scholarly journals Controlled administration of cannabis to mitigate cannabis-attributable harm among recreational users: a quasi-experimental study in Germany

F1000Research ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 201
Author(s):  
Jakob Manthey ◽  
Jens Kalke ◽  
Jürgen Rehm ◽  
Moritz Rosenkranz ◽  
Uwe Verthein

Background: New approaches are required to slow down or reverse increasing trends of levels of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabis-attributable hospitalizations in Germany. Legal access to cannabis may constitute one viable effective policy response; however, available evidence does not suffice to inform a regulation model for Germany. The proposed study aims to reduce harm for cannabis users through legal access to herbal cannabis through pharmacies. Protocol: A quasi-experimental study comparing cannabis users with legal access to herbal cannabis (Berlin, intervention group) to those without legal access (Hamburg, control group) (total N=698). As the primary outcome, we hypothesize that: 1) illegal THC consumption will reduce by at least 50% in the intervention group and 2) total THC exposure in the intervention group will be reduced by at least 10% lower than that of the control group, taking into account baseline values. Secondary outcomes comprise measures of frequency of use, THC-impaired driving, and mode of administration. Paired t-tests and multilevel regression models will be performed for statistical analyses. Discussion: This study proposal is currently being reviewed by the ‘Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices’ – the body responsible for approving research studies on classified substances, including cannabis. Upon approval and prior to the start of the study, a full ethical review will be undertaken. Results may inform a regulation model for Germany and other jurisdictions and are expected to deepen the understanding of the effects of legal access to cannabis. Pre-registration: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS), DRKS00020829

F1000Research ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 201
Author(s):  
Jakob Manthey ◽  
Jens Kalke ◽  
Jürgen Rehm ◽  
Moritz Rosenkranz ◽  
Uwe Verthein

Background: New approaches are required to slow down or reverse increasing trends of levels of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabis-attributable hospitalizations in Germany. Legal access to cannabis may constitute one viable effective policy response; however, available evidence does not suffice to inform a regulation model for Germany. The proposed study aims to reduce harm for cannabis users through legal access to herbal cannabis through pharmacies. Protocol: A quasi-experimental study comparing cannabis users with legal access to herbal cannabis (Berlin, intervention group) to those without legal access (Hamburg, control group) (total N=698). As the primary outcome, we hypothesize that: 1) illegal THC consumption will reduce by at least 50% in the intervention group and 2) total THC exposure in the intervention group will be reduced by at least 10% lower than that of the control group, taking into account baseline values. Secondary outcomes comprise measures of frequency of use, THC-impaired driving, and mode of administration. Paired t-tests and multilevel regression models will be performed for statistical analyses. Discussion: This study proposal is currently being reviewed by the ‘Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices’ – the body responsible for approving research studies on classified substances, including cannabis. Upon approval and prior to the start of the study, a full ethical review will be undertaken. Results may inform a regulation model for Germany and other jurisdictions and are expected to deepen the understanding of the effects of legal access to cannabis. Pre-registration: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS), DRKS00020829


2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 2231-2241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marieke CE Battjes-Fries ◽  
Annemien Haveman-Nies ◽  
Reint-Jan Renes ◽  
Hante J Meester ◽  
Pieter van ’t Veer

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the effect of the Dutch school-based education programme ‘Taste Lessons’ on children’s behavioural determinants towards tasting unfamiliar foods and eating healthy and a variety of foods.DesignIn a quasi-experimental study design, data on behavioural determinants were collected at baseline, four weeks and six months after the intervention in both the intervention and control group. Children completed consecutively three questionnaires in which knowledge, awareness, skills, attitude, emotion, subjective norm and intention towards the two target behaviours were assessed. Teachers implemented on average a third of the programme activities. Multilevel regression analyses were conducted to compare individual changes in the determinants in the intervention group with those in the control group, corrected for children’s gender and age. Effect sizes were expressed as Cohen’s d.SettingDutch elementary schools.SubjectsForty-nine classes (1183 children, 9–12 years old) in grades 5–8 of twenty-one elementary schools.ResultsThe intervention group showed a higher increase in knowledge (d=0·26, P<0·01), which persisted after six months (d=0·23, P<0·05). After four weeks, the intervention group showed a higher increase in number of foods known (d=0·22, P<0·05) and tasted (d=0·21, P<0·05), subjective norm of the teacher (d=0·17, P<0·05) and intention (d=0·16, P<0·05) towards the target behaviours.ConclusionsPartial implementation of Taste Lessons during one school year showed small short-term effects on increasing behavioural determinants in relation to tasting unfamiliar foods and eating healthy and a variety of foods. Full and repeated implementation of Taste Lessons in subsequent years might result in larger effects.


Author(s):  
Lorna Kwai Ping Suen ◽  
Janet Pui Lee Cheung

Early childhood is a formative period during which healthy habits are developed, including proper hand hygiene practices. The aim of this quasi-experimental study was to determine the effectiveness of a 4-week series of educational sessions that consider the cognitive developmental stage of children on increasing their knowledge and promoting hand hygiene practices. The intervention group (n = 33) observed the hand hygiene program, whereas another group served as the waitlist control (n = 20). Creative activities were planned for the illustration of hand hygiene concepts in terms of “right moments”, “right steps”, and “right duration”. Hand sanitizer coverage was evaluated using a hand scanner. After the intervention, the experimental group had higher knowledge level toward hand hygiene than the control group (p < 0.001). Significant improvements in hand hygiene performance at the left palm and dorsum (p < 0.05), right palm (p < 0.05), and overall hand coverage (p < 0.05) were observed in the experimental group. The study demonstrated that the knowledge and proper hand hygiene (HH) practice of children can be positively influenced by the use of an age-appropriate education program. The results of this study have implications for school health educators and parents for promoting HH practices among children at home and at the school level.


2016 ◽  
Vol 55 (6) ◽  
pp. 339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hartono Gunadi ◽  
Rini Sekartini ◽  
Retno Asti Werdhani ◽  
Ardi Findyartini ◽  
Muhammad Arvianda Kevin Kurnia

Background Immunization is recognized as one of the strategiesto reduce vaccine preventable diseases. Competency related toimmunization are consequently important for medical students andthe medical school needs to assure the competence acquisition.Objective To assess competence related to immunization andits retention following lectures with simulations compared tolectures only.Methods A quasi-experimental study was conducted to the 5th yearstudents of University of Indonesia Medical School during the ChildAdolescent Health Module in 2012-2013. The intervention grouphad lectures with simulations and the control group had lecturesonly. Immunization knowledge was assessed with a 30 multiplechoice question (MCA) items performed before and after themodule. Competence retention was assessed by MCQ (knowledge)and OSCE (skills) 2-6 months afterwards.Results Sixty eight subjects for each group with similarcharacteristics were analyzed. There was significant differenceafter module MCQ score between two groups. Competenceretention in 2-6 months after module completion was betterin intervention group, both for the knowledge (median MCQscore of 70.00 (range 37-93) vs. mean score of 58.01 (SD 12.22),respectively; P<0.001) and skill (OSCE mean scores of 75.21 (SD10.74) vs. 62.62 (SD 11.89), respectively; P < 0.001). Proportionof subjects in the intervention group who passed both the MCQand OSCE were also significantly greater.Conclusion Lectures with simulations are proved to bemore effective in improving medical students’ immunizationcompetence as well as its retention compared to lectures onlyapproach.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Vunni Draiko ◽  
Khemika Yamarat ◽  
Alessio Panza ◽  
Judith Draleru ◽  
Martin Taban ◽  
...  

This study aimed to examine the effects of the Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) training interventions program on the knowledge, psychomotor skills, and competency of health workers in managing birth asphyxia and reducing mortality of newborns experiencing asphyxia within 24 hours. This study used pre- and post-test design (quasi experimental study). Purposive sampling was employed, and a computer-generated number was used to select the participants. Health workers from Juba Teaching Hospital comprised the intervention group. They were evaluated before and after the training from February to June 2017. A post training skill and competency evaluation was performed using a NeoNatalie newborn simulator and was repeated after three months of implementation for intervention and control group. Seventy health workers were enrolled; 40 were in the intervention group and 30 in the control group. Early newborn mortality due to asphyxia within 24 hours in intervention and control measure at pre and post implementation showed a significant reduction within the intervention than the control. Knowledge, psychomotor and competency of health care workers improved immediately after training and early newborn mortality reduced by half at the end of three months. It is recommended that training of health workers on HBB should be scaled up in most of the health facilities in South Sudan.


Author(s):  
Mateus Henrique Gonçalves Meska ◽  
Leandro Yukio Mano ◽  
Janaina Pereira Silva ◽  
Gerson Alves Pereira Junior ◽  
Alessandra Mazzo

Objective: to compare the effect of exposure to unpleasant odors in a simulated clinical environment on the emotions of undergraduate nursing students. Method: quasi-experimental study. A total of 24 nursing students participated the study, divided into two groups, 12 in the intervention group with exposure to unpleasant odors, and 12 in the control group without exposure to unpleasant odors. To simulate the unpleasant vomiting odor in intervention group, fermented foods were used: boiled oats, curdled milk, spoiled Parmesan cheese, raw egg, pea soup, raisins and vinegar. Participants were filmed and the facial expression analysis was performed at six critical points: student approach; report of the complaint; clinical evaluation; and patient occurrence, intervention and reevaluation based on what was proposed by the Circumplex model of emotions recognition. Results: a total of 83,215 emotions related to the six critical points were verified. At the critical point of the proposed scenario with exposure to unpleasant odors, the intervention group presented the basic emotion of sadness and the Control Group, anger. Conclusion: it is inferred that the inclusion of unpleasant odors in the simulated scenarios can broaden the emotional development of health students.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roghaye Mehdipour-rabori ◽  
Behnaz Bagheryan ◽  
monirsadat nematollahi

Abstract Background:Clinical education is an essential part of nursing education. Selected clinical teaching methods influence it. Simulation-based mastery learning has been used to improve clinical skills among nursing students and may provide a novel way to enhance nursing skills.The object of this study was to assessthe effect of the simulation-based mastery learning on the clinicalskills of undergraduate nursing students from 2017 till 2019.Methods:This study was a quasi-experimental study withtwo groups (the control and intervention).After receiving written consent, one 117 studentsselected random convenience sampling. The intervention group participated in a simulation-based mastery learning intervention, and the control group received no intervention except for traditional training.The students of both groups completed the demographic information questionnaire and the checklist before and after the intervention. The results were analyzed by SPSS version 21 using descriptive and inferential statistics.Results:The results showed that there were no significant differences between the two groups before the intervention (p> o.o5). Also, that students’ performance in the intervention group and control group improved significantly at the post-test compared to baseline(p<0.05), implying that the simulation-based mastery model of the intervention group significantly more effective compared to that of the control.Conclusion: Thesefindings showed that mastery learning strategy improved the clinical skills ofundergraduatenursing students.The results suggest that other nursing and health profession’s programs can develop a successful mastery-based learning model.


2019 ◽  
pp. 105984051987164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohd Said Nurumal ◽  
Siti Hajar Mohd Zain ◽  
Mohamad Haniki Nik Mohamed ◽  
Shefaly Shorey

Preventing smoking among adolescents is critical. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Smoking Prevention Education Program among nonsmoking adolescents. A quasi-experimental study design was used. Data were collected from Year 5 students ( n = 140) from four government primary schools in the Kuantan and Pahang districts of Malaysia. The participating schools were randomly assigned into the intervention and control groups. Questionnaires and exhaled carbon monoxide (CO) levels were used to collect data at the baseline and at 3 months postintervention. At 3 months postintervention, the percentage of nonsmokers remained 100% in the intervention group, while 2.9% of the participants in the control group reported to have smoked in past 7 days. Comparatively, the mean scores of attitudes, subjective norms, and nonsmoking intentions of the intervention group improved significantly. The intervention was effective in preventing smoking initiations among Malaysian adolescents; however, further evaluation of this intervention is needed among varied populations.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thor Arne Haukedal ◽  
Inger Åse Reierson ◽  
Hanne Hedeman ◽  
Ida Torunn Bjørk

Simulation-based learning is an effective technique for teaching nursing students’ skills and knowledge related to patient deterioration. This study examined students’ acquisition of theoretical knowledge about symptoms, pathophysiology, and nursing actions after implementing an educational intervention during simulation-based learning. A quasi-experimental study compared theoretical knowledge among two groups of students before and after implementation of the intervention. The intervention introduced the following new components to the existing technique: a knowledge test prior to the simulation, video-recording of the performance, and introduction of a structured observation form used by students and facilitator during observation and debriefing. The intervention group had significantly higher scores on a knowledge test conducted after the simulations in comparison to the scores in the control group. In both groups scores were highest on knowledge of symptoms and lowest on knowledge of pathophysiology; the intervention group had significantly higher scores than the control group on both topics. Students’ theoretical knowledge of patient deterioration may be enhanced by improving the students’ prerequisites for learning and by strengthening debriefing after simulation.


BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. e015702 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Helena Jütten ◽  
Ruth Elaine Mark ◽  
Ben Wilhelmus Jacobus Maria Janssen ◽  
Jan Rietsema ◽  
Rose-Marie Dröes ◽  
...  

IntroductionInformal caregivers for people with dementia (hereafter: caregivers) often feel (over)burdened by the care for a loved one with dementia, and this can have various deleterious effects on both caregivers and patients. Support for caregivers is urgently needed, and for this reason, a dementia simulator (Into D’mentia) was developed in which caregivers experience what it is like to have dementia. The simulator attempts to heighten caregivers’ empathy and understanding for the patient and, in turn, diminish their own caregiver burden. The current study evaluates whether the simulator is effective on a number of outcomes.Methods and analysisA longitudinal, quasi-experimental study is ongoing in the Netherlands. We aim to recruit 142 caregivers in total divided over two groups: 71 caregivers in the intervention group and 71 caregivers in the control group. All participants will complete interviews and questionnaires at four time points: at baseline, 1 week, 2.5 months and 15 months after the training. The primary outcomes include empathy, caregiver burden, caregiver’s sense of competence, social reliance, anxiety, depression and caregivers’ subjective and objective health.Ethics and disseminationThis study is being carried out in agreement with the Declaration of Helsinki, and the protocol has been approved by the local ethics committees.Registration detailsThis study is registered with The Netherlands National Trial Register (NNTR5856).


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