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PubMed2005

Systematic review of qualitative studies exploring parental beliefs and attitudes toward childhood vaccination identifies common barriers to vaccination.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a systematic review of qualitative studies can lead to identification of consistent themes across studies, using barriers toward childhood vaccination as an example. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We performed a systematic literature search of studies identified in 10 electronic databases. Two independent reviewers selected the relevant abstracts and articles, then extracted information. Content analysis methodology was used to create a coding template for barriers and then to identify how many studies identified specific barriers. RESULTS: Fifteen studies were included in this overview. Eight studies used semistructured interviews, five used focus groups, and two used both methodologies. Themes fell under four major headings: issues of harm, issues of distrust, access issues, and other issues. Barriers identified in more than half of the studies included concern about the risk of adverse effects, concern that vaccinations are painful, distrust of by those advocating vaccines (including belief in conspiracy), belief that vaccination should not occur when the child has a minor illness, unpleasant staff or poor communication, and lack of awareness of the vaccination schedule. CONCLUSION: Systematically reviewing qualitative studies on barriers to childhood vaccination provided important information on barriers that are consistently identified by parents in several different studies.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Mydriasis and glaucoma: exploding the myth. A systematic review.

AIMS: To investigate the risk of inducing acute glaucoma following mydriasis. METHODS: Systematic review of published research 1933-1999. RESULTS: The risk of inducing acute glaucoma following mydriasis with tropicamide alone is close to zero, no case being identified. The risk with long-acting or combined agents is between 1 in 3,380 and 1 in 20,000. The presence of chronic glaucoma constitutes no additional risk. CONCLUSIONS: Mydriasis with tropicamide alone is safe even in people with chronic glaucoma. It should be advised in all patients when thorough retinal examination is indicated.

Glaucoma↗

PubMed2000

Breathing techniques--adjunctive treatment modalities for asthma? A systematic review.

Breathing techniques are used by a large proportion of asthma sufferers. This systematic review was aimed at determining whether or not these interventions are effective. Four independent literature searches identified six randomized controlled trials. The results of these studies are not uniform. Collectively the data imply that physiotherapeutic breathing techniques may have some potential in benefiting patients with asthma. The safety issue has so far not been addressed satisfactorily. It is concluded that too few studies have been carried out to warrant firm judgements. Further rigorous trials should be carried out in order to redress this situation.

Asthma↗

PubMed2003

A systematic review of school drug education.

This paper provides an up-to-date systematic review of the school drug education literature (to June 2001) and identifies components that have the potential for creating effective drug education programmes in schools. This paper is a summary of a 150-page review. The review adopts a well-defined search methodology, specific selection criteria, and has made a series of recommendations based on the findings of past reviews and recent primary studies that met the selection criteria. The review is inclusive of reviews and recent primary studies that involved young people in school settings that encompassed a classroom intervention, included drug-related behavioural measures and had a positive impact on students' drug-related behaviours. The review identifies several areas that should be the focus of future programmes. These include timing and programming issues, content and delivery issues, teacher training, and dissemination. There is much refinement that can occur in school drug education implementation and research. The way forward is to continue to create and test interventions that bring together all components of the development, implementation and evaluation of school drug education that are effective in creating behaviour change, and that are practical to the school setting.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2026

Efficacy and Safety of Psychedelic Microdosing on Psychological Outcomes in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Psychedelic microdosing has gained increasing popularity for enhancing mood and cognition, yet its effects on psychological outcomes in healthy adults remain unclear. We aim to evaluate the efficacy and safety of psychedelic microdosing on psychological outcomes in healthy/non-clinical adult population. METHODS: This review was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; CRD420251035294). We searched Embase, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO from inception to February 2026 for original studies in healthy adults using sub-hallucinogenic psychedelic doses on separate days. We included randomized studies, nonrandomized prospective studies, cross-sectional studies, and observational longitudinal designs and stratified meta-analyses by design. Random-effects models were used; safety in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was pooled as risk differences (RDs). Risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tools appropriate for each study design. RESULTS: 24 studies (3,681 participants) met inclusion criteria, 6 contributed to meta-analyses. RCTs of psilocybin and LSD microdosing showed subjective and neurophysiological effects but minimal impact on cognition, creativity, or sustained mood. Psilocybin altered EEG and speech with little behavioral change, while LSD caused transient mood and minor physiological effects without lasting cognitive or personality benefits. Observational studies indicated mood and personality improvements, likely influenced by expectancy or lifestyle factors. Meta-analyses included two parallel RCTs (3 comparisons; n = 117) and three non-RCT studies (n = 1,013). Adverse event analyses included two RCTs (4 comparisons; n = 109). RCTs showed no clear evidence of immediate symptom reduction: depressive symptoms (SMD = -0.19; 95% CI -0.56, 0.19; I2 = 0%), anxiety (SMD = -0.20; 95% CI -1.11, 0.71; I2 = 82.3%),and stress (SMD = 0.02; 95% CI -0.39, 0.43; I2 = 0%). Non-RCT within-arm estimates were imprecise and heterogeneous for depressive symptoms (SMCC -0.33; 95% CI -0.75, 0.08) and anxiety (SMCC -0.29; 95% CI-0.84, 0.26). Exploratory pooling across all designs suggested decreases in depressive symptoms and stress, while anxiety remained uncertain. Adverse event risks were similar between treatment and control. CONCLUSIONS: Microdosing does not show consistent immediate benefits for depressive, anxiety, or stress symptoms in healthy adults, and evidence from RCTs remains inconclusive. Although improvements were observed in some studies, these effects were not significantly different from placebo. Larger, well-designed RCTs are needed to clarify the efficacy and safety of psychedelic microdosing beyond placebo.

Humans↗

PubMed2007

Efficacy and safety of antifibrinolytic drugs in liver transplantation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Although several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have shown the efficacy of antifibrinolytic drugs in liver transplantation, their use remains debated due to concern for thromboembolic complications. None of the reported RCTs has shown a higher incidence of these complications in treated patients; however, none of the individual studies has been large enough to elucidate this issue completely. We therefore performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of efficacy and safety endpoints in all published controlled clinical trials on the use of antifibrinolytic drugs in liver transplantation. Studies were included if antifibrinolytic drugs (epsilon-aminocaproic acid, tranexamic acid (TA) or aprotinin) were compared with each other or with controls/placebo. Intraoperative red blood cell and fresh frozen plasma requirements, the perioperative incidence of hepatic artery thrombosis, venous thromboembolic events and mortality were analyzed. We identified 23 studies with a total of 1407 patients which met the inclusion criteria. Aprotinin and TA both reduced transfusion requirements compared with controls. No increased risk for hepatic artery thrombosis, venous thromboembolic events or perioperative mortality was observed for any of the investigated drugs. This systematic review and meta-analysis does not provide evidence for an increased risk of thromboembolic events associated with antifibrinolytic drugs in liver transplantation.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Genetic variation and the lipid response to dietary intervention: a systematic review.

There is wide interindividual variation in the lipid and lipoprotein responses to dietary change, and the existence of consistent hypo- and hyperresponders supports the hypothesis that responsiveness is related to genetic variation. Many studies have investigated the possibility that the heterogeneity in responsiveness to changes in dietary fat, cholesterol, and fiber intake is explained by variation in genes whose products affect lipoprotein metabolism, eg, apolipoproteins, enzymes, and receptors. A systematic review of the literature was carried out to investigate the effect of genetic variation on the lipid response to dietary intervention. A search strategy for the MEDLINE database retrieved 2540 articles from 1966 to February 2002. This strategy was adapted and performed on the EMBASE database, which retrieved 2473 articles from 1980 to week 9, 2002. Reference lists from relevant journal articles were also checked. This is the first systematic review of the literature, and it summarizes results available from 74 relevant articles. There is evidence to suggest that variation in the genes for apolipoprotein (apo) A-I, apo A-IV, apo B, and apo E contributes to the heterogeneity in the lipid response to dietary intervention. However, the effects of genetic variation are not consistently seen and are sometimes conflicting. Future studies need to have much larger sample sizes based on power calculations and carefully controlled dietary interventions and should investigate the effects of polymorphisms in multiple genes instead of the effects of polymorphisms in single genes.

Apolipoproteins↗

PubMed2005

Risk factors for breast cancer: a systematic review of studies with female samples among the general population in Brazil.

A systematic review of studies was conducted to determine the characteristics of epidemiological research on risk factors for breast cancer in female samples from the general population in Brazil. Of the 23 articles identified, only 14 were selected for review. Most of the studies were from Southeast Brazil. Three were cross-sectional, conducted in specific populations, and 11 used case-control designs. The sample sizes varied from 40 to 164,269 women. Twenty-nine risk factors were researched, and among these, 11 were investigated in four or more studies. Nulliparity was the most frequent factor, found in 12 of the studies. Prevalence of the factors varied widely among the samples, and since the samples were heterogeneous and the studies presented several methodological limitations, a summary mean was not calculated.

Brazil↗

PubMed2004

An overview of two Cochrane systematic reviews of complementary treatments for chronic asthma: acupuncture and homeopathy.

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture and homeopathy are commonly used complementary treatments for chronic asthma. This review summarizes two recently updated Cochrane systematic reviews that assess the safety and efficacy of homeopathy or acupuncture in individuals with chronic stable asthma. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Only randomized-controlled trials were considered for inclusion. Statistical aggregation of the data was undertaken where possible. SEARCH STRATEGY: Searches for both reviews were done with the assistance of the Cochrane Airways Group, and through electronic alerts. RESULTS: ACUPUNCTURE: 11 studies with 324 participants met the inclusion criteria. Trial reporting was poor, and the trial quality was deemed inadequate to generalize the findings. There was variation in the type of active and sham acupunctures, the outcomes assessed and the time points measured. The points used in the sham arm of some studies are used for the treatment of asthma according to traditional Chinese medicine. Two studies used individualized treatment strategies, and one study used a combination strategy of formula acupuncture with the addition of individualized points. No statistically significant or clinically relevant effects were found for acupuncture compared with sham acupuncture. When data from two small studies were pooled, no difference in lung function was observed (post-treatment FEV1): standardized mean difference 0.12, 95% confidence interval 0.31 to 0.55). CONCLUSION: ACUPUNCTURE: There is not enough evidence to recommend the use of acupuncture in the treatment of asthma. Further research needs to be undertaken, and this should take into account the different types of acupuncture practiced. RESULTS: HOMEOPATHY: Six trials with a total of 556 people were included in the review. These trials were all placebo-controlled and double-blind, but were of variable quality. Standardized treatments in these trials are unlikely to represent common homeopathic practice where treatment tends to be individualized. The results of the studies are conflicting in terms of effects on lung function. There has been only a limited attempt to measure a "package of care" effect (i.e. the effect of the medication as well as the consultation, which is considered a vital part of individualized homeopathic practice). CONCLUSION: HOMEOPATHY: There is not enough evidence to reliably assess the possible role of homeopathy in the treatment of asthma. Further studies could assess whether individuals respond to a "package of care" rather than the homeopathic intervention alone.

Acupuncture Therapy↗

PubMed2004

Evaluating the effectiveness of clinical medical librarian programs: a systematic review of the literature.

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to determine if a systematic review of the evidence from thirty years of literature evaluating clinical medical librarian (CML) programs could help clarify the effectiveness of this outreach service model. METHODS: A descriptive review of the CML literature describes the general characteristics of these services as they have been implemented, primarily in teaching-hospital settings. Comprehensive searches for CML studies using quantitative or qualitative evaluation methods were conducted in the medical, allied health, librarianship, and social sciences literature. FINDINGS: Thirty-five studies published between 1974 and 2001 met the review criteria. Most (30) evaluated single, active programs and used descriptive research methods (e.g., use statistics or surveys/questionnaires). A weighted average of 89% of users in twelve studies found CML services useful and of high quality, and 65% of users in another overlapping, but not identical, twelve studies said these services contributed to improved patient care. CONCLUSIONS: The total amount of research evidence for CML program effectiveness is not great and most of it is descriptive rather than comparative or analytically qualitative. Standards are needed to consistently evaluate CML or informationist programs in the future. A carefully structured multiprogram study including three to five of the best current programs is needed to define the true value of these services.

Clinical Medicine↗

PubMed2006

[Emergency surgery for chest injuries in the multiply injured: a systematic review].

OBJECTIVE: Severe chest injuries are still associated with significant morbidity and mortality. This systematic review assesses the early operative management of severe chest trauma in multi injured patients with special regard to the priority of the operative therapy. METHODS: Clinical trials were systematically sought and collected (MEDLINE, Cochrane and hand searches). Of 618 abstracts, 46 articles were selected for detailed appraisal and were classified into evidence levels (1 to 5 according to the Oxford system). RESULTS: Penetrating chest injuries in haemodynamically instable patients require emergency operative therapy. A thoracotomy is also indicated in excessive chest tube output (>1500 ml). An aortic rupture can be treated either by open suture or-in borderline patients-by endovascular stenting. In selected haemodynamically stable patients delayed treatment is also possible. Lesions of the tracheobronchial system should be treated urgently with primary surgical repair. Diaphragmatic ruptures should be closed urgently. Surgical stabilisation of rib fractures with an associated flail chest reduces the ventilator days and the length of intensive care unit stay. CONCLUSION: A large part of early surgery for chest injuries is justified because it averts immediate threats to life (level 1c evidence). No randomised and only a few controlled trials have examined the relative value of the different surgical options so far. Long-term data are lacking especially on the safety of endovascular stenting.

Aortic Rupture↗

PubMed2006

Restrictive diastolic filling predicts death after acute myocardial infarction: systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies.

OBJECTIVE: To determine, through a systematic review and meta-analysis, the magnitude of the survival deficit associated with a restrictive filling pattern after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: Online databases were searched for prospective echocardiography outcome studies of patients after AMI. All authors were contacted to seek confirmation of their data. Restrictive filling was compared with all non-restrictive filling patterns. Review Manager Version 4.2.7 software was used for analysis. RESULTS: 3855 patients in 16 studies were identified. Follow up varied from two weeks to five years (> 1 year, 10 studies; and > 4 years, four studies). 776 (20%) of patients had a restrictive filling pattern at baseline. 580 patients died (247 in the restrictive group), and the overall odds ratio for death (restrictive filling worse) was 4.10 (95% confidence interval 3.38 to 4.99). CONCLUSIONS: Mortality is about four times higher in patients with a restrictive filling pattern than in those with non-restrictive filling patterns after AMI. Echocardiographic assessment of diastolic filling pattern is an important part of the echocardiographic assessment of patients after myocardial infarction and provides important prognostic information about such patients.

Diastole↗

PubMed2006

A systematic review of prophylactic antibiotics in the surgical treatment of maxillofacial fractures.

PURPOSE: A systematic review was performed to find evidence for prophylactic administration of antibiotics in relation to treatment of maxillofacial fractures. METHODS: Four studies were retrieved that fulfilled most of the requirements of being randomized controlled clinical trials. RESULTS: An analysis of these studies showed a 3-fold decrease in the infection rate of mandibular fractures in the antibiotic treated groups compared with the control groups. A variety of antibiotics had been used with an apparently uniform effect. A "1-shot" regimen or a 1-day treatment course had a similar or perhaps even better effect than 7 days of treatment. No infections were related to condylar, maxillary, or zygoma fractures. CONCLUSION: A 1-shot or 1-day administration of prophylactic antibiotics seem to be the best documented to reduce infections in the management of mandibular fractures not involving the condylar region.

Antibiotic Prophylaxis↗

PubMed2006

Risk of dementia in diabetes mellitus: a systematic review.

The relation between diabetes and major types of dementia is controversial. This systematic review examines the incidence of dementia in people with diabetes mellitus. We identified 14 eligible longitudinal population-based studies of variable methodological quality. The incidence of "any dementia" was higher in individuals with diabetes than in those without diabetes in seven of ten studies reporting this aggregate outcome. This high risk included both Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia (eight of 13 studies and six of nine studies respectively). Detailed data on modulating and mediating effects of glycaemic control, microvascular complications, and comorbidity (eg, hypertension and stroke) were generally absent. The findings of mechanistic studies suggest that vascular disease and alterations in glucose, insulin, and amyloid metabolism underlie the pathophysiology, but which of these mechanisms are clinically relevant is unclear. Further high quality studies need to be initiated, with objective diabetes assessment, together with reliable methods to establish the contribution of vascular disease and other comorbidity to dementia.

Community Health Planning↗

PubMed2001

Limitations of patient satisfaction studies in telehealthcare: a systematic review of the literature.

The objective of this study is to provide a systematic review of studies on patient satisfaction with telemedicine. The review included empirical studies that investigated patient satisfaction with that telemedicine service. The search strategy involved matching at least one of 11 'telemedicine' terms with one of 5 'satisfaction' terms. The following databases were searched: Telemedicine Information Exchange (TIE) database, MEDLINE, Science Citation Index (SCI), Social Science Citation Index (SSCI), Psycinfo, and Citation Index of Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL). A highly structured instrument was used for data extraction. The review included 93 studies. Telepsychiatry represents the largest portion of these studies (25%), followed by multispecialty care (14%), nursing (11%), and dermatology (8%). Real-time videoconferencing was used in 88% of these studies. Only 19 (20%) included an independent control group, including 9 (10%) randomized control trial (RCT) studies. One third of studies were based on samples of less than 20 patients, and only 21% had samples of over 100 patients. Aspects of patient satisfaction most commonly assessed were: professional-patient interaction, the patient's feeling about the consultation, and technical aspects of the consultation. Only 33% of the studies included a measure of preference between telemedicine and face-to-face consultation. Almost half the studies measured only 1 or 2 dimensions of satisfaction. Reported levels of satisfaction with telemedicine are consistently greater than 80%, and frequently reported at 100%. Progression of telemedicine services from "trial" status to routine health service must be supported by improved research into patients' satisfaction with telemedicine. Further investigation of factors that influence patient acceptance of telemedicine is indicated.

Humans↗

PubMed2007

A systematic review of school-based interventions to prevent bullying.

OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic review of rigorously evaluated school-based interventions to decrease bullying. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Educational Resources Information Center, Cochrane Collaboration, the Physical Education Index, and Sociology: A SAGE Full-Text Collection were searched for the terms bullying and bully. STUDY SELECTION: We found 2090 article citations and reviewed the references of relevant articles. Two reviewers critically evaluated 56 articles and found 26 studies that met the inclusion criteria. INTERVENTIONS: The types of interventions could be categorized as curriculum (10 studies), multidisciplinary or "whole-school" interventions (10 studies), social skills groups (4 studies), mentoring (1 study), and social worker support (1 study). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Data were extracted regarding direct outcome measures of bullying (bullying, victimization, aggressive behavior, and school responses to violence) and outcomes indirectly related to bullying (school achievement, perceived school safety, self-esteem, and knowledge or attitudes toward bullying). RESULTS: Only 4 of the 10 curriculum studies showed decreased bullying, but 3 of those 4 also showed no improvement in some populations. Of the 10 studies evaluating the whole-school approach, 7 revealed decreased bullying, with younger children having fewer positive effects. Three of the social skills training studies showed no clear bullying reduction. The mentoring study found decreased bullying for mentored children. The study of increased school social workers found decreased bullying, truancy, theft, and drug use. CONCLUSIONS: Many school-based interventions directly reduce bullying, with better results for interventions that involve multiple disciplines. Curricular changes less often affect bullying behaviors. Outcomes indirectly related to bullying are not consistently improved by these interventions.

Aggression↗

PubMed2003

Misrepresenting random sampling? A systematic review of research papers in the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

AIM: This paper discusses the theoretical limitations of the use of random sampling and probability theory in the production of a significance level (or P-value) in nursing research. Potential alternatives, in the form of randomization tests, are proposed. BACKGROUND: Research papers in nursing, medicine and psychology frequently misrepresent their statistical findings, as the P-values reported assume random sampling. In this systematic review of studies published between January 1995 and June 2002 in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, 89 (68%) studies broke this assumption because they used convenience samples or entire populations. As a result, some of the findings may be questionable. DISCUSSION: The key ideas of random sampling and probability theory for statistical testing (for generating a P-value) are outlined. The result of a systematic review of research papers published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing is then presented, showing how frequently random sampling appears to have been misrepresented. Useful alternative techniques that might overcome these limitations are then discussed. REVIEW LIMITATIONS: This review is limited in scope because it is applied to one journal, and so the findings cannot be generalized to other nursing journals or to nursing research in general. However, it is possible that other nursing journals are also publishing research articles based on the misrepresentation of random sampling. The review is also limited because in several of the articles the sampling method was not completely clearly stated, and in this circumstance a judgment has been made as to the sampling method employed, based on the indications given by author(s). CONCLUSION: Quantitative researchers in nursing should be very careful that the statistical techniques they use are appropriate for the design and sampling methods of their studies. If the techniques they employ are not appropriate, they run the risk of misinterpreting findings by using inappropriate, unrepresentative and biased samples.

Data Collection↗

PubMed2005

A systematic review of drug therapy to delay or prevent type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the evidence for the prevention of type 2 diabetes by pharmacological therapies. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Randomized controlled trials and cohort studies examining the effect of oral hypoglycemic agents, antiobesity agents, antihypertensive agents, statins, fibrates, and estrogen on the incidence of type 2 diabetes were identified from MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Registry, and searches of reference lists. Two reviewers independently assessed studies for inclusion and performed data extraction. RESULTS: Ten studies of oral hypoglycemic agents and 15 studies of nonoral hypoglycemic agents were found. Oral hypoglycemic agents and orlistat are the only drugs that have been studied in randomized controlled trials with diabetes incidence as the primary end point. In the largest studies of 2.5-4.0 years' duration, metformin (relative risk [RR] 0.69, 95% CI 0.57-0.83), acarbose (0.75, 0.63-0.90), troglitazone (0.45, 0.25-0.83), and orlistat (hazard ratio [HR] 0.63, 95% CI 0.46-0.86) have all been shown to decrease diabetes incidence compared with placebo; however, follow-up rates varied from 43 to 96%. Current evidence for statins, fibrates, antihypertensive agents, and estrogen is inconclusive. In addition, the critical question of whether drugs are preventing, or simply delaying, onset of diabetes remains unresolved. CONCLUSIONS: Currently, no single agent can be definitively recommended for diabetes prevention. Future studies should be designed with diabetes incidence as the primary outcome and should be of sufficient duration to differentiate between genuine diabetes prevention as opposed to simple delay or masking of this condition.

Anti-Obesity Agents↗