scholarly journals Effects of psychosocial support interventions on survival in inpatient and outpatient healthcare settings: A meta-analysis of 106 randomized controlled trials

PLoS Medicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. e1003595
Author(s):  
Timothy B. Smith ◽  
Connor Workman ◽  
Caleb Andrews ◽  
Bonnie Barton ◽  
Matthew Cook ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Severity ◽  
Patient Survival ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Psychosocial Interventions ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Healthcare Settings ◽  
Emotional Outcomes ◽  
Research Bias

Background Hospitals, clinics, and health organizations have provided psychosocial support interventions for medical patients to supplement curative care. Prior reviews of interventions augmenting psychosocial support in medical settings have reported mixed outcomes. This meta-analysis addresses the questions of how effective are psychosocial support interventions in improving patient survival and which potential moderating features are associated with greater effectiveness. Methods and findings We evaluated randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of psychosocial support interventions in inpatient and outpatient healthcare settings reporting survival data, including studies reporting disease-related or all-cause mortality. Literature searches included studies reported January 1980 through October 2020 accessed from Embase, Medline, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Alt HealthWatch, PsycINFO, Social Work Abstracts, and Google Scholar databases. At least 2 reviewers screened studies, extracted data, and assessed study quality, with at least 2 independent reviewers also extracting data and assessing study quality. Odds ratio (OR) and hazard ratio (HR) data were analyzed separately using random effects weighted models. Of 42,054 studies searched, 106 RCTs including 40,280 patients met inclusion criteria. Patient average age was 57.2 years, with 52% females and 48% males; 42% had cardiovascular disease (CVD), 36% had cancer, and 22% had other conditions. Across 87 RCTs reporting data for discrete time periods, the average was OR = 1.20 (95% CI = 1.09 to 1.31, p < 0.001), indicating a 20% increased likelihood of survival among patients receiving psychosocial support compared to control groups receiving standard medical care. Among those studies, psychosocial interventions explicitly promoting health behaviors yielded improved likelihood of survival, whereas interventions without that primary focus did not. Across 22 RCTs reporting survival time, the average was HR = 1.29 (95% CI = 1.12 to 1.49, p < 0.001), indicating a 29% increased probability of survival over time among intervention recipients compared to controls. Among those studies, meta-regressions identified 3 moderating variables: control group type, patient disease severity, and risk of research bias. Studies in which control groups received health information/classes in addition to treatment as usual (TAU) averaged weaker effects than those in which control groups received only TAU. Studies with patients having relatively greater disease severity tended to yield smaller gains in survival time relative to control groups. In one of 3 analyses, studies with higher risk of research bias tended to report better outcomes. The main limitation of the data is that interventions very rarely blinded personnel and participants to study arm, such that expectations for improvement were not controlled. Conclusions In this meta-analysis, OR data indicated that psychosocial behavioral support interventions promoting patient motivation/coping to engage in health behaviors improved patient survival, but interventions focusing primarily on patients’ social or emotional outcomes did not prolong life. HR data indicated that psychosocial interventions, predominantly focused on social or emotional outcomes, improved survival but yielded similar effects to health information/classes and were less effective among patients with apparently greater disease severity. Risk of research bias remains a plausible threat to data interpretation.

Relationship between total plasma homocysteine and the risk of aneurysms – a meta-analysis

VASA ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Hanji Zhang ◽  
Dexin Yin ◽  
Yue Zhao ◽  
Yezhou Li ◽  
Dejiang Yao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Total Plasma ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Randomized Controlled Studies ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Healthy Participants

Summary: Our meta-analysis focused on the relationship between homocysteine (Hcy) level and the incidence of aneurysms and looked at the relationship between smoking, hypertension and aneurysms. A systematic literature search of Pubmed, Web of Science, and Embase databases (up to March 31, 2020) resulted in the identification of 19 studies, including 2,629 aneurysm patients and 6,497 healthy participants. Combined analysis of the included studies showed that number of smoking, hypertension and hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) in aneurysm patients was higher than that in the control groups, and the total plasma Hcy level in aneurysm patients was also higher. These findings suggest that smoking, hypertension and HHcy may be risk factors for the development and progression of aneurysms. Although the heterogeneity of meta-analysis was significant, it was found that the heterogeneity might come from the difference between race and disease species through subgroup analysis. Large-scale randomized controlled studies of single species and single disease species are needed in the future to supplement the accuracy of the results.

scholarly journals The Effectiveness of Tocilizumab in the Treatment of COVID-19 in Adults: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chun Chen ◽  
ZeMei Zhou ◽  
Jing Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trials ◽  
Hospital Discharge ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Cochrane Central Register ◽  
Composite Outcome ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Serious Infection ◽  
And Control

Abstract Background: Since December 2019, COVID-19 has spread to the world which leads to a global health threat. We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of tocilizumab on COVID-19 patients.Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and WHO international Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) from their inception to March 10, 2021 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on tocilizumab supplementation in adults with COVID-19 disease. The primary outcomes were mortality at 28-30 day and 60-day, incidence of mechanical ventilation (MV), composite outcome of death or MV, time to hospital discharge, and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions. A random-effects meta-analysis model was used to pool studies. Results: Eleven studies with a total of 6,579 patients were included in our meta-analysis, of which 3,406 and 3,173 were respectively assigned to the tocilizumab and control groups. Tocilizumab could significantly reduce 28-30 day mortality (RR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.80-0.99, P = 0.04), incidence of MV (RR= 0.79, 95% CI 0.71-0.89, P = 0.0001), composition outcome of MV or death (RR = 0.81, 95% CI 0.72-0.90, P = 0.0002), time to hospital discharge (HR = 1.30, 95% CI 1.16-1.45, P ＜ 0.00001 ), ICU admissions (RR = 0.64, 95% CI 0.47-0.88, P = 0.006), serious infection (RR = 0.61, 95% CI 0.40-0.94, P = 0.02) and events of serious adverse advents (RR = 0.64, 95% CI 0.47-0.86, P = 0.004). There was no significant difference between tocilizumab and control groups in 60-day mortality and adverse events (AEs).Conclusions: Tocilizumab could reduce the short-term mortality, incidence of MV, composite outcome of death or MV, ICU admissions, serious infection and events of serious adverse advents, and shorten the time to hospital discharge in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The optimal effective dose needs to be confirmed by further studies.

Abstract 2211: Statin Therapy May Increase the Risk of Intracerebral Hemorrhage: A Meta-analysis of 26 Randomized Controlled Trials

Stroke ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
James S McKinney ◽  
William J Kostis ◽  
John B Kostis
Keyword(s):  
Statin Therapy ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Active Group ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
All Cause Mortality ◽  
Group A ◽  
The Difference ◽  
And Control

Introduction--- Statin therapy decreases the risk of myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke. However, an increased risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) has been observed in some studies. To investigate this issue we performed a meta-analysis of all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using statins that reported ICH. Methods--- We performed a Medline literature search through March 18, 2011 and identified additional RCTs by reviewing reference lists of retrieved studies and prior meta-analyses. All RCTs of statin therapy versus placebo or high dose versus low dose statin therapy that reported ICH or hemorrhagic stroke were included. The primary outcome variable was ICH. 26 RCTs were included. All analyses used random effects models and heterogeneity was not observed in any of the analyses. Results--- 84 831 subjects were included in the Active group, and 84 851 in the Control group. A trend towards a higher incidence of ICH was observed in the Active treatment group compared to Control (OR = 1.15; 95% CI = 0.91 to 1.45, p =0.24) (Figure). Significant relationships were not observed between the log OR for ICH with achieved LDL in the Active group (slope = 0.0002; 95% CI = -0.0098 to 0.0101, p =0.96) or with the difference in LDL drop between the Active and Control groups (slope = 0.0030; 95% CI = -0.0089 to 0.0149, p =0.62). Total stroke (OR = 0.84; 95% CI = 0.78 to 0.91, p <0.001) and all-cause mortality (OR = 0.91; 95% CI = 0.86 to 0.96, p <0.001) were significantly reduced in the Active group. A significant relationship between all-cause mortality and the difference in LDL drop between the Active and Control groups was observed (slope = -0.0030; 95% CI = -0.0009 to -0.0051, p<0.005). There was not evidence of publication bias in this meta-analysis. Conclusions--- Active therapy was associated with a trend towards increased ICH in this meta-analysis of 26 RCTs of statin therapy. However, this risk does not appear to be related to the degree of decline or achieved LDL. The risk of ICH is offset by a significant reduction in ischemic stroke and all-cause mortality and should not dissuade practitioners from prescribing statins in otherwise appropriate patients.

scholarly journals The Effectiveness of Moxibustion: An Overview During 10 Years

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Song-Yi Kim ◽  
Younbyoung Chae ◽  
Seung Min Lee ◽  
Hyejung Lee ◽  
Hi-Joon Park
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Breech Presentation ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Language Restriction ◽  
Digestive Disorders ◽  
General Care

Moxibustion has been used to treat various types of disease. However, there is still insufficient evidence regarding its effectiveness. This study was performed to summarize and evaluate the effectiveness of moxibustion. A search was performed for all randomized controlled trials in PubMed between January 1998 and July 2008 with no language restriction. The results yielded 47 trials in which six moxibustion types were applied to 36 diseases ranging from breech presentation to digestive disorders. Moxibustion was compared to three types of control group: general care, Oriental medical therapies or waiting list. Moxibustion was superior to the control in 14 out of 54 control groups in 46 studies. There were no significant differences among groups in 7 studies, and the outcome direction was not determined in 33 studies. Seven studies were included in a meta-analysis. Moxibustion was more effective than medication in two ulcerative colitis studies (relative risk (95% CI), 2.20 (1.37, 3.52),P= .001,I2= 0%). Overall, our results did not support the effectiveness of moxibustion in specific diseases due to the limited number and low quality of the studies and inadequate use of controls. In order to provide appropriate evidence regarding the effectiveness of moxibustion, more rigorous clinical trials using appropriate controls are warranted.

scholarly journals Psychosocial interventions enhance HIV medication adherence: A systematic review and meta-analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (10-11) ◽  
pp. 1326-1340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascalle Spaan ◽  
Sanne van Luenen ◽  
Nadia Garnefski ◽  
Vivian Kraaij
Keyword(s):  
Medication Adherence ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Psychosocial Interventions ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
Medication Regimen ◽  
Improve Medication Adherence ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Living With Hiv ◽  
Positive Effect

About 40 per cent of people living with HIV do not sufficiently adhere to their medication regimen, which adversely affects their health. The current meta-analysis investigated the effect of psychosocial interventions on medication adherence in people living with HIV. Databases were systematically searched, resulting in 43 included randomized controlled trials. Study and intervention characteristics were investigated as moderators. The overall effect size indicates a small to moderate positive effect (Hedges’ g = 0.37) of psychosocial interventions on medication adherence in people living with HIV. No evidence for publication bias was found. This meta-analysis study concludes that various psychosocial interventions can improve medication adherence and thereby the health of people living with HIV.

scholarly journals A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials for the reduction of surgical site infection in closed incision management versus standard of care dressings over closed vascular groin incisions

Vascular ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 274-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Gombert ◽  
Ellen Dillavou ◽  
Ralph D’Agostino ◽  
Leah Griffin ◽  
Julie M Robertson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vascular Surgery ◽  
Surgical Site Infection ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Site Infection ◽  
Infection Rates ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Risk Patients ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
And Control

Objective Surgical site infection after groin incision is a common complication and a financial burden to patients and healthcare systems. Closed incision negative pressure therapy (ciNPT) has been associated with decreased surgical site infection rates in published literature. This meta-analysis examines the effect of ciNPT (PREVENA™ Incision Management System; KCI, San Antonio, TX) versus traditional postsurgical dressing use in reducing surgical site infection rates over closed groin incisions following vascular surgery. Methods A systematic literature search using PubMed, OVID, EMBASE, and QUOSA was performed on 3 January 2019, by two independent researchers and focused on publications between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2018. The review conformed to the statement and reporting check list of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses. Inclusion criteria included abstract or manuscript written in English, published studies, conference abstracts, randomized controlled trials (RCTs), ciNPT usage over closed groin incisions in vascular surgery, comparison of ciNPT use and traditional dressings, study endpoint/outcome of surgical site infection, and study population of >10. Characteristics of study participants, surgical procedure, type of dressing used, duration of treatment, incidence of surgical site infection, and length of follow-up were extracted. Weighted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated to pool study and control groups in each publication for analysis. Treatment effects were combined using Mantel-Haenszel risk ratios, and the Chi-Square test was used to assess heterogeneity. Overall, high-risk patients, normal-risk patients, and Szilagyi I, II, III outcomes were assessed between ciNPT and control groups. The Cochrane Collaboration tool was utilized to assess the risk of bias for all studies included in the analysis. Results A total of 615 articles were identified from the literature search. After removal of excluded studies and duplicates, six RCT studies were available for analysis. In these studies, a total of 362 patients received ciNPT, and 371 patients received traditional dressings (control). Surgical site infection events occurred in 41 ciNPT patients and 107 control patients. The heterogeneity test was nonsignificant ( p > 0.05). The overall RCT meta-analysis showed a highly significant effect in favor of ciNPT (OR = 3.06, 95% CI [2.05, 4.58], p < 0.05). High-risk, normal-risk, Szilagyi I, and Szilagyi II meta-analyses were also statistically significant in favor of ciNPT use ( p < 0.05). The varying RCT inclusion/exclusion criteria, such as differences in procedure types, and patient populations form the major limitations of this study. Conclusions A statistically significant reduction in the incidence of surgical site infection was seen following ciNPT usage in patients undergoing vascular surgery with groin incisions.

Effects of Tai Chi-based cardiac rehabilitation on aerobic endurance, psychosocial well-being, and cardiovascular risk reduction among patients with coronary heart disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 368-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting Liu ◽  
Aileen WK Chan ◽  
Yun Hong Liu ◽  
Ruth E Taylor-Piliae
Keyword(s):  
Coronary Heart Disease ◽  
Heart Disease ◽  
Cardiac Rehabilitation ◽  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Active Control ◽  
Tai Chi ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Randomized Controlled

Introduction: Tai Chi is an attractive exercise to improve cardiovascular health. This review aimed to synthesize articles written both in Chinese and in English to evaluate the effects of Tai Chi-based cardiac rehabilitation on aerobic endurance, psychosocial well-being and cardiovascular diseases risk reduction for coronary heart diseases patients. Methods: PRISMA guidelines were used to search major health databases to identify randomized controlled trials or non-randomized controlled clinical trials that evaluated Tai Chi intervention compared with active or non-active control groups in coronary heart disease patients. When suitable, data were pooled using a random-effects meta-analysis model. Results: Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Tai Chi groups showed a large and significant improvement in aerobic endurance compared with both active and non-active control interventions (standard mean difference (SMD) 1.12; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.58–1.66; p <0.001). Tai Chi groups also showed a significantly lower level of anxiety (SMD=9.28; CI: 17.46–1.10; p=0.03) and depression (SMD=9.42; CI: 13.59–5.26; p <0.001), and significantly better quality of life (SMD=0.73; 95% CI: 0.39–1.08; p <0.001) compared with non-active control groups. Conclusion: Significant effects of Tai Chi have been found in improving aerobic endurance and psychosocial well-being among coronary heart disease patients. Tai Chi could be a cost-effective and safe exercise option in cardiac rehabilitation. However, the effect of Tai Chi on cardiovascular disease risk reduction has not been amply investigated among coronary heart disease patients. Caution is also warranted in view of a small number of studies for this meta-analysis and potential heterogeneity in differences in the varied designs of Tai Chi intervention.

scholarly journals The Effectiveness and Safety of Acupuncture for Patients with Chronic Urticaria: A Systematic Review

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qin Yao ◽  
Shanshan Li ◽  
Xiaoxu Liu ◽  
Zongshi Qin ◽  
Zhishun Liu
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Relative Risk ◽  
Chronic Urticaria ◽  
Primary Outcome ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Symptom Improvement ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Significant Difference

Background. Acupuncture might have effectiveness in relieving the symptoms of chronic urticaria. There are currently no systematic reviews of acupuncture for chronic urticaria published in English.Objective. We conducted a systematic review to assess the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for chronic urticaria.Methods. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials were performed. The primary outcome was global symptom improvement.Results. We included 6 studies with 406 participants. Three trials showed significant difference between acupuncture and drugs in global symptom improvement (relative risk 1.37; 95% CI 1.11–1.70;P=0.003). As an adjuvant to medication, acupuncture was also beneficial for global symptom improvement (relative risk 1.77; 95% CI 1.41–2.22;P<0.01). There were no severe adverse events related to acupuncture.Limitations. Some methodological limitations were observed. The overall risk of bias in the 6 included trials was high and all included RCTs were conducted in China and published in Chinese. Besides, the lack of proper control groups and the use of different rating methods and cut-offs in the included trials also made the evidence of this review limited.Conclusions. Acupuncture might be effective and safe for chronic urticaria in relieving symptoms, based on a low level of evidence. To draw a reliable conclusion, more high quality trials are needed in the future. This trial is registered with PROSPEROCRD42015015702.

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