Effectiveness of Physiotherapy to Promote Motor Recovery in Individuals with Stroke: A Systematic Review Protocol

Introduction: Motor function is essential in our daily lives, one of the most common impairments caused by stroke is loss of functional movement. Over 70% of stroke survivors have motor or other neurological functional disabilities. However, rehabilitation of motor function suffered from a stroke can be rather difficult due to the complexity of organs and systems related to motor function, as well as the neural system that supported motor function. In particularly, previous evidence for the effectiveness of physiotherapy, a commonly prescribed intervention method for people with stroke, that recover motor function in people following a stroke is varied and limited in the chronic rehabilitation phase and therefore has never been reviewed systematically. With the progress of study in neurology and the development of novel tools for rehabilitation, results from more and more clinical trials are now available, thus here justifying conducting a systematic review. Methods and analysis: This systematic review protocol is developed in accordance with the methodology recommended by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols, as well as the Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews of interventions. Relevant studies will be identified by searching the databases. We will perform searches for relevant studies in databases, including PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and Web of Science, Physiotherapy Evidence Database and Cochrane Library databases. The reference lists of included articles and reviews will be searched manually. The date range parameters used in searching all databases will be restricted between January 2001 and January 2021. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published will be included. The language used in the articles included was restricted to English. The GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation system from the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions) approach will be used to systematically appraise the quality of methodology. We will assess the risk of bias of the RCTs included using the Cochrane Collaboration’s tool and provide a qualitative synthesis. After that, we will consider conducting a meta-analysis if the final data across outcomes shows sufficient homogeneity. Ethics and dissemination: No ethical approval is needed as the proposed study does not involve the collection of primary data, and the results of this review will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. Trial registration number: CRD42021267069.

Effectiveness of Respectful Maternity Care Interventions for Women Using Maternal Health Care: A Systematic Review Protocol

Background: Studies have indicated the mistreatment of women during maternal health care provision as being a driving factor for women eschewing professional care. The mistreatment of women is not only a violation of human rights, but also a significant contributor to poor-quality maternal care. Various strategies aimed at preventing the mistreatment of women and enhancing respectful maternity have been proposed, however, the positive effects and outcomes of these interventions necessitate further clarity. This systematic review will examine the effectiveness of respectful maternity care intervention programs in preventing the mistreatment of women whilst enhancing respectful maternity care in health facilities.Methods: A systematic review will be undertaken according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA)2020. Both published and unpublished randomised, non-randomised controlled and observational studies obtained from PubMed, CINHAL, EMBASE, AJOL, and other databases and grey literature sources will be assessed against an inclusion and exclusion criteria to include in the review. Two independent reviewers will assess the papers selected for retrieval to ensure methodological validity. Standardised critical appraisal instruments from the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) and Joanna Briggs Institute Meta-Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-MAStARI) will be used. The data will be extracted from papers included in the review using two independent reviewers' standardised data extraction tool. Evidence synthesis and, wherever possible, meta-analysis will be performed. Certainty of the evidence will be assessed by using GRADE criteria. Systematic review protocol registration: Submitted to PROSPERO on 9th of November 2021 (ID. 287049).

EFFECTS OF FLOW STATES ON ELITE ATHLETES IN INVASION TEAM SPORTS: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW PROTOCOL

Review question / Objective: How does the flow state occur in invasion team sports (e.g., prevents; disrupts; restores; triggers; facilitates; hampers) and how does it influence the Elite athletes performance? Rationale: The flow state has been configured as an important flooring condition in the search for the best performance. However, there is an absence of systematizations about the flow state specifically in invasive team sports and its impact on performance. Therefore, it is relevant to qualify the types of studies conducted, their main correlations and causalities, as well as their main evidence and limitations. Condition being studied: The flow in invasion team sports and its impact on the Elite athletes performance.

Development of a Systematic Review Protocol and a Scoping Review of Ultrasound-Induced Immune Effects in Peripheral Tumors

Purpose Publication numbers reporting that ultrasound can stimulate immune reactions in tumors steadily increase. However, the presented data are partially conflicting, and mechanisms are difficult to identify from single publications. These shortcomings can be addressed by a systematic review and meta-analysis of current literature. As a first step, we here present the methodology and protocol for a systematic review to answer the following research question: Does ultrasound alter the immune reaction of peripheral solid tumors in humans and animals compared to control conditions without ultrasound? Procedures We designed a protocol to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis. The suitability of the protocol to detect and sort relevant literature was tested using a subset of publications. We extracted study characteristics, ultrasound parameters, and study outcomes to pre-evaluate the differences between publications and present the data as a scoping review. Results From 6532 publications detected by our preliminary literature search, 320 were selected for testing our systematic review protocol. Of the latter, 15 publications were eligible for data extraction. There, we found large differences between study characteristics (e.g., tumor type, age) and ultrasound settings (e.g., wavelength 0.5–9.5 MHz, acoustic pressure 0.0001–15,000 W/cm2). Finally, study outcomes included reports on cells of the innate (e.g., dendritic cells, macrophages) and adaptive immune system (e.g., CD8-/CD4-positive T cells). Conclusion We designed a protocol to identify relevant literature and perform a systematic review and meta-analysis. The differences between extracted features between publications show the necessity for a comprehensive search and selection strategy in the systematic review to get a complete overview of the literature. Meta-analyses of the extracted outcomes can then enable evidence-based conclusions.

Associations between Behaviour Change Techniques and engagement with mobile health apps: Systematic review protocol (Preprint)

BACKGROUND The use of digitally-enabled care and the emphasis on self-management of health is growing. Mobile health apps provide a promising means of supporting health behaviour change; however, engagement with them is often poor and evidence of their impact on health outcomes is lacking. As engagement is a key prerequisite to health behaviour change, it is essential to understand how engagement with mobile health apps and their target health behaviours can be better supported. Despite an increasing recognition of the importance of engagement in the literature, there is still a lack of understanding of how different components of engagement are associated with specific techniques that aim to change behaviours. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this systematic review protocol is to provide a synthesis of the associations between various Behaviour Change Techniques (BCTs)and the different components of engagement (and their outcome measures) with mobile health apps. METHODS The review protocol was structured using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) and the Population, Intervention, Comparator, and Outcome (PICO) frameworks. Six databases will be systematically searched: PubMed, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), APA PsycInfo, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science. Title and abstract screening, full-text review, and data extraction will be conducted by two independent reviewers. Data will be extracted into a predetermined form, and any disagreements in screening or data extraction will be discussed, with a third reviewer consulted if consensus cannot be reached. Risk of bias will be assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias 2 and ROBINS-I tools and descriptive and thematic analyses will be used to summarise the relationships between BCTs and the different components of engagement. RESULTS The systematic review has not been started. It is expected to be completed and submitted for publication by January 2022. CONCLUSIONS This systematic review will summarize the associations between different BCTs and various components and measures of engagement with mobile health apps. This will identify areas where further research is needed to examine BCTs that could potentially support effective engagement and help to inform the design and evaluation of future mobile health apps. CLINICALTRIAL PROSPERO (reference number TBD)