International journal of clinical practice
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Int. J. Clin. Pract. · Oct 2019
ReviewTraditional medicines for asthma in children and adults: A systematic review of placebo-controlled studies.
Traditional medicines (TMs) adjunctive to conventional medications are widely used for asthma in east-Asia and have gained popularity in western countries. ⋯ The application of certain traditional herbal medicines used in east-Asia as adjuncts to conventional medications improved outcomes in acute and chronic asthma, but most evidence was based on single trials. Therefore, no single TM could be recommended. Effect sizes varied according to asthma severity at baseline. Future studies should consider baseline severity when enrolling participants.
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Int. J. Clin. Pract. · Oct 2019
Point-of-care testing in primary care: A systematic review on implementation aspects addressed in test evaluations.
There are numerous point-of-care tests (POCTs) available on the market, but many of these are not used. This study reviewed literature pertaining to the evaluation/usage of POCTs in primary care, to investigate whether outcomes being reported reflect aspects previously demonstrated to be important for general practitioners (GPs) in the decision to implement a POCT in practice. ⋯ This review showed that, despite the growing market and development of new POCTs, studies evaluating such tests fail to report on aspects that GPs find important. To ensure that an evaluation of a POCT is useful to primary care clinicians, future evaluations should not only focus on the technical performance aspects of a test, but also report on the aspects relating to the clinical utility and risks.