Ethical reporting of research on violence against women and children: a review of current practice and recommendations for future guidelines.

Changes in research practice during the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates renewed attention to ethical protocols and reporting for data collection on sensitive topics. This review summarises the state of ethical reporting among studies collecting violence data during early stages of the pandemic. We systematically searched for journal publications from the start of the pandemic to November 2021, identifying 75 studies that collected primary data on violence against women and/or violence against children. We developed and applied a 14-item checklist of best practices to assess the transparency of ethics reporting and adherence to relevant global guidelines on violence research. Studies reported adhering to best practices on 31% of scored items. Reporting was highest for ethical clearance (87%) and informed consent/assent (84/83%) and lowest for whether measures to promote interviewer safety and support (3%), for facilitating referrals for minors and soliciting participant feedback were in place (both 0%). Violence studies employing primary data collection during COVID-19 reported on few ethical standards, obscuring stakeholder ability to enforce a 'do no harm' approach and to assess the reliability of findings. We offer recommendations and guidelines to improve future reporting and implementation of ethics within violence studies.

Record linkage studies of drug-related deaths among adults who were released from prison to the community: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: There are public health concerns about an increased risk of mortality after release from prison. The objectives of this scoping review were to investigate, map and summarise evidence from record linkage studies about drug-related deaths among former adult prisoners. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO and Web of Science were searched for studies (January 2011- September 2021) using keywords/index headings. Two authors independently screened all titles and abstracts using inclusion and exclusion criteria and subsequently screened full publications. Discrepancies were discussed with a third author. One author extracted data from all included publications using a data charting form. A second author independently extracted data from approximately one-third of the publications. Data were entered into Microsoft Excel sheets and cleaned for analysis. Standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) were pooled (where possible) using a random-effects DerSimonian-Laird model in STATA. RESULTS: A total of 3680 publications were screened by title and abstract, and 109 publications were fully screened; 45 publications were included. The pooled drug-related SMR was 27.07 (95%CI 13.32- 55.02; I 2 = 93.99%) for the first two weeks (4 studies), 10.17 (95%CI 3.74-27.66; I 2 = 83.83%) for the first 3-4 weeks (3 studies) and 15.58 (95%CI 7.05-34.40; I 2 = 97.99%) for the first 1 year after release (3 studies) and 6.99 (95%CI 4.13-11.83; I 2 = 99.14%) for any time after release (5 studies). However, the estimates varied markedly between studies. There was considerable heterogeneity in terms of study design, study size, location, methodology and findings. Only four studies reported the use of a quality assessment checklist/technique. CONCLUSIONS: This scoping review found an increased risk of drug-related death after release from prison, particularly during the first two weeks after release, though drug-related mortality risk remained elevated for the first year among former prisoners. Evidence synthesis was limited as only a small number of studies were suitable for pooled analyses for SMRs due to inconsistencies in study design and methodology.

Intention to receive COVID-19 vaccine and its health belief model (HBM)-based predictors: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The purpose of the research was to pool the intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and its health belief model (HBM)-based predictors, which is helpful for decision-makers and program managers around the globe. The relevant database was searched and Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) appraisal checklist was used to evaluate the studies. I2 test and funnel plot was utilized to check heterogeneity and publication bias, respectively. DerSimonian and Laird random-effects model was used. The overall pooled intention to receive COVID-19 vaccine globally was 67.69%. Higher levels of perceived susceptibility (AOR = 1.85), perceived severity (AOR = 1.45), perceived benefits (AOR = 3.10), and cues to action (AOR = 3.40) positively predicted the intention; whereas high level of perceived barrier negatively predicted it (AOR = 0.53). Health beliefs influenced COVID-19 vaccine intention globally. This implies that individuals need sound health education and publicity about vaccines before vaccination.

A Delphi consensus checklist helped assess the need to develop rapid guideline recommendations.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We aimed to develop a checklist to aid guideline developers in determining which scientific or societal cause ("triggers") are relevant when considering to initiate a rapid recommendation procedure. METHODS: We conducted a two-round modified Delphi procedure with a panel of Dutch guideline experts, clinicians, and patient representatives. A previously conducted systematic literature review and semistructured interviews with four science journalists were used to generate a list of potential items. This item list was submitted to the panel for discussion, reduction and refinement into a checklist. RESULTS: Thirteen experts took part. Two questionnaires were completed in which participants scored an initial list of 64 items based on relevance. During two online meetings, the scores were discussed, irrelevant items were removed, and relevant items were reformulated into seven questions. The final "quickscan assessment of the need for a rapid recommendation" covers user perspective, scientific evidence, clinical relevance, clinical practice variation, applicability, quality of care and public health outcomes, and ethical/legal considerations. CONCLUSION: The quickscan aids guideline developers in systematically assessing whether a trigger expresses a valid need for developing a rapid recommendation. Future research could focus on the applicability and validity of the checklist within guideline development programs.

Statistical analyses of ordinal outcomes in randomised controlled trials: protocol for a scoping review.

INTRODUCTION: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) aim to assess the effect of one (or more) unproven health interventions relative to other reference interventions. RCTs sometimes use an ordinal outcome, which is an endpoint that comprises of multiple, monotonically ordered categories that are not necessarily separated by a quantifiable distance. Ordinal outcomes are appealing in clinical settings as specific disease states can represent meaningful categories that may be of clinical importance to researchers. Ordinal outcomes can also retain information and increase statistical power compared to dichotomised outcomes and can allow multiple clinical outcomes to be comprised in a single endpoint. Target parameters for ordinal outcomes in RCTs may vary depending on the nature of the research question, the modelling assumptions and the expertise of the data analyst. The aim of this scoping review is to systematically describe the use of ordinal outcomes in contemporary RCTs. Specifically, we aim to: [Formula: see text] Identify which target parameters are of interest in trials that use an ordinal outcome, and whether these parameters are explicitly defined. [Formula: see text] Describe how ordinal outcomes are analysed in RCTs to estimate a treatment effect. [Formula: see text] Describe whether RCTs that use an ordinal outcome adequately report key methodological aspects specific to the analysis of the ordinal outcome. Results from this review will outline the current state of practice of the use of ordinal outcomes in RCTs. Ways to improve the analysis and reporting of ordinal outcomes in RCTs will be discussed. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will review RCTs that are published in the top four medical journals (British Medical Journal, New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet and the Journal of the American Medical Association) between 1 January 2012 and 31 July 2022 that use an ordinal outcome as either a primary or a secondary outcome. The review will identify articles through a PubMed-specific search strategy. Our review will adhere to guidelines for scoping reviews as described in the PRISMA-ScR checklist. The study characteristics and details of the study design and analysis, including the target parameter(s) and statistical methods used to analyse the ordinal outcome, will be extracted from eligible studies. The screening, review and data extraction will be conducted using Covidence, a web-based tool for managing systematic reviews. The data will be summarised using descriptive statistics.

The Impact of a Nursing-Led Intervention Bundle With a Bedside Checklist to Reduce Mortality During the Initial COVID-19 Pandemic and Implications for Future Emergencies.

OBJECTIVE: The study objective was to examine the effectiveness of a bedside checklist enforcing nursing-led interventions in hospitalized COVID-19 patients early in the pandemic. BACKGROUND: The absence of treatment guidelines for COVID-19 presented challenges to reducing mortality rates early in the pandemic. A bedside checklist and a bundle of nursing-led interventions named "Nursing Back to Basics (NB2B)" were assembled for patient care after a scoping review of evidence. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted to investigate the impact of the evidence-based interventions randomly implemented based on patient bed assignment. Electronic data (patient demographics, bed assignment and ICU transfers, length of stay, and patient discharge disposition) were extracted and calculated using descriptive statistics, t tests, and linear regression. RESULTS: Patients receiving the NB2B intervention enforced with a bedside checklist had significantly lower mortality rates (12.3%) compared with those receiving standard nursing care (26.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Bedside checklists enforcing evidence-based nursing-led interventions may be beneficial as a 1st-line public health emergency response.

Qualitative studies of the lived experiences of being in foster care: A scoping review protocol.

The aim of this scoping review is to provide an overview of the existing qualitative research concerning the lived experiences of children and young people currently in foster care. INTRODUCTION: Lived experience of foster care is an area of limited research. Studies tend to focus on foster caregiver retention rates, education performance outcomes, evaluations and policy development. Although these studies are important, they provide little insight into the everyday lives of those currently in foster care, which is likely to influence these previous areas of research. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The scoping review will be guided by Arksey and O'Malley's approach to scoping studies. A systematic database search of PubMed, CINAHL and PsycINFO will be conducted followed by a systematic chain search of referenced and referencing literature. English-language peer-reviewed qualitative studies of children and young people currently in foster care will be included. We will exclude studies linked to transitioning out of foster care and studies with samples mixed with other types of out-of-home care. Mixed-methods studies will be excluded in addition to programme, treatment or policy evaluations. Following removal of duplicates, titles and abstracts will be screened, followed by a full-text review. Two researchers will independently screen references against inclusion and exclusion criteria using Covidence software. The quality of the included studies will be assessed by two independent reviewers using the appropriate Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Information gathered in this research will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences relevant to foster care services and quality improvement. Reports will be disseminated to relevant foster care agencies, where relevant. Ethical approval and informed consent are not required as this protocol is a review of existing literature. Findings from the included studies will be charted and summarised thematically in a separate manuscript.

Nondrug interventions for reducing SARS-CoV-2 transmission are frequently incompletely reported.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the completeness of reporting of behavioral, environmental, social and system interventions (BESSI) for reducing the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 evaluated in randomized trials, to obtain missing intervention details and to document the interventions assessed. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We assessed completeness of reporting in randomized trials of BESSI using the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist. Investigators were contacted to provide missing intervention details and if provided, intervention descriptions were reassessed and documented according to the TIDieR items. RESULTS: Forty-five trials (planned or complete) describing 21 educational interventions, 15 protective measures, and nine social distancing interventions were included. In 30 trials with a protocol or study report, 30% (9/30) of interventions were completely described; this increased to 53% (16/30) after contacting 24 trial investigators (11 responded). Across all interventions, intervention provider training (35%) was the most frequently incompletely described checklist item, followed by the 'when and how much' intervention item. CONCLUSION: Incomplete reporting of BESSI is a substantial problem with essential information necessary for implementation of interventions and for building on existing knowledge frequently missing and unable to be obtained. Such reporting is an avoidable source of research waste.

Critical appraisal in rapid systematic reviews of COVID-19 studies: implementation of the Quality Criteria Checklist (QCC).

In this letter, we briefly describe how we selected and implemented the quality criteria checklist (QCC) as a critical appraisal tool in rapid systematic reviews conducted to inform public health advice, guidance and policy during the COVID-19 pandemic. As these rapid reviews usually included a range of study designs, it was key to identify a single tool that would allow for reliable critical appraisal across most experimental and observational study designs and applicable to a range of topics. After carefully considering a number of existing tools, the QCC was selected as it had good interrater agreement between three reviewers (Fleiss kappa coefficient 0.639) and was found to be easy and fast to apply once familiar with the tool. The QCC consists of 10 questions, with sub-questions to specify how it should be applied to a specific study design. Four of these questions are considered as critical (on selection bias, group comparability, intervention/exposure assessment and outcome assessment) and the rating of a study (high, moderate or low methodological quality) depends on the responses to these four critical questions. Our results suggest that the QCC is an appropriate critical appraisal tool to assess experimental and observational studies within COVID-19 rapid reviews. This study was done at pace during the COVID-19 pandemic; further reliability analyses should be conducted, and more research is needed to validate the QCC across a range of public health topics.

Time to diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis in indigenous peoples: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Time to diagnosis and treatment is a major factor in determining the likelihood of tuberculosis (TB) transmission and is an important area of intervention to reduce the reservoir of TB infection and prevent disease and mortality. Although Indigenous peoples experience an elevated incidence of TB, prior systematic reviews have not focused on this group. We summarize and report findings related to time to diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary TB (PTB) among Indigenous peoples, globally. METHODS: A Systematic review was performed using Ovid and PubMed databases. Articles or abstracts estimating time to diagnosis, or treatment of PTB among Indigenous peoples were included with no restriction on sample size with publication dates restricted up to 2019. Studies that focused on outbreaks, solely extrapulmonary TB alone in non-Indigenous populations were excluded. Literature was assessed using the Hawker checklist. Registration Protocol (PROSPERO): CRD42018102463. RESULTS: Twenty-four studies were selected after initial assessment of 2021 records. These included Indigenous groups from five of six geographical regions outlined by the World Health Organization (all except the European Region). The range of time to treatment (24-240 days), and patient delay (20 days-2.5 years) were highly variable across studies and, in at least 60% of the studies, longer in Indigenous compared to non-Indigenous peoples. Risk factors associated with longer patient delays included poor awareness of TB, type of health provider first seen, and self-treatment. CONCLUSION: Time to diagnosis and treatment estimates for Indigenous peoples are generally within previously reported ranges from other systematic reviews focusing on the general population. However among literature examined in this systematic review that stratified by Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, patient delay and time to treatment were longer compared to non-Indigenous populations in over half of the studies. Studies included were sparse and highlight an overall gap in literature important to interrupting transmission and preventing new TB cases among Indigenous peoples. Although, risk factors unique to Indigenous populations were not identified, further investigation is needed as social determinants of health among studies conducted in medium and high incidence countries may be shared across both population groups. Trial registration N/a.

Pivoting during a Pandemic: Reimagining Intern Orientation EPA-Based OSCE.

OBJECTIVES: Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) provide reliable and standardized means for assessing the performance of specific clinical skills. Our previous experience with entrustable professional activity-based multidisciplinary OSCEs suggests that this exercise offers just-in-time baseline information regarding critical intern skills. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic forced medical education programs to reimagine such educational experiences. For the safety of all of the participants, the Internal Medicine and Family Medicine residency programs pivoted from an in-person OSCE to a hybrid model (combination of in-person and virtual encounters) while maintaining the goals of the OSCEs administered in previous years. Here, we describe an innovative hybrid approach to redesigning and implementing the existing OSCE model while maximizing risk mitigation. METHODS: In total, 41 interns from Internal Medicine and Family Medicine participated in the 2020 hybrid OSCE. Five stations allowed for clinical skills assessment. Faculty completed skills checklists with global assessments and simulated patients completed communication checklists with global assessments. Interns, faculty, and simulated patients completed a post-OSCE survey. RESULTS: Informed consent, handoffs, and oral presentation were the lowest performing stations (29.2%, 53.6%, 53.6%, respectively) as assessed by faculty skill checklists. One hundred percent of interns (41/41) indicated that immediate faculty feedback was the most valuable part of the exercise, and all of the participating faculty believed that the format was efficient, allowing ample time to provide feedback and complete checklists. Eighty-nine percent of simulated patients cited they would be willing to participate again if the same assessment were to be held during the pandemic. The limitations of the study included the lack of demonstration of physical examination maneuvers by interns. CONCLUSIONS: A hybrid OSCE to assess interns' baseline skills during orientation using Zoom technology could be delivered successfully and safely during the pandemic without compromising the program's goals or satisfaction.

Development of a Discharge Criteria Checklist for COVID-19 Patients From the Intensive Care Unit.

This study aims to develop and validate a checklist of discharge readiness criteria for COVID-19 patients from the intensive care unit (ICU). We conducted a Delphi design study. The degree of agreement among 7 experts had been evaluated using the content validity index (CVI) through a 4-point Likert scale. The instrument was validated with 17 items. All the experts rated all items as very relevant which scored the item-CVI 1, which validates all checklist items. Using the mean of all items, the scale-CVI was calculated, and it was 1. This meant validation of the checklist as a whole. With regard to the overall checklist evaluation, the mean expert proportion of the instrument was 1, and the S-CVI/UA was 1. This discharge criteria checklist improves transition of care for COVID-19 patients and can help nurses, doctors, and academics to discharge COVID-19 patients from the ICU safely.

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among parents in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A meta-analysis.

Background: Vaccination is the most effective method to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Nevertheless, vaccine hesitancy has been an issue. Parental hesitancy toward vaccines is a major part of the problem. COVID-19 vaccine acceptance is no different, it poses another challenge in facing the pandemic. In Low- and Middle-Income Countries (L&MICs) several studies measured parents' acceptance to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 and resulted in different acceptance proportions. Aims: The paper aims at obtaining a precise estimate of the overall proportion of L&MICs' parents accepting to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 and identifying the main determinant of their decisions. Methods: This meta-analysis follows the PRISMA 2020 statement on updated guidelines and the checklist for reporting systematic reviews. Studies published between December till February 2022 were assessed for inclusion. The final effect size (i.e., the proportion of parents in L&MICs accepting to vaccinate their children against COVID-19) was measured using the Arcsine proportions method. Analysis was done using R program. Results: The proportion of parents in L&MICs accepting to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 is 49%. The major reason for their acceptance is their belief that COVID-19 vaccine is fundamental to the fight against the pandemic while the most common factor for parents' hesitancy to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 is their concerns about vaccine efficacy, safety, and possible side effects. Conclusion: The proportion of parents in L&MICs accepting to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 is lower than the global level. To increase parental acceptance, responsible authorities should concentrate on increasing their population's trust in the government and in vaccine manufacturers. As well as concentrating on increasing acceptance of the vaccine idea in general.

COVID-19: Protocol and Checklist for Nursing Care Management at Urgent Care Units.

BACKGROUND: The 24 h urgent care units (24 h UCU) in Brazil are the main pre-admission hospital process of the public healthcare system and constitute an intermediate modality between primary care and hospital care. These units also provide care in cases of less severity that are not considered urgent. This study aimed to create and validate the content of a graphic protocol and checklist for the nursing care management of patients with a suspicion or confirmation of infection by COVID-19 at urgent care units. METHODS: A methodological study was carried out in three phases: construct of items and dimensions of the checklist; evaluation of the checklist by specialists for content validation; and construct and content validation of the graphic protocol. RESULTS: The checklist was evaluated by nine specialists. Eight items received suggestions for changes. Items with a content validity index ≥0.83 were maintained. With regard to content validity, despite the satisfactory level of agreement, the specialists suggested some changes in the writing of eight items. The graphic protocol was evaluated by six specialists and had an overall content validity of 0.97. CONCLUSION: The checklist with 44 items and three dimensions (Management, Biosafety and Care) and the protocol achieved a satisfactory standard of content validity for use at 24 h urgent care units. This protocol can contribute to the standardization and guidance of nursing actions in suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19 at urgent care units, ensuring safe care based on scientific evidence.

Effectiveness of early warning systems in the detection of infectious diseases outbreaks: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Global pandemics have occurred with increasing frequency over the past decade reflecting the sub-optimum operationalization of surveillance systems handling human health data. Despite the wide array of current surveillance methods, their effectiveness varies with multiple factors. Here, we perform a systematic review of the effectiveness of alternative infectious diseases Early Warning Systems (EWSs) with a focus on the surveillance data collection methods, and taking into consideration feasibility in different settings. METHODS: We searched PubMed and Scopus databases on 21 October 2022. Articles were included if they covered the implementation of an early warning system and evaluated infectious diseases outbreaks that had potential to become pandemics. Of 1669 studies screened, 68 were included in the final sample. We performed quality assessment using an adapted CASP Checklist. RESULTS: Of the 68 articles included, 42 articles found EWSs successfully functioned independently as surveillance systems for pandemic-wide infectious diseases outbreaks, and 16 studies reported EWSs to have contributing surveillance features through complementary roles. Chief complaints from emergency departments' data is an effective EWS but it requires standardized formats across hospitals. Centralized Public Health records-based EWSs facilitate information sharing; however, they rely on clinicians' reporting of cases. Facilitated reporting by remote health settings and rapid alarm transmission are key advantages of Web-based EWSs. Pharmaceutical sales and laboratory results did not prove solo effectiveness. The EWS design combining surveillance data from both health records and staff was very successful. Also, daily surveillance data notification was the most successful and accepted enhancement strategy especially during mass gathering events. Eventually, in Low Middle Income Countries, working to improve and enhance existing systems was more critical than implementing new Syndromic Surveillance approaches. CONCLUSIONS: Our study was able to evaluate the effectiveness of Early Warning Systems in different contexts and resource settings based on the EWSs' method of data collection. There is consistent evidence that EWSs compiling pre-diagnosis data are more proactive to detect outbreaks. However, the fact that Syndromic Surveillance Systems (SSS) are more proactive than diagnostic disease surveillance should not be taken as an effective clue for outbreaks detection.

Mental health in pre-COVID-19 and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparative study using symptom checklist-90-R.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to search the psychopathological effects of the Coronavirus disease on the patients with psychiatric symptoms on the COVID-19 pandemic process. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study was designed according to the data obtained from 323 patients (171 women and 152 men) who participated in the study pre-COVID-19 period and 423 patients (205 women and 218 men) who participated in the study during COVID-19 period. All participants underwent the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) examination. The SCL-90-R is a psychiatric screening tool that measures the level of reactions elicited by the compulsion or negative stress of individuals. The SCL-90-R was utilized to define psychiatric symptoms and evaluate psychological problems, statistically compared to patient groups with similar demographic and sociocultural characteristics (education level, marital status). RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in participants' characteristics for the mean age distribution, marital status, education level, and smoking habits between the groups of pre-COVID-19 and during COVID-19 period (p>0.05). When comparing the scores of the participants' SCL-90-R Psychological Symptom Screening Scale and its sub-dimensions before and during the COVID-19 period, no statistically significant difference was found between the scores of the participants in both groups (p>0.05). 187 patients (52.97%) had the disease, and 166 patients (47.03%) did not have the disease during COVID-19 period. It was observed that there was statistically significant difference for obsessive-compulsive and depression scores of the SCL-90-R scale between the participants who had or had not COVID-19 (p<0.05). It was higher in the first group. There was a statistically significant difference between the depression, anxiety and phobic anxiety scores of the vaccinated compared to the unvaccinated participants (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Psychological symptoms general and subscales during the COVID-19 pandemic were similar to pre-pandemic levels according to the SCL-90-R. This is important for planning mental health provisions and for long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.