BMJ open
-
Renal replacement therapy (RRT) is a complex and expensive form of life-sustaining therapy, reserved for our most acutely ill patients. While a number of randomised trials have evaluated the optimal timing to start RRT among critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), there has been a paucity of trials providing guidance on when and under what circumstances to ideally liberate a patient from RRT. We are conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify clinical and biochemical markers that predict kidney recovery and successful liberation from acute RRT among critically ill patients with acute kidney injury. ⋯ Our systematic review will synthesise the literature on clinical and biochemical markers that predict liberation from RRT. Research ethics approval is not required.
-
To explore common features of conversations occurring in a sample of emergency calls that result in an ambulance dispatch for a 'primary care sensitive' situation, and better understand the challenges of triaging this cohort. ⋯ Previous work has focused on exploring the presentation and triage of life-threatening medical emergencies. Meaningful insights into the challenges of EMS triage can also be gained by exploring calls for 'primary care sensitive' situations. The highly scripted triage process requires precise, 'codeable' responses to questions, which can create challenges when the exact urgency of the problem is unclear to both caller and call-taker. Calling on behalf of someone else may compound this complexity. The aetiology of some common interactional challenges may offer a useful frame for future comparison between calls for 'primary care sensitive' situations and life-threatening emergencies.
-
These days, in Ethiopia, khat chewing is one of the widely spreading public health problems affecting the most productive segment of the population. The health implications of khat chewing among students are strongly linked with poor mental, physical and social performances. However, the national magnitude of khat chewing and the associated factors among Ethiopian students are unknown. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis will answer the national prevalence of khat chewing and the associated factors among students in Ethiopia. ⋯ CRD-42,017,081,886.
-
As rapid urbanisation transforms the sociodemographic structures within cities, standard survey methods, which have remained unchanged for many years, under-represent the urban poorest. This leads to an overly positive picture of urban health, distorting appropriate allocation of resources between rural and urban and within urban areas. Here, we present a protocol for our study which (i) tests novel methods to improve representation of urban populations in household surveys and measure mental health and injuries, (ii) explores urban poverty and compares measures of poverty and 'slumness' and (iii) works with city authorities to understand, and potentially improve, utilisation of data on urban health for planning more equitable services. ⋯ Ethical approvals have been granted by ethics committees from the UK, Nepal, Bangladesh and Vietnam. Findings will be disseminated through conference papers, peer-reviewed open access articles and workshops with policy-makers and survey experts in Kathmandu, Hanoi and Dhaka.
-
To develop a dynamic prediction model for high blood pressure at the age of 9-10 years that could be applied at any age between birth and the age of 6 years in community-based child healthcare. ⋯ This prediction model may help to monitor the risk of developing high blood pressure in childhood which may allow for early targeted primordial prevention of cardiovascular disease.