The Role of Docusate for Constipation in Older People

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (10) ◽  
pp. 501-507
Author(s):  
Timothy Nguyen

Objective: To provide brief information on the effectiveness of docusate use for constipation in older people. Data Sources: PubMed search using the following terms (“docusate and chronic constipation,” “docusate, chronic constipation and geriatric,” “docusate, chronic constipation and older adult,” “docusate and randomized controlled trial” and included relevant information related to docusate and chronic constipation in the population described. Study Selection: Studies that fit the criteria for “chronic/general constipation,” “geriatric/older adults,” and/or “randomized controlled trials” were included. Four studies described docusate for chronic/general constipation and older people. Not included were other studies not related to chronic/general constipation and older people (eg, surgery-related). Data Extraction: Data extraction from each study included primary outcomes related to chronic constipation and efficacy of docusate. Data also included relevant reports from other relevant trials and discussions. Data Synthesis: Docusate when compared with placebo or psyllium or sennosides in these trials did not show any benefits for constipation. Psyllium and sennosides showed to be more effective compared with docusate. No differences found between docusate versus placebo. In summary, there is a lack of data to support the use of docusate for constipation and the data presented that docusate is not effective for use in constipation. Conclusion: Docusate is commonly used for constipation despite little evidence supporting its efficacy. There is not enough randomized controlled trial and data to support the use of docusate for constipation. Pharmacists along with health care providers should reassess and reconsider whether to use it and add extra layers to an already complex medication regimen in the older adult population.

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Akol ◽  
F. Makumbi ◽  
J. N. Babirye ◽  
J. S. Nalugya ◽  
S. Nshemereirwe ◽  
...  

Background.Integrating child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) into primary health care (PHC) using the WHO mental health gap action program (mhGAP) is recommended for closing a mental health treatment gap in low- and middle-income countries, but PHC providers have limited ability to detect CAMH disorders. We aimed to evaluate the effect of PHC provider mhGAP training on CAMH disorder identification in Eastern Uganda.Methods.Thirty-six PHC clinics participated in a randomized controlled trial which compared the proportion of intervention (n= 18) to control (n= 18) clinics with a non-epilepsy CAMH diagnosis over 3 consecutive months following mhGAP-oriented CAMH training. Fisher's exact test and logistic regression based on intention to treat principles were applied. (clinicaltrials.gov registration NCT02552056).Results.Nearly two thirds (63.8%, 23/36) of all clinics identified and recorded at least one non-epilepsy CAMH diagnosis from 40 692 clinic visits of patients aged 1–18 recorded over 4 months. The proportion of clinics with a non-epilepsy CAMH diagnosis prior to training was 27.7% (10/36, similar between study arms). Training did not significantly improve intervention clinics’ non-epilepsy CAMH diagnosis (13/18, 72.2%) relative to the control (7/18, 38.9%) arm,p= 0.092. The odds of identifying and recording a non-epilepsy CAMH diagnosis were 2.5 times higher in the intervention than control arms at the end of 3 months of follow-up [adj.OR 2.48; 95% CI (1.31–4.68);p= 0.005].Conclusion.In this setting, mhGAP CAMH training of PHC providers increases PHC clinics’ identification and reporting of non-epilepsy CAMH cases but this increase did not reach statistical significance.


Author(s):  
Monika Sharma ◽  
Sita Thakur ◽  
Kamal Singh ◽  
Shashank Shekhar

Background: Hypertensive diseases are commonly seen during pregnancy and remain one of the leading causes of maternal morbidity and mortality. Mostly commonly preferred drugs by health care providers for treatment of severe hypertension during pregnancy are labetalol and hydralazine. However, they require proper storage, intravenous access, and adequately trained staff for usage. Oral nifedipine in contrast is easier to use and widely available.  Objective of this study was to report the efficacy and safety of oral nifedipine as compared to intravenous labetalol for treatment of severe hypertension during pregnancy.Methods: It was an open label randomized controlled trial in which 100 women with severe hypertension during pregnancy were enrolled. They were randomized to receive either incremental doses of intravenous labetalol every 20 minutes (total 300 mg) or 10 mg oral nifedipine every 20 minutes (up to 50 mg) to lower the blood pressure to safer levels.Results: Women receiving oral nifedipine took significantly less time to achieve target blood pressure [(37.6±23.3) minutes (SD) as compared to those receiving intravenous labetalol (52.0 minutes±27.95 (SD)]. Women receiving nifedipine for treatment also required significantly lesser doses to control the blood pressure [mean dose 1.8±1.1 (SD) versus 2.6±1.2 (SD) p=0.006]. There were two failures in labetalol group and one failure in nifedipine group. No serious adverse events were reported in either group.Conclusions: Oral nifedipine is equally efficacious to I.V. labetalol for treatment of severe hypertension during pregnancy and is easier to use in low resource settings.


2005 ◽  
Vol 11 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 95-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
F S Mair ◽  
P Goldstein ◽  
C May ◽  
R Angus ◽  
C Shiels ◽  
...  

A randomized controlled trial of home telecare for the management of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has been undertaken in the north-west of England. A videophone was used that communicates via the ordinary telephone network. The intervention period for each participant was two weeks. Participants in the telecare arm of the trial were asked to complete logbooks to record their experiences of each telecare encounter. A simple, self-completed, 10–item questionnaire was used that consisted of a Likert scale, ranging from 1 (totally disagree) to 5 (totally agree). Fourteen nurses completed 150 logbooks and 22 patients completed 145 logbooks. These results demonstrate significant differences in perception between patients and their health-care providers with regard to telecare encounters across all the domains addressed. Participating patients consistently demonstrated more positive views of the telecare encounters than their health-care providers.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhimanyu Sud ◽  
Michelle L. A. Nelson ◽  
Darren K. Cheng ◽  
Alana Armas ◽  
Kirk Foat ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Despite the high prevalence of comorbid chronic pain and depression, this comorbidity remains understudied. Meditation has demonstrated efficacy for both chronic pain and depression independently, yet there have been few studies examining its effectiveness when both conditions are present concurrently. Furthermore, while meditation is generally accepted as a safe and effective health intervention, little is known about how to implement meditation programs within or alongside the healthcare system. Methods: We will conduct a hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation evaluation. To measure effectiveness, we will conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing Sahaj Samadhi Meditation (SSM) versus the Health Enhancement Program (HEP) in 160 people living with chronic pain, clinically significant depressive symptoms, and on long-term opioid therapy. Changes in depressive symptoms will be our primary outcome; pain severity, pain related function, opioid use, and quality of life will be the secondary outcomes. The primary endpoint will be at 12 weeks with a secondary endpoint at 24 weeks to measure sustainability of acute effects. Patients will be recruited from a community-based chronic pain clinic in a large urban centre in Mississauga, Canada. The meditation program will be delivered in the clinical environment where patients normally receive their chronic pain care by certified meditation teachers who are not regulated health care providers. We will use a mixed-methods design using the multi-level framework to understand the implementation of this particular co-location model. Discussion: Results of this hybrid evaluation will add important knowledge about the effectiveness of meditation for managing depressive symptoms in people with chronic pain. The implementation evaluation will inform both effectiveness outcomes and future program development, scalability, and sustainability. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04039568, registered July 31, 2019. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04039568


2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 501-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy A. Horton ◽  
Guadalupe X. Ayala ◽  
Donald J. Slymen ◽  
Leticia Ibarra ◽  
Erika Hernandez ◽  
...  

Aims. Examine intervention effects among mothers involved in a healthy eating randomized controlled trial. Furthermore, examine the mediating roles of individual and familial influences on observed outcomes. Methods. Between 2009 and 2011, 361 families were recruited; half were assigned to an 11-session community health worker–delivered family-based intervention targeting Spanish-speaking Latino families in Imperial County, California. The intervention was delivered over a 4-month period. Home visits and telephone calls were delivered approximately weekly, with tapering near the end of the intervention to promote independence from the promotora. In this article, mothers’ self-reported dietary intake was the primary outcome. Evaluation measures were taken at baseline, 4 months, and 10 months. Results. Daily servings of fruits were higher among intervention versus control mothers (mean = 1.86 vs. mean = 1.47; effect size [ES] = 0.22) at 10 months post-baseline. Mothers in the intervention versus control condition also reported consuming a lower percent energy from fat (mean = 30.0% vs. 31.0%; ES = 0.30) and a higher diet quality (mean = 2.93 vs. mean = 2.67; ES = 0.29). Mediators of improvements were behavioral strategies to increase fiber and lower fat intake, family support for vegetable purchasing, and decreased unhealthy eating behaviors and perceived family barriers to healthy eating. Discussion and Conclusion. Family-based behavioral interventions are effective for changing the skills and family system needed to improve diet among Latina mothers. Health care providers and other practitioners are encouraged to target skill development and fostering a socially supportive environment.


Science ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 354 (6308) ◽  
pp. aaf7384-aaf7384 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Das ◽  
A. Chowdhury ◽  
R. Hussam ◽  
A. V. Banerjee

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Baseman ◽  
Debra Revere ◽  
Ian Painter ◽  
Mark Oberle ◽  
Jeffrey Duchin ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectivesHealth care providers play an essential role in public health emergency preparedness and response. We conducted a 4-year randomized controlled trial to systematically compare the effectiveness of traditional and mobile communication strategies for sending time-sensitive public health messages to providers.MethodsSubjects (N=848) included providers who might be leveraged to assist with emergency preparedness and response activities, such as physicians, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants, and veterinarians. Providers were randomly assigned to a group that received time-sensitive quarterly messages via e-mail, fax, or cell phone text messaging (SMS) or to a no-message control group. Follow-up phone interviews elicited information about message receipt, topic recall, and perceived credibility and trustworthiness of message and source.ResultsOur main outcome measures were awareness and recall of message content, which was compared across delivery methods. Per-protocol analysis revealed that e-mail messages were recalled at a higher rate than were messaged delivered by fax or SMS, whereas the as-treated analysis found that e-mail and fax groups had similar recall rates and both had higher recall rates than the SMS group.ConclusionsThis is the first study to systematically evaluate the relative effectiveness of public health message delivery systems. Our findings provide guidance to improve public health agency communications with providers before, during, and after a public health emergency. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:98–107)


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