Exploration of Latina/Hispanic womens experiences living with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a qualitative study with patients in Houston
Conclusion Multifaceted programming that improves patient–provider communication, conveys accurate information and enhances social support is needed to support Hispanic women in managing NAFLD. (Source: BMJ Open)
Source: BMJ Open - March 15, 2024 Category: General Medicine Authors: Heredia, N. I., Mendoza Duque, E., Ayieko, S., Averyt, A., McNeill, L. H., Hwang, J. P., Fernandez, M. E. Tags: Open access, Qualitative research Source Type: research

Physician characteristics associated with antiviral prescriptions for older adults with COVID-19 in Japan: an observational study
Conclusions Our findings suggest that provider-level factors, such as the clinical experience of treating the patients with COVID-19, play an important role in the appropriate prescription of antiviral medications for COVID-19 in the primary care setting. (Source: BMJ Open)
Source: BMJ Open - March 15, 2024 Category: General Medicine Authors: Miyawaki, A., Kitajima, K., Iwata, A., Sato, D., Tsugawa, Y. Tags: Open access, Health services research Source Type: research

Exploring Norwegian homecare healthcare professionals perceptions of risk and the link to high-quality care: a qualitative multiple case study
Conclusions To make sense of risk when aspiring for high-quality care in everyday work, the healthcare professionals in this sample mainly used their clinical gaze, gut feeling and experience to detect subtle changes in the patients’ condition. Assessing risk information, not only individually but also as a team, was reportedly crucial for high-quality care. Healthcare professionals emphasised the well-being, safety and soundness of the patients when acting on risk information. They felt obliged to act on their gut feeling, moral compass and clinical understanding of quality. (Source: BMJ Open)
Source: BMJ Open - March 15, 2024 Category: General Medicine Authors: Idsoe-Jakobsen, I., Dombestein, H., Bronnick, K. K., Wiig, S. Tags: Open access, Health services research Source Type: research

Impact of chronic oral glucocorticoid treatment on mortality in patients with COVID-19: analysis of a population-based cohort
Conclusion Patients on oral GC treatment prior to COVID-19 have increased mortality, particularly from pulmonary embolism, sepsis and COVID-19. (Source: BMJ Open)
Source: BMJ Open - March 15, 2024 Category: General Medicine Authors: Einarsdottir, M. J., Kibiwott Kirui, B., Li, H., Olsson, D., Johannsson, G., Nyberg, F., Ragnarsson, O. Tags: Open access, Epidemiology, COVID-19 Source Type: research

IMPROVE study protocol, investigating post-stroke local muscle vibrations to promote cerebral plasticity and functional recovery: a single-blind randomised controlled trial
This study was recorded in a clinical trial and obtained approval from the institutional review board (Comité de protection des personnes Ile de France IV, 2021-A03219-32). All participants will be required to provide informed consent. The results of this trial will be published in peer-reviewed journals to disseminate information to clinicians and impact their practice for an improved patient’s care. Trial registration number Clinical Trial: NCT05315726 Dataset EUDRAct (Source: BMJ Open)
Source: BMJ Open - March 15, 2024 Category: General Medicine Authors: Julliand, S., Papaxanthis, C., Delphin, C., Mock, A., Raumel, M.-A., Gueugnon, M., Ornetti, P., Laroche, D. Tags: Open access, Rehabilitation medicine Source Type: research

Prevalence and predictors of depression and anxiety in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Conclusion A significant proportion of people with CRS have symptoms of depression and anxiety, and early screening for depression and anxiety in people with CRS is critical. And, more attention needs to be given to females and patients with CRSsNP during screening. PROSPERO registration number CRD42022345959). (Source: BMJ Open)
Source: BMJ Open - March 15, 2024 Category: General Medicine Authors: Fan, H., Han, Z., Gong, X., Wu, Y., Fu, Y., Zhu, T., Li, H. Tags: Open access, Ear, nose and throat/otolaryngology Source Type: research

How to facilitate NHS professionals to recognise and use skills gained from global health engagement when back in the UK workforce? A participatory action research project to design, pilot and evaluate a series of online leadership workshops
Conclusions This study extends explorations of global health experiences by moving beyond the skills gained while working in low-income and middle-income countries. The innovative online leadership workshops gave agency to individuals to recognise and use the skills gained from global health placements on return to the NHS. (Source: BMJ Open)
Source: BMJ Open - March 15, 2024 Category: General Medicine Authors: Spowart, L., Inman, A. C., Hardy, L. J., Dillon, M. J. Tags: Open access, Global health Source Type: research

Defining acceptable data collection and reuse standards for queer artificial intelligence research in mental health: protocol for the online PARQAIR-MH Delphi study
Introduction For artificial intelligence (AI) to help improve mental healthcare, the design of data-driven technologies needs to be fair, safe, and inclusive. Participatory design can play a critical role in empowering marginalised communities to take an active role in constructing research agendas and outputs. Given the unmet needs of the LGBTQI+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex) community in mental healthcare, there is a pressing need for participatory research to include a range of diverse queer perspectives on issues of data collection and use (in routine clinical care as well as for research) a...
Source: BMJ Open - March 15, 2024 Category: General Medicine Authors: Joyce, D. W., Kormilitzin, A., Hamer-Hunt, J., McKee, K. R., Tomasev, N. Tags: Open access, Health informatics Source Type: research

Experiences, prevalence and drivers of disrespect and abuse of adolescents during facility-based childbirth in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review protocol
Introduction Adolescents are more likely to experience disrespect and abuse (D&A) by skilled health personnel during facility-based childbirth. However, research evidence on the experiences, prevalence and drivers of D&A of adolescents in childbirth is limited. We aim to establish research evidence on the experiences, prevalence and drivers of D&A of adolescents during facility-based childbirth in sub-Saharan Africa and identify gaps in the literature to inform future research. Methods and analysis The protocol is designed using Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework and will be reported fo...
Source: BMJ Open - March 15, 2024 Category: General Medicine Authors: Udho, S., Clow, S. E. Tags: Open access, Obstetrics & Gynaecology Obstetrics and gynaecology Source Type: research

Adjuvant chemotherapy and survival outcomes in older women with HR+/HER2- breast cancer: a propensity score-matched retrospective cohort study using the SEER database
Conclusions Patients with HR+/HER2– BC ≥80 years of age may be considered exempt from ACT because no benefits were found in terms of OS and CSS. (Source: BMJ Open)
Source: BMJ Open - March 15, 2024 Category: General Medicine Authors: Ma, X., Wu, S., Zhang, X., Chen, N., Yang, C., Yang, C., Cao, M., Du, K., Liu, Y. Tags: Open access, Oncology Source Type: research

Multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, proof of concept study of LSALT peptide as prevention of acute respiratory distress syndrome and acute kidney injury in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)
Conclusion In a Phase 2 study, LSALT peptide was demonstrated to be safe and tolerated in patients hospitalised with moderate-to-severe COVID-19. Trial registration number NCT04402957. (Source: BMJ Open)
Source: BMJ Open - March 15, 2024 Category: General Medicine Authors: Somayaji, R., Luke, D. R., Lau, A., Guner, R., Tabak, O. F., Hepokoski, M., Gardetto, N., Conrad, S. A., Kumar, S. D., Ghosh, K., Robbins, S. M., Senger, D. L., Sun, D., Lim, R. K. S., Liu, J., Eser, F., Karaali, R., Tremblay, A., Muruve, D. Tags: Open access, Infectious diseases, COVID-19 Source Type: research

Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell therapy for renal dysfunction in Alport syndrome: protocol for an open-label, single-arm trial in China
We report the protocol of the first prospective, open-label, single-arm clinical trial to evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of hUC-MSC transfusion in children with early-stage AS. Paediatric patients diagnosed with AS who have persistent albuminuria will be candidates for screening. Twelve eligible patients are planned to recruit and will receive hUC-MSC infusions under close safety monitoring, and complete the efficacy assessments at scheduled follow-up visits. The primary endpoints include the occurrence of adverse events to assess safety and the albuminuria level for efficacy evaluation. Secondary endpoint as...
Source: BMJ Open - March 15, 2024 Category: General Medicine Authors: Huang, L., Zou, J., Zhang, Y., Gu, J., Wu, J., Zhang, C. Tags: Open access, Paediatrics Source Type: research

Hierarchy of demographic and social determinants of mental health: analysis of cross-sectional survey data from the Global Mind Project
Conclusion Social determinants of traumas, adversities and lifestyle can account for 60%–90% of mental health challenges. However, additional factors are at play, particularly for younger ages, that are not included in these data and need further investigation. (Source: BMJ Open)
Source: BMJ Open - March 15, 2024 Category: General Medicine Authors: Bala, J., Newson, J. J., Thiagarajan, T. C. Tags: Open access, Mental health Source Type: research

Can ChatGPT pass the MRCP (UK) written examinations? Analysis of performance and errors using a clinical decision-reasoning framework
Conclusion ChatGPT performance greatly exceeded the passing mark for both exams. Multiple choice examinations provide a benchmark for LLM performance which is comparable to human demonstrations of knowledge, while also highlighting the errors LLMs make. Understanding the reasons behind ChatGPT’s errors allows us to develop strategies to prevent them in medical devices that incorporate LLM technology. (Source: BMJ Open)
Source: BMJ Open - March 15, 2024 Category: General Medicine Authors: Maitland, A., Fowkes, R., Maitland, S. Tags: Open access, Medical education and training Source Type: research

UK medical students self-reported knowledge and harm assessment of psychedelics and their application in clinical research: a cross-sectional study
Conclusions Our findings reveal a significant interest among UK medical students to learn more about psychedelic research and a strong support for further psychedelic research. Future studies are needed to examine how medical education could be refined to adequately prepare medical students for a changing healthcare landscape in which psychedelic-assisted therapy could soon be implemented in clinical practice. (Source: BMJ Open)
Source: BMJ Open - March 14, 2024 Category: General Medicine Authors: Song-Smith, C., Jacobs, E., Rucker, J., Saint, M., Cooke, J., Schlosser, M. Tags: Open access, Medical education and training Source Type: research