1,721,029 research outputs found
Promoting Acceptance and Adherence to Noninvasive Ventilation in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial
No full textOBJECTIVE: People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may suffer from anxiety, depression, low quality of life, and cognitive deficits that could play a role in their clinical conditions. These situations could be worsened during the adaptation process to a new treatment such as noninvasive ventilation (NIV), which is often rejected or inappropriately used. The study aimed to analyze the impact of a brief psychological support intervention on adherence to NIV among patients with COPD. METHODS: A two-branch randomized controlled trial was conducted on 90 patients with COPD who had an indication for NIV. The experimental group received cognitive behavioral therapy support, including counseling, relaxation, and mindfulness-based exercises. Controls received standard care and watched educational videos. The course had been structured for four to eight meetings at the hospital, at home, and/or via telemedicine. RESULTS: The psychological intervention was related to improvements in both adherence to NIV (F(304) = 19.054, p < .001) and quality of life (F(156) = 10.264, p = .002) after eight meetings from baseline compared with the control group. Results indicated a significant change in the quality of life also over time (F(71.480) = 8.114, p = .006). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that the psychological intervention is an appropriate treatment for acceptance of and adherence to NIV in COPD in clinical practice and highlight the importance of determining the underlying reasons for NIV use. Trial Registration:ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02499653
The Role of Depression on Treatment Adherence in Patients with Heart Failure-a Systematic Review of the Literature
No full textIntroduction Although poor medication adherence is considered an impacting risk factor for worsening heart failure (HF) outcomes, adherence rates in HF patients continue to be considerably low. To improve this condition, several studies investigated the impact of many determinants on medication adherence; however, few authors explored the role of depression on it. Purpose of Review The purpose of this systematic review was to explore the association between depressive symptoms and medication adherence in HF patients. In particular, the research question was is depression a barrier to medication adherence in HF patients? Methods A systematic review of quantitative analysis studies was undertaken. Six electronic databases were searched between the end of October and March 2022. Thirty-one trials were included, all of them assessed depression, adherence to medication, and their possible relationship. Results As was intended, findings showed that the impact of a mild to moderate level of depression was significant on adherence to treatment in HF patients. However, many other risk factors emerged, like family support and health practices (es. low sodium diet). Conclusion The detection of depression in the setting of HF should be crucial to HF patients' physical health and quality of life. Future research should take depression into account, exploring this area through self-report and qualitative interview as well
Development of the beliefs about ventilation questionnaire (BVQ)
No full textBackground: The rejection or inappropriate usage of Non Invasive Ventilation (NIV) resulting unsuccessful treatments and in higher health care costs. Currently, there is a lack of a standardized instrument that assess NIV adherence.
Aims and objectives: The main aim of this study is the development of the Beliefs about Ventilation Questionnaire (BVQ).
Methods: The authors generated and randomized a list of statements patients have made about ventilation according to the scientific literature and clinical experience. The 25-item questionnaire was developed in Italian and translated in English, French and Spanish. A questionnaire based-survey was handed out to all inpatients and outpatients who are recommended to NIV usewith obstructive or restrictive respiratory diseases. Fifty-three participants were recruited at HD Respiratory Rehabilitation of Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, in Milan (Italy). Data collected were analyzed through factor analysis and structural equation models. Convergent validity with the actual utilization hours were assessed, as well as correlations with quality of life indexes. The BVQ was self-administered by the patients, in an Italian format.Each questionnaire took approximately fifteen minutes to complete.
Results: The BVQ was administered to 53 consecutive participants referred to NIV use. A preliminary exploratory factor analysis provided good internal consistency and convergent validity, and acceptable to good test–retest reliability. Internal consistency was good (Cronbach's alpha >0,694).
Conclusions: The BVQ should prove useful for researchers and clinicians interested in adherence to NIV
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
A quick relaxation exercise for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Explorative randomized controlled trial
Full text linkBackground: People with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) suffer from dyspnoea, which may be increased by anxiety. Previous studies suggest that relaxation techniques may have positive effects in pulmonary rehabilitation. The main aim of this study is to explore the clinical impact of a quick, one-session, relaxation training for people with COPD. Methods: In this perspective, 38 participants with COPD were recruited and randomly assigned to listen to a relaxing audio or to watch a neutral stimulus, during their routine exams. Participants were assessed for psychological and physiological variables, analysed through non-parametric tests. Results: Those who joined the relaxation training showed more positive outcomes about respiratory and cardiac assessments, as well as for state anxiety and positive affections, in comparison with the baseline and the control group. Conclusions: Study results suggest that relaxation has a potential to produce improvements in respiratory and cardiac functions, together with a positive emotional effect and a reduction of anxiety. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02698904. Record Registration: February 2016
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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