Current norms and practices in using a seizure diary for managing epilepsy: A scoping review

Epilepsy is a chronic and debilitating condition affecting people of all ages in many nations. Healthcare practitioners look for effective ways to track patients' seizures, and a seizure diary is one of the methods used. This scoping review sought to identify current norms and practices for using seizure diaries to manage epilepsy. Method: A scoping review was performed by screening relevant studies and identifying themes, categories and subcategories. Results: A total of 1125 articles were identified from the database; 46 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility, of which 23 articles were selected. The majority (48%) of the studies were prospective studies. The majority (65%) of the articles were studies conducted in the United States. The themes identified were types of seizure diaries used in clinical practice, contents and structure of a standardized seizure diary, the use and efficacy of seizure diaries in medicine and challenges relating to using a seizure diary for patient management. Conclusion: The study revealed that a seizure diary remains a relevant tool in managing epilepsy. The two forms of diaries in use are electronic and paper-based diaries. The high cost of data and the expensive devices required to access electronic diaries make it unsuitable in a resource-limited setting. Despite its disadvantages, imperfections and inadequacies, the paper-based diary is still relevant for managing patients with epilepsy in resource-limited settings. Contribution: This study reviewed the literature to find the current norms and practices in using seizure diaries. The benefits of the different formats were emphasized

Status and development of clinical informatics in Nigeria's health care sector

This paper examines the status and development of clinical informatics in the Nigerian health care sector, highlighting the efforts to promote access to and the use of clinical informatics in Nigeria's health care sector. In a recent survey of major international research databases such as Scopus, it was observed that there is a gap in knowledge on clinical informatics in the country healthcare facilities in Nigeria due to a paucity of literature on clinical informatics. Through a literature review, the paper provides a conceptual background of clinical informatics, discusses the status of clinical informatics in Nigeria, and highlights ICT access and use in the healthcare sectors. It also examines the challenges and opportunities of clinical informatics in Nigeria. The last part of the paper discusses the implications of the reviewed literature through a PEST analysis. The paper provides invaluable information on clinical informatics in Nigeria that can be used to inform and support further studies in this growing field. The paper is a contribution to discussions and debates on the development of social informatics. Keywords: Social informatics, clinical informatics.

RMJ research series: literature searching

MY EXPERIENCE:Christian is a year 5 medical student in Rwanda embarking on his first research project.I had never undertaken a formal literature search until my 5th year of medical studies, I was therefore very much challenged by how rigorous it was. For the fist time, I had to use websites like PubMed, Cochrane to find the information I needed. This replaced my usual sources of information which had been Wikipedia and Google. I then had to learn how to use a reference manager, Mendeley, to store and cite the papers I found. I was using it and so many terms I hadn't heard of before. It was all unfamiliar to me.I found it really difficult to find relevant papers in PubMed and because of the scarcity of papers and poor internet connection I found it really discouraging.Organizing articles and summarizing them was the hardest of all. Multiple pages of conference reports, articles and surveys all were to be transformed into relevant systematically coordinated summary.As a solution to these problems I used the Mendeley literature search which contains an abundance of articles. I then hand-searched the bibliographies of the articles I had found. To overcome problems of internet connection I would work in places with strong Wi-Fi and spend the whole day nonstop searching and downloading everything ready for offline reading and reviewing.So, as a result, my research project got quicker, more organized, more comprehensible and I found this really satisfying

Concept-Mapping as a Teaching Method to Facilitate Critical Thinking in Nursing Education: A Review of the Literature

Nursing students are exposed to a vast amount of information and reading material that is very specific; technical; and new to the students. Unless nurse educators provide a learning environment that promotes understanding through interaction; students might only commit unassimilated information to their short-term memory through rote learning; and no meaningful learning will occur. Nursing students must be able to link learned facts; concepts and principles with new knowledge in order to make sound rational decisions in practice (All et Havens 1997:1210; 1213). The aim of this paper is to describe the utilisation of concept-mapping as a teaching method to facilitate critical thinking by students in nursing education. The description of the utilisation of concept-mapping is done from the theoretical framework of concept-mapping and critical thinking to provide the epistemological basis for concept-mapping (Facione 1990:6; 13). Based on the exploration and description of the theoretical frameworks; four steps to facilitate critical thinking were formulated through concept-mapping on the basis of the educational process: the identification; interactive constructing process; formulation and evaluation steps. It is concluded that the utilisation of these steps will assist nurse educators to implement concept-mapping as a teaching method to facilitate critical thinking by student nurses in nursing education. Recommendations are made

Corticosteroid Therapy for Primary Treatment of Kawasaki Disease - Weight of Evidence : a Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review of the Literature : Cardiovascular Topics

Objective: Corticosteroids are the treatment of choice in most forms of vasculitis. However; their role in the primary treatment of Kawasaki disease (KD) is controversial. Our aim was to conduct a meta-analysis to assess the clinical course and coronary artery outcome of adding corticosteroids to standard therapy [intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) + aspirin] in patients with acute KD. Methods: We included randomised trials comparing the addition of corticosteroids to conventional primary therapy for Kawasaki disease. Results: A total of four studies were identified; which included 447 patients. The meta-analysis revealed a significant reduction in re-treatments with IVIG in patients receiving corticosteroid plus standard therapy compared with standard therapy alone [odds ratio (OR) 0.48; 95confidence interval (CI): 0.24- 0.95]. There was however no significant reduction in the incidence of coronary artery aneurysms among patients who received corticosteroid therapy plus standard therapy; compared with standard therapy alone for either up to a month (OR 0.74; 95CI: 0.23-2.40) or over one month ([OR 0.74; 95CI: 0.37-1.51). Similarly no significant differences between treatment groups were noted in incidence of adverse events (OR 0.81; 95CI: 0.05-0.88). Conclusion: The inclusion of corticosteroids in regimens for the initial treatment of Kawasaki disease decreased rates of re-treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin. However the addition of corticosteroids to standard therapy did not decrease the incidence of coronary aneurysms or adverse events

Motivation for primary health care in Machinga district

"A report about a very positive experience gained by using the ""theatre for development"" approach as a tool for motivating and educating the target population in Machinga district. In cooperation with the University of Malawi's Fine and Performing Arts Department of Chancellor College; the PHC Unit of the Liwonde ADD used drama as a way in which communities could analyse their own problems and enhance communication for health education"