Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Sep 2017
Review Meta AnalysisInterventions for obtaining and maintaining employment in adults with severe mental illness, a network meta-analysis.
People with severe mental illness show high rates of unemployment and work disability, however, they often have a desire to participate in employment. People with severe mental illness used to be placed in sheltered employment or were enrolled in prevocational training to facilitate transition to a competitive job. Now, there are also interventions focusing on rapid search for a competitive job, with ongoing support to keep the job, known as supported employment. Recently, there has been a growing interest in combining supported employment with other prevocational or psychiatric interventions. ⋯ Supported employment and augmented supported employment were the most effective interventions for people with severe mental illness in terms of obtaining and maintaining employment, based on both the direct comparison analysis and the network meta-analysis, without increasing the risk of adverse events. These results are based on moderate- to low-quality evidence, meaning that future studies with lower risk of bias could change these results. Augmented supported employment may be slightly more effective compared to supported employment alone. However, this difference was small, based on the direct comparison analysis, and further decreased with the network meta-analysis meaning that this difference should be interpreted cautiously. More studies on maintaining competitive employment are needed to get a better understanding of whether the costs and efforts are worthwhile in the long term for both the individual and society.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Sep 2017
Review Meta AnalysisIntravesical electromotive drug administration for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.
Electromotive drug administration (EMDA) is the use of electrical current to improve the delivery of intravesical agents to reduce the risk of recurrence in people with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). It is unclear how effective this is in comparison to other forms of intravesical therapy. ⋯ While the use of EMDA to administer intravesical MMC may result in a delay in time to recurrence in select patient populations, we are uncertain about its impact on serious adverse events in all settings. Common reasons for downgrading the QoE were study limitations and imprecision. A potential role for EMDA-based administration of MMC may lie in settings where more established agents (such as BCG) are not available. In the setting of low or very low QoE for most comparisons, our confidence in the effect estimates is limited and the true effect sizes may be substantially different from those reported here.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Sep 2017
ReviewGovernance arrangements for health systems in low-income countries: an overview of systematic reviews.
Governance arrangements include changes in rules or processes that determine authority and accountability for health policies, organisations, commercial products and health professionals, as well as the involvement of stakeholders in decision-making. Changes in governance arrangements can affect health and related goals in numerous ways, generally through changes in authority, accountability, openness, participation and coherence. A broad overview of the findings of systematic reviews can help policymakers, their technical support staff and other stakeholders to identify strategies for addressing problems and improving the governance of their health systems. ⋯ Investigators have evaluated a wide range of governance arrangements that are relevant for low-income countries using sound systematic review methods. These strategies have been targeted at different levels in health systems, and studies have assessed a range of outcomes. Moderate-certainty evidence shows desirable effects (with no undesirable effects) for some interventions. However, there are important gaps in the availability of systematic reviews and primary studies for the all of the main categories of governance arrangements.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Sep 2017
Review Meta AnalysisLaparoscopic and robotic-assisted versus open radical prostatectomy for the treatment of localised prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is commonly diagnosed in men worldwide. Surgery, in the form of radical prostatectomy, is one of the main forms of treatment for men with localised prostate cancer. Prostatectomy has traditionally been performed as open surgery, typically via a retropubic approach. The advent of laparoscopic approaches, including robotic-assisted, provides a minimally invasive alternative to open radical prostatectomy (ORP). ⋯ There is no high-quality evidence to inform the comparative effectiveness of LRP or RARP compared to ORP for oncological outcomes. Urinary and sexual quality of life-related outcomes appear similar.Overall and serious postoperative complication rates appear similar. The difference in postoperative pain may be minimal. Men undergoing LRP or RARP may have a shorter hospital stay and receive fewer blood transfusions. All available outcome data were short-term, and this study was unable to account for surgeon volume or experience.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Sep 2017
ReviewImplementation strategies for health systems in low-income countries: an overview of systematic reviews.
A key function of health systems is implementing interventions to improve health, but coverage of essential health interventions remains low in low-income countries. Implementing interventions can be challenging, particularly if it entails complex changes in clinical routines; in collaborative patterns among different healthcare providers and disciplines; in the behaviour of providers, patients or other stakeholders; or in the organisation of care. Decision-makers may use a range of strategies to implement health interventions, and these choices should be based on evidence of the strategies' effectiveness. ⋯ Reliable systematic reviews have evaluated a wide range of strategies for implementing evidence-based interventions in low-income countries. Most of the available evidence is focused on strategies targeted at healthcare workers and healthcare recipients and relates to process-based outcomes. Evidence of the effects of strategies targeting healthcare organisations is scarce.