Subcutaneous patient-controlled analgesia in palliative care.

Subcutaneous patient-controlled analgesia (SCPCA) is an underutilized method of pain management in palliative care patients. In a select group of patients, including patients in whom enteral analgesia is ineffective or undeliverable, and in patients with limited access to healthcare due to geographical or other logistic issues, SCPCA can provide an effective and safe alternative.

Has Embase replaced MEDLINE since coverage expansion?

OBJECTIVES: The research tested the authors' hypothesis that more researchers from the academic medicine community in the United States and Canada with institutional access to Embase had started using Embase to replace MEDLINE since Embase was expanded in 2010 to cover all MEDLINE records. METHODS: We contacted libraries of 140 and 17 medical schools in the United States and Canada, respectively, to confirm their subscriptions to Embase 5 years before and 5 years after 2010. We searched the names of institutions with confirmed Embase access in Ovid MEDLINE and Embase to retrieve works authored by affiliates of those institutions. We then examined 100 randomly selected records from each of the 5 years before and 5 years after the Embase coverage expansion in 2010. We hypothesized that studies that used Embase but not MEDLINE would increase due to the Embase coverage expansion. RESULTS: The number of studies that used Embase but not MEDLINE did not change between the pre-2010 and post-2010 periods. CONCLUSION: Our hypothesis was refuted. Studies that used Embase but not MEDLINE did not increase post-2010. Our results suggest the academic medicine community in the United States and Canada that had access did not use Embase to replace MEDLINE, despite the Embase coverage expansion.

Organ donation and transplantation: Awareness and roles of healthcare professionals-A systematic literature review.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To examine the role of healthcare professionals in the organ donation and transplantation process. BACKGROUND: Globally, there remains a perennial disequilibrium between organ donation and organ transplantation. Several factors account for this disequilibrium; however, as healthcare professionals are not only strategically positioned as the primary intermediaries between organ donors and transplant recipients, but also professionally situated as the implementers of organ donation and transplantation processes, they are often blamed for the global organ shortage. DESIGN: Mixed-method systematic review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis Protocols 2015 checklist. METHODS: Databases were searched including CINAHL, MEDLINE, Web of Science and EMBASE using the search terms "organ donation," "healthcare professionals," "awareness" and "roles" to retrieve relevant publications. RESULTS: Thirteen publications met the inclusion criteria. The global organ shortage is neither contingent upon unavailability of suitable organs nor exclusively dependent upon healthcare professionals. Instead, the existence of disequilibrium between organ donation and transplantation is necessitated by a web of factors. These include the following: healthcare professionals' attitudes towards, and experience of, the organ donation and transplantation process, underpinned by professional education, specialist clinical area and duration of professional practice; conflicts of interests; ethical dilemmas; altruistic values towards organ donation; and varied organ donation legislations in different legal jurisdictions. CONCLUSION: This review maintains that if this web of factors is to be adequately addressed by healthcare systems in different global and legal jurisdictions, there should be sufficient organs voluntarily donated to meet all transplantation needs. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: There is a suggestion that healthcare professionals partly account for the global shortage in organ donation, but there is a need to examine how healthcare professionals' roles, knowledge, awareness, skills and competencies might impact upon the organ donation and transplantation process.

PAlliative Care in chronic Kidney diSease: the PACKS study--quality of life, decision making, costs and impact on carers in people managed without dialysis.

BACKGROUND: The number of patients with advanced chronic kidney disease opting for conservative management rather than dialysis is unknown but likely to be growing as increasingly frail patients with advanced renal disease present to renal services. Conservative kidney management includes ongoing medical input and support from a multidisciplinary team. There is limited evidence concerning patient and carer experience of this choice. This study will explore quality of life, symptoms, cognition, frailty, performance decision making, costs and impact on carers in people with advanced chronic kidney disease managed without dialysis and is funded by the National Institute of Health Research in the UK. METHODS: In this prospective, multicentre, longitudinal study, patients will be recruited in the UK, by renal research nurses, once they have made the decision not to embark on dialysis. Carers will be asked to 'opt-in' with consent from patients. The approach includes longitudinal quantitative surveys of quality of life, symptoms, decision making and costs for patients and quality of life and costs for carers, with questionnaires administered quarterly over 12 months. Additionally, the decision making process will be explored via qualitative interviews with renal physicians/clinical nurse specialists. DISCUSSION: The study is designed to capture patient and carer profiles when conservative kidney management is implemented, and understand trajectories of care-receiving and care-giving with the aim of optimising palliative care for this population. It will explore the interactions that lead to clinical care decisions and the impact of these decisions on informal carers with the intention of improving clinical outcomes for patients and the experiences of care givers.

Stigmatization of psychiatrists and general practitioners: results of an international survey.

The stigma of mental illness affects psychiatry as a medical profession and psychiatrists. The present study aimed to compare the extent and correlation patterns of perceived stigma in psychiatrists and general practitioners. An international multicenter survey was conducted in psychiatrists and general practitioners from twelve countries. Responses were received from N = 1,893 psychiatrists and N = 1,238 general practitioners. Aspects of stigma assessed in the questionnaire included perceived stigma, self-stigma (stereotype agreement), attitudes toward the other profession, and experiences of discrimination. Psychiatrists reported significantly higher perceived stigma and discrimination experiences than general practitioners. Separate multiple regression analyses showed different predictor patterns of perceived stigma in the two groups. Hence, in the psychiatrists group, perceived stigma correlated best with discrimination experiences and self-stigma, while in the general practitioners group it correlated best with self-stigma. About 17% of the psychiatrists perceive stigma as a serious problem, with a higher rate in younger respondents. Against this background, psychiatry as a medical profession should set a high priority on improving the training of young graduates. Despite the number of existing antistigma interventions targeting mental health professionals and medical students, further measures to improve the image of psychiatry and psychiatrists are warranted, in particular improving the training of young graduates with respect to raising awareness of own stigmatizing attitudes and to develop a better profession-related self-assertiveness.

Childhood and adolescent obesity: how many extra calories are responsible for excess of weight?

OBJECTIVE: To review the main articles on energy imbalance and obesity in order to quantify the daily energy surplus associated with weight gain in children and adolescents. DATA SOURCES: Articles published in the last ten years, indexed in electronic databases Medline (Pubmed) and SciELO-Br. In the Medline database, the descriptor "energy gap" was used and describes the energy values ​​associated with changes in body weight in individuals or populations. In SciELO-Br database, the descriptors "obesity", "energy metabolism", "energy balance", and "energy imbalance" were used, once it was not possible to find national articles discussing the energy gap. DATA SYNTHESIS: In the pediatric population, four studies were performed and indicate that children and adolescents are gradually gaining weight due to a small, but persistent, daily positive energy balance of 70 to 160kcal above the total energy suitable for growth. The results suggest that small changes in daily eating behavior as well as physical activity would be enough to prevent future weight gain in this population. CONCLUSIONS: gradual weight gain can be explained by small daily average of positive energy balance, from 70 to 160kcal above the total energy suitable for growth. The incentive to small changes in eating behavior and physical activities that promotes daily reduction of 160kcal can be an accessible practice in order to block weight gain in this population.

Obesidade na criança e no adolescente: quantas calorias a mais são responsáveis pelo excedente de peso? / Childhood and adolescent obesity: how many extra calories are responsible for excess of weight? / Obesidad en el niño y en el adolescente: ¿cuántas calorías de más son responsables por el exceso de peso?

OBJETIVO: Revisar os principais artigos referentes ao tema desequilíbrio energético e obesidade, a fim de quantificar o excedente energético diário associado ao ganho de peso em crianças e adolescentes. FONTES DE DADOS: Artigos publicados nos últimos dez anos, indexados nas bases de dados eletrônicas Medline (Pubmed) e SciELO-Br. Na base de dados Medline, utilizou-se o descritor "energy gap", termo que descreve os valores energéticos associados às modificações no peso corporal em indivíduos ou populações. Na base de dados SciELO-Br, utilizaram-se os descritores "obesidade", "metabolismo energético", "balanço energético" e "desequilíbrio energético", devido ao fato de não terem sido encontrados artigos nacionais que discutissem o assunto "energy gap". SÍNTESE DOS DADOS: Na população infantil, quatro estudos foram realizados e indicam que crianças e adolescentes estão gradualmente ganhando peso devido a um pequeno, mas persistente, balanço energético positivo diário, 70 a 160kcal acima do total calórico adequado para o crescimento. Os valores encontrados sugerem que pequenas modificações nos hábitos diários de alimentação e de atividade física seriam suficientes para evitar futuros ganhos de peso nessa população. CONCLUSÕES: O ganho gradual de peso pode ser explicado por pequena média diária de balanço energético positivo, de 70 a 160kcal acima do total calórico adequado para o crescimento. O incentivo às pequenas modificações nos hábitos alimentares e de atividades físicas que promovam a redução de 160kcal diárias pode ser uma prática acessível, a fim de barrar o ganho de peso nessa população.

OBJECTIVE: To review the main articles on energy imbalance and obesity in order to quantify the daily energy surplus associated with weight gain in children and adolescents. DATA SOURCES: Articles published in the last ten years, indexed in electronic databases Medline (Pubmed) and SciELO-Br. In the Medline database, the descriptor "energy gap" was used and describes the energy values ​​associated with changes in body weight in individuals or populations. In SciELO-Br database, the descriptors "obesity", "energy metabolism", "energy balance", and "energy imbalance" were used, once it was not possible to find national articles discussing the energy gap. DATA SYNTHESIS: In the pediatric population, four studies were performed and indicate that children and adolescents are gradually gaining weight due to a small, but persistent, daily positive energy balance of 70 to 160kcal above the total energy suitable for growth. The results suggest that small changes in daily eating behavior as well as physical activity would be enough to prevent future weight gain in this population. CONCLUSIONS: gradual weight gain can be explained by small daily average of positive energy balance, from 70 to 160kcal above the total energy suitable for growth. The incentive to small changes in eating behavior and physical activities that promotes daily reduction of 160kcal can be an accessible practice in order to block weight gain in this population.

OBJETIVO: Revisar los principales artículos referentes al tema desequilibrio energético y obesidad, a fin de cuantificar el excedente energético diario asociado a la ganancia de peso en niños y adolescentes. FUENTES DE DATOS: Revisión de artículos publicados en los últimos 10 años, indexados en las bases de datos electrónicas MEDLINE (Pubmed) y SciELO-BR. En la base de datos MEDLINE se utilizó el descriptor energy gap, término que describe los valores energéticos asociados a las modificaciones en el peso corporal en individuos o en poblaciones. En la base de datos SciELO-BR se utilizaron los descriptores obesidad, metabolismo energético, balance energético y desequilibrio energético, debido a no haberse encontrado artículos nacionales que discutieran el tema energy gap. SÍNTESIS DE LOS DATOS: En la población infantil, cuatro estudios fueron realizados e indican que niños y adolescentes están gradualmente ganando peso debido a un pequeño pero persistente balance energético positivo diario, 70 a 160kcal por encima del total calórico adecuado para el crecimiento. Los valores encontrados sugieren que pequeñas modificaciones en los hábitos diarios de alimentación y de actividad física serían suficientes para evitar futuras ganancias de peso en esta población. CONCLUSIÓN: La ganancia gradual de peso puede explicarse por pequeño promedio diario de balance energético positivo, de 70 a 160kcal por encima del total calórico adecuado para el crecimiento. El incentivo a las pequeñas modificaciones en los hábitos alimentares y de actividades físicas que promuevan la reducción de 160kcal diarias puede ser una práctica accesible a fin de parar la ganancia de peso en esta población.

Psychotic disorders in ICD-11.

In the process of revising ICD-10, the World Health Organization (WHO) has appointed a Working Group on the Classification of Psychotic Disorders (WGPD). Several changes to the classification criteria of schizophrenia and other primary psychotic disorders have been proposed with the aim of increasing the clinical utility, reliability and validity of the diagnostic classification. These proposals will be tested in field trials and subsequently revised according to the needs of clinical practice before final publication in 2015. The main proposals include the following: change of the chapter title, the replacement of the present schizophrenia subtypes with symptom specifiers, a revision of course specifiers, the inclusion of stricter diagnostic criteria for schizoaffective disorder, and a reorganization of acute and transient psychotic disorders and delusional disorders. The proposals for ICD-11 are compared with those for the corresponding DSM-5 chapter.

A literature review of end-stage renal disease and cachexia: understanding experience to inform evidence-based healthcare.

INTRODUCTION: Cachexia is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in people who have end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The majority of research into cachexia in ESRD has focused on the biological aspects of the syndrome and potential treatment modalities. While this research is necessary, it predominately focuses on the physical impact of cachexia in ESRD. The multi-dimensional psychosocial ramifications of this syndrome have been highlighted in other end-stage illness trajectories, but have not been systematically explored in persons who have ESRD. AIM: This paper discusses why this research is necessary, alongside further studies to help define the pathophysiology of this syndrome. CONCLUSION: The rich insightful data gained from understanding the patients' illness experience will positively contribute to the limited knowledge base available and inform future holistic patient-centred care delivery which recognises and responds to not only the biological but also the psychosocial impact of cachexia.

Classifying psychosis--challenges and opportunities.

Within the efforts to revise ICD-10 and DSM-IV-TR, work groups on the classification of psychotic disorders appointed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Psychiatric Association (APA) have proposed several changes to the corresponding classification criteria of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders in order to increase the clinical utility, reliability and validity of these diagnoses. These proposed revisions are subject to field trials with the objective of studying whether they will lead to an improvement of the classification systems in comparison to their previous versions. Both a challenge and an opportunity, the APA and WHO have also considered harmonizing between the two classifications. The current status of both suggests that this goal can only be met in part. The main proposed revisions include changes to the number and types of symptoms of schizophrenia, the replacement of existing schizophrenia subtypes with dimensional assessments or symptom specifiers, different modifications of the criteria for schizoaffective disorder, a reorganization of the delusional disorders and the acute and transient psychotic disorders in ICD-11, as well as the revision of course and psychomotor symptoms/catatonia specifiers in both classification systems.

Measuring the stigma of psychiatry and psychiatrists: development of a questionnaire.

The stigma of mental illness is a severe burden for people suffering from mental illness both in private and public life, also affecting their relatives, their close social network, and the mental health care system in terms of disciplines, providers, and institutions. Interventions against the stigma of mental illness employ complementary strategies (e.g., protest, education, and contact) and address different target groups (e.g., school children and teachers, journalists, stakeholders). Within this framework, the World Psychiatric Association has adopted an Action Plan with the goal to improve the image of psychiatry and to reduce potential stigmatizing attitudes toward psychiatry and psychiatrists. To evaluate such interventions, a questionnaire has been developed that assesses opinions and attitudes toward psychiatrists and psychiatry in different samples of medical specialists (psychiatrists and general practitioners). The questionnaire comprises scales about perceived stigma in terms of the perception of societal stereotypes, self-stigma in terms of stereotype agreement, perceived stigma in terms of structural discriminations, discrimination experiences, stigma outcomes, and attitudes toward a second medical discipline. It is available in several languages (Arab, English, German, Japanese, Polish, and Spanish) and can easily be adapted for utilization in other medical specialties.

WPA guidance on how to combat stigmatization of psychiatry and psychiatrists.

In 2009 the WPA President established a Task Force that was to examine available evidence about the stigmatization of psychiatry and psychiatrists and to make recommendations about action that national psychiatric societies and psychiatrists as professionals could do to reduce or prevent the stigmatization of their discipline as well as to prevent its nefarious consequences. This paper presents a summary of the Task Force's findings and recommendations. The Task Force reviewed the literature concerning the image of psychiatry and psychiatrists in the media and the opinions about psychiatry and psychiatrists of the general public, of students of medicine, of health professionals other than psychiatrists and of persons with mental illness and their families. It also reviewed the evidence about the interventions that have been undertaken to combat stigma and consequent discrimination and made a series of recommendations to the national psychiatric societies and to individual psychiatrists. The Task Force laid emphasis on the formulation of best practices of psychiatry and their application in health services and on the revision of curricula for the training of health personnel. It also recommended that national psychiatric societies establish links with other professional associations, with organizations of patients and their relatives and with the media in order to approach the problems of stigma on a broad front. The Task Force also underlined the role that psychiatrists can play in the prevention of stigmatization of psychiatry, stressing the need to develop a respectful relationship with patients, to strictly observe ethical rules in the practice of psychiatry and to maintain professional competence.

Características polissonográficas em pacientes bruxômanos / Polysomnographic characteristics in patients with bruxism

O bruxismo do sono é um movimento orofacial incomun, descrito como uma parafunção em odontologia e como uma parassonia na medicina do sono. A observação dos pacientes mostra que existe uma associação entre o despertar do sono e o bruxismo e que uma mudança na macro e/ou na microestrutura do sono pode preceder a parafunção. Diversos estudos feitos com exames polissonográficos identificaram e caracterizaram o bruxismo, relacionando-o com alterações conjugadas com distúrbios do sono e/ou deles decorrentes. Os artigos revisados demonstram uma associação entre bruxismo e despertares do sono e revelam ser uma atividade motora exagerada e involuntária. Concluem também sobre a importância do diagnóstico, por meio de polissonografia, do bruxismo do sono e de sua relação com outros distúrbios que ocorrem durante esse período.