INTRODUCTION: Male infertility, defined as the inability to impregnate a fertile female, arises from various factors, among which sperm motility plays a pivotal role in determining reproductive potential. Seminal plasma, a complex fluid comprising diverse proteins, serves to nourish and support sperm, thereby facilitat…
What Factors Are Associated With Patients Being Active Partners in the Management Fibromyalgia? A Mixed Methods Systematic Review Protocol.
Coggins Jessica, Ndosi Mwidimi, Pearson Jennifer·Musculoskeletal care
BACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) is characterised by widespread and persistent pain, intrusive fatigue and cognitive issues, affecting approximately 5.4% of the UK population. Non-pharmacological therapies and education are current management recommendations, but these approaches rely on patients having an activ…
BACKGROUND: Populations are ageing, making the quality of old age a crucial issue. Some adversity in old age, such as loss of loved one or loss of physical function, is often experienced, as is the need for recovery from such adversity. Resilience in later life has become an important topic and has accumulated much emp…
Defining and assessing psychological frailty in older adults: a scoping review protocol.
Lameirinhas Joanes, Gorostiaga Arantxa, Etxeberria Igone·BMJ open
INTRODUCTION: Frailty is widely acknowledged as a multidimensional construct encompassing physical, psychological and social aspects. However, the lack of consensus in defining and operationalising psychological frailty challenges the holistic approach to frailty advocated by health professionals. Consequently, there i…
How, and under what contexts, do academic-practice partnerships collaborate to implement healthcare improvement education into preregistration nursing curriculums: a realist review protocol.
Armstrong Lorraine, Moir Chris, Taylor Peta·BMJ open
INTRODUCTION: Internationally, healthcare improvement remains a clinical and educational priority. Consensus in Europe, Canada and the USA to implement quality improvement (QI) education into preregistration nursing curricula ensures students become equipped with the skills and knowledge required to improve practice. N…
INTRODUCTION: Digital and technological solutions (DTS) might have an impact on people's personal and professional lives. These types of solutions, according to studies, have the potential to revolutionize and improve the quality and long-term sustainability of healthcare activities, with nurses playing a significant r…
Parental Preconception Exposures to Outdoor Neighbourhood Environments and Adverse Birth Outcomes: A Protocol for a Scoping Review and Evidence Map.
Mavoa Suzanne, Keevers Daniel, Kane Stefan C, +5 more·International journal of environmental research and public health
Parental preconception exposures to built and natural outdoor environments could influence pregnancy and birth outcomes either directly, or via a range of health-related behaviours and conditions. However, there is no existing review summarising the evidence linking natural and built characteristics, such as air and no…
BACKGROUND: Rheumatic heart disease is preventable, yet associated with significant health burden, mostly in low-resourced settings. It is prevalent among children and young adults living in impoverished areas. Primordial, primary, and secondary preventive measures have been recommended through health interventions and…
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this protocol is to evaluate the effectiveness of photobiomodulation therapy for the treatment of nipple pain or nipple trauma in women during the breastfeeding period.
INTRODUCTION: One approach that has been reported on the management of nipple pain or nipple trauma in lactating women is…
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore views of authors of systematic reviews (SRs) registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) toward publishing SR protocols as peer-reviewed articles.
STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Contact persons of all PROSPERO records for non-Cochrane SRs reg…
Mapping the evidence of experiences related to adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a scoping review protocol.
Płaszewski Maciej, Grantham Weronika, Jespersen Ejgil·BMJ open
INTRODUCTION: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, the diagnosis and management of this condition, may lead to poorer body image and diminished psychosocial functioning. Furthermore, treatment, especially bracing and surgery as well as screening, remain controversial and debated, with an unclear evidence base. Personal exp…
Healthcare professionals', students', patients' and donors' perceptions of stem cell research and therapy: a systematic review protocol.
Shaw Malissa Kay, Babovič Mojca, Monrouxe Lynn Valerie·BMJ open
INTRODUCTION: Stem cell research (SCR) and the biomedical potential of developing therapies are crucial topics in biomedicine. Like other biotechnologies, stem cells are context specific entities understood through local conceptualisations of culture, politics, nationhood, as well as their perceived therapeutic efficac…
Effects of complex interventions in 'skin cancer prevention and treatment': protocol for a mixed-method systematic review with qualitative comparative analysis.
Beifus Karolina, Breitbart Eckhard, Köberlein-Neu Juliane·BMJ open
INTRODUCTION: Occurring from ultraviolet radiation combined with impairing ozone levels, uncritical sun exposure and use of tanning beds an increasing number of people are affected by different types of skin cancer. But preventive interventions like skin cancer screening are still missing the evidence for effectiveness…
BACKGROUND: Head and neck cancer incidence is increasing worldwide. Despite overall improvements in survival, numerous studies suggest worse survival in more disadvantaged populations; however, this literature has not been systematically reviewed. The aim of this review is to investigate whether lower compared to highe…
The incidence of delirium after cardiac surgery in the elderly: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Liao Yulin, Flaherty Joseph H, Yue Jirong, +3 more·BMJ open
INTRODUCTION: Delirium is one of the most common complications after cardiac surgery in the elderly. Future studies aimed at preventing postoperative delirium will need an accurate estimate of incidence. However, there are no available systematic reviews on the incidence, and reports of incidence of postoperative delir…
Utilization of screening mammography in older women according to comorbidity and age: protocol for a systematic review.
Demb Joshua, Allen Isabel, Braithwaite Dejana·Systematic reviews
BACKGROUND: Approximately half of new invasive breast cancer cases diagnosed each year in the United States occur among women aged 65 years and older. The increasing life expectancy coupled with the attendant rise in breast cancer incidence and elimination of out-of-pocket expenses for screening mammography as a r…
Causal inference in real-world dementia research: a systematic review protocol.
Yang Yi, Suresh Shivani, Du Jiamin, +4 more·Systematic reviews
BACKGROUND: Dementia presents complex challenges for causal inference due to its multifactorial aetiology and slow, heterogeneous progression. Randomized controlled trials are often limited in their potential to fully address these challenges because of ethical and practical constraints. As the field evo…
Shared decision making in pain care: a systematic review study protocol of decision aids.
Hess Courtney W, McDonnell Ashley, Sahaym Om, +8 more·BMJ open
INTRODUCTION: Shared decision making (SDM) in healthcare is an ethical imperative and essential to patient-centred care. SDM is particularly useful when several preference-sensitive treatment options exist and in the setting of chronic conditions or longitudinal management. Chronic pain management embodies these charac…
Navigation of Dual Identities Among Health Care Professionals Transitioning Between Clinical Practice and Research Roles: Scoping Review Protocol.
Al-Tikriti Shahad, Kennedy Clare, Abubakr Karima, +1 more·JMIR research protocols
BACKGROUND: The transition from clinical practice to research represents a significant yet under-studied career pivot for health care professionals. Despite the growing emphasis on research integration in health care careers and increasing numbers of clinicians pursuing advanced research degrees, the transition experie…