BMC research notes
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Systematic reviews and meta-analyses that do not include unpublished data in their analyses may be prone to publication bias, which in some cases has been shown to have deleterious consequences on determining the efficacy of interventions. ⋯ Systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in pregnancy and childbirth journals do not routinely report searches of clinical trials registries. Including these registries in systematic reviews may be a promising avenue to limit publication bias if registry searches locate unpublished trial data that could be used in the systematic review.
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Both abiraterone acetate (AA) and enzalutamide are promising agents for patients with pre- and post-chemotherapy metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Several retrospective analysis suggested clinical cross-resistance between these agents in patients previously treated with docetaxel. However, data on the antitumor activity of AA as a second androgen receptor-targeting new agent after the failure of enzalutamide in chemotherapy-naive mCRPC patients is unavailable. ⋯ The PSA decline with subsequent AA treatment in chemotherapy-naive mCRPC patients after a failure of enzalutamide was modest, however, the PFS and OS with subsequent AA treatment were comparable to those of enzalutamide previously reported as a second androgen receptor-targeting new agent after AA failure. The PSA response and PFS duration to previous enzalutamide treatment did not predict those of subsequent AA treatment.
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The increase in opioid overdose deaths has become a national public health crisis. Naloxone is an important tool in opioid overdose prevention. Distribution of nasal naloxone has been found to be a feasible, and effective intervention in community settings and may have potential high applicability in the emergency department, which is often the initial point of care for persons at high risk of overdose. One safety net hospital introduced an innovative policy to offer take-home nasal naloxone via a standing order to ensure distribution to patients at risk for overdose. The aims of this study were to examine acceptance and uptake of the policy and assess facilitators and barriers to implementation. ⋯ The actual implementation of a new innovation in healthcare delivery is largely driven by factors beyond acceptance. Despite support and resources, implementation was challenging, with low uptake. While the potential of this innovation is unknown, understanding the experience is important to improve uptake in this setting and offer possible solutions for other facilities to address the opioid overdose crisis. Use of the PARiHS framework allowed us to recognize and understand key evidence, contextual and facilitation barriers to the successful implementation of the policy and to identify areas for improvement.
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We report on interns' clinical competence and experiences of an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) training program over 3 years. We aimed to determine whether repeated formative OSCEs allow teaching hospitals to improve the effectiveness of clinical training and help interns to achieve high scores in the national summative OSCE. ⋯ Serial administration of formative OSCEs by teaching hospitals enhances the performance of students on the sequential summative OSCE. Such programs provide multiple opportunities for students to practice their clinical skills, and for faculty to develop their teaching, assessment and consensus building skills.
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The Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) Massive Transfusion (MT) Registry (MTR) has been established to improve the quality of care of patients with critical bleeding (CB) requiring MT (≥ 5 units red blood cells (RBC) over 4 h). The MTR is providing data to: (1) improve the evidence base for transfusion practice by systematically collecting data on transfusion practice and clinical outcomes; (2) monitor variations in practice and provide an opportunity for benchmarking, and feedback on practice/blood product use; (3) inform blood supply planning, inventory management and development of future clinical trials; and (4) measure and enhance translation of evidence into policy and patient blood management guidelines. The MTR commenced in 2011. At each participating site, all eligible patients aged ≥18 years with CB from any clinical context receiving MT are included using a waived consent model. Patient information and clinical coding, transfusion history, and laboratory test results are extracted for each patient's hospital admission at the episode level. ⋯ The MTR is generating data with the potential to have an impact on management and policy decision-making in CB and MT and provide benchmarking and monitoring tools for immediate application.