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Objectives To enhance and evaluate the quality of PubMed search results for Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) through the addition of new SDoH terms to Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). Materials and Methods High priority SDoH terms and definitions were collated from authoritative sources, curated based on publication frequencies, and refined by subject matter experts. Descriptive analyses were used to investigate how PubMed search details and best match results were affected by the addition of SDoH concepts to MeSH. Three information retrieval metrics (Precision, Recall, and F measure) were used to quantitatively assess the accuracy of PubMed search results. Pre- and post-update documents were clustered into topic areas using a Natural Language Processing pipeline, and SDoH relevancy assessed. Results Addition of 35 SDoH terms to MeSH resulted in more accurate algorithmic translations of search terms and more reliable best match results. The Precision, Recall, and F measures of post-update results were significantly higher than those of pre-update results. The percentage of retrieved publications belonging to SDoH clusters was significantly greater in the post- than pre-update searches. Discussion This evaluation confirms that inclusion of new SDoH terms in MeSH can lead to qualitative and quantitative enhancements in PubMed search retrievals. It demonstrates the methodology for and impact of suggesting new terms for MeSH indexing. It provides a foundation for future efforts across behavioral and social science research (BSSR) domains. Conclusion Improving the representation of BSSR terminology in MeSH can improve PubMed search results, thereby enhancing the ability of investigators and clinicians to build and utilize a cumulative BSSR knowledge base. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Objective Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of secukinumab and ustekinumab against moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in a Brazilian pediatric population with access to public healthcare. Methods A survey of immunobiological treatments registered for use against pediatric psoriasis at the National Health Surveillance Agency was conducted. These treatments were compared to the list available in the same treatment category in the public health system through the Clinical Protocol and Therapeutic Guidelines for psoriasis. A quantitative analysis of the data of patients treated with immunobiological drugs the previous year in accordance with the Clinical Protocol and Therapeutic Guidelines was performed using data available in the DATASUS portal. Results The public budget impact scenarios analyzed were comparable to the investment already planned for acquiring the only available drug option. Conclusion The incorporation of two therapeutic options in the Clinical Protocol and Therapeutic Guidelines list for moderate-to-severe pediatric psoriasis was feasible in a horizon of 5 years compared to the investment into the single option available to pediatric patients. These findings can facilitate the local analysis of budgetary impact and discussions on the feasibility of this therapeutic incorporation at the state level.

Introduction Clinical assessment in orofacial motricity is required for the speech therapist to diagnose and treat disorders involving the stomatognathic system. Validated tools can help establish a prognosis and outline intervention methods connected to human development. Objective The goal of the present study was to examine the domains of the oromyofunctional assessment of nursing infants and preschoolers according to sex and age group, as well as the application of the MMBGR Protocol – Nursing Infants and Preschool Children. Methods A quantitative technique was used to conduct an analytical and cross-sectional investigation. The present study included a total of 214 healthy breastfeeding infants and preschoolers of both sexes. The Mann-Whitney test was used to compare the medians. The Spearman correlation of each test domain was determined. R Core Team 2021 (R Foundation, Vienna, Austria) was used, and the significance threshold was set at 5%. Results In intraoral and extraoral examinations, there was a difference between sexes for tongue scores in nursing infants (d = - 0.428; p = 0.045), worse in males. When the orofacial functions were considered in nursing infants, there were differences between the sexes for the liquid/solid/semisolid deglutition scores (d = 0.479; p = 0.031), with females performing worse. There were sex differences in solid/semisolid deglutition (d = - 0.335; p = 0.043), and speech in preschoolers (d = - 0.478; p = 0.034), including the production of phones/phonemes (d = - 0.599; p = 0.007), which were always worse in males. Conclusion The research revealed sex disparities and related the domains of oromyofunctional assessment, according to scores, of the domains of myofunctional assessment, as recorded in a standardized oromyofunctional assessment protocol by age group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundIn February 2022, an online Wildfire Smoke Communication Workshop series identified priorities and strategies to improve wildfire smoke communication in Canada. We evaluated the engagement methods, the workshop series and workshop summary report, to determine if participants/organizations initiated changes identified in the workshop to optimize wildfire smoke communication plans.MethodsThree evaluation surveys were developed using the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) framework dimensions and PRISM (Practical, Robust, Implementation, and Sustainability Model) contextual domains to measure the engagement impact. Surveys 1, 2, and 3 were disseminated to workshop participants between February 2022 (post-workshop series), May 2022 (pre-wildfire season), and September 2022 (post-wildfire season). Likert survey responses were analyzed descriptively using means and standard deviations. Open-ended written responses were analyzed using deductive reasoning and response proportions.ResultsOf 69 workshop participants, 28, 19, and 13 responded to surveys 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Workshop participation helped survey 1 respondents consider optimizing wildfire smoke communication (M = 3.93, SD = 0.88). Workshop participation and the summary report helped survey 2 respondents consider new actions to optimize wildfire smoke communication (M = 3.84, SD = 0.74). The most intended action in survey 2 (68%, n = 13) and the most common action taken in survey 3 (62%, n = 8) was to simplify message content. The primary limitation to optimization was capacity.ConclusionThe engagement methods, particularly the summary report, were beneficial for organizations to take action to optimize wildfire smoke communication in Canada. Future engagement methods should examine persisting system-level issues and capacity limitations as they undermine the ability to optimize wildfire smoke communication in Canada.

Introduction Clinical assessment in orofacial motricity is required for the speech therapist to diagnose and treat disorders involving the stomatognathic system. Validated tools can help establish a prognosis and outline intervention methods connected to human development.

Accurate and efficient data collection is crucial for effective evaluation of quality of care. The objective of this study is to compare two methods of data collection used to score quality indicators for musculoskeletal injury management in Emergency departments: prospective observation, and chart audit. An analysis was undertaken of data collected from 633 patients who presented with a musculoskeletal injury to eight emergency departments in Queensland, Australia in 2016–17. Twenty-two quality indicators were scored using both prospective observation and chart audit data for each occasion of service. Quality indicators were included if they were originally published with both collection methods. Analyses were performed to compare firstly, the quality indicator denominators, and secondly, the quality indicator trigger rates, scored using each collection method. Chi Square statistics were used to identify significant differences. Prospectively collected data scored quality indicator denominators significantly (p value<0.05) more often than chart audit data for five (22.7 %) of the 22 quality indicators. The remaining 17 quality indicators (77.3 %) showed no statistical differences. When comparing quality indicator trigger rates, 16 (72.7 %) had significantly different results between methods with 12 (54.5 %) scoring higher using prospective data and four (18.2 %) with chart audit data. The remaining six quality indicators (27.3 %) in this comparison showed no significant difference between chart and prospective data. Quality indicators including aspects of care associated with patient safety, and those relying on clinician written orders or forms were adequately scored using either prospective observation or chart audit data. Whereas quality indicators relying on time-sensitive information, elements of a social history, general physical exams and patient education and advice scored higher using prospective observation data collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has heightened social needs of many families, with the demand for resources, such as food, housing assistance, utilities, childcare, and mental health, rising throughout the United States. These needs were recognized by the Division of Emergency Medicine and Department of Social Work at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in April 2020, resulting in the creation of “Family Connects,” a program that mobilizes a multidisciplinary workforce to meet social needs in the emergency department (ED). We aimed to understand experiences of families who engaged with and received information about the resources through the program. Methods We conducted a qualitative, semi-structured, telephone interview study with a purposive convenience sample of adult participants who visited our ED as legal guardians of their ill or injured children from December 2020 through February 2021 and were contacted by a Family Connects representative. Participants were recruited via phone calls and asked questions regarding their perspectives of the program logistics, the telephone interaction, and the information provided about resources. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and de-identified. Transcripts were coded by 2 independent coders and analyzed for themes by 2 reviewers and the principal investigator. Results Twenty-eight interviews were completed with 18 families who received information about resources, and 10 who did not. Four major themes arose: overall positive experience with the program, mixed preferences surrounding modes of communication and information distribution, poor timing of phone calls during ED visit, and numerous barriers to accessing resources. Participants provided suggestions for improvement, including sending a text-alert prior to receiving the phone calls and post-ED follow-ups to help families access resources. Conclusion Families expressed an openness to being asked about social needs, though barriers including difficulty accessing resources and suboptimal phone call timing must be addressed to improve program delivery and effectiveness.

Background & Objective: The use of traditional clinical evaluation methods is one of the most critical challenges in obtaining professional competence and self-efficacy in clinical performance. This study aims to investigate the clinical self-efficacy of final-year nursing students by comparing a 360-degree evaluation method with a conventional evaluation method. Materials & Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 65 final-year nursing students at Abhar School of Nursing who were selected by census method and randomly divided into two control and experimental groups. In the beginning, the participants completed the clinical self-efficacy questionnaire then a briefing session was held for the experimental group. In the next step, a clinical evaluation of the experimental group was performed using the 360-degree standard form for two weeks. Furthermore, a routine evaluation method was used for the control group. At the end of the internship, both groups completed the clinical self-efficacy questionnaire again. Data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 25) using ANOVA, paired, and independent t-tests. Results: It was shown that the total self-efficacy score of the students in the experimental group increased after implementing the 360-degree method (P=0.003). Moreover, the clinical self-efficacy scores in the control and experimental groups revealed that the scores in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P=0.024). Conclusion: According to these findings, the use of the 360-degree evaluation method positively promotes students' clinical performance self-efficacy. Therefore, it is suggested that educational managers consider this evaluation method more and more as a comprehensive, appropriate, and efficient method for clinical courses.

Background: Frequent presenters to emergency departments (EDs) posemany challenges around care delivery and health service management. The aim of this study was to investigate the presentation patterns of people with 5 or more ED visits in any calendar month (5+ frequent presenter [FP5+]) to develop a useful methodological framework on which the real impact of interventions may be assessed. Methods: This study is a retrospective analysis of de-identified frequent ED presentation data using segmented regression analysis of an interrupted time series (ITS). Results: A total of 82 FP5+ to this single ED were identified in a year. Of these presenters, 77% had 10 or more presentations in a year. The total FP5+presentations in the 12 months preceding and after each participant's ≥5 presentations in 1 month (the trigger month for inclusion in the study) accounted for 1,064 and 1,606 visits, respectively. ITS analysis of frequent ED presentations did not show a significant level change or trend change during the data collection period. Monthly review of people who frequently present to a single ED showed that presentations typically occurred in bouts that may span calendar years. Presentation bouts then typically slow, potentially distorting evaluation of the effects of interventions. Conclusion: Rolling monthly examination of presentation data may facilitate timely case review and care delivery, as well as provide a holistic picture of the impacts of interventions targeting patient care needs. This unique analysis demands a reconsideration of the typical before-and-after analysis of interventions for this vulnerable and high-cost group of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Brasileira de Medicina do Esporte is the property of Redprint Editora Ltda. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objectives: This paper introduces HealthCheck, a novel evaluation method for persuasive mobile health applications, aiming to fill the critical gap in quick and effective evaluation tools for this domain. Methods: Following Design Science Research, HealthCheck was developed through problem identification, solution design, implementation, evaluation, and iterative refinement. The implementation involved testing with seven experts to assess its applicability and effectiveness. Results: Feedback from the evaluators indicated that while a few heuristics in HealthCheck were considered irrelevant by some, the majority found the heuristics to be both pertinent and beneficial, especially within the caregiving context. This feedback highlights the practical value of HealthCheck and its potential to offer meaningful insights into improving the usability of persuasive eHealth applications. Conclusion: The study shows HealthCheck effectively evaluates persuasive mobile health applications, offering actionable insights to enhance usability. This validates the relevance and robustness of HealthCheck's heuristics, advancing information systems and human-computer interaction research., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: Health care students are instrumental in shaping the future of dementia care. Cultivating a positive attitude and understanding toward people living with dementia is crucial for diminishing the stigma associated with the condition, providing effective and person-centered care, and enhancing the quality of life for people living with dementia. Educational programs about dementia are increasingly recognizing the potential of gaming tools., Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of gaming-based dementia educational programs in improving attitudes toward people living with dementia among health care students., Methods: This single-arm pre-post study will be conducted among health care students in Indonesian universities. This educational program based on gaming tools will consist of a lecture on dementia, the use of N-impro (gaming tool), and the enactment of short dramas depicting desirable and undesirable communication with people living with dementia behaviors. We will assess attitudes toward people living with dementia, intention to help people living with dementia, knowledge of dementia, and the stigma associated with people living with dementia. The gaming-based dementia education program will be integrated into the curriculum of the health care students. The program will be implemented once with a duration of 90 minutes., Results: Data collection will occur from August 2023 to March 2024. Analysis of the data will be finalized by May 2024, and the outcome will be determined by July 2024. The impact of the gaming-based dementia educational program on improving attitudes toward people living with dementia will be reported. The study findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal., Conclusions: The gaming education program demonstrates significant potential in enhancing attitudes toward people living with dementia across various countries, introducing an innovative method for the community-based support of people living with dementia., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06122623; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06122623., International Registered Report Identifier (irrid): DERR1-10.2196/62654., (©Dianis Wulan Sari, Haruna Kugai, Ayumi Igarashi, Manami Takaoka, Hiroshige Matsumoto, Haruno Suzuki, Jinyan Wu, Rizki Fitryasari, Ike Ayunda Nasifah, Eka Mishbahatul M Has, Noriko Yamamoto-Mitani. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (https://www.researchprotocols.org), 18.09.2024.)

Copyright of Fisioterapia e Pesquisa is the property of Universidade de Sao Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

ABSTRACT Background: Assessment of muscle tone is of great importance for evaluating people with spinal injuries. Objective: To translate and adapt the Modified Tardieu Scale (MTS) to Brazilian Portuguese and validate its use for evaluating patients with spinal cord injury. Methods: The translation and adaptation of the “Escala de Tardieu Modificada” went through the steps of translation, translation synthesis, back-translation and expert committee meeting. Two evaluators rated the tone of the elbow flexors/extensors, wrist extensors, knee flexors/extensors and ankle plantar flexors of 51 patients with spinal cord injury. These patients were reevaluated after one week. Validation included intra and inter-rater reliability (ICC) and internal and external consistency. The Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) was used in the evaluations, to investigate the correlations. Results: The Brazilian Portuguese version of the MTS is presented in this study. ICCs ranged from 0.60 to 0.99 (intra and inter-examiner) and there was a moderate to strong correlation with MAS. Conclusions: The MTS proved to be adequate for assessing the muscle tone of people with spinal cord injury in Brazil.

ABSTRACT - BACKGROUND: Dysphagia can lead to aspiration pneumonia, impacting the nutritional status and quality of life of the patient. The videofluoroscopy is highlighted for allowing both a real-time evaluation and the recording of the images for later review and analysis. AIM: This study aimed to describe the characteristics of the population referred for videofluoroscopy and its value as an investigation method. METHODS: A descriptive and retrospective study was conducted. Exams were analyzed in lateral and anteroposterior views and reviewed using the frame-by-frame analysis software. The variables analyzed were an indication of the exam, previous diseases, dynamics of the oral and pharyngeal phases, and the degree of penetration/aspiration. RESULTS: A total of 141 exams were analyzed. The study population had a median age of 66.24±17.78 years. For the indication of the exam, the investigation of dysphagia was highlighted (n=87, 61.7%) and for previous conditions, diverticulum (n=13, 9.2%), pharyngeal bar (n=12, 8.51%), and stroke and Parkinson’s disease (n=9, 6.4%) were highlighted. In the oral phase, 45 (31.9%) patients had a premature loss, and 108 (76.6%) patients had normal transit time. However, 100 (70.9%) had inadequate ejection. In the pharyngeal phase, 119 (84.4%) had efficient laryngeal displacement and 107 (75.9%) had an adequate opening of the upper esophageal sphincter. The beginning of the pharyngeal phase was classified as inadequate in 131 (92.9%) patients, and 80 (56.74%) had pharyngeal residue. Notably, 100 (70.9%) patients had grade 1 on the penetration/aspiration scale. CONCLUSION: Despite the didactic division of phases, swallowing is complex and has transition stages. Videofluoroscopy is the only method for evaluating all phases of swallowing and its events.

ABSTRACT Objective: To elaborate a Theoretical Model of Sexual and Reproductive Health care offered in Primary Health Care. Method: Documentary research, with a qualitative approach. Government documents and evaluative studies constituted the data sources, collected between August 2018 and June 2019, and analyzed based on the health evaluation literature. Results: Promotion of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Clinical Care were two structural components of the theoretical model of sexual and reproductive health care in Primary Care. The model includes disease prevention activities, health promotion, treatments, and diagnoses related to sexual and reproductive health. Conclusion: The theoretical model developed in this study presents the theory that supports the operationalization of sexual and reproductive health care in primary care according to government regulations in Brazilian scenario and may be useful in future evaluative research on the subject.

Copyright of Revista Família, Ciclos de Vida e Saúde no Contexto Social (REFACS) is the property of Universidade Federal do Triangulo Mineiro, Instituto de Ciencias da Saude and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: The French health technology assessment (HTA) agency initiated a research between 2018 and 2019 with the aim of determining whether other HTA organizations (agencies, bodies, institutes, and expert networks) and researchers had developed an evaluation framework of organizational impacts (OIs).Methods: Three types of investigation were carried out: (i) an analysis of documents published by selected HTA organizations, (ii) a rapid review on the OI issues, (iii) a questionnaire survey to experts of the International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment.Results: The analyses highlight six key points: (i) there is no explicit conceptual definition of OIs; (ii) OIs are often not included in a specific dimension of the evaluation or in the same dimensions; (iii) three recurring categories emerge from the assessment of OIs: processes, structure, and culture; (iv) despite its limitations, the European Network for Health Technology Assessment framework (Core Model) is the most mature assessment model to date; (v) the question of the scope of OIs to be considered is unresolved (micro-meso-macro); and (vi) the delineation between OI assessment and economic assessment must be addressed.Conclusions: Although the issue of considering OI in HTA has been raised for many years, it remains largely unresolved. Defining the concept of OI is a prerequisite for taking the next step toward an evaluation framework. As the question of the impact of innovation goes beyond the health sector, extensive research on how to define and take into account these OIs may be relevant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Gaucha de Enfermagem is the property of Revista Gaucha de Enfermagem and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: The French health technology assessment (HTA) agency initiated a research between 2018 and 2019 with the aim of determining whether other HTA organizations (agencies, bodies, institutes, and expert networks) and researchers had developed an evaluation framework of organizational impacts (OIs). Methods: Three types of investigation were carried out: (i) an analysis of documents published by selected HTA organizations, (ii) a rapid review on the OI issues, (iii) a questionnaire survey to experts of the International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment. Results: The analyses highlight six key points: (i) there is no explicit conceptual definition of OIs; (ii) OIs are often not included in a specific dimension of the evaluation or in the same dimensions; (iii) three recurring categories emerge from the assessment of OIs: processes, structure, and culture; (iv) despite its limitations, the European Network for Health Technology Assessment framework (Core Model) is the most mature assessment model to date; (v) the question of the scope of OIs to be considered is unresolved (micro-meso-macro); and (vi) the delineation between OI assessment and economic assessment must be addressed. Conclusions: Although the issue of considering OI in HTA has been raised for many years, it remains largely unresolved. Defining the concept of OI is a prerequisite for taking the next step toward an evaluation framework. As the question of the impact of innovation goes beyond the health sector, extensive research on how to define and take into account these OIs may be relevant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jun Sheng Gary Koh,1 Anne-Marie Hill,1 Keith D Hill,1,2 Christopher Etherton-Beer,3 Jacqueline Francis-Coad,1 Elizabeth Bell,1 Liz Bainbridge,1 Lex D de Jong1 1School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, Perth, WA 6102, Australia; 2Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living Research Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; 3WA Centre for Health and Ageing, Royal Perth Hospital Unit, School of Medicine and Pharmacology and Centre for Medical Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, AustraliaCorrespondence: Lex D de JongSchool of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, Perth, WA 6102, AustraliaEmail lex.dejong@curtin.edu.auPurpose: The overall purpose of this study was to explore participants’ and physiotherapists’ experiences regarding the acceptability, implementation, and practicality of a novel group-based multifactorial falls prevention activity programme for community-dwelling older people after stroke. Specifically, the purpose was to explore if and how participating could impact on the participants’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in terms of their daily lived experience regarding physical, mental, emotional and social well-being. A secondary purpose was to explore whether participating in the programme could positively influence participants’ balance, strength, falls efficacy, mobility and motor impairment of the trunk.Materials and Methods: This was an exploratory mixed-method Phase I feasibility study. A convenience sample of five older community-dwelling people after stroke participated in a novel eight-week multifactorial activity programme which included falls education, a mix of individually tailored and group-based strength and balance exercises, exploring limits of stability and safe landing techniques and a social element. Qualitative data from post-intervention interview transcripts with the participants and the physiotherapists who delivered the programme were thematically analysed using both deductive and inductive approaches to explore the participants’ and therapists’ experiences with the programme. Quantitative outcomes included balance, strength, falls efficacy, mobility and motor impairment of the trunk.Results: The programme was deemed feasible in terms of acceptability, implementation and practicality by the participants as well as the physiotherapists delivering the programme. The overarching theme regarding HRQoL identified that participating in the programme was perceived to empower the participants living with stroke and positively influenced their daily physical, mental, emotional and social well-being. Participant outcomes showed a change in the direction of improvements in balance, strength, mobility, motor impairment of the trunk and reduced concerns about falling. Subjectively, participants only reported perceived improvements in balance and strength.Conclusion: Running a novel multifactorial falls prevention activity programme for older community-dwelling people after stroke was feasible. Participating in the programme helped participants to perceive improved balance, strength and empower them to make meaningful changes, improving their daily lived experiences. A future fully powered study could build on these results to investigate physical improvements, prevention of falls and improvements to domains of HRQoOL.Keywords: accidental falls, aged, exercise, evaluation studies as topic, stroke, qualitative research, quality of life

Introduction: In view of the syphilis epidemic that Brazil is experiencing and the need to strengthen the discourse on preventing this sexually transmitted infection (STI), the campaign “Eu sei, você sabe?” (I know. Do you know?) was conducted for dissemination of the pieces on social media. Objective: The of aim of this study was to perform a qualitative descriptive analysis of the posts published on the social network Instagram of the National Campaign to Fight Syphilis 2020-21 aimed at young people. Methods: The analysis performed was based on the method suggested by Eliseo Véron and aimed to establish relationships between the “reading contracts” offered and the processes of focusing (strong direct relevance) and defocusing (interdiscursive relevance) acting in the messages with the results of the communication indicator “Reach/Exposure”. Results: The analysis was conducted from October 2020 to April 2021. In all, 31 cards were published. Among them, eight publications presented in their content a discourse directed at young people including individuals in the 20-29 age bracket. In general, the pieces provided a common proposal of visual structuring and aimed to address the deficiencies identified in previous campaigns developed and presented in the perspective of the project itself, as well as the propositions established by control agencies for dealing with syphilis in Brazil. Conclusion: Some hypotheses raised on the basis of the analysis were as follows. There is the possibility that the distinction between grammars of production and recognition produce negotiations or resistance to the meaning of the interpellation contained in the theme “Sífilis. Eu sei. Você sabe?” Even if the characters presented in the cards did not include some specific audiences, such as young transgenders, the language offered can generate empathy in these audiences. The production strategies of cards with a more visual aesthetic and added to a predominantly graphic distribution of important information possibly contributed to a greater reach/impact on the social network audience.

Background: Currently, non- or minimally displaced distal radius fractures are treated by 3 to 5 weeks of cast immobilisation. Many patients with a distal radius fracture suffer from long-term functional restrictions, which might be related to stiffness due to cast immobilisation. Current literature indicates that 1 week of immobilisation might be safe; however, no level 1 evidence is available. This trial aims to compare 1 week of brace immobilisation with 3 weeks of cast immobilisation in patients with distal radius fractures that do not need reduction., Methods: The aim of this trial is to evaluate the non-inferiority of 1 week of brace immobilisation in patients with non- or minimally displaced distal radius fractures. A two-armed single blinded multicentre randomised clinical trial will be conducted in three hospitals. Adult patients, between 18 and 50 years old, independent for activities of daily living, with a non- or minimally displaced distal radius fracture can be included in this study. The intervention group is treated with 1 week of brace immobilisation, and the control group with 3 weeks of cast immobilisation. Primary outcome is the patient-reported outcome measured by the Patient-Related Wrist Evaluation score (PRWE) at 6 months. Secondary outcomes are patient-reported outcome measured by the Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score at 6 weeks and 6 months, PRWE at 6 weeks, range of motion, patient-reported pain score measured by VAS score, radiological outcome (dorsal/volar tilt, radial height, ulnar variance, presence of intra-articular step off), complications and cost-effectiveness measured by the EuroQol 5 Dimension questionnaire, Medical Consumption Questionnaire and Productivity Cost Questionnaire., Discussion: This study will provide evidence on the optimal period of immobilisation in non-operatively treated displaced and reduced distal radius fractures. Both treatment options are accepted treatment protocols and both treatment options have a low risk of complications. Follow-up will be according to the current treatment protocol. This study will provide level 1 evidence on the optimal period and way of immobilisation for non- or minimally displaced distal radius fractures in adult patients., Trial Registration: ABR 81638 | NL81638.029.22 | www.toetsingonline.nl . 18th of October 2023., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Aim: We aim to determine safety attitudes of nurses and midwives across a Local Health District in Australia and compare results 1 year later following facilitated feedback of results. Background: Positive safety cultures are imperative for positive patient and staff outcomes. Staff member's attitude contribute to an organisations safety culture but can differ between health professional groups and across different subcultures. Method: The Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ‐Short version) was administered to all nurses and midwives within a Local Health District in NSW, Australia in 2019 and 2020. Results were facilitated back to nursing/midwifery leadership teams with an expectation of developing and enacting an action plan, based on results. Results: Of the six domains in the SAQ‐Short version, five domains scores increased significantly (p <.001) over the time period. Conclusions: Measures over time are important to establish differences in perceptions and feedback on impact of actions. Facilitated feedback of results shows meaning when nursing/midwifery leadership staff have data explained and an opportunity to discuss and plan. Implications for Nursing Management: This study shows that facilitated feedback of quantitative survey results brings improved results when a survey is replicated. Nurse managers should enact a contextualized action plan with teams based on survey results to influence improvement in safety attitudes of staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Ciência & Saúde Coletiva is the property of Associacao Brasileira de Pos-Graduacao em Saude Coletiva and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria is the property of Thieme Medical Publishing Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To analyze the impact of implementing the Contrato Organizativo de Ação Pública (COAP – Public Action Organizational Contract) on the expansion of access to primary care in the states of Ceará and Mato Grosso do Sul. METHODS: We used the interrupted time series method to analyze the effect of COAP on primary care coverage (PCCov) and on avoidable hospitalization rates. To analyze the effects of increased PCCov on avoidable hospitalizations, we used non-segmented time series models. RESULTS: The results showed that implementing COAP had a positive impact on increased coverage in both cases, with did not happen in the control states. However, this impact was not reflected in the decrease in hospitalizations due to primary care sensitive conditions (HPCSC) or for acute preventable causes. When we analyzed the effects of the increase in PCCov on avoidable hospitalizations between 2009 and 2016, we observed that coverage had a positive impact on the decrease in the rate of HPCSC only in Ceará, although hospitalizations have a significant trend to decrease in time both in this state and in Mato Grosso do Sul, except for acute respiratory infections. CONCLUSIONS: The COAP continues to be the regulatory instrument of regionalization force, however, the results obtained by adhering to it in the expansion of primary care in Ceará and Mato Grosso do Sul makes us question whether the contractual model, as predicted, is the best instrument for advancing regionalization in the Brazilian Unified Health System.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) prophylactic vaccination has proven effective in preventing new infections, but it does not treat existing HPV infections or associated diseases. Hence, there is still an important reservoir of HPV in adults, as vaccination programs are mainly focused on young women. The primary objective of this non-randomized, open-label trial is to evaluate if a 3-dose regimen of Gardasil-9 in HPV16/18-positive women could reduce the infective capacity of their body fluids. We aim to assess if vaccine-induced antibodies could neutralize virions present in the mucosa, thus preventing the release of infective particles and HPV transmission to sexual partners. As our main endpoint, the E1^E4-HaCaT model will be used to assess the infectivity rate of cervical, anal and oral samples, obtained from women before and after vaccination. HPV DNA positivity, virion production, seroconversion, and the presence of antibodies in the exudates, will be evaluated to attribute infectivity reduction to vaccination. Our study will recruit two different cohorts (RIFT-HPV1 and RIFT-HPV2) of non-vaccinated adult women. RIFT-HPV1 will include subjects with an HPV16/18 positive cervical test and no apparent cervical lesions or cervical lesions eligible for conservative treatment. RIFT-HPV2 will include subjects with an HPV16/18 positive anal test and no apparent anal lesions or anal lesions eligible for conservative treatment, as well as women with an HPV16/18 positive cervical test and HPV-associated vulvar lesions. Subjects complying with inclusion criteria for both cohorts will be recruited to the main cohort, RIFT-HPV1. Three doses of Gardasil-9 will be administered intramuscularly at visit 1 (0 months), visit 2 (2 months) and visit 3 (6 months). Even though prophylactic HPV vaccines would not eliminate a pre-existing infection, our results will determine if HPV vaccination could be considered as a new complementary strategy to prevent HPV-associated diseases by reducing viral spread. Trial registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05334706., Competing Interests: I have read the journal’s policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests: The Cancer Epidemiology Research Program from Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO-IDIBELL) has received sponsorship/grants and free reagents from MSD, Roche, GSK, IDT, Hologic and Seegene, as well as structural funds from CIBERESP and the Government of Catalonia. None of these entities had any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript, nor alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials., (Copyright: © 2024 López-Codony et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The goal of designing innovative curricula and programs in medical education is to create interventions that will change the attitudes, knowledge, skills, and behaviors of learners in order to prepare them to contribute to the health of patients and communities they serve. Systematic evaluation allows curriculum/program developers to optimize their curriculum/program and ensure that the goals of the curriculum/program are met. While curriculum/program evaluation is distinct from educational research, when approached in a rigorous manner, curriculum/program evaluation can be published as educational scholarship. The goal of our paper is to equip readers with tools to apply a scholarly approach to curriculum/program evaluation to produce findings that will advance the field. We start by defining curricula, educational programs, learner assessment, and evaluation. We then briefly describe examples of best practice models for curriculum/program development that incorporate the critical step of planning for evaluation. Building on published work, we distinguish the use of best practice models and conceptual frameworks to inform curriculum/program development and evaluation. More specifically, we outline steps to plan an evaluation that demonstrates WHAT was effective, describes HOW the curriculum/program contributed to the outcomes achieved, and points to WHY the curriculum/program led to the outcomes observed. We conclude with key considerations for publishing findings of an evaluation, including what to include in each section of a manuscript. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to develop and cross-culturally validate the Korean version of SMArtphone's uSability Heuristics (K-SMASH).MethodsIn the study, it was used the adaptation process consisted of five stages, namely, translation, synthesis, back translation, expert committee review, and pretesting. In the pretesting stage, a mobile application, using the prefinal K-SMASH, was evaluated for the severity of usability problems by three experts in computer science and informatics. Each participant completed the evaluation and was interviewed about their understanding, interpretation, and opinion of the cultural relevance of the prefinal K-SMASH. Next, we reviewed the differences in the experts’ opinions and the questionnaire results.ResultsTwelve SMASH items, words and sentences, were translated, back translated, and revised, considering the conceptual meaning in the context of the Korean culture, by experts in various fields, including a Korean linguist and a bilingual translator, through the first stage to the fourth stage. In the pretesting stage, the results showed no major differences among the severity ratings of participants. Furthermore, all participants answered that there were no critical discrepancies or inconsistencies with the cultural relevance of the prefinal K-SMASH.ConclusionsThe results of the study provide preliminary evidence that the modified K-SMASH can be used for heuristic evaluation, one of the usability tests, when developing applications in Korea.

Objectives: Conversational agents (CAs) with emerging artificial intelligence present new opportunities to assist in health interventions but are difficult to evaluate, deterring their applications in the real world. We aimed to synthesize existing evidence and knowledge and outline an evaluation framework for CA interventions., Materials and Methods: We conducted a systematic scoping review to investigate designs and outcome measures used in the studies that evaluated CAs for health interventions. We then nested the results into an overarching digital health framework proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO)., Results: The review included 81 studies evaluating CAs in experimental (n = 59), observational (n = 15) trials, and other research designs (n = 7). Most studies (n = 72, 89%) were published in the past 5 years. The proposed CA-evaluation framework includes 4 evaluation stages: (1) feasibility/usability, (2) efficacy, (3) effectiveness, and (4) implementation, aligning with WHO's stepwise evaluation strategy. Across these stages, this article presents the essential evidence of different study designs (n = 8), sample sizes, and main evaluation categories (n = 7) with subcategories (n = 40). The main evaluation categories included (1) functionality, (2) safety and information quality, (3) user experience, (4) clinical and health outcomes, (5) costs and cost benefits, (6) usage, adherence, and uptake, and (7) user characteristics for implementation research. Furthermore, the framework highlighted the essential evaluation areas (potential primary outcomes) and gaps across the evaluation stages., Discussion and Conclusion: This review presents a new framework with practical design details to support the evaluation of CA interventions in healthcare research., Protocol Registration: The Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/9hq2v) on March 22, 2021., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Patient access to electronic health records (EHRs) is associated with several determinants and outcomes, which are interrelated. However, individual studies and the reviews summarizing them have only addressed particular aspects, such as policy, usability or health outcomes of adoption. Therefore, no comprehensive overview exists. Additionally, reviews used different theoretical frameworks, which makes results difficult to compare.Objective: We aimed to systematically review recent systematic reviews on determinants and outcomes of patient access to EHRs to create a comprehensive overview and inform policy-makers and EHR implementers about the available literature, and to identify knowledge gaps in the literature reviews.Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and PsycINFO for systematic reviews on patient portals, personal health records, and patient access to records that addressed determinants and outcomes of adoption. We synthesized the results from these reviews into the Clinical Adoption Framework (CAF), by mapping quotes from the reviews to categories and dimensions of the CAF, starting with the most recent ones until saturation of the CAF had been reached. The risk of bias in the reviews was assessed using the AMSTAR2 checklist.Results: We included nineteen reviews from 8871 records that were retrieved until February 19th, 2018. The reviews had a median of 4 (IQR: 4-4) critical flaws according to the AMSTAR2 checklist. The reviews contained a total of 1054 quotes that were mapped to the CAF. All reviews reported on the dimension 'People' that can affect adoption (e.g. personal characteristics such as age) and the dimension 'HIS use' (health information system use). Most reviews reported the dimensions 'Organisation', 'Implementation', HIS 'System quality', and outcomes of HIS use. However, gaps in knowledge might exist on macro-level determinants and outcomes, such as healthcare standards, funding, and incentives, because few reviews addressed these aspects.Conclusions: No review covered all aspects of the CAF and there was a large variety in aspects that were addressed, but all dimensions of the CAF were addressed by at least two reviews. Although reviews had critical flaws according to the AMSTAR2 checklist, almost half of the reviews did use methods to assess bias in primary studies. Implementers can use the synthesized results from this study as a reference for implementation and development when taking quality restrictions into account. Researchers should address the risk of bias in primary studies in future reviews and use a framework such as CAF to make results more comparable and reusable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To assess a clinical training program on management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) incorporating a diabetes tool, the Simpler™ tool. Subsequently pharmacists' experience utilising the tool to deliver structured, consistent, evidence-based T2DM care was explored. Methods: Full-time non-credentialed diabetes pharmacists providing diabetes medication management services in community settings were purposively recruited. Participants had either face-to-face or online training on diabetes management using the tool which took about two hours and 20 minutes to complete. Their diabetes management knowledge was assessed pre- and post-training using quantitative methodology. They were then required to apply the tool in daily practice for one month. Feedback on both the training sessions and tool utilisation were obtained through semi-structured interviews and analysed using a qualitative approach. Results: Twelve pharmacists participated: Six from Australia and six from Malaysia. Before attending the training session, their median test score was 6.5/27, IQR 1.4 (1st marker) and 5.3/27, IQR 2.0 (2nd marker). After training, the scores doubled to 14.3/27, IQR 4.5 (1st marker) and 11.3/27, IQR 3.1 (2nd marker), showing significant improvements (p=0.002). Interview data identified perceived effectiveness factor through use of the tool. Participants found the content relevant, structured, concise and easy to understand; enabled comprehensive medication reviews; focused on achieving glycaemic improvement; facilitated documentation processes and pharmacists' role in T2DM management; and as a specific aid for diabetes management. Barriers included lack of accessibility to patients' laboratory data in Australia. Conclusions: The targeted training improved pharmacists' knowledge on diabetes management and supported the Simpler™ tool use in practice as a structured and beneficial method to deliver evidence-based T2DM care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes is an increasing epidemic in Korea, and associated diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is its most common and disabling complication. DPN has an insidious onset and heterogeneous clinical manifestations, making it difficult to detect high-risk patients of DPN. Early diagnosis is recommended and is the key factor for a better prognosis and preventing diabetic foot ulcers, amputation, or disability. However, diagnostic tests for DPN are not clearly established because of the various pathophysiology developing from the nerve injury to clinical manifestations, differences in mechanisms according to the type of diabetes, comorbidities, and the unclear natural history of DPN. Therefore, DPN remains a challenge for physicians to screen, diagnose, follow up, and evaluate for treatment response. In this review, diagnosing DPN using various methods to assess clinical symptoms and/or signs, sensorineural impairment, and nerve conduction studies will be discussed. Clinicians should rely on established modalities and utilize current available testing as complementary to specific clinical situations.

Background: There is limited information describing pharmacist participation in prophylactic enoxaparin monitoring in the surgical intensive care unit (SICU). Objective: Our study sought to: 1) characterize pharmacist recommendations for enoxaparin monitoring in trauma patients admitted to the SICU, 2) describe the frequency that medical providers accept pharmacist recommendations for enoxaparin monitoring in trauma patients admitted to the SICU, and 3) illustrate the frequency that trauma patients admitted to our SICU service achieve anti-factor Xa trough concentrations (AFXa-TRs) of 0.11 - 0.20 IU/mL following pharmacist recommendation to adjust prophylactic enoxaparin dosing. Methods: Adult patients who had an AFXa-TR drawn after at least three consecutive prophylactic enoxaparin doses between June 1, 2017 and March 1, 2018 were identified through chart review and included in this study. Patients were excluded based on the following criteria: 1) age less than 18 years, 2) anti-factor Xa (AFXa) level not representative of a trough concentration, 3) AFXa-TR not representative of steady state concentration, and 4) non-trauma based prophylactic enoxaparin dosing. This study was exempt from IRB review. Results: The final analysis consisted of 42 patients. A pharmacist provided at least one recommendation in 97.6% (41/42) of trauma patients with enoxaparin monitoring during their SICU stay. In total, a pharmacist made 170 recommendations, mean of 4.2 (SD 1.8) recommendations per patient. Recommendations were: 1) obtain an AFXa-TR, n=90; 2) adjust enoxaparin dose based on AFXa-TR, n=58; and 3) maintain enoxaparin dose based on AFXa-TR, n=22. Medical providers accepted 89.4% (152/170) of pharmacist recommendations for enoxaparin monitoring. Dose adjustments were made in 33 patients following pharmacist recommendation; of these, 27 had a repeat AFXa-TR following at least one dose adjustment. Target AFXa-TRs were achieved in 19/27 patients, indicating 70.4% had recommended AFXa concentrations. Conclusions: Pharmacists provided recommendations for prophylactic enoxaparin monitoring and dose adjustment in trauma patients admitted to the SICU. Medical providers regularly accepted pharmacist recommendations and trauma patients commonly achieved target AFXa-TR following pharmacist recommendation for dose adjustment. Further research is required to identify the optimal enoxaparin dose for VTE prophylaxis in trauma patients.

Background: In February 2022, an online Wildfire Smoke Communication Workshop series identified priorities and strategies to improve wildfire smoke communication in Canada. We evaluated the engagement methods, the workshop series and workshop summary report, to determine if participants/organizations initiated changes identified in the workshop to optimize wildfire smoke communication plans., Methods: Three evaluation surveys were developed using the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) framework dimensions and PRISM (Practical, Robust, Implementation, and Sustainability Model) contextual domains to measure the engagement impact. Surveys 1, 2, and 3 were disseminated to workshop participants between February 2022 (post-workshop series), May 2022 (pre-wildfire season), and September 2022 (post-wildfire season). Likert survey responses were analyzed descriptively using means and standard deviations. Open-ended written responses were analyzed using deductive reasoning and response proportions., Results: Of 69 workshop participants, 28, 19, and 13 responded to surveys 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Workshop participation helped survey 1 respondents consider optimizing wildfire smoke communication (M = 3.93, SD = 0.88). Workshop participation and the summary report helped survey 2 respondents consider new actions to optimize wildfire smoke communication (M = 3.84, SD = 0.74). The most intended action in survey 2 (68%, n  = 13) and the most common action taken in survey 3 (62%, n  = 8) was to simplify message content. The primary limitation to optimization was capacity., Conclusion: The engagement methods, particularly the summary report, were beneficial for organizations to take action to optimize wildfire smoke communication in Canada. Future engagement methods should examine persisting system-level issues and capacity limitations as they undermin e the ability to optimize wildfire smoke communication in Canada., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Choy, Shellington, Rideout, Roushorne, Joshi and Carlsten.)

Smart Glasses are a promising technology that can be leveraged to improve flexible service processes. Especially in the field of nursing where practitioners are facing complex tasks and challenges. Introducing such pervasive computing devices in service processes may have both positive and negative consequences. This leads us to the following research questions: How does the usage of the Smart Glass applications change the caring situation? Which ideas for future usage of Smart Glasses do nurses have? To answer these questions we followed a design science research approach to design a prototype for support of wound care management in nursing. We evaluated the prototype in a real life situation. Five nurses used the application in a real world setting to perform a wound documentation. Afterwards, we conducted semi-structured interviews with the nurses. The intent of the interviews was not only to get information on the current prototype, but to generate knowledge about dimensions of changing the caring situation which should be considered further. The nurses gave the application an overall positive evaluation. They stated that they would expect an improvement of the quality of the wound documentation when using the device. In addition, they mentioned a change in the communication structure with the patient would be necessary. Furthermore, opinions regarding further use cases did differ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Occupational Therapy of University of São Paulo / Revista de Terapia Ocupacional da Universidade de São Paulo is the property of Revista de Terapia Ocupacional da USP and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Early intravenous to oral (IV-PO) antibiotics switch, which is one of the important elements in antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is not well implemented in Malaysian district hospitals. A systematic interventional strategy is required to facilitate IV-PO antibiotic switch. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of printed AMS recommendations on early IV-PO antibiotics switch practice in district hospitals. Methods: This study was an interventional study conducted in medical wards of eight Sarawak district hospitals from May to August 2015. In pre-intervention phase, pharmacists performed the conventional practice of reviewing medication charts and verbally informed the prescribers on eligible IV-PO switches. In post-intervention phase, pharmacists attached printed checklist which contained IV-PO switch criteria to patients' medical notes on the day patients were eligible for the switch. Stickers of IV-PO switch were applied to the antibiotic prescription to serve as reminders. Results: 79 and 77 courses of antibiotics were studied in the pre-intervention phase and post-intervention phase respectively. Timeliness of switch was improved by 1.63 days in the post-intervention phase (95%CI 1.26:2.00 days, p<0.001). Mean duration of IV antibiotics in the post-intervention phase was shorter than pre-intervention phase (2.81 days (SD=1.77) vs 4.05 days (SD=2.81), p<0.001). The proportion of IV-PO switches that were only performed upon discharge reduced significantly in the post-intervention phase (31.2% vs 82.3%, p<0.001). Length of hospital stay in the post-intervention phase was shortened by 1.44 days (p<0.001). Median antibiotic cost savings increased significantly in the post-intervention phase compared to the pre-intervention phase [MYR21.96 (IQR=23.23) vs MYR13.10 (IQR=53.76); p=0.025)]. Conclusions: Pharmacist initiated printed AMS recommendations are successful in improving the timeliness of IV-PO switch, reducing the duration of IV, reducing the length of hospitalisation, and increasing antibiotic cost savings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Among the functional disabilities that patients face following maxillectomy, speech impairment is a major factor influencing quality of life. Proper rehabilitation of speech, which may include prosthodontic and surgical treatments and speech therapy, requires accurate evaluation of speech intelligibility (SI). A simple, less time‐consuming yet accurate evaluation is desirable both for maxillectomy patients and the various clinicians providing maxillofacial treatment. This study sought to determine the utility of digital acoustic analysis of vowels for the prediction of SI in maxillectomy patients, based on a comprehensive understanding of speech production in the vocal tract of maxillectomy patients and its perception. Speech samples were collected from 33 male maxillectomy patients (mean age 57.4 years) in two conditions, without and with a maxillofacial prosthesis, and formant data for the vowels /a/,/e/,/i/,/o/, and /u/ were calculated based on linear predictive coding. The frequency range of formant 2 (F2) was determined by differences between the minimum and maximum frequency. An SI test was also conducted to reveal the relationship between SI score and F2 range. Statistical analyses were applied. F2 range and SI score were significantly different between the two conditions without and with a prosthesis (both P < .0001). F2 range was significantly correlated with SI score in both the conditions (Spearman's r = .843, P < .0001; r = .832, P < .0001, respectively). These findings indicate that calculating the F2 range from 5 vowels has clinical utility for the prediction of SI after maxillectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]