcare personnel.This study aimed to assess the needs and expectations of healthcare personnel regarding evidence-based healthcare in China.Methods We conducted a cross-sectional online survey from December 8,2020 to January 15,2021 involving 901 participants across China.Healthcare providers,policy makers,researchers and educators,and full-time postgraduate medical and nursing students working/living in China were eligible to participate.A self-developed questionnaire was used.Results Participants generally agreed that health-related research evidence was beneficial.Evidence-based resources,such as Cochrane resources,were only known or used by about half of the respondents due to difficulties related to availability and accessibility.Various types of resources,topics of evidence,and themes of workshops were of particular interest to most of the participants.Conclusions The dissemination and translation of evidence,provision of more support in evidence availability,offering evidence-based training,and determining the most in-demand research areas have been identified as priority areas of work which could fulfil the needs and expectations of healthcare personnel in China.

Continuity of Care in Primary Health Care Affecting Control of Diabetes

Background: Continuity of care is a distinguishing feature of primary care. Better continuity of care program showed a significant effect in controlling diabetes and it is complications. This study explores the effect of continuity of care on control of diabetes mellites in primary health care centres. Objectives: 1) To assess the effect of Continuity of care on controlling haemoglobin (Hb A1C) and fasting blood Sugar (FBS);2) To compare the control of Diabetes by using (Hb A1C and FBS) indices on same patient before and after application of chronic illness clinic;3) To identify the relation between age and gender affecting continuity of care in diabetic patient. Methods: It is a Prospective cohort study design. Included both gender and diabetic patient age above 24 years old. The data extracted from health care specialty center (HCSC) clinics in National guard hospital at Riyadh, through HCSC data base on three phases: 1) Phase 1: the data extracted of diabetic patients from October to November 2022 including MRN, diabetic patient, age, Hb A1C, Fasting blood glucose. 2) Phase 2: the same MRN extracted from phase 1 was extracted again retrospectively for six months from April to September 2022, to compare the indices before implanting the chronic illness clinic including Hb A1C, Fasting blood glucose. 3) Phase 3: prospectively from December 2022 to September 2023. Results: Among diabetic patients aged 60 years old and above showed better control of HbA1C and FBS comparing to these patients below age of 60 years old, with significant improvement of HbA1C after implanting chronic illness clinic. Conclusion: The significant improvement in the control of diabetic patients followed in primary health care centers reinforce the evidence of the importance of continuity of care.

Assessment of Breast Cancer Prevention Practices among Women Attending Primary Health Care in Abha City, Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, with breast cancer being the most common (2.26 million new cases and 685,000 deaths). In Saudi Arabia, breast cancer ranked the first among females in 2014, accounting for 15.9% of all cancers reported among Saudi nationals and 28.7% of all cancers reported among females of all ages. Early detection of breast cancer could decrease the risks, have a better prognosis, and have better outcomes/more successful treatments. Prevalence of breast cancer reached more than 25% of all diagnosed cancer in the kingdom among women. Aim: This study aims to assess the knowledge and performance of women attending primary care centers about breast self-examination and mammogram screening for prevention and early detection of breast cancer in Abha city primary healthcare centers, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Research Method: cross sectional design was conducted by using questionnaire, which was distributed to primary care center nurses. The collected data was statistically analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 25. Results: The study found that participants had poor awareness and knowledge about breast self-examination, risk factors for breast cancer, and trends and practices in early diagnosis of breast cancer. Conclusion and Recommendations: It recommends increasing awareness campaigns and providing educational programs to improve knowledge and practices.

Evaluation of the mental health of COVID-19 patients discharged from the intensive care unit

In this editorial,I address the mental health status of patients who have been discharged from intensive care units(ICUs)after battling coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).An ICU admission is generally a stressful experience,and for severe COVID-19 survivors prolonged treatment in the ICU can lead to significant psychological consequences.These individuals may experience psychiatric distress,including symptoms such as insomnia,anxiety,depression,and even posttraumatic psychological issues.Research indicates that during the first 6 months to 1 year following an ICU stay,nearly one-third of survivors exhibit symptoms similar to those of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.Several factors may have contributed to the development of depressive and anxious symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic,particularly for those who underwent an ICU stay.The ICU environment itself is inherently stressful,filled with the constant noise of various medical devices.Studies have provided strong evidence that the prolonged need for ventilation support and the loss of freedom of movement are key factors in the development of psychological problems among COVID-19 patients who had been treated in the ICU.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Lower-Level Health Care Facilities of Dar es Salaam Region in Tanzania: Status towards Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and Way Forward

Background: Improving Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in health care settings is a critical prerequisite for achieving national health goals and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a target for each United Nations member state to reach by 2030. Each member state is required to reach by 2022, 2025 and 2030 at least 60%, 80% and 100%, respectively of basic level of service of the five elements which are water, sanitation, hygiene, waste management and environmental cleaning. Methods: This study aimed to evaluate and document the current state of basic water, sanitation, and hygiene services in all lower-level health care facilities in the Dar es Salaam region of Tanzania as of July 2022. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 99 public dispensaries in the Dar es Salaam region’s five councils: Ubungo, Kigamboni, Kinondoni and Temeke Municipalities, and Ilala City. The interviewee form and observational checklists were both digitalized using the Kobo tool software. The respondents were health care facility in-charges or nurse in-charges. Data were downloaded, validated, and imported to Stata version 15 for analysis. Results: The basic WASH level per JMP is far below the target in 2022. Each member state by 2022 is required to reach at least 60% of the basic level of service of each element. We found a low coverage of basic WASH in the 99 dispensaries included in this study. The basic WASH coverage was met in only 10 (10.1%) of the dispensaries, while the remaining 89 (89.9%) dispensaries fall on limited WASH services. Conclusion: This study revealed lower coverage of basic WASH services in dispensaries. An urgent need is required to improve the status of WASH in all the dispensaries and facilitate the provision of quality health care services, patient safety and reduce health care associated infections.

Smart Healthcare Activity Recognition Using Statistical Regression and Intelligent Learning

In this present time,Human Activity Recognition(HAR)has been of considerable aid in the case of health monitoring and recovery.The exploitation of machine learning with an intelligent agent in the area of health informatics gathered using HAR augments the decision-making quality and significance.Although many research works conducted on Smart Healthcare Monitoring,there remain a certain number of pitfalls such as time,overhead,and falsification involved during analysis.Therefore,this paper proposes a Statistical Partial Regression and Support Vector Intelligent Agent Learning(SPR-SVIAL)for Smart Healthcare Monitoring.At first,the Statistical Partial Regression Feature Extraction model is used for data preprocessing along with the dimensionality-reduced features extraction process.Here,the input dataset the continuous beat-to-beat heart data,triaxial accelerometer data,and psychological characteristics were acquired from IoT wearable devices.To attain highly accurate Smart Healthcare Monitoring with less time,Partial Least Square helps extract the dimensionality-reduced features.After that,with these resulting features,SVIAL is proposed for Smart Healthcare Monitoring with the help of Machine Learning and Intelligent Agents to minimize both analysis falsification and overhead.Experimental evaluation is carried out for factors such as time,overhead,and false positive rate accuracy concerning several instances.The quantitatively analyzed results indicate the better performance of our proposed SPR-SVIAL method when compared with two state-of-the-art methods.

Ozone Sterilizer for Treatment and Health Care

Ozone is a green broad-spectrum bactericidal disinfectant, and a trace amount of ozone in the atmosphere makes many viruses and bacteria lose their biochemical activity and infectivity. Nature produces trace amounts of ozone in the air through lightning to purify the ecological environment. The product of ozone decomposition is oxygen, without secondary pollution. Ozone sterilizer is widely used in the epidemic prevention and control of intensive breeding farms and achieved remarkable results. If the concentration and action time of ozone can be accurately controlled, then ozone can quickly eliminate pathogens, without harming the normal cells in the human body. How to use medical ozone for epidemic prevention, treatment and health care is a subject worthy of serious study, which should arouse the attention of the experts in the field.

Surgical treatment of liver cancer and pancreatic cancer under the China Healthcare Security Diagnosis Related Groups payment system

BACKGROUND Data from the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer reported that China had the highest prevalence of cancer and cancer deaths in 2022.Liver and pancreatic cancers accounted for the highest number of new cases.Real-world data(RWD)is now widely preferred to traditional clinical trials in various fields of medicine and healthcare,as the traditional research approach often involves highly selected populations and interventions and controls that are strictly regulated.Additionally,research results from the RWD match global reality better than those from traditional clinical trials.AIM To analyze the cost disparity between surgical treatments for liver and pancreatic cancer under various factors.METHODS This study analyzed RWD 1137 cases within the HB1 group(patients who underwent pancreatectomy,hepatectomy,and/or shunt surgery)in 2023.It distinguished different expenditure categories,including medical,nursing,technical,management,drug,and consumable costs.Additionally,it assessed the contribution of each expenditure category to total hospital costs and performed cross-group comparisons using the non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis test.This study used the Steel–Dwass test for post-hoc multiple comparisons and the Spearman correlation coefficient to examine the relationships between variables.RESULTS The study found that in HB11 and HB13,the total hospitalization costs were significantly higher for pancreaticoduodenectomy than for pancreatectomy and hepatectomy.Although no significant difference was observed in the length of hospital stay between patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy and pancreatectomy,both were significantly longer than those who underwent liver resection.In HB15,no significant difference was observed in the total cost of hospitalization between pancreaticoduodenectomy and pancreatectomy;however,both were significantly higher than those in hepatectomy.Additionally,the length of hospital stay was significantly longer for patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy than for those who underwent pancreatectomy or liver resection.CONCLUSION China Healthcare Security Diagnosis Related Groups payment system positively impacts liver and pancreatic cancer surgeries by improving medical quality and controlling costs.Further research could refine this grouping system and ensure continuous effectiveness and sustainability.

Downsizing Health Care in the Community

This study reviewed recent changes in health care utilization in the health care providers of Syracuse, New York. The data indicated the largest decline in the numbers of inpatient volumes involved adult surgery and orthopedics. Numbers of inpatient discharges for this service declined by more than 2900 discharges for the combined Syracuse hospitals. The data also indicated that adult medicine discharges declined by more than 2600 during this time. For Diagnosis Related Groups with discharge differences of 30 or more, adult medicine discharges declined by 451 in neurology, 943 in respiratory medicine, and 625 in circulatory medicine. It was estimated that the value of the inpatient discharges amounted to approximately $1,740,000 in adult surgery and more than $1,560,000 for adult medicine. The savings that were achieved in this process related to staffing, pharmaceuticals, and testing.

Estimating the Future of Health Care at the Community Level

Developments in health care in the United States are changing the delivery of services for providers and payors. This study focused on inpatient hospital discharges in the Syracuse hospitals and other services. It demonstrated that, during the past five years, numbers of inpatient adult medicine discharges had increased while adult surgery discharges had declined. This information suggested that adult medicine discharges could be expected to increase and approach levels of five years ago. It also suggested adult surgery discharges could be expected to remain at previous levels or decline. This information indicated that the combined emergency department visits declined from 238,000 to 202,000 between 2019 and 2020, then increased from 218,000 to 228,000 visits between 2021 and 2023. These developments will probably result in greater efficiency at the community level. With a decline in numbers of inpatient beds, providers will be able to focus on the more efficient management by reducing numbers of staff as well as fewer pharmaceuticals and testing.

Necessary prerequisites for evidence-based practice:results of investigating nurses'informatics competency and information literacy skills

This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between nursing informatics(NI)competency and information literacy skills for evidencebased practice(EBP)among intensive care nurses.This cross-sectional study was conducted on 184 nurses working in intensive care units(ICUs).The study data were collected through demographic information,Nursing Informatics Competency Assessment Tool(NICAT),and information literacy skills for EBP questionnaires.The intensive care nurses received competent and low-moderate levels for the total scores of NI competency and information literacy skills,respectively.They received a moderate score for the use of different information resources but a low score for information searching skills,different search features,and knowledge about search operators,and only 31.5%of the nurses selected the most appropriate statement.NI competency and related subscales had a significant direct bidirectional correlation with information literacy skills for EBP and its subscales(P<0.05).Nurses require a high level of NI competency and information literacy for EBP to obtain up-to-date information and provide better care and decision-making.Health planners and policymakers should develop interventions to enhance NI competency and information literacy skills among nurses and motivate them to use EBP in clinical settings.

Research on the Application of Evidence-Based Quality Control Circle to Improve the Implementation Rate of Airway Management Measures in Adult Critically Ill Patients

Objective: To explore the effect of evidence-based quality control circle (QCC) in improving the implementation rate of airway management measures in adult critically ill patients. Methods: Based on the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) evidence-based health care model, the best evidence of airway management in adult critically ill patients was obtained and applied to the clinic. Results: The total implementation rate of airway management measures in adult critically ill patients increased from 23.62% before the implementation of quality control circle to 88.82%, and the pulmonary infection rate in critically ill patients decreased from 42.31% to 21.74%, with statistical significance between the two groups (P 0.05). Conclusion: Evidence-based quality control circle activities can standardize the practice standards of airway management in critically ill patients, reduce the occurrence of patients’ airway related complications, and improve clinical outcomes.

A Study of Health Prescribing for Children with Tourette’s Disorders in Children’s Health Education Specialty Care Clinics

Objective:This study designs and implements the health prescription of children’s health education specialized nursing clinic based on the physical and mental characteristics of children with Tourette’s syndrome.Methods:Applying the evidence-based nursing model and nursing intervention theory based on the survey research by searching China Knowledge Network,Wanfang Database and Wipro Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database,the study collected the literature on the health prescription intervention research in children’s Tourette’s disorders health education in children’s health education of specialized nursing outpatient clinic for review and combined with the specialty characteristics to formulate“Children’s Tourette’s Disorder Health Education Prescription.”Results:Tourette’s syndrome in children is a common pediatric neurological disorder,mainly manifested as involuntary,rapid and repeated muscle twitching and vocal tics,which brings serious psychological pressure and life disturbance to the affected children.Conclusion:For children with Tourette’s syndrome,healthcare professionals should give enough care and understanding to the children and their parents,provide timely and effective health education to them,help them improve their bad behavioral habits,establish correct cognitive attitudes,enhance self-confidence,improve patient compliance,reduce the frequency of recurrence,reduce the incidence of complications and promote children’s physical and mental health development.

Affordability, Accessibility, and Quality of Maternal Health Care Services and Level of Satisfaction of Mothers in Rural Areas in China

Objective:This study aimed to understand the affordability,accessibility,and quality of maternal and child health services for postpartum mothers,and their impact on satisfaction.Methods:The study utilized the Anderson model and revised the Maternal Pregnancy and Perinatal Health Service Questionnaire.A survey was conducted among 289 mothers aged 20–49 in Feicheng City.Results:Regarding accessibility,most respondents(133)reported that travel time to healthcare services exceeded 60 minutes,while 99 respondents indicated a travel time of 16–30 minutes.The issue of affordability was highlighted,with 86.85%of participants perceiving maternal healthcare services as costly,indicating a significant financial burden.More than 50%of respondents were satisfied with two specific dimensions(P<0.05)regarding the quality of maternal healthcare services.Conclusion:The study found that accessibility,affordability,and quality significantly affect mothers’satisfaction with maternal health services.Future research should focus on developing more suitable service pathways for rural mothers.

The effect of high-fidelity simulation in medical nursing based on the healthcare simulation standards of best practice

Background:High-fidelity simulation has been demonstrated to make great progress in learning.However,there is still ongoing exploration on how to fully harness the advantages of this teaching method and enhance its effectiveness.This study conducted high-fidelity simulation in medical nursing based on the Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice and evaluated its effect.Methods:The study was conducted from September 2019 to June 2020.A total of 82 undergraduate nursing students from a university in Shanghai participated in the high-fidelity simulation in medical nursing.The simulation design scale,educational practices in simulation scale,and students’satisfaction and self-confidence were used to evaluate the effect.Results:The mean score of simulation design scale was 4.06±0.63 with the mean scores of all dimensions being over 3.0.The mean score of educational practices in simulation scale was 4.14±0.56 with the mean scores of all dimensions being over 4.0.The mean scores of students’satisfaction and self-confidence were 4.07±0.72 and 3.89±0.58,respectively.Conclusion:Students reported high levels of simulation design and educational practices in simulation.They were also satisfied with learning and reported high levels of self-confidence.Some key points need to be considered so that the learning effects might be optimized.

Reality of evidence-based practice in palliative care

There has been a paradigm shift in medicine away from tradition, anecdote and theoretical reasoning from the basic sciences towards evidence-based medicine(EBM). In palliative care however, statistically significant benefits may be marginal and may not be related to clinical meaningfulness. The typical treatment vs. placebo comparison necessitated by ‘gold standard' randomised controlled trials(RCTs) is not necessarily applicable. The complex multimorbidity of end of life care involves considerations of the patient's physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs. In addition, the field of palliative care covers a heterogeneous group of chronic and incurable diseases no longer limited to cancer. Adequate sample sizes can be difficult to achieve, reducing the power of studies and high attrition rates can result in inadequate follow up periods. This review uses examples of the management of cancer-related fatigue and death rattle(noisy breathing) to demonstrate the current state of EBM in palliative care. The future of EBM in palliative care needs to be as diverse as the patients who ultimately derive benefit. Non-RCT methodologies of equivalent quality, validity and size conducted by collaborative research networks using a ‘mixed methods approach' are likely to pose the correct clinical questions and derive evidencebased yet clinically relevant outcomes.

Beyond statistical significance:Embracing minimal clinically important difference for better patient care

The minimal clinically important difference(MCID)represents a pivotal metric in bridging the gap between statistical significance and clinical relevance,addressing the direct impact of medical interventions from the patient's perspective.This comprehensive review analyzes the evolution,applications,and challenges of MCID across medical specialties,emphasizing its necessity in ensuring that clinical outcomes not only demonstrate statistical significance but also offer genuine clinical utility that aligns with patient expectations and needs.We discuss the evolution of MCID since its inception in the 1980s,its current applications across various medical specialties,and the methodologies used in its calculation,highlighting both anchor-based and distribution-based approaches.Furthermore,the paper delves into the challenges associated with the application of MCID,such as methodological variability and the interpretation difficulties that arise in clinical settings.Recommendations for the future include standardizing MCID calculation methods,enhancing patient involvement in setting MCID thresholds,and extending research to incorporate diverse global perspectives.These steps are critical to refining the role of MCID in patient-centered healthcare,addressing existing gaps in methodology and interpretation,and ensuring that medical interventions lead to significant,patient-perceived improvements.

Evidence-based Care for Rehabilitation Nursing Effect of Patients with Patellar Fracture

Objective.To analyze the effect of applying evidence-based care in rehabilitation nursing effect of patients with patellar fractures.Methods.A total of 54 patients with patellar fractures were randomly selected from the hospital.The diagnosis and treatment time were from the beginning of July 2018 to end of June 2019.The digital table grouping was adopted to divide patients into two groups with each group consists of 27 patients with this disease.Both groups underwent routine nursing and the experimental group with increased evidence-based care.Results.Compared with the control group,the knee function evaluation,complications and nursing satisfaction of the experimental group were more ideal,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion.Evidence-based care in rehabilitation nursing of patients with patellar fracture can obtain ideal nursing effect.

Evidence-Based Practice and Job Satisfaction of Nurses in Long-Term Care

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between evidence-based practice (EBP) and job satisfaction among nurses working in long-term care facilities. Methods: The study used a descriptive cross-sectional design. A total of 146 nurses working in 6 long-term care facilities in South Korea self-reported their perception of EBP implementation, barriers to research utilization, and job satisfaction. Results: The level of job satisfaction was higher in nurses who were single, older, more experienced, and had a higher income. Lower perceived barriers to research utilization were associated with greater job satisfaction. However, there was no significant relationship between a level of EBP implementation and job satisfaction. Factors influencing job satisfaction included lower barriers to the organization and communication domains of research utilization, being unmarried and older. Conclusion: Decreasing barriers to research utilization may improve the job satisfaction of nurses working in long-term care facilities.