Variable trajectory: a systematic review, analytic synthesis and construct domain consolidation of international measures of competence in doctors and medical students

BackgroundCompetence is assessed throughout a doctor’s career. Failure to identify and manage impaired competence can have critical consequences. Consistent conceptualisation and accurate measurement of this construct is imperative. Therefore, the objective of this review was to identify and evaluate measures used to assess competence in doctors and medical students.MethodsA systematic search of the published literature was undertaken between December 2019 and February 2020 for articles reporting on the measurement of competence in doctors and/or medical students. Searches were conducted in the PsychSOURCE, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, MEDLINE (PubMed), The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Web of Science electronic databases. Citation screening and forward citation tracking of included studies were carried out to identify any further relevant papers for inclusion. One thousand one hundred and thirty-six potentially relevant articles were screened. An analytic synthesis approach was implemented to the identification, organisation and interpretation of homogenous study and measure characteristics.ResultsTwelve competence domains were identified from the 153 identified measures. Knowledge and procedural competence domains were the dominant focus of publications reporting current medical practice, but less so in research-based studies which more frequently assessed interpersonal, psychological, physiological and ethical competencies. In the 105 included articles, the reporting of measurement instrument quality was varied, with comprehensive reporting only present in 53.6% of measures; validation for some of the measures was particularly limited.DiscussionWhile this review included a considerable number of publications reporting the measurement of competence in doctors and medical students, the heterogeneity of the measures and variation of findings limit the ability to evaluate their validity and generalisability. However, this review presents a resource for researchers and medical educators which may inform operational practice and future research.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020162156.

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Azithromycin in patients with Covid-19; a systematic review and metanalysis

10.1101/2021.08.03.21261414 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Luis Ayerbe ◽

Ivo Forgnone ◽

Carlos Risco-Risco ◽

Maria Perez-Pinar ◽

Salma Ayis

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Clinical Severity ◽

Future Research ◽

Controlled Trials ◽

Clinical Settings ◽

Cochrane Central Register ◽

Random Effects Models ◽

Central Register ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Observational Design

Background: Azithromycin (AZM) has been widely used in the management of Covid-19. However, the evidence on its actual effects remains disperse and difficult to apply in clinical settings. This systematic review and metanalysis summarizes the studies on the beneficial and adverse effect of AZM in patients with Covid-19. Methods: The PRISMA 2020 statement criteria were followed. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies comparing clinical outcomes of patients treated, and not treated, with AZM, indexed until the 5th of July 2021, were searched in PubMed, Embase, The Web of Science, Scopus, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and MedRXivs. We used Random-effects models to estimate pooled effect size from aggregate data. Results: The initial search produced 4950 results. Finally, 16 studies, five RCTs and 11 with an observational design, with a total of 22984 patients, were included. The metanalysis showed no difference in mortality for those treated, or not, with AZM, OR: 0.95 (0.79-1.13). There was also no significant difference for those treated, and not, with AZM in need for hospital admission or time to admission from ambulatory settings, clinical severity, need for intensive care, or adverse effects. Conclusions: These results presented in this review do not support the use of AZM in the management of Covid-19. They also show that any harm caused to the patient who received it is unlikely. Future research on treatment for patients with Covid-19 may need to focus on other drugs

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Recurrence of cervical artery dissection: protocol for a systematic review

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-037124 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. e037124

Author(s):

Elizabeth Lounsbury ◽

Brian Dewar ◽

Alexandra Davis ◽

Dean A Fergusson ◽

Dar Dowlatshahi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Vertebral Artery Dissection ◽

Primary Data ◽

Artery Dissection ◽

Cervical Artery Dissection ◽

Cochrane Central Register ◽

Minor Trauma ◽

Central Register ◽

Cervical Artery ◽

Registration Number

IntroductionCervical artery dissection, including carotid and vertebral artery dissection, is an important cause of stroke in the young. Risk of developing cervical artery dissection has been associated with physical activity in various forms and has been presumed to be related to minor trauma and mechanical stretching of the cervical arteries. This systematic review will aim to synthesise data on the risk of recurrent cervical artery dissection after an initial dissection. This information may be applied to further understand the natural history of this disease, and potentially to help direct evidence-based discussions on safe return to activity after dissection.Methods and analysisA broad search of multiple electronic databases (Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Web of Science) will be conducted to identify studies published as of 13 November 2019, examining all-comers with cervical artery dissection observed over time. Studies will be screened by two independent reviewers in a two-level process to determine eligibility for inclusion. Data will be pooled from eligible articles and the main outcome of recurrent cervical artery dissection at 5 years will be determined using quantitative analysis.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval is not necessary as no primary data are being collected. The information will be disseminated in the form of a systematic review article which will be submitted to a peer-reviewed medical journal.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020166105.

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Local anaesthetics combined with vasoconstrictors in patients with cardiovascular disease undergoing dental procedures: systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2016-014611 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (11) ◽

pp. e014611 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Caio Chaves Guimaraes ◽

Rogério Heládio Lopes Motta ◽

Cristiane de Cássia Bergamaschi ◽

Jimmy de Oliveira Araújo ◽

Natalia Karol de Andrade ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Cardiovascular Disease ◽

Data Extraction ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Local Anaesthetics ◽

Cochrane Central Register ◽

Assessment Development ◽

Dental Procedures ◽

Central Register ◽

Registration Number

IntroductionThe use of vasoconstrictors combined with local anaesthetics (LAs) in dentistry for patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) is still controversial in the scientific literature. It raises concerns regarding the possibility of transient episodes, triggering negative cardiovascular outcomes.Method/designTrials eligible for our systematic review will enrol patients with CVD who have undergone dental treatments carried out with the use of LAs by comparing two arms: LAs with vasoconstrictors and LAs without vasoconstrictors. The research will be conducted in the electronic databases, namely Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, Embase, Healthstar (via Ovid), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and Web of Science, from their inception to December 2017, without any restrictions in terms of language and status of publication. A team of reviewers will independently assess titles, abstracts and complete text to determine eligibility. For eligible studies, the same reviewers will perform data extraction and evaluate the risk of bias in the selected articles. The selected outcomes comprise death, mortality by a specific cause, stroke, acute myocardial infarction, hospitalisation, pain, bleeding, arrhythmias, ischaemic episodes, anxiety, adverse effects, changes in blood pressure, changes in heart rate, anxiety and results obtained via oximetry. Whenever possible, we will conduct a meta-analysis to establish the effects of LAs with and without vasoconstrictors in the patients with CVD, and the overall quality of evidence for each outcome will be determined using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation classification system.Ethics and disseminationEthics committee approval was not necessary because this is a protocol of systematic review. This systematic review will be submitted for presentation at conferences and for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Our review will assess the risks of cardiovascular events when using LAs with and without vasoconstrictors in patients with CVD, focusing on important clinical outcomes.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42016045421.

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Pharmacologic interventions for fatigue in cancer and transplantation: a meta-analysis

Current Oncology ◽

10.3747/co.25.3883 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 152 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

D. Tomlinson ◽

P. D. Robinson ◽

S. Oberoi ◽

D. Cataudella ◽

N. Culos-Reed ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Meta Analysis ◽

Future Research ◽

Cochrane Central Register ◽

Hematopoietic Stem ◽

Patients With Cancer ◽

Effective Interventions ◽

Methodologic Quality ◽

Central Register ◽

Fatigue Severity ◽

Pharmacologic Agents

Background Our objective was to determine whether, compared with control interventions, pharmacologic interventions reduce the severity of fatigue in patients with cancer or recipients of hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (hsct).Methods For a systematic review, we searched medline, embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, cinahl, and Psychinfo for randomized trials of systemic pharmacologic interventions for the management of fatigue in patients with cancer or recipients of hsct. Two authors independently identified studies and abstracted data. Methodologic quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. The primary outcome was fatigue severity measured using various fatigue scales. Data were synthesized using random-effects models.Results In the 117 included trials (19,819 patients), the pharmacologic agents used were erythropoietins (n = 31), stimulants (n = 19), l-carnitine (n = 6), corticosteroids (n = 5), antidepressants (n = 5), appetite stimulants (n = 3), and other agents (n = 48). Fatigue was significantly reduced with erythropoietin [standardized mean difference (smd): –0.52; 95% confidence interval (ci): –0.89 to –0.14] and with methylphenidate (smd: –0.36; 95% ci: –0.56 to –0.15); modafinil (or armodafinil) and corticosteroids were not effective.Conclusions Erythropoietin and methylphenidate significantly reduced fatigue severity in patients with cancer and in recipients of hsct. Concerns about the safety of those agents might limit their usefulness. Future research should identify effective interventions for fatigue that have minimal adverse effects.

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Weaning and Extubation Assisted with Conversational Hypnosis : A Systematic Review

10.21203/rs.3.rs-273882/v3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Johan Wormser ◽

Christophe Romanet ◽

Aurel Bellaïche ◽

François Philippart

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Oxygen Saturation ◽

Web Of Science ◽

Case Series ◽

Anxiety Reduction ◽

Cochrane Central Register ◽

Central Register ◽

Registration Number ◽

The One ◽

Present Systematic Review

Abstract Background : Patients admitted in intensive care units often receive mechanical ventilation. Prior to extubation, weaning process could be a major cause of dyspnea and anxiety in awake intubated patients. Hypnosis is commonly used to manage anxiety and pain. Our hypothesis is that hypnosis would decrease stress during the weaning and extubation process. Methods: This systematic review follows PRISMA Guidelines and was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020171445). Web of Science, MEDLINE and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases were searched until 11 March 2020. We included all interventional trials assessing hypnotherapy for intubated patients whom were undergoing weaning or extubation. Two of the authors independently screened studies, extracted data and assessed risk of bias from identified trials. Results: One study fulfilled our selection. This case series included 2 patients. Eleven sessions were completed. Dyspnea was not assessed/reported. Hypnotherapy decreased anxiety during the weaning process from a median of 1 point (Interquartile Range: 1.0-2.5). Increase in oxygen saturation is also reported. There was no evidence of neither an anxiety reduction or an oxygen saturation improvement. This is due to the scarcity of publication and the methodological design of the one selected study. Conclusions: We cannot conclude whether or not hypnosis could be recommended in the weaning process of intubated patients. Further studies are needed to assess hypnosis effects. Registration: The present systematic review was registered in the International prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO) under registration number CRD42020171445.

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The Evidence Base for Interventions Targeting Individuals With Work-Related PTSD: A Systematic Review and Recommendations

Behavior Modification ◽

10.1177/0145445517725048 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 42 (2) ◽

pp. 273-303 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Iris Torchalla ◽

Verena Strehlau

Keyword(s):

Police Officers ◽

Behavioral Therapy ◽

Evidence Base ◽

Future Research ◽

Clinical Settings ◽

Cochrane Central Register ◽

Work Related ◽

Central Register ◽

Industrial Injuries

The purpose of this study was to summarize the evidence base for interventions targeting individuals with work-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), to make recommendations for clinicians and administrative decision makers involved in their rehabilitation, and to guide future research in this area. Particular attention was given to studies that were conducted in naturalistic clinical settings or in a workers’ compensation claim context. Electronic searches of Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, PILOTS, and EMBASE identified 11 articles. Study populations included railroad personnel, police officers, disaster workers, and individuals with industrial injuries. Interventions included trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. Several studies specifically targeted workers who had failed to return to work (RTW) after standard PTSD treatment. The results suggest that psychotherapy interventions are beneficial for helping clients recover from PTSD symptoms and RTW. In studies that reported on work status, RTW rates increased over time and generally lay between 58% and 80% across follow-up time points. Narrative impressions were supplemented by calculation of Risk Differences for individuals working at pretreatment versus posttreatment. Clinical consideration, methodological issues limiting the current body of work, and recommendations for future research are discussed.

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Right versus left thoracic approach oesophagectomy for oesophageal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-030157 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (7) ◽

pp. e030157

Author(s):

Tianci Chai ◽

Zhimin Shen ◽

Sui Chen ◽

Yuhan Lin ◽

Zhenyang Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Oesophageal Cancer ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Controlled Trials ◽

Cochrane Central Register ◽

Malignant Tumours ◽

Central Register ◽

Registration Number ◽

Thoracic Approach ◽

Randomised Controlled

IntroductionOesophageal cancer is one of the most common malignant tumours and has been identified as one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide. Surgery is considered to be the optimal treatment for patients with resectable oesophageal cancer. Oesophagectomy for oesophageal cancer can significantly extend the survival period of patients and provide a potential opportunity for a cure. However, there is still controversy regarding which thoracic approach (right or left) during oesophagectomy for oesophageal cancer can lead to better surgical outcomes globally. This systematic review and meta-analysis will be performed to determine which thoracic approach during oesophagectomy will achieve longer patient survival and will be more beneficial for patients.Methods and analysisWe will search PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cancerlit, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Google Scholar databases for relevant clinical trials published in any language before 1 October 2019. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs), quasi-RCTs, propensity score-matched comparative studies and prospective cohort studies of interest, published or unpublished, that meet the inclusion criteria will be included. Subgroup analysis of the type of operation, tumour pathological stage and ethnicity will be performed.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42019124133.Ethics and disseminationBecause this study will be based on published or unpublished records and studies, there is no need for ethics approval. The results of the study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.

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Survival outcomes of patients with cervical cancer and accompanying hydronephrosis: A systematic review of the literature

Oncology Reviews ◽

10.4081/oncol.2019.387 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Vasilios Pergialiotis ◽

Ioannis Bellos ◽

Nikolaos Thomakos ◽

Dimitrios Haidopoulos ◽

Despina N. Perrea ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Cervical Cancer ◽

Obstructive Uropathy ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Disease Free Survival ◽

Percutaneous Nephrostomy ◽

Future Research ◽

Cochrane Central Register ◽

Central Register ◽

Present Systematic Review

Hydronephrosis is a sign of advanced stage disease in patients with cervical cancer. Its presence is believed to negatively affect the survival of patients. To date, however, consensus in this field is still lacking. The purpose of the present systematic review is to gather the available data and to provide directions for future research in the field. We systematically searched Medline, Scopus, Clinicaltrials.gov, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials CENTRA and Google Scholar databases from inception till June 2018. Overall, 22 studies were included in the present systematic review that evaluated outcomes from 8521 patients with cervical cancer. The findings of our systematic review support that hydronephrosis negatively affects the overall survival of cervical cancer patients. Specifically, the reported 5-year OS hazards ratio for hydronephrosis ranged between 1.34 and 3.74. Outcomes concerning the disease-free survival of these patients were, however, less discrete. None of the included studies reported whether the decreased survival of patients with hydronephrosis was attributed to complications of obstructive uropathy such as uremia and sepsis. Thus, it remains, to date, unclear whether placement of ureteral stents or percutaneous nephrostomy may actually benefit these patients. More studies are needed to evaluate the actual impact of hydronephrosis on survival rates at the various stages of cervical cancer and to help establish consensus regarding the optimal mode of management of these patients.

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Technical approaches to single port/incision laparoscopic appendicectomy: a literature review

Annals of The Royal College of Surgeons of England ◽

10.1308/147870811x13137608455091 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 93 (7) ◽

pp. 508-513 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

H Rehman ◽

I Ahmed

Keyword(s):

Single Incision ◽

Single Port ◽

English Literature ◽

Skin Incision ◽

Future Research ◽

Cochrane Central Register ◽

Complication Rates ◽

Open Appendicectomy ◽

Hybrid Procedures ◽

Central Register

INTRODUCTION Single port/incision laparoscopic surgery (SPILS) is a modern advancement toward stealth surgery. Despite the paucity of high-quality scientific studies assessing its effectiveness, this procedure is being used increasingly. This review aims to describe commonly used techniques for SPILS appendicectomies (SPILA), to summarise complication rates in the literature and to provide discussion on indications and implementation. METHODS All available databases including the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE® and Embase™ were searched in February 2011 and cross-referenced for available English literature describing SPILA in patients of any age. RESULTS Three broad technical approaches are described: procedures using laparoscopic instruments through a single skin incision in the abdominal wall, regardless of the number of fascial incisions, with or without the additional use of percutaneous sutures or wires to ‘assist’ the operation, and hybrid procedures, in which the appendix is exteriorised using a single incision laparoscopically assisted operation but subsequently divided using a conventional ‘open’ appendicectomy technique. Complication rates seem to be highest in SPILA procedures unassisted by sutures or wires. CONCLUSIONS Future research assessing the efficacy of single incision laparoscopic procedures should consider variation in technique as a possible factor affecting outcome.

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Risk factors for community-acquired Escherichia coli bacteraemia: a systematic review protocol

Wellcome Open Research ◽

10.12688/wellcomeopenres.14804.1 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

pp. 117

Author(s):

Anna Aryee ◽

Suvi Härmälä ◽

Laura Shallcross ◽

Andrew Hayward

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Escherichia Coli ◽

Primary Data ◽

Antibiotic Prescribing ◽

Cochrane Central Register ◽

Central Register ◽

Ethical Approval ◽

Registration Number ◽

Review Protocol ◽

Meta Analyses

Introduction: Rates of community-acquired Escherichia coli bacteraemia (ECB) have been consistently rising. As rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), particularly in Gram-negative bacteria, are also increasing, this is of concern both for management of individual patients and healthcare systems. There is currently little data on the risk factors for development of community-acquired ECB: this review aims to identify these risk factors in order to inform community interventions to reduce ECB as well as antibiotic prescribing policy. Methods and analysis: We will search Medline (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), Web of Science/Scopus and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for published reports on observational and experimental primary research studies involving patients admitted to hospital with community-acquired ECB. Two reviewers will independently screen the studies for eligibility, perform data collection and assess study quality and risk of bias. Random effects meta-analyses will be performed if appropriate. Ethics and dissemination: No primary data will be collected for this study and so formal ethical approval is not required. We will publish the results of our review in relevant peer-reviewed medical journals, and will also seek to present them at relevant medical conferences. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42018104402

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