5,081,904 papers found

OBJECTIVES: To describe and compare, through a scoping review, emerging knowledge synthesis methods for generating and refining theory, in terms of expertise required, similarities, differences, strengths, limitations, and steps involved in using the methods. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Electronic databases (e.g., MEDLI…

This narrative review analyses the Australian Guideline (2018) for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) developed using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology. The Guideline recommended against the use low-level laser therapy (LLLT). Why this conclusion was reached…

This systematic review aims to identify reviews of fetal fibronectin and transvaginal cervical length for predicting preterm birth, so that these could be appraised and the findings from good quality reviews highlighted. Reviews, rather than individual studies, are the basis for this systematic review because of the pr…

BACKGROUND: This review describes the methods used for a systematic review of oral health intervention literature in a target population (people with intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD)), which spans a broad range of interventions and study types, conducted with specialized software. OBJECTIVE: The aim of…

BACKGROUND: Stroke is the leading cause of adult long-term disability in Western countries. Intravenous thrombolytic therapy with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator is safe and effective within the first 4.5 h after the onset of stroke. Various factors delaying acute stroke care have been identified in the litera…

This article, the second in a two-part series, continues to describe the stages involved in conducting a systematic review. The article discusses how to select and appraise studies for inclusion in the review, and how to extract, synthesise and present the findings. A summary of the key points for writing the results a…

BACKGROUND: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are considered to be the 'gold standards' for synthesizing research evidence in particular areas of enquiry. However, such reviews are only useful if they themselves are conducted to a sufficiently high standard. The aim of this study was to conduct a narrative meta-revi…

BACKGROUND: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians (hereafter respectfully Indigenous Australians) claim that they have been over-researched without corresponding research benefit. This claim raises two questions. The first, which has been covered to some extent in the literature, is about what type(s) of re…

BACKGROUND: The aim of this systematic review was to update previous PROSPECT ( http://www.postoppain.org ) review recommendations for the management of pain after excisional haemorrhoidectomy. METHODS: Randomized studies and reviews published in the English language from July 2006 (end date of last review) to March 2…

INTRODUCTION: research on intrapartum interventions in maternity care has focused traditionally on the identification of risk factors' and on the reduction of adverse outcomes with less attention given to the measurement of factors that contribute to well-being and positive health outcomes. We conducted a systematic re…

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate critical appraisal tools (CATs) that have been through a peer-reviewed development process with the aim of analyzing well-designed, documented, and researched CATs that could be used to develop a comprehensive CAT. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A critical review of the development of CATs was under…

(1) Background: Interventions addressing the health literacy (HL) of people suffering from an illness such as cancer can improve the understanding of the illness and lead to better-adapted behaviors, regarding the participation in cancer screenings, adhering to the complex multimodal therapy, participating in cancer tr…

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) and bio-nanotechnology (NT) show striking similarities in clinical design and mechanistics. The PDT paradigm of photosensitizer application, light activation and singlet oxygen generation does in fact occur on the nanoscale level as does the resultant outcomes. NT has the ability to explain a…

OBJECTIVE: Lean interventions aim to improve quality of healthcare by reducing waste and facilitate flow in work processes. There is conflicting evidence on the outcomes of lean thinking, with quantitative and qualitative studies often contradicting each other. We suggest that reviewing the literature within the approa…

It can be very complicated to obtain relevant information through searching the medical literature if you do not know how it is organized and indexed or if you do not know how to use the specialized databases. For a successful review of the literature, you need to know what you are looking for and the key words for an…

BACKGROUND: Communication failures involving test results contribute to issues of patient harm and sentinel events. This article aims to synthesise review evidence, practice insights and patient perspectives addressing problems encountered in the communication of diagnostic test results. METHODS: The rapid review iden…

This review of family communication of genetic risk information addresses questions of what the functions and influences on communication are; what, who and how family members are told about genetic risk information; what the impact for counsellee, relative and relationships are; whether there are differences by gender…

AIM: Isolated colon lipomas are rare benign tumors. We herein conducted a systematic review of the literature to identify clinical characteristic, diagnostic and treatment options. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A search for relevant studies was conducted in Scopus, Embase and Medline databases until the end of May 2014. The…

BACKGROUND: Gynecologic cancers are associated with long-term physical and psychological challenges. Physical activity (PA) and exercise are increasingly recognized as important components of cancer care. However, no umbrella review has synthesized evidence across gynecologic cancers. This review aims to evaluate the e…

INTRODUCTION: There is a growing clinical recognition that a significant proportion of patients with gender dysphoria have concurrent autism spectrum disorder (ASD). AIM: The purpose of this review is to systematically appraise the current literature regarding the co-occurrence of gender dysphoria and ASD. METHODS: A…