Incidence, Racial Disparities and Factors Related to Psychosis among Black Individuals in Canada: A Scoping Review.

OBJECTIVE: Black communities are increasingly concerned about psychosis, a worry echoed by provincial health-care systems across Canada. Responding to the lack of evidence on psychosis in Black communities, this scoping review examined the incidence and prevalence of psychosis, access to care (pathways to care, coercive referrals, interventions, etc.), treatments received, and stigma faced by individuals with psychosis. METHOD: To identify studies, a comprehensive search strategy was developed and executed in December 2021 across 10 databases, including APA PsycInfo, CINAHL, MEDLINE and Web of Science. Subject headings and keywords relating to Black communities, psychosis, health inequalities, Canada and its provinces and territories were used and combined. The scoping review was conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping review (PRISMA-ScR) reporting standard. RESULTS: A total of 15 studies met the inclusion criteria, all of them conducted in Ontario and Quebec. Results highlight different disparities in psychosis among Black communities. Compared to other Canadian ethnic groups, Black individuals are more likely to be diagnosed with psychosis. Black individuals with psychosis are more likely to have their first contact with health-care settings through emergency departments, to be referred by police and ambulance services, and to experience coercive referrals and interventions, and involuntary admission. Black individuals experience a lower quality of care and are the ethnic group most likely to disengage from treatment. CONCLUSION: This scoping review reveals many gaps in research, prevention, promotion and intervention on psychosis in Black individuals in Canada. Future studies should explore factors related to age, gender, social and economic factors, interpersonal, institutional and systemic racism, and psychosis-related stigma. Efforts should be directed toward developing trainings for health-care professionals and promotion and prevention programs within Black communities. Culturally adapted interventions, racially disaggregated data, and increased research funding are needed.

Strength-Based Rehabilitation on Clinical Outcomes in Patients Postpartial Meniscectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to determine the effect of strength-based rehabilitation programs on patients who underwent partial meniscectomy procedures. DESIGN: Three databases MEDLINE, PubMed, and Embase were searched from inception to May 9, 2022. Data on functional outcomes such as quadriceps and hamstring strengths, as well as patient-reported outcomes such as Knee Osteoarthritis and Outcome Score and visual analog scale were recorded. RESULTS: A total of nine studies comprising 417 patients were included in this review. There were no significant differences in quadriceps or hamstring strength measures between preinterventation and postintervention for both groups. Knee Osteoarthritis and Outcome Scores significantly increased from preintervention and postintervention in both control and exercise groups. Visual analog scale scores changed from 5.0 to 1.4 cm in the exercise arm and 3.1 to 1.9 cm in the control arm. CONCLUSIONS: Strength-based exercise programs for patients postpartial meniscectomy did not result in significantly different improvements in quadriceps or hamstring strength compared with control programs. However, strength-based exercise programs resulted in significantly higher Knee Osteoarthritis and Outcome Scores and a greater decrease in visual analog scale scores. Further studies, specifically well-designed systematic randomized controlled trials, are necessary to elucidate the specifics behind what type of exercises to use in addition to load progression and frequency of training.

Incidence, factors, and disparities related to cancer among Black individuals in Canada: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: In Canada, two of five individuals will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime and one in four will die from this disease. Given the disparities observed in health research among Black individuals, we conducted a scoping review to analyze the state of cancer research in Canadian Black communities regarding prevalence, incidence, screening, mortality, and related factors to observe advances and identify gaps and disparities. METHODS: A comprehensive search strategy was developed and executed in December 2021 across 10 databases (e.g., Embase). Of 3451 studies generated by the search, 19 were retained for extraction and included in this study. RESULTS: Studies were focused on a variety of cancer types among Black individuals including anal, breast, cervical, colorectal, gastric, lung, and prostate cancers. They included data on incidence, stage of cancer at diagnosis, type of care received, diagnostic interval length, and screening. A few studies also demonstrated racial disparities among Black individuals. This research reveals disparities in screening, incidence, and quality of care among Black individuals in Canada. CONCLUSIONS: Given the gaps observed in cancer studies among Black individuals, federal and provincial governments and universities should consider creating special funds to generate research on this important health issue. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: Important gaps were observed on research on cancer among Black communities in Canada. Studies included in the scoping review highlights disparities in screening, incidence, and quality of care among Black individuals in Canada.