Burden of unintentional drowning in China from 1990 to 2019 and exposure to water: findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study.

BACKGROUND: Drowning is an important contributor to the burden of deaths in China. Exposure to open water is a risk factor for drowning, but few studies quantify its impact on drowning. The purpose of this study was to provide an up-to-date analysis of unintentional drowning in China, including impact of exposure to open water. METHODS: Chinese provincial data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 were used to describe the burden of unintentional drowning in 33 provinces and changes from 1990 to 2019. Provincial outdoor open water resource data were used to explore the relationship between outdoor open water resources and drowning burden using K-median clustering analysis. RESULTS: Between 1990 and 2019, the unintentional drowning incidence, mortality and disability adjusted life years (DALY) rates declined by 31.2%, 68.6% and 74.9%, respectively, with differences by age, sex and province. In 2019, the DALY rate for drowning was relatively higher in children under 20 year, the elderly over 80 years than other age groups and was relatively higher in men. There was no statistical difference in overall incidence rate by sex. Provincial differences in unintentional drowning burden show a positive relationship with the availability and size of outdoor open water. CONCLUSIONS: As expected availability of water increases drowning risk. There is a need to address drowning environmental risk especially among children and the elderly. Localised water safety plans which consider drowning burden and environmental risk factors are needed in China to ensure a sustained decline of unintentional drowning.

Effect of salt substitute and antihypertensive medications among high cardiovascular risk patients: A sub-study of Salt Substitute and Stroke Study (SSaSS).

The relationship between the differential protective effect of salt substitute between hypertensive and normotensive individuals and the use of cardiovascular medications remains unclear. This study involved 4211 individuals with a history of stroke or hypertension who participated in the Salt Substitute and Stroke Study (SSaSS) from 120 villages in Shanxi Province. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in major adverse cardiovascular events and blood pressure changes between the salt substitute and the regular salt group in the subgroups of participants taking different antihypertensive medications. Mixed models were employed and adjusted for the cluster effect (village) and potential confounding variables. During the average follow-up period of 4.66 years, a significantly protective effect of salt substitute on reducing the risk of cardiovascular events was observed in the participants who taking antihypertensive medications (rate ratio: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.68 to 0.95. p = 0.011), whereas no significant effect in participants not taking antihypertensive medications (rate ratio: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.62 to 1.32, p = 0.612). Significant effects to lower systolic blood pressure of the salt substitutes were observed in the participants who took different antihypertensive medications. This study emphasized that the use of salt substitutes might enhance the efficacy of anti-hypertensive medications in lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of adverse cardiovascular events.

Health literacy and falls among community-dwelling older people in China: is there a sex difference?

BACKGROUND: Health literacy is one of the important determinants of healthy aging, yet few studies have focused on the association between health literacy and falls. AIMS: This study aims to explore the relationship between health literacy and falls, with a focus on sex differences among older people in China. METHODS: This cross-sectional study enrolled 2,144 older people aged ≥ 60 years from Shandong Province, China in 2021. We used general health literacy screening scale to assess health literacy, and collected the incidence of falls in the past year. Logistic regression models were employed to analyze the relationship between health literacy and falls. We investigated the sex differences by subgroup analyses. RESULTS: The prevalence of adequate health literacy and falls was 21.7% (95% CI: 20.0-23.5%) and 25.4% (95% CI: 23.6-27.3%), respectively. In a fully-adjusted model, adequate health literacy was associated with a lower prevalence of falls in older adults (OR = 0.71, 95%CI: 0.52-0.96). Subgroup analysis revealed sex differences in this relationship (Pfor interaction <0.05). Specifically, the female group showed no significant relationship between health literacy and falls (OR = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.59-1.44); however, the male group demonstrated a robust and significant relationship (OR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.37-0.90). CONCLUSIONS: Older people with adequate health literacy have lower prevalence of falls, which appears to differ by sex. This relationship was significant among men but not among women. These findings emphasize the need for policymakers and healthcare providers to consider sex differences when designing and implementing programs aimed at improving health literacy and preventing falls in the older population. Improving health literacy among older women could be a strategic component in bridging sex inequality in falls.

Time from injury to hip-fracture surgery in low-income and middle-income regions: a secondary analysis of data from the International Orthopaedic Multicentre Study in Fracture Care (INORMUS).

BACKGROUND: Globally, fall-related injuries are a substantial problem, and 80% of fatal falls occur in low-income and middle-income countries. We aimed to measure time from injury to hip-fracture surgery in people aged 50 years or older living in low-income and middle-income regions, as well as to measure the proportion of patients with surgical stabilisation of their hip fracture within 72 h of admission to hospital and to identify risk factors associated with surgical delay. METHODS: For this secondary analysis, we analysed data collected from Africa, Latin America, China, India, and Asia (excluding China and India) for the International Orthopaedic Multicentre Study in Fracture Care (INORMUS) between March 29, 2014, and June 15, 2022. Patients from INORMUS were included in this analysis if they were aged 50 years or older and had an isolated, primary hip fracture sustained from a ground-level fall. Staff at participating hospitals identified patients with musculoskeletal injury and referred them for assessment of eligibility. We report time from injury to surgery as three distinct time periods: time from injury to hospital admission, time from admission to surgery, and a total time from injury to surgery. Date and time of injury were self-reported by patients at the time of study recruitment. If time to hospital admission after injury exceeded 24 h, patients reported the primary reason for delayed admission. Reasons for surgery, no surgery, and surgical delay were reported by the treating team. For patients undergoing surgery, multivariable regression analyses were used to identify risk factors for surgical delay. FINDINGS: 4486 adults aged 50 years or older with an isolated, primary hip fracture were enrolled in INORMUS from 55 hospitals in 24 countries. Countries were grouped into five regions: Africa (418 [9·3%] of 4486), Latin America (558 [12·4%]), China (1680 [37·4%]), India (1059 [23·6%]) and Asia (excluding China and India; 771 [17·2%]). Of 4486 patients, 3805 (84·8%) received surgery. The rate of surgery was similar in all regions except in Africa, where only 193 (46·3%) of 418 patients had surgery. Overall, 2791 (62·2%) of 4486 patients were admitted to hospital within 24 h of injury. However, 1019 (22·7%) of 4486 patients had delayed hospital admission of 72 h or more from injury. The two most common reasons for delayed admission of more than 24 h were transfer from another hospital (522 [36·2%] of 1441) and delayed care-seeking because patients thought the injury would heal on its own (480 [33·3%]). Once admitted to hospital, 1451 (38·1%) of 3805 patients who received surgery did so within 72 h (median 4·0 days [IQR 1·7-6·0]). Regional variation was seen in the proportion of patients receiving surgery within 72 h of hospital admission (92 [17·9%] of 514 in Latin America, 53 [27·5%] of 193 in Africa, 454 [30·9%] of 1471 in China, 318 [44·4%] of 716 in Asia [excluding China and India], and 534 [58·6%] of 911 in India). Of all 3805 patients who received operative treatment, 2353 (61·8%) waited 72 h or more from hospital admission. From time of injury, the proportion of patients who were surgically stabilised within 72 h was 889 (23·4%) of 3805 (50 [9·7%] of 517 in Latin America, 31 [16·1%] of 193 in Africa, 277 [18·8%] of 1471 in China, 189 [26·4%] of 716 in Asia [excluding China and India], and 342 [37·5%] of 911 in India). INTERPRETATION: Access to surgery within 72 h of hospital admission was poor, with factors that affected time to surgery varying by region. Data are necessary to understand existing pathways of hip-fracture care to inform the local development of quality-improvement initiatives. FUNDING: The National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, McMaster Surgical Associates, Hamilton Health Sciences, and the US National Institutes of Health.

Global, regional, and national temporal trend in burden of major depressive disorder from 1990 to 2019: An analysis of the global burden of disease study.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Comprehensive description of the global burden of MDD and its attributable risk factors is essential for policymaking but currently lacking. In this study, we aim to estimate the burden of MDD in terms of incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability (YLDs), along with its attributable risk factors at global, regional, and rational level between 1990 and 2019, using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2019. Data analysis was completed on July 1, 2023. In 2019, 274.80 million (95 % uncertainty interval [UI], 241.28 to 312.77) new cases of MDD were identified globally, with an increase of 59 % from 1990. A total of 37.20 million (25.65 to 51.22) YLDs were attributable to MDD, accounting for the largest proportion of mental disorder YLDs (29.7 %). Countries in the low sociodemographic index quantile exhibited the highest age-standardized incidence rate of MDD, with Uganda (7836.2, per 100,000 person-years, 6713.7 to 9181.1) and Palestine (7687.7, 6546.1 to 9023.9) reporting the highest rates among them. The United States had the highest increase in age-standardized rates, with an average annual percent change of 0.99. Females had 1.6 times higher age-standardised rates than males, ranging from 1.2 (Oceania) to 2.2 (tropical Latin America) times across 21 regions. Globally, the proportions of YLDs due to MDD attributable to bullying victimization, childhood sexual abuse, and intimate partner violence were 4.86 %, 5.46 %, and 8.43 % in 2019, respectively. The heavy burden of MDD serves as a stark reminder that a coordinated response from governments and health communities is urgently needed to scale up mental health services and implement effective interventions, particularly in low-income countries.

A scoping review of national policies for child road injury in China.

There has been limited examination of child road injury policies. This study aims to systematically characterize national policies relevant to child road safety in China over the past two decades and identify potential gaps based on the WHO child road safety framework. As a scoping review, this study searched for national policies for child road safety on the websites of government agencies. A total of 22,487 policies were searched, of which 103 policies issued by 37 institutions, were included in the analysis, including 12 policies jointly developed by multiple agencies. Mapping identified policies to strategies in the WHO framework, most WHO strategies requiring legislation were found to be in place in China and to fully meet the intent of the WHO recommendation. The single exception was in the area of child restraints which was deemed to not be fully covered due to a lack of eligible policies on enforcement of child restraint use laws. Two strategies requiring standards were fully covered; eight strategies requiring policy support were partially or not covered, mainly related to equipping emergency vehicles with child-appropriate medical equipment. Enhancing school bus safety was identified as a policy focus area in China beyond those recommended by the WHO framework. This study identified three areas for improvement: (1) strengthening road safety policies targeting children, (2) strengthening enforcement of legislation, e.g., child restraint use, and (3) increasing multiple-sector cooperation on policy formulation. Funding: Ye Jin is supported by the Scholarship from the George Institute for Global Health and Tuition Fee Scholarships from University of New South Wales.

Muscle density, but not size, is independently associated with cognitive health in older adults with hip fractures.

Emerging evidence indicates a complex interplay between skeletal muscle and cognitive function. Despite the known differences between muscle quantity and quality, which can be measured via computed tomography (CT), the precise nature of their associations with cognitive performance remain underexplored. To investigate the links between muscle size and density and cognitive impairment (CI) in the older adults with hip fractures, we conducted a post hoc, cross-sectional analysis within a prospective cohort study on 679 patients with hip fractures over 65. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and routine hip CT imaging were utilized to assess cognition function and muscle characteristics in older adults with hip fractures. The CT scans provided data on cross-sectional area and attenuation for the gluteus maximus (G.MaxM) and the combined gluteus medius and minimus (G.Med/MinM). Participants were categorized into CI and non-CI groups based on education levels and MMSE scores. Multivariate logistic regressions, propensity score (PS) methods, and subgroup analysis were employed to analyze associations and validate findings. This study included 123 participants (81.6 ± 6.8 years, 74% female) with CI and 556 participants (78.5 ± 7.7 years, 72% female) without. Compared to the non-CI group, muscle parameters, especially density, were significantly lower in the CI group. Specifically, G.Med/Min muscle density, but not size was robustly associated with CI (odds ratio (OR) = 0.77, 95% confidence interval = 0.62-0.96, P = 0.02), independent of other medical situations. Sensitivity analysis corroborated that G.Med/Min muscle density was consistently lower in the CI group than the non-CI group, as evidenced in the PS matched (P = 0.024) and weighted cohort (P = 0.033). Enhanced muscle parameters, particularly muscle density in the G.Med/MinM muscle, correlate with a lower risk of CI. Muscle density demonstrates a stronger association with cognitive performance than muscle size, highlighting its potential as a key focus in future cognitive health research.

Secondary Analysis of the Salt Substitute and Stroke Study (SSaSS): Effects of Potassium-Enriched Salt on Cardiac Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The SSaSS (Salt Substitute and Stroke Study) has shown that use of a potassium-enriched salt lowers the risk of stroke, total cardiovascular events, and premature death. The effects on cause-specific cardiac outcomes are reported here. METHODS: SSaSS was an unblinded, cluster-randomised trial assessing the effects of potassium-enriched salt compared with regular salt among 20 995 Chinese adults with established stroke and older age and uncontrolled hypertension. Post hoc efficacy analyses were performed using an intention-to-treat method and a hierarchical Poisson regression model adjusting for clustering to obtain rate ratios and 95% CIs. We assessed acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, arrhythmia, and sudden death. RESULTS: Over a mean 4.74 years follow-up, there were 695 acute coronary syndrome events, 454 heart failure events, 230 arrhythmia events, and 1133 sudden deaths recorded. The rates of events were lower in potassium-enriched salt group for all outcomes but CIs were wide for most: acute coronary syndrome (6.32 versus 7.65 events per 1000 person-years; rate ratio, 0.80 [95% CI, 0.65-0.99]); heart failure (9.14 versus 11.32 events per 1000 person-years; rate ratio, 0.88 [95% CI, 0.60-1.28]); arrhythmia (4.43 versus 6.20 events per 1000 person-years; rate ratio, 0.59 [95% CI, 0.35-0.98]); and sudden death (11.01 versus 11.76 events per 1000 person-years; rate ratio, 0.94 [95% CI, 0.82-1.07]; all P>0.05 with adjustment for multiple comparisons). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that use of potassium-enriched salt is more likely to prevent than cause cardiac disease but the post hoc nature of these analyses precludes definitive conclusions. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT02092090.

Using a participatory design to develop an implementation framework for integrating falls prevention for older people within the Chinese primary health care system.

BACKGROUND: Chinese National Essential Public Health Service Package (NEPHSP) has mandated primary health care providers to provide falls prevention for community-dwelling older people. But no implementation framework is available to guide better integration of falls prevention for older people within the primary health care system. METHODS: This is a two-stage online participatory design study consisting of eight workshops with stakeholders from three purposively selected cities. First, two workshops were organised at each study site to jointly develop the framework prototype. Second, to refine, optimise and finalise the prototype via two workshops with all study participants. Data analysis and synthesis occurred concurrently with data collection, supported by Tencent Cloud Meeting software. RESULTS: All participants confirmed that the integration of falls prevention for older people within the NEPHSP was weak and reached a consensus on five opportunities to better integrate falls prevention, including workforce training, community health promotion, health check-ups, health education and scheduled follow-up, during the delivery of NEPHSP. Three regional-tailored prototypes were then jointly developed and further synthesised into a generic implementation framework by researchers and end-users. Guided by this framework, 11 implementation strategies were co-developed under five themes. CONCLUSIONS: The current integration of falls prevention in the NEPHSP is weak. Five opportunities for integrating falls prevention in the NEPHSP and a five-themed implementation framework with strategies are co-identified and developed, using a participatory design approach. These findings may also provide other regions or countries, facing similar challenges, with insights for promoting falls prevention for older people.

KEYPOINTS: The integration of falls prevention for older people was weak in the Chinese PHC system.Five opportunities were identified for better integrating falls prevention for older people in the Chinese PHC system.We developed an implementation framework to strengthen the solid integration of falls prevention in the Chinese PHC system.

The contribution of sodium reduction and potassium increase to the blood pressure lowering observed in the Salt Substitute and Stroke Study.

The Salt Substitute and Stroke Study (SSaSS) demonstrated significant reductions in systolic blood pressure (SBP), and the risk of stroke, major cardiovascular events and total mortality with the use of potassium-enriched salt. The contribution of sodium reduction versus potassium increase to these effects is unknown. We identified four different data sources describing the association between sodium reduction, potassium supplementation and change in SBP. We then fitted a series of models to estimate the SBP reductions expected for the differences in sodium and potassium intake in SSaSS, derived from 24-h urine collections. The proportions of the SBP reduction separately attributable to sodium reduction and potassium supplementation were calculated. The observed SBP reduction in SSaSS was -3.3 mmHg with a corresponding mean 15.2 mmol reduction in 24-h sodium excretion and a mean 20.6 mmol increase in 24-h potassium excretion. Assuming 90% of dietary sodium intake and 70% of dietary potassium intake were excreted through urine, the models projected falls in SBP of between -1.67 (95% confidence interval: -4.06 to +0.73) mmHg and -5.33 (95% confidence interval: -8.58 to -2.08) mmHg. The estimated proportional contribution of sodium reduction to the SBP fall ranged between 12 and 39% for the different models fitted. Sensitivity analyses assuming different proportional urinary excretion of dietary sodium and potassium intake showed similar results. In every model, the majority of the SBP lowering effect in SSaSS was estimated to be attributable to the increase in dietary potassium rather than the fall in dietary sodium.

Using routinely collected data to determine care cascades of hypertension and type-2 diabetes management in China: a cross-sectional study.

Background: China's National Essential Public Health Service Package (NEPHSP) aims to promote health for all at the primary health care level and includes a focus on hypertension and type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, there are limited contemporary data to quantify the care cascades of hypertension and T2DM in primary health care. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved individual level linkage of routinely collected data from the NEPHSP, health insurance claims and hospital electronic health records, from four diverse regions in China, including Xiling District (central China), Wenchuan County (western), Acheng District and Jiao District (northern). We first compared numbers of people aged ≥35 with a recorded diagnosis of hypertension and T2DM against expected numbers derived from epidemiological data. We then constructed care cascades to assess the percentages (1) enrolled in the NEPHSP, (2) adherent to the follow-up care of NEPHSP, (3) receiving medication treatment, and (4) having hypertension and/or T2DM controlled. Findings: In the four regions, the total numbers of people aged ≥35 diagnosed of hypertension and T2DM from any data source were 149,176 and 50,828, respectively. This was estimated to be 46.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 45.8%-46.2%) and 45.6% (95% CI: 45.3%-45.9%) of the expected totals for hypertension and T2DM, respectively. Among those diagnosed, 65.4% (95% CI: 65.1%-65.6%) with hypertension and 66.1% (95% CI: 65.7%-66.5%) with T2DM were enrolled in the NEPHSP, respectively, in which 54.8% (95% CI: 54.5%-55.2%) with hypertension and 64.7% (95% CI: 64.1%-65.2%) with T2DM were adherent to the required services. Among those enrolled, the overall treatment rates were 70.8% (95% CI: 70.6%-71.1%) for hypertension and 82.2% (95% CI: 81.8%-82.6%) for T2DM. Among those treated, a further 80.9% (95% CI: 80.6%-81.2%) with hypertension and 73.9% (95% CI: 73.3%-74.4%) with T2DM achieved control. These results varied considerably across regions, with the northern sites showing relatively higher enrolment rates while the central site had higher control rates. Interpretation: Detection and control rates for hypertension and T2DM are suboptimal in these four regions of China. Further strategies are needed to improve people's enrolment in and adherence to the NEPHSP and strengthen care delivery processes. Of note, our estimations of the diagnosis rates for each region are based on national level large epidemiological data. The interpretation of these data needs caution due to potential bias caused by regional variations. Funding: This study is funded by National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases funding (APP1169757), and National Natural Science Foundation of China (72074065).

The effect of salt substitution on frequency and severity of headache: results from the SSaSS cluster-randomised controlled trial of 20,995 participants.

BACKGROUND: Headache is one of the most common neurological symptoms. Headache disorders are associated with a high global burden of disease. Prior studies indicate that short-to-medium term sodium reduction reduces headache symptom. This study evaluated the effects of long-term reduced-sodium, added-potassium salt on headache frequency and severity in rural China. METHODS: The Salt substitute and stroke study (SSaSS) was an open-label cluster-randomised trial in rural China designed to evaluate the effect of salt substitution on mortality and cardiovascular events. Participants included adults with a history of prior stroke and those aged ≥60 years with uncontrolled high blood pressure (BP). Villages were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio either to intervention with salt substitute (75% sodium chloride and 25% potassium chloride by mass) or to control with continued use of regular salt (100% sodium chloride). In this pre-specified analysis, between-group differences in headache frequency and severity were evaluated. The study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier number: NCT02092090). RESULTS: A total of 20,995 participants were included in the trial (mean age 64.3 years, 51% female, mean follow-up 4.7 years). At final follow-up at the end of the study, headache outcome data including frequency and severity of headaches was available for 16,486 (98%) of 16,823 living participants. Overall, 4454/16,486 (27%) individuals reported having headache: 27.4% in the intervention group (2301/8386) vs 26.6% in the control group (2153/8100) (RR 1.04, 95% CI: 0.93, 1.16, p = 0.48). There was no difference in headache severity between intervention and control groups (p = 0.90). CONCLUSION: Long term salt substitution did not reduce the frequency or severity of headaches in this population.

Biophysical and nutritional combination treatment for myosteatosis in patients with sarcopenia: a study protocol for single-blinded randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Sarcopenia is characterised by age-related loss of skeletal muscle and function and is associated with risks of adverse outcomes. The prevalence of sarcopenia increases due to ageing population and effective interventions is in need. Previous studies showed that ß-hydroxy ß-methylbutyrate (HMB) supplement and vibration treatment (VT) enhanced muscle quality, while the coapplication of the two interventions had further improved muscle mass and function in sarcopenic mice model. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of this combination treatment in combating sarcopenia in older people. The findings of this study will demonstrate the effect of combination treatment as an alternative for managing sarcopenia. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: In this single-blinded randomised controlled trial, subjects will be screened based on the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) 2019 definition. 200 subjects who are aged 65 or above and identified sarcopenic according to the AWGS algorithm will be recruited. They will be randomised to one of the following four groups: (1) Control+ONS; (2) HMB+ONS; (3) VT+ONS and (4) HMB+VT + ONS, where ONS stands for oral nutritional supplement. ONS will be taken in the form of protein formular once/day; HMB supplements will be 3 g/day; VT (35 Hz, 0.3 g, where g=gravitational acceleration) will be received for 20 mins/day and at least 3 days/week. The primary outcome assessments are muscle strength and function. Subjects will be assessed at baseline, 3-month and 6-month post treatment. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study was approved by Joint CUHK-NTEC (The Chinese University of Hong Kong and New Territories East Cluster) Clinical Research Management Office (Ref: CRE-2022.223-T) and conformed to the Declaration of Helsinki. Trial results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and disseminated at academic conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05525039.

The Roles of Electronic Health Records for Clinical Trials in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: Clinical trials are a crucial element in advancing medical knowledge and developing new treatments by establishing the evidence base for safety and therapeutic efficacy. However, the success of these trials depends on various factors, including trial design, project planning, research staff training, and adequate sample size. It is also crucial to recruit participants efficiently and retain them throughout the trial to ensure timely completion. OBJECTIVE: There is an increasing interest in using electronic health records (EHRs)-a widely adopted tool in clinical practice-for clinical trials. This scoping review aims to understand the use of EHR in supporting the conduct of clinical trials in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and to identify its strengths and limitations. METHODS: A comprehensive search was performed using 5 databases: MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. We followed the latest version of the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guideline to conduct this review. We included clinical trials that used EHR at any step, conducted a narrative synthesis of the included studies, and mapped the roles of EHRs into the life cycle of a clinical trial. RESULTS: A total of 30 studies met the inclusion criteria: 13 were randomized controlled trials, 3 were cluster randomized controlled trials, 12 were quasi-experimental studies, and 2 were feasibility pilot studies. Most of the studies addressed infectious diseases (15/30, 50%), with 80% (12/15) of them about HIV or AIDS and another 40% (12/30) focused on noncommunicable diseases. Our synthesis divided the roles of EHRs into 7 major categories: participant identification and recruitment (12/30, 40%), baseline information collection (6/30, 20%), intervention (8/30, 27%), fidelity assessment (2/30, 7%), primary outcome assessment (24/30, 80%), nonprimary outcome assessment (13/30, 43%), and extended follow-up (2/30, 7%). None of the studies used EHR for participant consent and randomization. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the enormous potential of EHRs to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of conducting clinical trials in LMICs, challenges remain. Continued exploration of the appropriate uses of EHRs by navigating their strengths and limitations to ensure fitness for use is necessary to better understand the most optimal uses of EHRs for conducting clinical trials in LMICs.

Do we understand each other when we develop and implement hip fracture models of care? A systematic review with narrative synthesis.

BACKGROUND: A hip fracture in an older person is a devastating injury. It impacts functional mobility, independence and survival. Models of care may provide a means for delivering integrated hip fracture care in less well-resourced settings. The aim of this review was to determine the elements of hip fracture models of care to inform the development of an adaptable model of care for low and middle-income countries (LMICs). METHODS: Multiple databases were searched for papers reporting a hip fracture model of care for any part of the patient pathway from injury to rehabilitation. Results were limited to publications from 2000. Titles, abstracts and full texts were screened based on eligibility criteria. Papers were evaluated with an equity lens against eight conceptual criteria adapted from an existing description of a model of care. RESULTS: 82 papers were included, half of which were published since 2015. Only two papers were from middle-income countries and only two papers were evaluated as reporting all conceptual criteria from the existing description. The most identified criterion was an evidence-informed intervention and the least identified was the inclusion of patient stakeholders. CONCLUSION: Interventions described as models of care for hip fracture are unlikely to include previously described conceptual criteria. They are most likely to be orthogeriatric approaches to service delivery, which is a barrier to their implementation in resource-limited settings. In LMICs, the provision of orthogeriatric competencies by other team members is an area for further investigation.

Orthogeriatric co-managements lower early mortality in long-lived elderly hip fracture: a post-hoc analysis of a prospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of orthogeriatric co-management care in long-lived elderly hip fracture patients (age ≥ 90). METHODS: Secondary analysis was conducted in long-lived hip fracture patients between 2018 to 2019 in 6 hospitals in Beijing, China. Patients were divided into the orthogeriatric co-management group (CM group) and traditional consultation mode group (TC group) depending on the management mode. With 30-day mortality as the primary outcome, multivariate regression analyses were performed after adjusting for potential covariates. 30-day mobility and quality of life were compared between groups. RESULTS: A total of 233 patients were included, 223 of whom completed follow-up (125 in CM group, 98 in TC group). The average age was 92.4 ± 2.5 years old (range 90-102). The 30-day mortality in CM group was significantly lower than that in TC group after adjustments for (2.4% vs. 10.2%; OR = 0.231; 95% CI 0.059 ~ 0.896; P = 0.034). The proportion of patients undergoing surgery and surgery performed within 48 h also favored the CM group (97.6% vs. 85.7%, P = 0.002; 74.4% vs. 24.5%, P < 0.001; respectively). In addition, much more patients in CM group could walk with or without aids in postoperative 30 days than in the TC group (87.7% vs. 60.2%, P < 0.05), although differences were not found after 1-year follow-up. And there was no significant difference in total cost between the two groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: For long-lived elderly hip fracture patients, orthogeriatric co-management care lowered early mortality, improved early mobility and compared with the traditional consultation mode.

Development of a conceptual framework to scale up co-managed care for older patients with hip fracture in China: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Hip fracture creates a major burden on society due to high mortality, loss of independence and excess medical costs for older people. A multidisciplinary co-managed model of care is widely considered as the best practice for the management of older patients with hip fracture. The study aims to develop a conceptual framework to inform the future scale-up of this model of care through the identification of barriers and enablers that may influence successful uptake. METHODS: This qualitative study was conducted within an interventional study, which aimed to test the effectiveness of co-managed model of care for older patients with hip fracture. Health providers and health administrators from three hospitals were purposively selected and interviewed in-depth. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) was used to develop interview guides, collect and analyse data. Inductive and deductive approaches were used to generate enablers or barriers, aligned with the CFIR constructs. All barriers or enablers were inductively summarised to a conceptual framework with essential components to guide the implementation of co-managed model of care in other hospitals. RESULTS: A total of 13 health providers and 3 health administrators were recruited. The main barriers to co-managed care implementation included perceived complexity of implementation, insufficient international collaboration and incentives, the absence of national guideline support and lack of digital health applications for communication between health providers, insufficient number of health providers and beds, and poor understanding about the effectiveness of this care model. A conceptual framework for future scale-up was then developed, consisting of the following essential components: hospital authority support, enabling environment, adequate number of beds, sufficient and skilled health providers, use of digital health technology, regular quality supervision, evaluation and feedback, and external collaborations. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the complexity of the intervention, the co-managed model of care has the potential to be implemented and promoted in China and in similar settings, although there is a need to demonstrate feasibility in different settings.

Health and health system impacts of China's comprehensive primary healthcare reforms: a systematic review.

China's comprehensive primary healthcare (PHC) reforms since 2009 aimed to deliver accessible, efficient, equitable and high-quality healthcare services. However, knowledge on the system-wide effectiveness of these reforms is limited. This systematic review synthesizes evidence on the reforms' health and health system impacts. In 13 August 2022, international databases and three Chinese databases were searched for randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies and controlled before-after studies. Included studies assessed large-scale PHC policies since 2009; had a temporal comparator and a control group and assessed impacts on expenditures, utilization, care quality and health outcomes. Study quality was assessed using Risk of Bias In Non-randomized Studies of Interventions, and results were synthesized narratively. From 49 174 identified records, 42 studies were included-all with quasi-experimental designs, except for one randomized control trial. Nine studies were assessed as at low risk of bias. Only five low- to moderate-quality studies assessed the comprehensive reforms as a whole and found associated increases in health service utilization, whilst the other 37 studies examined single-component policies. The National Essential Medicine Policy (N = 15) and financing reforms (N = 11) were the most studied policies, whilst policies on primary care provision (i.e. family physician policy and the National Essential Public Health Services) were poorly evaluated. The PHC reforms were associated with increased primary care utilization (N = 17) and improved health outcomes in people with non-communicable diseases (N = 8). Evidence on healthcare costs was unclear, and impacts on patients' financial burden and care quality were understudied. Some studies showed disadvantaged regions and groups that accrued greater benefits (N = 8). China's comprehensive PHC reforms have made some progress in achieving their policy objectives including increasing primary care utilization, improving some health outcomes and reducing health inequalities. However, China's health system remains largely hospital-centric and further PHC strengthening is needed to advance universal health coverage.

Protocol for a randomized controlled trial of medically tailored meals compared to usual care among individuals with type 2 diabetes in Australia.

BACKGROUND: 'Food is medicine' strategies aim to integrate food-based nutrition interventions into healthcare systems and are of growing interest to healthcare providers and policy makers. 'Medically Tailored Meals' (MTM) is one such intervention, which involves the 'prescription' by healthcare providers of subsidized, pre-prepared meals for individuals to prevent or manage chronic conditions, combined with nutrition education. OBJECTIVE: This study will test the efficacy of an MTM program in Australia among participants with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and hyperglycemia, who experience difficulties accessing and eating nutritious food. METHODS: This study will be a two-arm parallel trial (goal n = 212) with individuals randomized in a 1:1 ratio to a MTM intervention group or a control group (106 per arm). Over 26 weeks, the intervention group will be prescribed 20 MTM per fortnight and up to 3 sessions with an accredited dietitian. Controls will continue with their usual care. The primary outcome is glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c, %) and secondary outcomes include differences in blood pressure, blood lipids and weight, all measured at 26 weeks. Process and economic data will be analyzed to assess the feasibility, acceptability, scalability, and cost-effectiveness of the intervention. Recruitment commenced in the first quarter of 2023, with analyses and results anticipated to be available by March 2025. DISCUSSION: Few randomized controlled trials have assessed the impact of MTM on clinical outcomes. This Australian-first trial will generate robust data to inform the case for sustained, large-scale implementation of MTM to improve the management of T2D among vulnerable populations. ANZCTR: ACTRN12622000852752. PROTOCOL VERSION: Version 1.1, July 2023.

Association Between Hip Bone Mineral Density and Mortality Risk After Hip Fracture: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Factors related to mortality after osteoporotic hip fracture (HF) have been investigated intensively, except for proximal femoral bone mineral density (BMD), which is also the primary cause of osteoporosis. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association of hip BMD with mortality risk after HF. Four hundred and eleven elderly patients with HF in Beijing, China, were included and prospectively followed up with a median time of 3 years. At baseline, quantitative CT technique (QCT) was used to measure areal BMD (aBMD) of the unaffected hip. Areal BMDs of the total hip (TH), femoral neck (FN), trochanter (TR), and intertrochanter were analyzed with postoperative mortality as the primary outcome. A total of 394 patients (78.59 ± 7.59 years, 75.4% female) were included in our final analysis, with 86 (82.23 ± 7.00 years, 81.4% female) dead. All hip bone densities demonstrated a significant association with mortality risks in the unadjusted model, but only TR aBMD remained significantly correlated after adjusting for all covariates. Compared to the lower TR aBMD group, the higher TR aBMD group yielded significantly lower death risks (HR 0.21 95% CI 0.05-0.9, P = 0.036). Higher survival probabilities were observed for higher TH and TR aBMD in survival analysis (P < 0.001). Hip BMD, especially TR BMD assessed by QCT, is an independent risk factor for postoperative mortality following HF. QCT may present a promising avenue for opportunistic analysis in immobilized patients, providing valuable information for early detection and personalized interventions to enhance patient outcomes.