Telehealth for rehabilitation and recovery after stroke: State of the evidence and future directions

Aims: The aim of this rapid review and opinion paper is to present the state of the current evidence and present future directions for telehealth research and clinical service delivery for stroke rehabilitation. Methods: We conducted a rapid review of published trials in the field. We searched Medline using key terms related to stroke rehabilitation and telehealth or virtual care. We also searched clinical trial registers to identify key ongoing trials. Results: The evidence for telehealth to deliver stroke rehabilitation interventions is not strong and is predominantly based on small trials prone to Type 2 error. To move the field forward, we need to progress to trials of implementation that include measures of adoption and reach, as well as effectiveness. We also need to understand which outcome measures can be reliably measured remotely, and/or develop new ones. We present tools to assist with the deployment of telehealth for rehabilitation after stroke. Conclusion: The current, and likely long-term, pandemic means that we cannot wait for stronger evidence before implementing telehealth. As a research and clinical community, we owe it to people living with stroke internationally to investigate the best possible telehealth solutions for providing the highest quality rehabilitation.

Child Neglect: What Is It, What Causes It and How We Can Minimize It?

Almost all forms of abuse include child neglect, and still the professional and clinical community is only now starting to focus attention to this phenomenon and its short- and long-term effects. This paper begins with defining child neglect, what causes parents to neglect the children which they are supposed to love and protect, and the protective factors that parents and the community must be aware of and utilize in protecting kids.

Cover, Content, and Editorial Note from Borneo J Pharm Vol. 4 No. 4 November 2021

Assalamu’alaikum Wr. Wb. Alhamdulillahirabbil ‘alamin. The next edition of Borneo Journal of Pharmacy (Borneo J Pharm), has been published at November 2021. Starting from this volume, Borneo J Pharm increases the frequency of publishing four times a year. This change aims to improve circulation of the best articles published by Borneo J Pharm. This edition contains ten articles consisting of Pharmacognosy-Phytochemistry, Analytical Pharmacy-Medicinal Chemistry, Microbiology Pharmacy, Natural Product Development, and Clinical-Community Pharmacy. This edition includes writings from six countries including India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Turkey. The authors come from several institutions, including the University of Jaffna, Shri Gopichand College of Pharmacy, Government College University Faisalabad, Galgotias University, University of Delhi, Universitas Lambung Mangkurat, Universitas Sembilanbelas November Kolaka, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Ege Üniversitesi, Universitas Sam Ratulangi, Prathima Institute of Medical Sciences, Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences, Ganapathy Degree College, National Agency of Drug and Food Control of Republic of Indonesia, National Agency of Drug and Food Control of Republic of Indonesia in Gorontalo, National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani, and Ibrahim Adjie Health Center. Editorial boards are fully aware that there are still room for improvement in this edition, hence with all humility willing to accept constructive suggestions and feedback for improvements to the publication for the next editions. We hope that all parties, especially the contributors, could re-participate for the publication in the next edition on February 2022. Wassalamu’alaikum Wr. Wb.

Expanding Pharmacy Services to Support Public Health

Pharmacists have had long-standing roles in public health, and the COVID-19 pandemic has broadened and accentuated their efforts in this area. Many pharmacists may be interested to expand pharmacy services to further support public health. While not intending to be exhaustive, this paper suggests potential areas for increased engagement and provides ideas for pharmacists who want develop and implement new initiatives to optimize the health of their patients and communities. The core functions of public health and the natural history of disease are presented as models to identify opportunities for pharmacists’ interventions. A three-step framework with practical strategies and helpful resources is proposed to identify and operationalize new services. Finally, the pharmacist’s role in clinical-community linkages is presented. It is hoped that this paper will stimulate additional ideas and actions in the pharmacy community to support public health.

Back to the Source: Moving Upstream in the Curricular Rivers of Coloniality

This article shares choices made as part of an introductory decoloniality curriculum in a non-clinical community psychology M.A./PhD program where the authors are faculty members. We focus on the basics of decoloniality and decolonial pedagogies in two first-year foundational psychology courses: one course on implications of decoloniality for studying differing psychological paradigms, ontologies, and epistemologies, particularly relational ontologies that might reframe community environments, and another course on implications of decoloniality for post-humanist and indigenous qualitative research methodologies. We present currently emerging forms of theory, content, pedagogy, dialogue, artivism, and methodology in process in our work, as well as responses from students and our own reflections.

A feasibility study to assess non-clinical community health workers’ capacity to use simplified protocols and tools to treat severe acute malnutrition in Niger state Nigeria

Background Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a major determinant of childhood mortality and morbidity. Although integrated community case management (iCCM) of childhood illnesses is a strategy for increasing access to life-saving treatment, malnutrition is not properly addressed in the guidelines. This study aimed to determine whether non-clinical Community Health Workers (called Community-Oriented Resource Persons, CORPs) implementing iCCM could use simplified tools to treat uncomplicated SAM. Methods The study used a sequential multi-method design and was conducted between July 2017 and May 2018. Sixty CORPs already providing iCCM services were trained and deployed in their communities with the target of enrolling 290 SAM cases. Competency of CORPs to treat and the treatment outcomes of enrolled children were documented. SAM cases with MUAC of 9 cm to < 11.5 cm without medical complications were treated for up to 12 weeks. Full recovery was at MUAC≥12.5 cm for two consecutive weeks. Supervision and quantitative data capturing were done weekly while qualitative data were collected after the intervention. Results CORPs scored 93.1% on first assessment and increment of 0.11 (95% CI, 0.05–0.18) points per additional supervision conducted. The cure rate from SAM to full recovery, excluding referrals from the denominator in line with the standard for reporting SAM recovery rates, was 73.5% and the median length of treatment was 7 weeks. SAM cases enrolled at 9 cm to < 10.25 cm MUAC had 31% less likelihood of recovery compared to those enrolled at 10.25 cm to < 11.5 cm. CORPs were not burdened by the integration of SAM into iCCM and felt motivated by children’s recovery. Operational challenges like bad terrains for supervision, supply chain management and referrals were reported by supervisors, while Government funding was identified as key for sustainability. Conclusion The study demonstrated that with training and supportive supervision, CORPs in Nigeria can treat SAM among under-fives, and refer complicated cases using simplified protocols as part of an iCCM programme. This approach seemed acceptable to all stakeholders, however, the effect of the extra workload of integrating SAM into iCCM on the quality of care provided by the CORPs should be assessed further.

Cover, Content, and Editorial Note from Borneo J Pharm Vol. 4 No. 3 August 2021

Assalamu’alaikum Wr. Wb. Alhamdulillahirabbil ‘alamin. The next edition of Borneo Journal of Pharmacy (Borneo J Pharm), has been published in August 2021. Starting from this volume, Borneo J Pharm increases the frequency of publishing four times a year. This change aims to improve the circulation of the best articles published by Borneo J Pharm. This edition contains ten articles consisting of Pharmacology-Toxicology, Microbiology Pharmacy, Natural Product Development, Clinical-Community Pharmacy, and Management Pharmacy. This edition includes writings from four countries including Greece, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan. The authors come from several institutions, including STIKES Cendekia Utama Kudus, Universitas Sari Mulia, National Agency of Drug and Food Control of Republic of Indonesia, National Agency of Drug and Food Control of Republic of Indonesia in Gorontalo, Universitas Muhammadiyah Kalimantan Timur, Balai Taman Nasional Gunung Merapi, Universitas Sembilanbelas November Kolaka, Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Farmasi Riau, Omdurman Islamic University, University of Khartoum, King Saud University, Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Universitas Pancasila, Universitas Lambung Mangkurat, Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani, Ibrahim Adjie Health Center, University of Crete, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, New York College, Universitas Islam Sultan Agung, Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Kesehatan Borneo Lestari, and Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta. The editorial board would like to thank all editors and reviewers, and contributors of the scientific articles who have provided the repertoire in this issue. We hope that all parties, especially the contributors, could re-participate for publication in the next edition in November 2021. Wassalamu’alaikum Wr. Wb.