Effects of matched vs. unmatched physical therapy interventions on pain or disability in patients with neck pain - a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The interventions performed in most randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on neck pain patients are standardized, irrespective of the high heterogeneity of patients. However, clinicians tend to choose an intervention based on the patients' clinical characteristics, and thus match the treatment to the patient. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effectiveness of interventions matched to the clinical characteristics of patients with neck pain versus the same, but unmatched treatment for improving pain or disability. DESIGN: A systematic review and meta-analysis conducted following Cochrane guidelines. METHODS: Databases searches were performed from inception to September 2023. RCTs were included if the patients in the experimental group received a treatment matched to clinical presentation or to clinicians' assessment, if the patients in the control group received a similar but unmatched treatment, and if pain or disability were reported as outcome measures. RESULTS: The literature search produced 9516 records of which 27 met the inclusion criteria. Matched exercise therapy was superior to unmatched exercise for pain (SMD -0.57; 95% CI -0.95, -0.18) and for disability (SMD -0.69; 95% CI -1.14, -0.23) at short term, but not at intermediate-term follow-up. Matched manual treatment was not superior to unmatched manual therapy for pain or for disability at short or intermediate-term follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that matching exercise to movement limitation, trapezius myalgia, or forward head position may lead to better outcomes in the short term, but not in the intermediate-term. Matched manual therapy was not superior to unmatched treatment either short or intermediate-term. Further research is warranted to verify if those criteria are potentially useful matching criteria.

Transforming nursing care for children with serious long-term conditions: A mixed methods exploration of the impact of Roald Dahl Specialist Nurses in the United Kingdom.

PURPOSE: A new model of paediatric nursing, funded initially by a charitable organisation working in partnership with UK healthcare providers, was implemented to support children living with serious long-term conditions. This study explored, from the perspective of multiple stakeholders, the impact of services provided by 21 'Roald Dahl Specialist Nurses' (RDSN) within 14 NHS Trust hospitals. DESIGN AND METHODS: A Mixed Methods Exploratory design commenced with interviews with RDSNs (n = 21) and their managers (n = 15), alongside a medical clinician questionnaire (n = 17). Initial themes (constructivist grounded theory) were validated through four RDSN focus groups, and informed development of an online survey of parents (n = 159) and children (n = 32). Findings related to impact were integrated using a six-step triangulation protocol. RESULTS: Zones of significant impact included: Improving quality and experience of care; Improved efficiencies and cost-effectiveness; Provision of holistic family-centred care; and Impactful leadership and innovation. The RDSNs forged networks across inter-agency boundaries to safeguard the child and enhance the family experience of care. RDSNs delivered improvements across a range of metrics, and were valued for their emotional support, care navigation and advocacy. CONCLUSIONS: Children living with serious long-term conditions have complex needs. Regardless of the specialty, location, organisation or service focus, this new model of care crosses organisational and inter-agency boundaries to ensure that the healthcare delivered has maximum impact. It has a profoundly positive impact on families. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: This integrated and family-centred model of care is strongly recommended for children with complex needs crossing organisational divides.

Exploring enablers and barriers toward COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among Arabs: A qualitative study.

Background: With the emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and rapid vaccine development, research interest in vaccine hesitancy (VH) has increased. Research usually focuses on quantitative estimates which largely neglected the qualitative underpinnings of this phenomenon. This study aimed to explore the beliefs and views towards COVID-19 vaccination among Arabs in different countries. Furthermore, we explored the effect of confidence in the healthcare system, misinformation, and scientific approaches adopted to mitigate COVID-19 on how individuals are following the recommended preventative actions including vaccination. Methods: This study was based on the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE)-VH Model: A qualitative design that utilized in-depth, online interviews. The study was conducted in seven Arab countries (Egypt, Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Libya, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and Jordan) from June 2020 to December 2021. Transcripts were analyzed using NVivo 12 Software. Results: A total of 100 participants, 44 males and 56 females, of different age groups (37.1 ± 11.56 years) were interviewed. Findings revealed six themes as enablers and barriers to COVID-19 vaccination. Many participants indicated trusting the vaccines, the healthcare systems, and the vaccination policies were the main driver to get the vaccine. Participants showed concerns towards potential long-term vaccine effects. A consistent inclination towards collective responsibility, which is the willingness to protect others by own vaccination, was also reported. Conclusion: Enablers and barriers of COVID-19 vaccination acceptance in the Arab region, from sociocultural and political perspectives, are critical to guide policymakers in designing target-oriented interventions that can improve vaccine acceptance.

Translation and cultural adaptation of the WHO generic tuberculosis patient cost survey to an Egyptian context.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) represents a major health problem having serious financial impact on a substantial proportion of patients. This has necessitated the development of a valid tool for measuring TB-related expenditure by patients and their households so that appropriate measures can be taken to reduce the financial burden. Aims: To translate and culturally validate the generic WHO tuberculosis patient cost survey within the Egyptian context. Methods: The instrument was translated and culturally adapted using forward-translation, back-translation, expert panel assessment, pretesting, cognitive interviewing, and appraisal by the developer. Results: A final Arabic version with modifications to 35 descriptors of the original tool was produced after review by an expert committee and cognitive interviews with patients. Twelve questions were modified, 13 response options were changed, 6 questions were added, and 4 questions were removed. Pretesting of the tool ensured that the final version is culturally sensitive and fit for assessing the costs incurred by TB patients in an Egyptian context. Conclusion: Policymakers are encouraged to use the WHO tuberculosis patient cost survey tool for assessing the expenditure of TB patients with a view to developing appropriate policies to reduce the financial burden of patients.

COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance among Social Media Users: A Content Analysis, Multi-Continent Study.

Vaccine hesitancy (VH) is defined as a delayed in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite availability of vaccination services. This multinational study examined user interaction with social media about COVID-19 vaccination. The study analyzed social media comments in 24 countries from five continents. In total, 5856 responses were analyzed; 83.5% of comments were from Facebook, while 16.5% were from Twitter. In Facebook, the overall vaccine acceptance was 40.3%; the lowest acceptance rates were evident in Jordan (8.5%), Oman (15.0%), Senegal (20.0%) and Morocco (20.7%) and the continental acceptance rate was the lowest in North America 22.6%. In Twitter, the overall acceptance rate was (41.5%); the lowest acceptance rate was found in Oman (14.3%), followed by USA (20.5%), and UK (23.3%) and the continental acceptance rate was the lowest in North America (20.5%), and Europe (29.7%). The differences in vaccine acceptance across countries and continents in Facebook and Twitter were statistically significant. Regarding the tone of the comments, in Facebook, countries that had the highest number of serious tone comments were Sweden (90.9%), USA (61.3%), and Thailand (58.8%). At continent level, serious comments were the highest in Asia (58.4%), followed by Africa (46.2%) and South America (46.2%). In Twitter, the highest serious tone was reported in Egypt (72.2%) while at continental level, the highest proportion of serious comments was observed in Asia (59.7%), followed by Europe (46.5%). The differences in tone across countries and continents in Facebook and Twitter and were statistically significant. There was a significant association between the tone and the position of comments. We concluded that the overall vaccine acceptance in social media was relatively low and varied across the studied countries and continents. Consequently, more in-depth studies are required to address causes of such VH and combat infodemics.

A systematic review of grounded theory studies in physiotherapy.

Aim: This systematic review aimed at appraising the methodological rigor of grounded theory research published in the field of physiotherapy to assess how the methodology is understood and applied. A secondary aim was to provide research implications drawn from the findings to guide future grounded theory methodology (GTM) research. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE, CINHAL, SPORT Discus, Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science to identify studies in the field of physiotherapy that reported using GTM and/or methods in the study title and/or abstract. The descriptive characteristics and methodological quality of eligible studies were examined using grounded theory methodology assessment guidelines. Findings: The review included 68 studies conducted between 1998 and 2017. The findings showed that GTM is becoming increasingly used by physiotherapy researchers. Thirty-six studies (53%) demonstrated a good understanding and appropriate application of GTM. Thirty-two studies (47%) presented descriptive findings and were considered to be of poor methodological quality. Conclusions: There are several key tenets of GTM that are integral to the iterative process of qualitative theorizing and need to be applied throughout all research practices including sampling, data collection, and analysis.

A Qualitative Study into Egyptian Patients' Satisfaction with Physiotherapy Management of Low Back Pain.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There is strong evidence suggesting that patient satisfaction may improve therapy outcomes independent of the treatment given. Thus the aim of this study is to explore Egyptian patients' expectations and satisfaction with physical therapy management of low back pain. METHODS: A qualitative study design involving two focus groups and 10 semi-structured interviews; all discussions were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using a Framework analysis approach. RESULTS: The five final themes were about outcome of the treatment episode, the therapist characteristics, their ability to provide patient education, the service provision and involvement in the decision-making process. CONCLUSION: The therapeutic encounter between patients and therapists in an episode of back care is complex and reflects the multidimensional nature of patient satisfaction. Participants had several criteria according to which they evaluated the quality of care and were able to determine when these criteria were met or not during physiotherapy. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Effect of narrow band-ultraviolet B on CD4(+) CD25(high) FoxP3(+) T-lymphocytes in the peripheral blood of vitiligo patients.

BACKGROUND: It is widely believed that an imbalance between activated CD8(+) T cells and regulatory T cells (Tregs) exists in patients with vitiligo. Although there is evidence that narrow band ultraviolet (NB-UVB) irradiation can induce Tregs' number and activity, but up to our knowledge, none of the published studies involved the possible effect of NB-UVB on Tregs in vitiligo. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of NB-UVB on circulating CD4(+) CD25(high) FoxP3(+) regulatory T cells (FoxP3(+) Tregs) in vitiligo. METHODS: This prospective analytic study included 20 patients with active non-segmental vitiligo and 20 healthy controls. The patients were exposed to NB-UVB therapy three times per week for 30 sessions. Blood sampling before and after NB-UVB phototherapy was done to evaluate circulating CD4(+) CD25(high) Tregs and Foxp3(+) Tregs. RESULTS: The CD4(+) CD25(high) Tregs% and FoxP3(+) Tregs% were significantly higher in vitiligo patients compared with controls. NB-UVB therapy decreased both of them in patients, but they did not reach those of controls. Each of circulating CD4(+) CD25(high) Tregs% and FoxP3(+) Tregs% didn't correlate with either extent or activity of vitiligo before or after NB-UVB. CONCLUSION: Tregs functional defect is probably having an impact on NSV. NB-UVB may improve the function of Tregs. Understanding the mechanisms through which NB-UVB exert its effect on reducing the number of circulating Tregs would help open up the paths for future therapeutic options.