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Introduction: Lung cancer patients often have a number of comorbidities which impacts patient mortality and morbidity rates. Lifestyle changes for this group of patients have the potential to positively impact both quality of life and longevity. The Yorkshire Cancer Research funded Prehabilitation Radiotherapy Exercise smoking Habit cessation And Balanced diet Study (PREHABS) was designed to determine if it is feasible to embed interventions promoting a healthier lifestyle into the radical lung radiotherapy pathway. Method(s): The PREHABS study was led by therapeutic radiographers trained in smoking cessation provision, motivational interviewing, informed consent and good clinical practice and a dietitian. Radiographers screened and consented study participants, delivered the exercise intervention and up to 12-weeks of smoking cessation support, whilst dietary advice was provided by the dietitian. Patients diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), were referred to a community based pulmonary rehabilitation service rather than the PREHABS exercise intervention. Ethical and regulatory approvals were secured in September 2021. Result(s): 61 patients were recruited between September 2021 and October 2022. The majority were female (n=42), mean age 73.1 years (SD 9.36 years). Discussion(s): In addition to the training requirements detailed above and the challenges of COVID-19, the radiographers had to become adept in a number of study-specific aspects including writing the study standard operating procedures (SOPs), creating a study organisational workflow and patient recruitment. The PREHABS study has broadened the radiographer's perspective beyond the radiotherapy department, by further understanding the complex comorbidities that lung cancer patients present with, how to motivate patients to positively change their lifestyle, and how the side effects caused by cancer treatment can affect a patient's ability to change their lifestyle. Conclusion(s): Therapeutic radiographers, after appropriate training, are capable of delivering lifestyle intervention support within a radical lung cancer radiotherapy pathway. Disclosure: No significant relationships.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V.
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Telemedicine is a modality which utilizes technology to provide and support health care across large distances. It has redefined the practices of medicine in many specialties and continues to be a boon for clinicians on many frontiers. Its role in the branch of anesthesia remains largely unexplored but has shown to be beneficial in all the three phases: pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative. Now time has come that anesthesiologists across the globe reassess their strategies and utilize the telemedicine facilities in the field of anesthesia.Copyright © 2021 EDP Sciences. All rights reserved.
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Background: Tobacco use is a leading cause of countless deaths and disabilities worldwide. An estimated 11 million Korean adults were still using tobacco in 2020, according to the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. This review aims to explain the current trends in tobacco use, sales, cessation, and control policies in South Korea. Current Concepts: Heated tobacco products (HTPs), a hybrid between conventional and electronic cigarettes, were first launched in South Korea in June 2017. Advertisements stating that HTPs are odorless, tar-free, and less harmful to health have caused sales of HTPs to grow quickly over the past 5 years, such that they account for about 15% of the total tobacco market. According to national smoking rate statistics and tobacco sales trends, declines in current smoking rates have slowed and even risen in some groups, and declines in total tobacco sales have slowed but also risen again during the coronavirus 19 pandemic. In addition, the number of visitors to smoking cessation clinics decreased just after the advent of HTPs and social distancing policies triggered by the coronavirus. Nicotine replacement therapy can serve as a drug therapy for smoking cessation, or bupropion and varenicline can be prescribed. Korea's representative tobacco control policies include the tax increase policy, non-smoking area policy, cigarette pack warning picture policy, and support policy for visiting smoking cessation clinics. Discussion and Conclusion(s): There is a pressing need to reflect tobacco control policies in line with changes in tobacco user behaviors and tobacco company marketing strategies.Copyright © Korean Medical Association.
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The coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic has caused major obstacles for effective smoking cessation programs by significantly limiting access to healthcare. This cross-sectional analysis aimed to assess the effectiveness of a self-developed smoking cessation program during the pandemic. The program was based on remote lectures, educational interventions, and hybrid services provided by an outpatient clinic. We assessed 337 participants enrolled to the program between January 2019 and February 2022. Data on demographic characteristics, medical history, and smoking status at baseline and after at least 1-year follow-up were collected from medical records and a standardized self-developed questionnaire. Participants were classified into two groups according to their current smoking status. The smoking cessation rate at 1 year was 37% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 31-42%). Major predictors of smoking cessation were the place of residence, ability to refrain from smoking during severe illness, and the number of cigarettes smoked per day. The proportion of participants with high levels of nicotine dependence at baseline was 40.8% (95% CI: 34.5-47.5%) vs. 29.1% (95% CI: 23.4-35.5%) after the program. In the group that did not quit smoking, there were more participants who smoked within 5 min after waking up than before the program (40.4% [95% CI: 34.0-47.1%] vs. 25.4% [95% CI: 19.9-31.6%]). Effective smoking cessation interventions can be performed using remote counseling and education.
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Research has examined the detrimental effects of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on health and physical fitness in adolescents;however, studies comparing these parameters before and after the COVID-19 outbreak have been scarce. Therefore, this study investigated differences in perceived health status, perceived physical fitness, and participation in physical activity among adolescents in the Republic of Korea before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. We chose a sample of data from 2102 adolescents aged 14-19, collected as part of a national survey by the Republic of Korea Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism from 2019 to 2021. We focused on five items from the survey related to health awareness and physical activity. Although perceived health status was lower in 2021 than in 2019 or 2020, there were no differences in perceived physical fitness during the three years of the study. Regular participation in physical activity was less common in 2020 than in 2019 or 2021. The proportion of adolescents reporting sufficient rest and sleep was lower in 2021 than in 2020. In addition, fewer adolescents reported eating regular meals and engaging in nutritional supplementation in 2021 than in 2019 and 2020. Rates of abstinence from alcohol and smoking cessation were higher in 2021 than in 2019 or 2020. For all three years, adolescents reported the following as the primary reasons for engaging in regular physical activity (in order): "maintenance of mental health", "maintenance of physical health", "help in daily life", and "reduction of medical expenses". In preparation for the post-COVID-19 era, these results highlight the need to prepare measures and countermeasures to promote health and physical activity among adolescents in the Republic of Korea.Copyright ©2023 The Author(s). Published by MRE Press.
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Letter
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INTRODUCTION: When dental institutions had to close down during the Movement Control Order (MCO) implementation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, dental students were faced with delays in completing their tobacco cessation schedule. An alternative was to allow students to conduct virtual counselling (VC) for smoking cessation for their patients to address their clinical requirements. This study aimed to explore Malaysian dental undergraduates' and patients' experiences undergoing smoking cessation counselling through virtual platforms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study consisted of qualitative, semi-structured Focus Group Discussions (for students, n = 23) and in-depth interviews (for patients, n = 9); to phenomenologically describe the perceptions of participants involved in the VC. Each session was recorded with the participants' permission. The recorded session was transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed using the qualitative data analysis software, NVivo™. RESULTS: The major themes that emerged were: (1) General opinions and experiences, (2) Content of VCs, (3) Remote access to counselling, (4) Patient-clinician relationships, (5) Technical issues, (6) Changes after VCs, and (7) Future application. Most students and patients were quite comfortable with VC as it is convenient, allowing students to be creative and avoid the hassle of transport and traffic. However, some of the students felt that it lacked the personal touch and guidance from lecturers who would normally be present during physical class. CONCLUSION: Virtual counselling enables remote access to counselling, but it is also subjected to some limitations, especially regarding lack of clinical assessments, human touch and internet issues. Though participants were optimistic about adapting it in the future, multiple factors must be considered. Ultimately, the behavioural change will depend on the patient's motivation in making a difference.
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BACKGROUND: Despite significant progress in reducing tobacco use over the past 2 decades, tobacco still kills over 8 million people every year. Digital interventions, such as text messaging, have been found to help people quit smoking. Chatbots, or conversational agents, are new digital tools that mimic instantaneous human conversation and therefore could extend the effectiveness of text messaging. OBJECTIVE: This scoping review aims to assess the extent of research in the chatbot literature for smoking cessation and provide recommendations for future research in this area. METHODS: Relevant studies were identified through searches conducted in Embase, MEDLINE, APA PsycINFO, Google Scholar, and Scopus, as well as additional searches on JMIR, Cochrane Library, Lancet Digital Health, and Digital Medicine. Studies were considered if they were conducted with tobacco smokers, were conducted between 2000 and 2021, were available in English, and included a chatbot intervention. RESULTS: Of 323 studies identified, 10 studies were included in the review (3 framework articles, 1 study protocol, 2 pilot studies, 2 trials, and 2 randomized controlled trials). Most studies noted some benefits related to smoking cessation and participant engagement; however, outcome measures varied considerably. The quality of the studies overall was low, with methodological issues and low follow-up rates. CONCLUSIONS: More research is needed to make a firm conclusion about the efficacy of chatbots for smoking cessation. Researchers need to provide more in-depth descriptions of chatbot functionality, mode of delivery, and theoretical underpinnings. Consistency in language and terminology would also assist in reviews of what approaches work across the field.
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Smoking Cessation , Text Messaging , Communication , Humans , Smokers , Smoking , Smoking Cessation/methodsABSTRACT
Each year about 400 000 people in Russia get strokes. Whereas an acute treatment takes place in specialized intensive care units in hospitals, follow-up is handed over to general (rarely - private) practitioner. The majority of stroke survivors show low adherence to follow-up resulting in repeated hospitalizations and growth of multi-morbidity burden. With COVID-19 pandemic negatively affecting availability of medical services and increasing health risks for stroke survivors, a physician-patient relation becomes the means of persuading patients to health-promoting behaviour.Copyright © 2022 University of Latvia. All Rights Reserved.
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Widely considered safe, effective, and essential for pathogenic immunity, vaccines have proven to be one of the most important discoveries to date in medicine. Adverse reactions to vaccines are typically trivial but there have been extremely rare reports of vaccine induced myocarditis, particularly with the Tdap vaccine. This is thought to be due to a hypersensitivity reaction. In efforts to combat the SARS-CoV-2, prompt response from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna lead to vaccine development with a novel method, synthesized from modified messenger RNA. Despite minimal side effects on initial trials, reports of vaccine induced myocarditis have resulted. A majority of these cases occurred following subsequent doses for those previously inoculated. A descriptive study published in JAMA in January 2022 reviewed the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) in collaboration with the CDC described only 1626 cases of myocarditis, of which the majority occurred within days of the second dose. This review was limited by reviewing a passive reporting syndrome with variable quality data and without follow up data post diagnosis of myocarditis. Here we present a case of myocarditis occurring less than 24 hours after the second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine with 3 month follow up. A 23 year old man received his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in the morning. Within a few hours he experienced chest pain, chills, weakness, and fatigue. These dissipated by 7pm. He is a member of the National Guard and during drills the next day experienced stabbing substernal chest pain for which he sought evaluation. The pain radiated into his left jaw, worse with deep inspiration and worse in the left lateral decubitus position. He is a 1 PPD smoker with no personal or family history or cardiac disease. A friction rub was heard on physical exam. His troponin I peaked at 2.6ng/mL. His EKG showed normal sinus rhythm, a TTE showed a normal EF with no pericardial effusion. He was given aspirin 81 mg and started on a heparin drip for possible NSTEMI. The next day his pain decreased and a cardiac MRI demonstrated no inflammation. His serum coxsackie and parvovirus titers were negative. He was instructed to continue the aspirin, limit exercise for 8 weeks, and stop smoking. Upon follow up 3 months later the patient denied any recurrent chest pain and was advised to continue the aspirin. But the original bout of myocarditis limited his participation in the National Guard. Our case illustrates that exposure to an immunological trigger, the COVID-19 vaccine, leading to myocarditis was extremely short compared to typical cases of viral induced or vaccine hypersensitivity reaction. A proposed mechanism is molecular mimicry between the spike protein and myocardial contraction proteins. It also demonstrates that the vaccine can cause morbidity in patients, especially younger males. It also exemplifies that this may be a short lived phenomenon, long term follow up is still needed. With the rate of vaccination increasing, there needs to be a low threshold to consider myocarditis in young adults who have new chest pain after receiving an mRNA based vaccine.Copyright © 2022
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Studies about headaches associated with acute ischemic stroke in patients suffering from migraine were limited, and therefore we present a clinical case of central post-stroke pain (CPSP) in a 47-year-old woman with migraine and lacunar infarcts in the medulla oblongata and also possible mechanisms of CPSP in patients with migraine. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed lacunar infarction in the medulla oblongata on the right (vertebral artery basin) and a single focus of gliosis in the parietal lobe on the right. Magnetic resonance angiography of cerebral vessels showed the fetal type of structure of both posterior cerebral arteries. This clinical case is a complex clinical situation of a combination of secondary headaches (post-stroke) in a patient with a primary headache (migraine), which was successfully treated by the combined administration of first-line drugs for the treatment of neuropathic pain in a patient with lacunar infarcts in the medulla oblongata. The treatment of CPSP is a difficult task due to the insufficiently unexplored mechanisms of development, the most effective approaches are those aimed at reducing the increased excitability of neurons.Copyright © 2023, Indian Association of Biomedical Scientists. All rights reserved.
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Background: The SWEDEHEART quality index of hospitals' adherence to the evidence-based (EB) guidelines for myocardial infarction (MI) patients has been continuously used for several decades in Sweden. The grading protocol is based on the consensus among hospitals. The hospitals are awarded points (0, 0.5, 1) for each of the 11 indicators depending on the proportion of patients who received EB treatment and achieved treatment goals. The 11 indicators at present are reperfusion treatment in STEMI (yes/no), time to-reperfusion treatment in STEMI, time to revascularisation in NSTEMI, P2Y12 antagonists at discharge, ACE-inhibitor/ARB at discharge, the proportion of patients at follow-up, smoking cessation at oneyear, participation in a physical exercise program, target LDL-cholesterol and target blood pressure at one year. Purpose(s): To evaluate whether the SWEDEHEART quality index predicts mortality in patients with MI. Method(s): We used data for all MI patients reported to the SWEDEHEART registry from 72 hospitals in Sweden between 2015-2021. We calculated the difference in quality index between 2021 and 2015. The hospitals were divided into quintiles based on the difference in the score. Logistic regression with log-time offset was used to adjust for confounders (age, gender, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, STEMI/NSTEMI, cardiac arrest before admission, occupation status, history of heart failure, prior MI, prior PCI, prior CABG, cardiogenic shock). Result(s): We identified 98,635 patients with MI, 32,608 (33.1%) were women and 34,198 (34.7%) had STEMI. The average age was 70.8+/-12.2 years. The median follow-up time was 2.7 years (IQR 1.06-4.63). The crude all-cause mortality rate was 5.5% at 30-days and 22.3% after longterm follow-up. Most hospitals (72.1%) improved their quality index on average by 3.4% per year (P<0.001). The increase in the quality index continued during COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021) with average increase of 8.6%, 95% CI, 0.97-1.02;P<0.001. The median change in SWEDEHEART quality index score among the quintiles were -1.5 (Q1), 0,5 (Q2), 2,5 (Q3), 3 (Q4), and 4 (Q5). We found no difference in mortality between the quintiles at 30-days (OR 0.99;95% CI 0.97-1.02;p=1.02) and longterm (OR 1.01;95% CI 0,99-1.02;p=0.850). Conclusion(s): The SWEDEHEART quality index provides valuable descriptive information about hospitals' adherence to the guidelines. However, the index, in its current form, does not predict mortality in patients with MI.
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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a progressive disease and also a lead-ing cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The frequent readmissions of patients with COPD may reduce lung function, mental health, and quality of life;it also increases the cost of treatment and mortality rate. Some common factors that may increase the readmission frequency of COPD patients include delay of diagnosis, advanced lung function decline, lack of adherence for COPD treatment, ineffective management of comorbidities, acute exacerbation or stable COPD, and infec-tions. However, these factors might be well controlled with appropriate approaches to minimize the readmission of patients with COPD. In this review, we propose a strategy with a seven-step approach to reduce the readmission in COPD patients, including early diagnosis of COPD, optimal treatment for stable COPD, targeted management of comorbidities, adequate therapy for acute ex-acerbations, individualized action plans for COPD patients, effective prevention of bacterial and viral infections, and adaptive program of pulmonary rehabilitation. Thus, implementing this approach may reduce the risk of readmission in patients with COPD.Copyright © 2023 Bentham Science Publishers.
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To address gaps in care for individuals from under-resourced communities disproportionately affected by tobacco use, this pharmacist-led demonstration project evaluated the feasibility of implementing tobacco use screening and brief cessation interventions during mobile health access events. A brief tobacco use survey was administered verbally during events at two food pantries and one homeless shelter in Indiana to assess the interest and potential demand for tobacco cessation assistance. Individuals currently using tobacco were advised to quit, assessed for their readiness to quit, and, if interested, offered a tobacco quitline card. Data were logged prospectively, analyzed using descriptive statistics, and group differences were assessed by site type (pantry versus shelter). Across 11 events (7 at food pantries and 4 at the homeless shelter), 639 individuals were assessed for tobacco use (n = 552 at food pantries; n = 87 at the homeless shelter). Among these, 189 self-reported current use (29.6%); 23.7% at food pantries, and 66.7% at the homeless shelter (p < 0.0001). About half indicated readiness to quit within 2 months; of these, 9 out of 10 accepted a tobacco quitline card. The results suggest that pharmacist-led health events at sites serving populations that are under-resourced afford unique opportunities to interface with and provide brief interventions for people who use tobacco.
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OBJECTIVES: To explore how smokers view common functions and characteristics of smoking cessation apps. DESIGN: Systematic review. SEARCH SOURCES: CINAHL PLUS, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, and Google Scholar. REVIEW METHODS: Seven digital databases were searched separately using relevant search terms. Search results were uploaded to Covidence. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were identified with the expert team in advance. Titles, abstracts, and full texts were screened by two reviewers independently. Any disagreements were discussed in research meetings. Pertinent data were extracted and analysed using qualitative content analysis. Findings were presented in a narrative approach. RESULTS: 28 studies were included in this review. The overarching themes were app functionality and app characteristics. Under app "functionality", six subthemes emerged: 1) education; 2) tracking; 3) social support; 4) compensation; 5) distraction, and 6) reminding. Under "app characteristics", five subthemes emerged: 1) simplification, 2) personalisation, 3) diverse content forms, 4) interactivity, and 5) privacy and security. CONCLUSION: Understanding user needs and expectations is crucial for developing a programme theory for smoking cessation app interventions. Relevant needs identified in this review should be linked to broader theories of smoking cessation and app-based intervention.
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Mobile Applications , Smoking Cessation , Text Messaging , Humans , Smoking Cessation/methods , Smokers , Qualitative ResearchABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: In Malaysia, death due to tobacco smoking habits recorded as more than 23 thousand yearly. Hence smoking cessation should be emphasized to reduce the annual mortality and morbidity. The purpose of this study is to identify the help-seeking behavior in smoking cessation among adult smokers and to determine its predictive factors during the Full Movement Control Order (FMCO) in Malaysia. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Data were collected from cross-sectional surveys of Malaysian adult smokers. The questionnaire was distributed online through the official social media account of the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOHM) which commenced from 31st May 2021 in conjunction with the World No Tobacco Day. A multivariate binomial logistic regression was employed to analyze the relationship model between the predictors with the help-seeking for smoking cessation. RESULT: Out of 2,545 Malaysian adult smokers who have responded, 2,303 were males (90.5% of respondents) with mean age(sd) of 34.82(8.11) years (18 to 77 years). Slightly half (n=1353, 53%) have reported seeking help for smoking cessation and (n=1468, 57.7%) reported being unaware of the quitline services. Factors, such as quit smoking attempt (OR;1.844, 95% CI = 1.384-2.458), Covid-19 pandemic situation (OR;1.841, 95% CI=1.553-2.183), being married (OR: 1.279, 95% CI = 1.04-1.57), unaware about quitline services (OR;0.660, 95% CI = 0.557-0.781), non-alcohol drinkers (OR;0.658, 95% CI=0.473-0.916) significantly predicted the behaviour of help-seeking for smoking cessation. CONCLUSION: The results of this study would potentially support public health efforts in Malaysia in further enhancing health promotion and education programs as well as further strengthen the policy towards quit smoking issues © 2023, IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia.All Rights Reserved.
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Background: The potential of continuous cough monitoring is in an early stage, while almost every other clinical symptom has a way to be objectively monitored. Objective(s): Study if continuous cough monitoring is useful for early notice of an onset or worsening of respiratory conditions. Method(s): A free mobile application was used to detect and record cough sounds. Only 0.5s snippets of explosive sounds are sent to the server for AI to analyse. The 3 cases presented were identified within a study in Navarra, Spain. Result(s): Case 1: a 56-year-old was using the app with an average of 600 coughs/d, unknown cause. A trial with gabapentin was started, which within a month resulted in 150 coughs/d. With omeprazole added, coughing reduced to ~50 coughs/d. Case 2: a 70-year-old smoker was using the app with an average 52 coughs/day in over 2 months. She quit smoking and noticed improvements in cough, app showing 12 coughs/d. The next month, smoking relapsed, reaching 34 coughs/d. Data dynamics renewed her motivation to quit. Case 3: a 35-year-old was using the app at night, with an average of 4 coughs/hr (not self-perceived). Suddently, the patient felt general malaise and the app detected 12 coughs/hr (not self-perceived). Next day, she received a diagnosis of uncomplicated COVID-19. Conclusion(s): Cough patterns correlate with clinical progress and perceived improvement, accurately indicate signs of smoking cessation and relapse.
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Introduction and Objectives: Limited healthcare access and resource inequities pose significant barriers to care, all of which have been amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic. DFUs represent an especially challenging medical problem to prevent and treat due to the resource intensive care required. We sought to evaluate the feasibility of multidisciplinary, mobile, DFU outreach clinics to improve access to care. Method(s): Our clinic model focused on creating mobile diabetic foot clinics staffed by volunteer clinical providers who specialize in Vascular Surgery, Diabetes, and Podiatry. We recruited volunteer healthcare providers from an academic medical center. We partnered with local community centers with established programs providing services to unhoused individuals. Result(s): Between June 2020 and August 2022, a total of 130 unhoused individuals were seen at four mobile clinics set up at different locations. Diabetic foot care was provided by volunteers from seven departments: Endocrinology/Diabetes, Vascular Surgery and Vascular Lab, Podiatry, Addiction Medicine, Smoking Cessation, and Financial. On average, 32 healthcare provider volunteers participated at each clinic. Services provided include: vitals, blood glucose, HgA1c, lipid panel testing, ankle-brachial index, podiatric exam, wound care, medical education, COVID vaccination/booster, insurance enrollment, and new socks and shoes. Of 130 unhoused patients, 29% had hypertension (38), 34% had abnormal ABI (44), and 14% had diabetes (18). Fifteen patients were further identified as high risk for developing DFU-associated amputation (12%) and were provided with ambulatory follow-ups. Conclusion(s): In our pilot experience, it is feasible to provide consistent comprehensive DFU care through mobile outreach clinics. By using the infrastructure of partner organizations and healthcare expertise of an academic center, our clinics could integrate into existing community services. [Formula presented]Copyright © 2022