scholarly journals The experiences of family members witnessing the diminishing drinking of a dying relative: An adapted meta-narrative literature review

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (9) ◽  
pp. 1146-1157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annie Pettifer ◽  
Katherine Froggatt ◽  
Sean Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Oral Fluid ◽  
Cancer Cachexia ◽  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Relevant Research ◽  
Narrative Literature ◽  
Narrative Literature Review

Background:Addressing the concerns of family members is an important aspect of palliative and end-of-life care. One aspect that commonly causes family caregivers concern is the decline of patients’ oral fluid intake in the last few days of life.Aim:To map the narratives in which family members’ experiences of witnessing the diminishing drinking of a dying relative have been researched, review the findings within each narrative and consider directions for future research.Design:An adapted meta-narrative review approach.Data Sources:The Cumulative Index of Nursing and Applied Health Literature, Medline, PsycINFO, Psycharticles and Scopus databases were searched for relevant research published between January 1982 and December 2017. Quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment and Review Instrument.Results:A total of 22 papers met the inclusion criteria. No study focused specifically on the experiences of family members when witnessing the diminishing drinking of dying relatives. However, research about diminishing drinking was identified within studies broadly focusing on cancer cachexia, clinical decision-making about hydration and/or nutrition and support in a hospice context. The research indicates that family members’ experiences of diminishing drinking vary with their views about the significance of drinking, dying well and their expectations of themselves and healthcare professionals.Conclusion:While some understanding of the topic can be inferred from research in related areas, there is a paucity of information specifically about family members’ experiences when witnessing the diminishing drinking of a dying relative.

scholarly journals Cooperatives and Social Capital: A Narrative Literature Review and Directions for Future Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 534
Author(s):  
Isabel Saz-Gil ◽  
Ignacio Bretos ◽  
Millán Díaz-Foncea
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Agricultural Cooperatives ◽  
Reciprocal Relationships ◽  
Narrative Literature ◽  
Narrative Literature Review ◽  
The One ◽  
The Relationship

How cooperatives generate and absorb social capital has attracted a great deal of attention due to the fact that they are collective organizations owned and democratically managed by their members, and, accordingly, are argued to be closely linked to the nature and dynamics of social capital. However, the extant literature and knowledge on the relationship between cooperatives and social capital remain unstructured and fragmented. This paper aims to provide a narrative literature review that integrates both sides of the relationship between cooperatives and social capital. On the one hand, one side involves how cooperatives create internal social capital and spread it in their immediate environment, and, on the other hand, it involves how the presence of social capital promotes the creation and development of cooperatives. In addition, our theoretical framework integrates the dark side of social capital, that is, how the lack of trust, reciprocal relationships, transparency, and other social capital components can lead to failure of the cooperative. On the basis of this review, we define a research agenda that synthesizes key trends and promising research avenues for further advancement of theoretical and empirical insights about the relationship between cooperatives and social capital, placing particular emphasis on rural and agricultural cooperatives.

scholarly journals Over one third of patients with symptomatic femoroacetabular impingement display femoral or acetabular version abnormalities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zaki Arshad ◽  
Henry David Maughan ◽  
Karadi Hari Sunil Kumar ◽  
Matthew Pettit ◽  
Arvind Arora ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Distribution Analysis ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Acetabular Version ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Femoral Version ◽  
Normal Mean ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was investigate the relationship between version and torsional abnormalities of the acetabulum, femur and tibia in patients with symptomatic FAI. Methods A systematic review was performed according to PRISMA guidelines using the EMBASE, MEDLINE, PubMed and Cochrane databases. Original research articles evaluating the described version and torsional parameters in FAI were included. The MINORS criteria were used to appraise study quality and risk of bias. Mean version and torsion values were displayed using forest plots and the estimated proportion of hips displaying abnormalities in version/torsion were calculated. Results A total of 1206 articles were identified from the initial search, with 43 articles, involving 8861 hips, meeting the inclusion criteria. All studies evaluating femoral or acetabular version in FAI reported ‘normal’ mean version values (10–25 °). However, distribution analysis revealed that an estimated 31% and 51% of patients with FAI displayed abnormal central acetabular and femoral version, respectively. Conclusion Up to 51% of patients presenting with symptomatic FAI show an abnormal femoral version, whilst up to 31% demonstrate abnormal acetabular version. This high percentage of version abnormalities highlights the importance of evaluating these parameters routinely during assessment of patients with FAI, to guide clinical decision-making. Level of evidence IV.

scholarly journals Challenges in treatment of renal echinococcosis with gross hydatiduria and unsalvageable kidney: a case report

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sameera Shuaibi ◽  
Abdelrahman AlAshqar ◽  
Munirah Alabdulhadi ◽  
Wasl Al-Adsani
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Renal Involvement ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
Response To Treatment ◽  
Standards Of Care ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Positive Serology ◽  
Grape Skin

Abstract Introduction Renal echinococcosis is of rare occurrence, and although often asymptomatic, it can present with various mild to drastic presentations, of which hydatiduria is pathognomonic. Diagnosis can be preliminarily established by imaging, and treatment is primarily surgical. We present a patient with renal echinococcosis treated successfully with exclusive antiparasitic pharmacotherapy after refusing surgery despite extensive renal involvement. We hope through this report to help establish future solid guidelines regarding this uncommon therapeutic approach. Case presentation This is a case of a 49-year-old Syrian shepherd presenting with flank pain and passage of grape-skin-like structures in urine. A diagnosis of renal echinococcosis with hydatiduria and significant parenchymal destruction was established based on exposure history, positive serology, imaging findings, and renal scintigraphy. After proper counseling, the patient refused nephrectomy and was therefore started on dual pharmacotherapy (albendazole and praziquantel) and is having an uneventful follow-up and a satisfactory response to treatment. Conclusion This case embodies the daily challenges physicians navigate as they uphold the ethical principles of their practice and support their patients’ autonomy while delivering the best standards of care and consulting the scientific evidence. Although surgery is the cornerstone of renal echinococcosis treatment, treating physicians should be prepared to tackle situations where surgery cannot be done and offer the best next available option for patients who refuse surgery. As data on exclusive pharmacotherapy are limited, future research should thoroughly investigate the efficacy of this uncommon approach and outline reliable recommendations, facilitating future clinical decision-making in this avenue.

scholarly journals Validation of parsimonious prognostic models for patients infected with COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. e100267
Author(s):  
Keerthi Harish ◽  
Ben Zhang ◽  
Peter Stella ◽  
Kevin Hauck ◽  
Marwa M Moussa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Validation Cohort ◽  
External Validation ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
Prognostic Models ◽  
Clinical Prediction ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Local Data ◽  
External Data ◽  
Operator Curve

ObjectivesPredictive studies play important roles in the development of models informing care for patients with COVID-19. Our concern is that studies producing ill-performing models may lead to inappropriate clinical decision-making. Thus, our objective is to summarise and characterise performance of prognostic models for COVID-19 on external data.MethodsWe performed a validation of parsimonious prognostic models for patients with COVID-19 from a literature search for published and preprint articles. Ten models meeting inclusion criteria were either (a) externally validated with our data against the model variables and weights or (b) rebuilt using original features if no weights were provided. Nine studies had internally or externally validated models on cohorts of between 18 and 320 inpatients with COVID-19. One model used cross-validation. Our external validation cohort consisted of 4444 patients with COVID-19 hospitalised between 1 March and 27 May 2020.ResultsMost models failed validation when applied to our institution’s data. Included studies reported an average validation area under the receiver–operator curve (AUROC) of 0.828. Models applied with reported features averaged an AUROC of 0.66 when validated on our data. Models rebuilt with the same features averaged an AUROC of 0.755 when validated on our data. In both cases, models did not validate against their studies’ reported AUROC values.DiscussionPublished and preprint prognostic models for patients infected with COVID-19 performed substantially worse when applied to external data. Further inquiry is required to elucidate mechanisms underlying performance deviations.ConclusionsClinicians should employ caution when applying models for clinical prediction without careful validation on local data.

Imposter syndrome in doctors beyond training: a narrative review

2021 ◽  
pp. 103985622110361
Author(s):  
Joseph Freeman ◽  
Carmelle Peisah
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Career Progression ◽  
Institutional Changes ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Narrative Literature ◽  
Systemic Interventions ◽  
Narrative Literature Review

Objective: To undertake a narrative literature review of imposter syndrome (IS) in doctors beyond training. Method: Twelve studies met inclusion criteria from a systematised search of three databases. Results: There is a paucity of literature on IS, although it has been observed across a diverse range of specialties. IS appears to be more common in female doctors but is also seen amongst male doctors. IS impacts career progression, leadership and mental health. Conclusions: IS causes professional and personal detriment. Solutions must include institutional changes to foster safer workplaces and to address systemic barriers to help-seeking and peer support. Systemic interventions are the only solution to the systemic drivers of IS.

Ambidextrous leadership: a narrative literature review for theory development and directions for future research

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitrios Kafetzopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Critical Discussion ◽  
Leadership Theory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Gaps ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Narrative Literature ◽  
Narrative Literature Review ◽  
Ambidextrous Leadership

PurposeThis study seeks to provide a narrative literature review of existing empirical research, in order to better understand the processes and theory of ambidextrous leadership, as well as its influence on followers, employees and organizations.Design/methodology/approachData from 26 studies were extracted and synthesied providing a critical discussion about the methodological and theoretical aspects of the studies identified in the review.FindingsIt was revealed the attributes for an effective ambidextrous leader, it was presented the recently proposed concept of ambidextrous leadership theory and it was noticed the main criticisms against the findings of the extant ambidextrous leadership literature. It was also identified many research gaps in the literature which in turn can guide academics in the development of ambidextrous leadership.Research limitations/implicationsThe ambidextrous leadership theory represents a novel and unique approach to the domain of leadership for creativity and innovation. It is shared across hierarchical levels throughout the organization. Leaders have a significant effect on employees' behaviors and should determine its applicability to different situations. Organizations require ambidextrous managers who combine flexible, situational and versatile leadership styles developing ever increasingly new and divergent ideas. Many research gaps in the literature were also identified that can guide academics in the development of ambidextrous leadership.Practical implicationsUnderstanding that ambidextrous leadership is required to significantly influence ambidexterity and innovation allows organizations to direct their leadership selection and development.Originality/valueThis review contributes to the ambidextrous leadership literature by creating a holistic picture of where it has been and where it should go.

scholarly journals A Survey of Information Entropy Metrics for Complex Networks

Entropy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 1417
Author(s):  
Yamila M. Omar ◽  
Peter Plapper
Keyword(s):  
Probability Distribution ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Complex Networks ◽  
Information Entropy ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
Narrative Literature ◽  
Narrative Literature Review ◽  
Further Development

Information entropy metrics have been applied to a wide range of problems that were abstracted as complex networks. This growing body of research is scattered in multiple disciplines, which makes it difficult to identify available metrics and understand the context in which they are applicable. In this work, a narrative literature review of information entropy metrics for complex networks is conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. Existing entropy metrics are classified according to three different criteria: whether the metric provides a property of the graph or a graph component (such as the nodes), the chosen probability distribution, and the types of complex networks to which the metrics are applicable. Consequently, this work identifies the areas in need for further development aiming to guide future research efforts.

Evaluating Diagnostic Tests

1993 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.W. Douglass
Keyword(s):  
Predictive Value ◽  
Diagnostic Tests ◽  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Scientific Support ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Efficacy Parameters ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity

The presentations at this conference will discuss new technologies and rapid scientific developments that have resulted in new diagnostic tests for periodontal disease, musculoskeletal imaging, temporomandibular joint dysfunctions, and incipient coronal and root dental caries. However, for many of these claims, there has been insufficient scientific support regarding the sensitivity and specificity of the tests, or their ability to predict the percent of cases in which the disease or condition progresses to the next state of development. Research is needed that will yield the basic diagnostic parameters of new diagnostic tests, i.e., their accuracy, precision, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value. The purpose and methods for calculating each of these measures are described in this paper. Five questions are then presented that will need to be addressed in future research regarding new diagnostic tests: (1) Does the scientific theory of the test fit with our current body of knowledge? (2) Have the efficacy parameters of the test been reliably determined? (3) How does the test affect clinical decision-making? (4) Does using the test improve the patient's health? and (5) Is the added expense of the test justified by increased effectiveness or by avoiding other health expenditures?

Nonsuicidal Self-injury: Examining the Relationship Between Diagnosis and Gender

2010 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 324-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Healey ◽  
Heather Trepal ◽  
Kelly Emelianchik-Key
Keyword(s):  
Counselor Training ◽  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Counselors In Training ◽  
Counseling Professionals ◽  
Biological Sex ◽  
Normative Expectations ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Societal Expectations

This study examined the perceptions of counselors in training concerning nonsuicidal self-injurious behaviors (NSSI), diagnosis, and the influence of gender-normative expectations on clinical decision making. Participants were asked to respond to a set of questions after reading a randomly assigned case study. The purpose was to determine the process through which counseling professionals diagnosed adolescents who self-injure and whether the sex of the client influenced the decision. Cases presented were identical except that the sex of the client was altered. It appears that societal expectations associated with biological sex may influence counselor diagnostic decisions at the training level. Implications for diagnosis, counselor training, and future research are presented.

scholarly journals A realist review of brief interventions for alcohol misuse delivered in emergency departments

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin J Davey ◽  
Meredith SH Landy ◽  
Amanda Pecora ◽  
David Quintero ◽  
Kelly E McShane
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Emergency Departments ◽  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Alcohol Misuse ◽  
Realist Review ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
Brief Interventions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Healthcare Settings ◽  
Favorable Conditions

Background: Brief interventions (BIs) involve screening for alcohol misuse and providing feedback to patients about their use, with the aim of reducing alcohol consumption and related consequences. BIs have been implemented in various healthcare settings, including emergency departments (ED), where they have been found to contribute mixed results in their ability to address alcohol misuse among adults. Mechanisms through which BIs work and contextual factors impacting BI effectiveness are not clear. The purpose of this review was to understand how, for whom, and under what circumstances BIs work for adults misusing alcohol and who have been admitted to an ED. A realist review was chosen to answer these questions as realist reviews create context-mechanism-outcome configurations, leading to the development of comprehensive and detailed theories; in this case explaining how and for whom BIs work. Methods: Databases including PsycINFO, Healthstar, CINAHL, Medline, and Nursing and Allied Health were searched for articles published until December 2013. The search strategy focused on studies examining BIs that targeted alcohol misuse among adults admitted into the ED. The search identified 145 relevant abstracts, of which 36 were included in the review. The literature was synthesized qualitatively (immersion/crystallization). Results: Four mechanisms were found within reviewed studies, including engagement in/retention of BI materials, resolving ambivalence, increased awareness/insight into consequences of drinking, and increased self-efficacy/empowerment to use skills for change. The following contexts were found to impact mechanisms: emotional state, injury attributed to alcohol use, severity of alcohol use, and baseline stage of change. Conclusions: This realist review provides advances in theories regarding which mechanisms to target during a BI and which contexts create the most favorable conditions for these mechanisms to occur, ultimately leading to optimal BI outcomes. These results can inform future clinical decision-making when delivering BIs in ED settings. Future research should conduct quantitative examination to confirm these findings. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42013006549

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