Health Care Science最新文献

{"title":"Are Hospital Pharmacists Ready for Precision Medicine in Nigerian Healthcare? Insights From a Multi-Center Study","authors":"Goodness C. Nwokebu,&nbsp;Shadrach C. Eze,&nbsp;Prince J. Meziem,&nbsp;Catherine C. Eleje,&nbsp;Emmanuel I. Ugwu,&nbsp;Manuella O. Dagogo-George,&nbsp;Favour O. Orisakwe,&nbsp;Gerald O. Ozota,&nbsp;Abdulmuminu Isah","doi":"10.1002/hcs2.70008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/hcs2.70008","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Precision medicine (PM) has taken center stage in healthcare since the completion of the genomic project. Developed countries have gradually integrated PM into mainstream patient management. However, Nigeria still grapples with wide acceptance, key translational research and implementation of PM. This study sought to explore the knowledge and attitude of PM among pharmacists as key stakeholders in the healthcare team.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A cross-sectional study was conducted in selected tertiary hospitals across the country. A 21-item semi-structured questionnaire was administered by hybrid online and physical methods and the results analyzed with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Version 25. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. A chi-square test was employed to determine the association of knowledge of PM and the sociodemographic characteristics of the study population.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A total of 167 hospital pharmacists participated in the study. A high proportion of the participants are familiar with artificial intelligence (91.75%), Pharmacogenomics (84.5%), and precision medicine (61%). Overall, 38.9% of the pharmacists had a good knowledge while 13.2% had a poor knowledge of PM and associated terms. The level of knowledge did not correlate significantly with gender (<i>X</i>² = 3.21, <i>p</i> = 0.201), age (<i>X</i>² = 5, <i>p</i> = 0.27), marital status (<i>X</i>² = 3.21, <i>p</i> = 0.201), and professional level (<i>X</i>² = 6.85, <i>p</i> = 0.144). The most important value of precision medicine to hospital pharmacists is the ability to minimize the impact of disease through preventive medicine (49%) while a large portion are pursuing and or actively planning to pursue additional education in precision medicine.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>There is a highly positive attitude toward the prospect of PM among hospital pharmacists in Nigeria. Education modules in this field are highly recommended as most do not have a holistic knowledge of terms used in PM. Also, more research aimed at translating PM knowledge into clinical practice is recommended.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":100601,"journal":{"name":"Health Care Science","volume":"4 2","pages":"82-93"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/hcs2.70008","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143831285","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rethinking Domain-Specific Pretraining by Supervised or Self-Supervised Learning for Chest Radiograph Classification: A Comparative Study Against ImageNet Counterparts in Cold-Start Active Learning","authors":"Han Yuan,&nbsp;Mingcheng Zhu,&nbsp;Rui Yang,&nbsp;Han Liu,&nbsp;Irene Li,&nbsp;Chuan Hong","doi":"10.1002/hcs2.70009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/hcs2.70009","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Objective&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Deep learning (DL) has become the prevailing method in chest radiograph analysis, yet its performance heavily depends on large quantities of annotated images. To mitigate the cost, cold-start active learning (AL), comprising an initialization followed by subsequent learning, selects a small subset of informative data points for labeling. Recent advancements in pretrained models by supervised or self-supervised learning tailored to chest radiograph have shown broad applicability to diverse downstream tasks. However, their potential in cold-start AL remains unexplored.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Methods&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;To validate the efficacy of domain-specific pretraining, we compared two foundation models: supervised TXRV and self-supervised REMEDIS with their general domain counterparts pretrained on ImageNet. Model performance was evaluated at both initialization and subsequent learning stages on two diagnostic tasks: psychiatric pneumonia and COVID-19. For initialization, we assessed their integration with three strategies: diversity, uncertainty, and hybrid sampling. For subsequent learning, we focused on uncertainty sampling powered by different pretrained models. We also conducted statistical tests to compare the foundation models with ImageNet counterparts, investigate the relationship between initialization and subsequent learning, examine the performance of one-shot initialization against the full AL process, and investigate the influence of class balance in initialization samples on initialization and subsequent learning.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Results&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;First, domain-specific foundation models failed to outperform ImageNet counterparts in six out of eight experiments on informative sample selection. Both domain-specific and general pretrained models were unable to generate representations that could substitute for the original images as model inputs in seven of the eight scenarios. However, pretrained model-based initialization surpassed random sampling, the default approach in cold-start AL. Second, initialization performance was positively correlated with subsequent learning performance, highlighting the importance of initialization strategies. Third, one-shot initialization performed comparably to the full AL process, demonstrating the potential of reducing experts' repeated waiting during AL iterations. Last, a U-shaped correlation was observed between the class balance of initialization samples and model performance, suggesting that the class balance is more strongly associated with performance at middle budget levels than at low or high budgets.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 ","PeriodicalId":100601,"journal":{"name":"Health Care Science","volume":"4 2","pages":"110-143"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/hcs2.70009","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143831052","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Plasma Lipidomics Profiling of Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip in Tibet Plateau","authors":"Xiaogang Li,&nbsp;Jiamei Ji,&nbsp;Ping Li,&nbsp;De Yang,&nbsp;Nyima Yedron,&nbsp;Yanming Lei,&nbsp;Tao Chen,&nbsp;Jianchu Li,&nbsp;Ye Guo,&nbsp;Xiao Yang,&nbsp;Li Shi,&nbsp;Dan Qu","doi":"10.1002/hcs2.70012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/hcs2.70012","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is a prevalent pediatric condition with a multifactorial etiology. Its incidence varies geographically, with notably higher rates observed on the Tibet plateau. This study was performed to evaluate the lipidomics signatures associated with DDH by analyzing plasma samples.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Fifty infants were recruited, including 25 diagnosed with DDH and 25 age-matched healthy controls. In addition to plasma samples, comprehensive laboratory test results and medical records were collected for each participant. An untargeted lipidomics profiling approach was employed to identify distinguishing metabolic signatures.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Lipidomics profiles differed significantly between patients with DDH and healthy controls. Several differential metabolites were identified, including triacylglycerol (TAG)(17:0/18:1/20:1), TAG(17:0/17:0/17:0), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE)(10:0/26:4), TAG(17:0/18:0/18:0), TAG(16:0/17:0/22:1), TAG(16:0/18:0/22:0), TAG(17:0/19:0/19:0), TAG(13:0/20:0/20:0), TAG(18:0/18:0/22:0), and TAG(16:0/20:0/20:0). The primary lipid species showing differences were TAGs and PE.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Distinct shifts in lipidomics profiles were observed in infants with DDH. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to explore lipidomics signatures in patients with DDH. The combined assessment of TAG(17:0/18:1/20:1) and TAG(17:0/17:0/17:0) may serve as a potential diagnostic tool for DDH.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":100601,"journal":{"name":"Health Care Science","volume":"4 2","pages":"144-153"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/hcs2.70012","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143831051","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Feasibility and Safety of a Novel Cable-Transmitted Magnetically Controlled Capsule Endoscopy System for Upper Gastrointestinal Examination","authors":"Ke Meng,&nbsp;Yan Li,&nbsp;Bin Yan,&nbsp;Fei Pan,&nbsp;Jingshuang Yan,&nbsp;Guanzhou Zhou,&nbsp;Haixu Chen,&nbsp;Xiaomei Zhang","doi":"10.1002/hcs2.70010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/hcs2.70010","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>To evaluate the feasibility and safety of a novel cable-transmitted magnetically controlled capsule endoscopy (CT-MCE) system for upper gastrointestinal examination.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Twenty-six participants (19 healthy volunteers and seven patients with gastrointestinal symptoms) willing to undergo upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were recruited. Each participant underwent CT-MCE followed by conventional gastroscopy within 24 h. Maneuverability and visibility of the CT-MCE capsule in the upper gastrointestinal tract, adverse events, and discomfort during the procedure were evaluated. The sensitivity and specificity of CT-MCE for diagnosing upper gastrointestinal lesions were evaluated using conventional gastroscopy findings as the standard.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Maneuverability was graded as “good” for all segments of the esophagus. The percentage of participants in which maneuverability was good according to gastric region was as follows: cardia (100.00%), pylorus (96.15%), angulus (92.31%), antrum (88.46%), fundus (84.62%), and body (73.08%). In the duodenal bulb and descending duodenum, it was good in only 20.83% and 16.67% of participants, respectively. Visibility was graded as “excellent” or “good” in the esophagus, Z line, and duodenal bulb in all participants; excellent/good visibility was achieved in the stomach and descending duodenum in 96.15% and 79.17% of participants, respectively. Forty-one lesions were detected overall. The sensitivity and specificity of CT-MCE in diagnosing upper gastrointestinal lesions were 85.00% and 98.15%, respectively. The CT-MCE capsule was successfully removed through the mouth in all participants. No serious adverse events or capsule retention occurred.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>CT-MCE showed good feasibility and safety for upper gastrointestinal examination. The system was effective in examining the esophagus and stomach with no risk of capsule retention.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":100601,"journal":{"name":"Health Care Science","volume":"4 2","pages":"94-102"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/hcs2.70010","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143831174","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of Heavy Slow Resistance vs. Convectional Exercise in Lateral Epicondylitis—A Pilot Study","authors":"S. M. Divya Mary,&nbsp;Jibi Paul,&nbsp;V. Hema Suresh,&nbsp;P. Senthil","doi":"10.1002/hcs2.70004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/hcs2.70004","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The extensor carpi radial muscle may become imbalanced compared to other muscles in the upper arm and can disrupt the overall muscle balance in the upper limb. This muscular imbalance may then cause inflammation or irritation in the tendon. Regular physical activity is rarely used as the only treatment for lowering limb edema. Heavy slow resistance (HSR) training is effective compared to regular exercises. HSR affects functional abilities and physical refinement differently from conventional workouts. This study evaluated the effects of HSR and conventional exercise (CE) on subjects aged 45–65 years with unilateral elbow pain on, in Chennai city.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Patient received conservative care in the Physiotherapy Department from January 2022 to April 2022. This study compares the pre- and posttypes. Tennis Elbow Evaluation (Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation, PRTEE) questionnaires, a patient-specific functional scale, and grip strength tests were used in the study. Results from the study's treatment HSR group and treatment CE group are contrasted.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>After 12 weeks of therapy, investigators reassessed grip strength, PRTEE scores, and functional scale responses. In the posttest results of the Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation survey, there is a statistically significant difference between Group HSR and Group CE (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). The posttest outcomes from the patient-specific activity scoring scheme questionnaire revealed a statistically significant disparity between Groups HSR and CE (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). The mean values for both groups exhibited a noteworthy change, with Team HSR demonstrating higher values in contrast to the control treatment.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>HSR exercise demonstrates superior effectiveness over CEs for lateral epicondylitis (LE) management, emphasizing its significance in treatment.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":100601,"journal":{"name":"Health Care Science","volume":"4 2","pages":"71-81"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/hcs2.70004","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143831168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Implementation of an Improvement Cycle in the Compounding of Antineoplastic Therapy in a University Hospital","authors":"Luciana Moreira Dantas Barreto,&nbsp;Joyce Karolayne dos Santos Dantas,&nbsp;Tâmara Taynah Medeiros da Silva,&nbsp;Louise Constancia de Melo Alves Silva,&nbsp;Kauanny Vitoria Gurgel dos Santos,&nbsp;Laura Lima Souza,&nbsp;Daniele Vieira Dantas,&nbsp;Rodrigo Assis Neves Dantas","doi":"10.1002/hcs2.70013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/hcs2.70013","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Improving medication safety, particularly for high-risk drugs, was identified as the third Global Patient Safety Challenge by the World Health Organization in 2017. Antineoplastic agents are included in the list of high-risk medications because of their high potential to cause adverse events. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a project that was implemented to improve the antineoplastic therapy compounding process at a university hospital.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study had a quasi-experimental before-and-after design and used a quantitative approach to investigate the effects of implementation of this project in a centralized intravenous admixture service. The compounding of antineoplastic therapy was evaluated using five quality criteria at three time points: an initial evaluation and two post-intervention re-evaluations. The results of the intervention were subjected to statistical analysis and are presented in a Pareto chart.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>All five quality criteria for correct compounding of antineoplastic therapy improved after implementation of the intervention, with an increase in compliance values for all criteria after the second evaluation. Improvements in criteria 1, 3, and 4 were statistically significant.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The implementation of the improvement project enhanced the quality criteria and caused a cultural shift in the team, with an improved view towards quality management in work processes.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":100601,"journal":{"name":"Health Care Science","volume":"4 2","pages":"103-109"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/hcs2.70013","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143831364","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"RETRACTION: Challenges and Opportunities of Big Data Analytics in Healthcare","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/hcs2.70006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/hcs2.70006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><b>RETRACTION:</b> P. Goyal and R. Malviya, “Challenges and Opportunities of Big Data Analytics in Healthcare,” <i>Health Care Science</i> 2, no. 5 (2023): 328–338, https://doi.org/10.1002/hcs2.66.</p><p>The above article, published online on 4 October 2023 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the journal Editor-in-Chief, Zongjiu Zhang; Tsinghua University Press; and John Wiley &amp; Sons Ltd. The retraction has been agreed due to unattributed overlap between this article and a previously published article [1]. The corresponding author R. Malviya disagrees with the retraction. P. Goyal was informed of the decision to retract but remained unresponsive.</p>","PeriodicalId":100601,"journal":{"name":"Health Care Science","volume":"4 2","pages":"161"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/hcs2.70006","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143831363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Challenges Faced by Older Employees in the Era of Open Artificial Intelligence and Strategies to Empower Them","authors":"Md. Moyazzem Hossain,&nbsp;Faruq Abdulla,&nbsp;Mohammed Nazmul Huq","doi":"10.1002/hcs2.70011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/hcs2.70011","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into various sectors has undoubtedly brought about numerous benefits, from increased efficiency to innovative problem-solving. The growing influence of AI across several industries may help to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs). However, due to the AI revolution happening in industries across the globe, older employees are often confronted with significant hurdles in keeping pace with these changes. The threat of job displacement looms large as automation driven by AI encroaches upon routine tasks previously performed by human workers. Job insecurity, that is, worry of losing one's job encompasses anxiety, and uneasiness, and affects the mental health of employees. To address these challenges and empower older employees in the era of open AI, it is imperative that organizations implement targeted strategies tailored to their unique needs and circumstances. Employees use the opportunities for continued education provided to them with company support to prevent unwanted effects. organizations can create an inclusive and supportive environment where older employees are empowered to embrace the opportunities presented by AI while leveraging their experience and expertise to drive innovation and success.</p>","PeriodicalId":100601,"journal":{"name":"Health Care Science","volume":"4 2","pages":"154-157"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/hcs2.70011","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143831482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dietary Challenges Among Older Men Caregivers: Implications for Health Interventions","authors":"Kumi Morishita-Suzuki","doi":"10.1002/hcs2.70005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/hcs2.70005","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;In Japan, the declining birthrate, aging population, and the growing prevalence of nuclear families present major challenges for informal caregiving. These factors have led to an increase in caregiving among older adults, a phenomenon commonly referred to as “RouRou-kaigo” in Japanese. As of 2022, older adults account for 63.5% of informal care households in Japan [&lt;span&gt;1&lt;/span&gt;].&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Older informal caregivers frequently face a range of health issues, including depression, sleep disorders, and deteriorating dietary habits [&lt;span&gt;2, 3&lt;/span&gt;]. The dietary habits of caregivers are critical as they influence both their own health and the well-being of care recipients [&lt;span&gt;4, 5&lt;/span&gt;]. However, research on the dietary habits of older caregivers and their older care recipients is limited [&lt;span&gt;6, 7&lt;/span&gt;].&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This study aimed to identify factors associated with poor dietary variety and meal skipping among older caregivers and their care recipients, providing insights to improve their nutritional well-being.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We conducted a web-based survey via Cross Marketing Inc., which has 10.5 million registered monitors nationwide as of 2024 [&lt;span&gt;8&lt;/span&gt;]. The inclusion criteria were: (1) individuals aged ≥ 65 years, (2) those without dementia or other psychiatric disorders, and (3) primary informal caregivers for older family members requiring long-term care or support. The survey was administered from June 18 to 24, 2024. The survey was distributed online to 830 eligible individuals, and 525 responded. A total of 395 respondents, all of whom routinely prepare meals for both themselves and their care recipients, were included in the final analysis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dependent variables assessed were caregivers' and care recipients' dietary variety and meal skipping. Caregivers' dietary variety was evaluated using the Dietary Variety Score [&lt;span&gt;9&lt;/span&gt;], categorized as “at risk” (≤ 3) and “not at risk” (≥ 4). Care recipients' dietary variety was assessed by asking caregivers if they think the care recipient is eating a balanced diet. Meal skipping was assessed by asking if participants and care recipients ate three meals daily. Independent variables include caregivers' gender (women/men), economic status (satisfied/unsatisfied), support of caregiving (none/yes), and burden of care (low/high). Binomial logistic regression analysis was used to examine factors related to dietary habits among caregivers and care recipients. Statistical significance was set at &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt; &lt; 0.05. SPSS version 29.0 (IBM Corporation) was used for all analyses.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All participants provided informed consent, and this study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Sendai Center for Dementia Care Research and Practices (24U01).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Twenty-seven percent of individuals recognized that their care recipients do not eat a balanced diet. There were 33.4% with poor dietary variety scores among older informal caregivers. Regarding meal skipping, 13.7% of care recipients an","PeriodicalId":100601,"journal":{"name":"Health Care Science","volume":"4 2","pages":"158-160"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/hcs2.70005","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143831224","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Study on the Effects of National Volume-Based Procurement of Chemical Drugs on Chinese Patent Medicines: Lipid-Lowering Drugs as an Example","authors":"Zhao Yang,&nbsp;Xiao Han,&nbsp;Pei Liang,&nbsp;Xiaoting Zhao,&nbsp;Qiyun Zhu,&nbsp;Hui Ye,&nbsp;Chao Yang,&nbsp;Bin Jiang","doi":"10.1002/hcs2.70003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/hcs2.70003","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide. This study aims to explore the impact of national volume-based procurement (NVBP) on Chinese patent medicines and provide evidence for improving policies and promoting rational drug use.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The study was based on data from the China National Health Insurance Agency that spanned January 2019 to December 2020. Descriptive analysis was conducted using volume and expenditure as variables. Interrupted time series analysis was applied to further analyze Chinese patent medicines.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The unit prices of atorvastatin and rosuvastatin decreased by 25%–96%, whereas the prices of Zhibitai and Xuezhikang fluctuated slightly. The affordability is measured as the monthly expenditure on treatment divided by the daily wage. After policy implementation, the affordability of atorvastatin and rosuvastatin improved from 0.242 to 0.014 and from 0.247 to 0.019, respectively. The defined daily doses (DDDs) for atorvastatin and rosuvastatin also increased, whereas total expenditures decreased in hospitals of all levels. Both at the national level and at all levels of hospital, the policy had no significant impact on expenditures for Zhibitai and Xuezhikang and their defined daily doses.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The NVBP saved costs in the short term by incorporating high-quality, widely used lipid-lowering drugs. Notably, the policy impacted lipid-lowering chemical drugs, whereas Chinese patent medicines remained largely unaffected. Doctors' use of Chinese patent medicines did not decline, highlighting the clinical specificity of these medicines.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":100601,"journal":{"name":"Health Care Science","volume":"4 1","pages":"14-24"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/hcs2.70003","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143513691","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}