Journal of general internal medicine
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Benzodiazepines are the standard medication class for treating alcohol withdrawal. Guidelines recommend dosing based on objectively measured symptoms (symptom-triggered therapy) rather than fixed dose regimens. However, the superiority of symptom-triggered therapy has been questioned, and concerns have been raised about its inappropriate use and safety. We aimed to assess whether symptom-triggered therapy is superior to fixed dose schedules in terms of mortality, delirium, seizures, total benzodiazepine dose, and duration of therapy. ⋯ CRD42017073426.
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Review Meta Analysis
The Role of Health Literacy in Diabetes Knowledge, Self-Care, and Glycemic Control: a Meta-analysis.
Empirical evidence on how health literacy affects diabetes outcomes is inconsistent. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to quantitatively summarize the findings on the associations between health literacy and diabetes knowledge, self-care activities, and glycemic control as disease-related outcomes, with specific focus on the type of health literacy assessment. ⋯ Health literacy plays a substantial role in diabetes knowledge. Findings for the role of health literacy in self-care and glycemic control remain heterogeneous, partly due to the type of health literacy assessment (performance- vs. perception-based). This has implications for the use of health literacy measures in clinical settings and original research. This meta-analysis was limited to functional health literacy and, due to the paucity of studies, did not investigate the role of other dimensions including communicative and critical health literacy.
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Meta Analysis Comparative Study
Effect of Bedside vs. Non-bedside Patient Case Presentation During Ward Rounds: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Ward rounds are important for communicating with patients, but it is unclear whether bedside or non-bedside case presentation is the better approach. ⋯ We found no differences in patient-relevant outcomes between bedside and non-bedside case presentations with a lack of statistical power among current trials. There is a need for larger studies to find the optimal approach to patient case presentation during ward rounds.
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Meta Analysis
A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Association Between Vitamin K Antagonist Use and Fracture.
Vitamin K antagonist (VKA) anticoagulant use is suspected to increase the risk of bone fracture through inhibition of vitamin K-dependent cofactors of bone formation, an effect not seen with non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs). The purpose of our systematic review and meta-analysis is to investigate the association between VKA use and fracture. ⋯ We found no increase in odds of fracture in VKA users versus controls or NOAC users. There was a small increase in odds of fracture among female and elderly VKA users, which may not be clinically important when accounting for other considerations in choosing an anticoagulant. Our findings suggest that, when anticoagulation is necessary, fracture risk should not be a major consideration in choice of an agent. Future studies directly comparing VKA to NOAC users and studies with longer duration of VKA use may be needed.
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Meta Analysis
Efficacy of Different Types of Exercise-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation on Coronary Heart Disease: a Network Meta-analysis.
Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) has been recognized as an essential component of the treatment for coronary heart disease (CHD). Determining the efficacy of modern alternative treatment methods is the key to developing exercise-based CR programs. ⋯ Current evidence suggests that center-based CR is acceptable for patients with CHD. As home- and tele-based CR can save time, money, effort, and resources and may be preferred by patients, their efficacy should be investigated further in subsequent studies.