Healthcare最新文献

{"title":"Nosocomial Respiratory Syncytial Virus in the Post-Pandemic Era: Evolving Epidemiology and Integrated Prevention Strategies.","authors":"Po-Hsiu Huang, Pei-Hsuan Huang, Po-Yu Liu, Ting-Kuang Yeh","doi":"10.3390/healthcare14193335","DOIUrl":"10.3390/healthcare14193335","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/objectives: </strong>Pandemic non-pharmaceutical interventions virtually eliminated respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) circulation in 2020-2021, and their relaxation was followed by unprecedented off-season resurgences. This narrative review, informed by a structured literature search, synthesizes current evidence on healthcare-associated RSV (HA-RSV), including transmission dynamics, vulnerable inpatient populations, and integrated prevention strategies, in the post-pandemic era.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We searched PubMed/MEDLINE and Europe PMC (January 2000-October 2025) using two complementary strategies, supplemented by WHO and CDC guidance. Primary hospital-based studies reporting laboratory-confirmed HA-RSV cases formed the core evidence set; surveillance reports, systematic reviews, and guidance were used as labeled contextual evidence and synthesized narratively.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twenty-nine primary studies from neonatal, pediatric, adult, geriatric, and immunocompromised settings provided direct evidence on HA-RSV, which accounted for 3-15% of RSV hospitalizations depending on setting and case definition and was associated with prolonged stay, escalation of respiratory support, higher costs, and, in children, higher mortality than community-onset infection. Universal masking and pre-admission screening were followed by reductions in HA-RSV in most before-after studies. Post-pandemic surveillance shows earlier, less predictable RSV activity and periods of concurrent circulation with influenza and SARS-CoV-2. RSV spreads mainly through short-range respiratory particles and contaminated hands and surfaces; asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic healthcare workers are one potential source of introduction.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Prevention of HA-RSV rests on hand hygiene, transmission-based precautions, environmental disinfection, rapid molecular diagnostics, and supportive healthcare-worker and visitor policies, escalated according to local surveillance rather than the calendar. Immunoprophylaxis and vaccination reduce severe RSV disease in eligible groups, but direct evidence that they prevent healthcare-associated transmission is lacking.</p>","PeriodicalId":12977,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare","volume":"14 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13665019/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149193127","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Artificial Intelligence and Large Language Models in Surgical Shared Decision-Making and Informed Consent: A Narrative Review.","authors":"Nikoleta Koliou, Lazaros Kourtidis, Panagis M Lykoudis, Ioannis Karavolias, Stavriana Charalampous, Georgios D Ayiomamitis, Pinelopi Kouki, Christos A Iordanou","doi":"10.3390/healthcare14193331","DOIUrl":"10.3390/healthcare14193331","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background:</b> Artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs) may make surgical information easier to access and understand. However, these tools cannot replace the clinician's role in shared decision-making or the requirements for valid informed consent. <b>Methods:</b> This narrative review follows the surgical patient pathway from diagnosis and explanation to option comparison, shared decision-making, and informed consent. It examines conventional digital tools, LLM-assisted communication, personalized prediction, direct consent studies, patient and professional perspectives and legal, ethical, and governance issues. A formal meta-analysis and study-level risk-of-bias assessment were not performed. <b>Results:</b> AI may support several stages of surgical care. Diagnostic and predictive systems can assist clinicians. LLMs can help explain approved information, prepare patients for consultation, and improve consent materials. Conventional interactive tools have the strongest evidence for better comprehension. Evidence for LLM-assisted consent is still based mainly on simulations and document analyses. Patient-facing use requires source control, privacy protection, and visible clinical oversight. AI cannot establish capacity, voluntariness, or final authorization. We propose a five-level framework in which safeguards increase with clinical influence. <b>Conclusions:</b> AI may support the patient's path from diagnosis to an informed surgical choice when it uses approved information, serves a defined task, and remains under clinical oversight. Current evidence does not support autonomous AI-mediated consent or AI-directed treatment choice. The aim should be a better-informed, preference-sensitive decision, not an automated signature.</p>","PeriodicalId":12977,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare","volume":"14 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13665380/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149192918","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prescribing Appropriateness and Clinical Outcomes in Hospitalized Adults with COVID-19 in Jazan, Saudi Arabia: A Retrospective Cohort Study.","authors":"Mohammed H Abutaleb, Mohammed Y Asiri, Santhosh J Menachery, Ahmed A Albarraq, Hafiz A Makeen","doi":"10.3390/healthcare14193328","DOIUrl":"10.3390/healthcare14193328","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background:</b> The COVID-19 pandemic required repeated revision of national treatment protocols; evaluating prescribing against the guidance then in force is central to stewardship. <b>Objective:</b> To characterize clinical outcomes of adults hospitalized with COVID-19 in Jazan, Saudi Arabia, and to assess prescribing appropriateness using the Medication Appropriateness Index (MAI) benchmarked against contemporaneous Ministry of Health (MOH) guidance. <b>Methods:</b> Single-center retrospective cohort study of all adults (aged 18 years or over) admitted with COVID-19 between 1 March 2020 and 28 February 2021. Two trained clinical pharmacists independently applied the MAI to 1018 prescriptions. All associations were examined in univariable, unadjusted analyses. <b>Results:</b> Hypertension (44.1%), diabetes (38.7%), end-stage renal disease (13.7%), and cardiac disease (12.4%) were prevalent. In-hospital mortality was 26.8% (121/451 patients with a determinate outcome). Diabetes (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.32-3.08), hypertension (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.26-2.93), and cardiac disease (OR 2.04, 95% CI 1.15-3.64) were each associated with higher unadjusted odds of death; patients who died were on average 15.8 years older (<i>p</i> < 0.0001). Overall, 936 of 1018 prescriptions (91.9%) were appropriate; rates ranged from 99.4% (311/313) for enoxaparin to 42.9% (6/14) for hydroxychloroquine, the latter based on a small number of prescriptions. Inappropriate prescriptions were flagged mainly in the duration (82.9%) and indication (70.7%) domains, and receipt of at least one inappropriate prescription was not associated with mortality (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.31-1.12; <i>p</i> = 0.10). <b>Conclusions:</b> Anticoagulants and corticosteroids were largely prescribed in line with contemporaneous MOH guidance; several repurposed agents were not. These findings support an MAI-based audit against the guideline version in force as a tool for quality control.</p>","PeriodicalId":12977,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare","volume":"14 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13665295/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149193142","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Job Satisfaction Mediates Associations of Change Fatigue, Organizational Support, and Work Overload with Quiet Quitting Among Healthcare Workers.","authors":"İbrahim Gün, Erhan Ekingen, Ahmet Yıldız, Juan Gómez-Salgado, Murat Yıldırım","doi":"10.3390/healthcare14193321","DOIUrl":"10.3390/healthcare14193321","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background:</b> In the demanding healthcare environment, change fatigue, lack of organizational support, and work overload have been linked to burnout and disengagement, potentially leading to quiet quitting. This study examined the mediating role of job satisfaction in the relationship between change fatigue, organizational support, work overload, and quiet quitting among healthcare workers. <b>Methods:</b> The study used a cross-sectional design, collecting data from 487 healthcare professionals (57.3% females) across various roles, including physicians, nurses, midwives, health officers, and technicians. The research used paper-based questionnaires, including socio-demographic questions and self-report measures for change fatigue, organizational support, work overload, job satisfaction, and quiet quitting. Data collection took place in Türkiye during January and February 2024. Three separate simple mediation analyses were conducted using PROCESS Model 4, with 5000 bootstrap samples and 95% bootstrap confidence intervals. <b>Results:</b> Change fatigue, organizational support, and work overload were significantly associated with job satisfaction and quiet quitting. Job satisfaction was also significantly associated with quiet quitting. Furthermore, significant indirect associations of change fatigue, organizational support, and work overload with quiet quitting through job satisfaction were observed. The standardized indirect associations were significant for change fatigue (β = 0.14, SE = 0.01, 95% bootstrap CI [0.11, 0.17]), organizational support (β = -0.11, SE = 0.02, 95% bootstrap CI [-0.15, -0.06]), and work overload (β = 0.13, SE = 0.01, 95% bootstrap CI [0.09, 0.17]). <b>Conclusions:</b> These findings suggest that job satisfaction may represent a potentially relevant explanatory pathway linking these workplace factors with quiet quitting.</p>","PeriodicalId":12977,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare","volume":"14 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13665440/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149192755","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of Auricular Acupoint Stimulation on Weight in Adults with Overweight or Obesity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.","authors":"Mi Young Kim, Mi-Kyoung Cho","doi":"10.3390/healthcare14193336","DOIUrl":"10.3390/healthcare14193336","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Objectives:</b> To systematically evaluate the effectiveness of auricular acupoint stimulation for weight reduction and metabolic outcomes in adults with overweight or obesity. <b>Design:</b> Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. <b>Methods:</b> Six electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Scopus) were searched from inception to 5 February 2026. The primary outcome was body weight; secondary outcomes included body mass index, waist circumference, and metabolic markers. Methodological quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist. For the primary outcome, a multilevel random-effects model was fitted using restricted maximum likelihood estimation, with small-sample-adjusted cluster-robust variance estimation (CR2) to account for dependent comparisons within studies. Subgroup analyses, meta-regression, sensitivity analyses, and publication bias assessments were also conducted. <b>Results:</b> A total of 20 studies were included in the systematic review, of which 14 contributed 15 comparisons to the primary meta-analysis of post-intervention body weight. The pooled effect was Hedges' g = -0.21 (95% CI: -0.42 to -0.01, <i>p</i> = 0.043). Heterogeneity estimates were I² = 46.6% (95% CI: 8.1-76.8%) and τ² = 0.06 (95% CI: 0.01-0.21), and the 95% prediction interval ranged from -0.71 to 0.29. Formal subgroup tests and univariate meta-regression yielded <i>p</i> values below 0.05 for publication year, funding status, and quality appraisal score. Sensitivity analyses produced estimates in the same direction, although the confidence interval included the null value in some leave-one-out analyses. <b>Conclusions:</b> The pooled estimate suggested a small reduction in post-intervention body weight with auricular acupoint stimulation, but the prediction interval included the null value, indicating uncertainty in the effect across comparable settings. Further well-designed trials with standardized intervention protocols are needed to clarify the magnitude and consistency of the effect.</p>","PeriodicalId":12977,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare","volume":"14 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13665510/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149192963","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Changes in Adiposity, Muscular Strength, and Functional Capacity Following a National Holiday Break in Chilean Students with Intellectual Disabilities Attending Special-Education Schools.","authors":"Claudio Farías-Valenzuela, Rafael Kons, Paloma Ferrero-Hernández, Emilio Jofré-Saldía, Cristian Cofré-Bolados, Joaquín Hernández-Soto, Enzo Pavez-Castro, Benjamín Pavez-Pavez, Carlos Poblete-Aro, Josivaldo de Souza-Lima, Andrés Godoy-Cumillaf, Matías Henríquez","doi":"10.3390/healthcare14193325","DOIUrl":"10.3390/healthcare14193325","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>National holiday breaks may involve less structured daily routines and cultural practices that favor excess energy intake, yet short-term changes in youth with intellectual disability (ID) following these breaks remain underexplored. This study examined changes in adiposity, muscular strength, and functional capacity following Chile's national holiday break among students with ID.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this observational, single-group pre-post study, 49 students with mild-to-moderate ID (35 males, 14 females; 15.9 ± 4.0 years) were assessed before and after the holiday break. Anthropometric and adiposity indicators (body weight, waist [WC] and neck [NC] circumference, BMI, waist-to-height ratio [WHtR], submandibular skinfold [SS]), handgrip strength (absolute, relative) and functional capacity (countermovement jump, five-repetition sit-to-stand, timed up-and-go) were evaluated. Sex-differential changes were assessed using the time-by-sex interaction in mixed-model ANOVA, with Holm correction applied across outcomes within each domain. Within-sex pre-post comparisons were also adjusted using the Holm procedure.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>No time-by-sex interaction remained significant after correction (all adjusted <i>p</i> ≥ 0.137). Significant time effects remained for SS (adjusted <i>p</i> = 0.012) and handgrip strength (adjusted <i>p</i> < 0.001), but not for NC. In secondary analyses, only the increase in SS (+15.6%; adjusted <i>p</i> = 0.025) and the increases in absolute (+8.0%) and relative (+7.6%) handgrip strength in males (both adjusted <i>p</i> = 0.002) remained significant. Changes in females were not statistically significant and were therefore interpreted descriptively (all adjusted <i>p</i> ≥ 0.31), and no significant changes in functional capacity were detected.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The national holiday break was associated with a small increase in SS and an increase in handgrip strength, with the latter potentially reflecting a familiarization effect rather than a true physiological gain in strength. After correction for multiple comparisons, the findings do not support sex-specific conclusions; the observed pattern among females should therefore be considered hypothesis-generating and requires confirmation in larger, controlled studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":12977,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare","volume":"14 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13664973/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149192950","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prioritising Content for Continuing Education in Non-Invasive Ventilation Care: A Needs Assessment Survey of Intensive Care Unit Nurses.","authors":"Seung Eun Jung, Yoon Ju Noh, Jae Yong Yoo","doi":"10.3390/healthcare14193326","DOIUrl":"10.3390/healthcare14193326","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The success of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) depends on bedside nursing judgement, yet nurses report insufficient preparation, and educational content is usually decided before the competencies nurses most need are identified.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To prioritise NIV competencies, derived for this study from three clinical practice guidelines, by educational need, and, as secondary aims, describe intensive care unit nurses' perceived knowledge, self-efficacy and implementation climate for evidence-based practice and their correlates.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional survey questionnaire was completed by 142 nurses in four intensive care units of a tertiary teaching hospital in the Republic of Korea in June and July 2026 (response rate 97.3%). Each of 35 competencies was rated for importance and present competency; priorities were derived by combining the Borich needs assessment with the Locus for Focus model, and their stability was examined by bootstrap resampling.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Item means were 5.47 (SD 2.05) for perceived knowledge and 5.53 (SD 2.20) for self-efficacy on a 10-point scale and 1.81 (SD 0.78) for implementation climate on a 4-point scale. Perceived knowledge and self-efficacy were higher among nurses with experience of NIV care and previous NIV education, and these associations remained after adjustment. Length of intensive care experience was not independently associated with either variable, and neither was correlated with implementation climate. Importance exceeded present competency for all 35 items. Seven items were identified as priority candidates; ventilator waveform monitoring was the only item selected by both methods, but its classification was not stable across resamples.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The self-perceived priorities concentrated on monitoring and recognising treatment failure, competencies that require interpretation of changing physiological data. Needs assessment before programme design can inform the selection of content, provided that its self-report basis and the instability of items near classification thresholds are recognised.</p>","PeriodicalId":12977,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare","volume":"14 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13665352/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149193199","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence of Self-Reported Pelvic-Floor-Related Symptoms Among Female Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.","authors":"Waad Alqurashi, Danah Alyahya","doi":"10.3390/healthcare14193324","DOIUrl":"10.3390/healthcare14193324","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Introduction</b>: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is more prevalent among females worldwide. The Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) assesses MS progression, including disability related to pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD), such as bowel and bladder dysfunction. However, data on PFD symptoms in patients with MS remain limited. <b>Objective</b>: To evaluate the prevalence and impact of self- reported pelvic-floor-related symptoms among women with MS in Saudi Arabia and their effects on quality of life (QOL). <b>Methods</b>: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 112 female patients with MS (EDSS ≤ 7, age ≥ 18 years). The participants completed two validated self-reported questionnaires, the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory (PFDI-20) and the Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire (PFIQ-7), to assess self-reported pelvic-floor-related symptoms and their impact on QOL in women with MS. <b>Results</b>: The most commonly reported symptoms were frequent urination (83%), urge incontinence (70.5%), and constipation (76.8%). Following adjustment for multiple comparisons, increasing age was positively associated with greater urinary symptom distress, overall pelvic-floor-related symptom burden, and greater urinary and prolapse related impact on QOL. In the multivariable analysis, age remained significantly associated with total PFDI-20 scores after adjustment for BMI, MS duration, and marital status. BMI, MS diagnosis duration, and marital status were not significantly associated with total PFDI-20 or PFIQ-7 scores in the multivariable models. <b>Conclusions</b>: Women with MS reported a substantial burden of pelvic-floor-related symptoms, particularly urinary and colorectal anal symptoms, which were associated with adverse effects on physical activities and emotional well-being. These findings highlight the importance of recognizing and assessing pelvic-floor-related symptoms as part of comprehensive care for women with MS.</p>","PeriodicalId":12977,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare","volume":"14 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13665565/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149193236","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Association of Halliwick-Based Aquatic Physical Activity with Health-Related Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Comparative Study.","authors":"Małgorzata Stefańska, Wiktoria Smętek, Joanna Kowalska, Agnieszka Ptak","doi":"10.3390/healthcare14193323","DOIUrl":"10.3390/healthcare14193323","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction, accompanied by restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. Given the considerable heterogeneity in symptom severity and functional abilities, children with ASD require individualized educational and therapeutic interventions. Among the non-pharmacological approaches used to support this population, aquatic physical activity has emerged as a promising intervention.</p><p><strong>Material and methods: </strong>The study included 45 children with ASD (ICD-11 code 6A02), comprising 19 girls and 26 boys, aged 8-17 years. Two groups were compared: Group G1, consisting of children and adolescents who had participated in Halliwick-based aquatic physical activity for at least 3 months, and Group G2, without aquatic activities. Health-related quality of life was assessed using the validated Polish version of the KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Children with ASD who participated in Halliwick-based aquatic physical activity (G1) had higher mean scores in all KIDSCREEN-52 domains. However, statistically significant differences were only found in the following domains: Psychological Well-Being, Moods and Emotions, Self-Perception, Autonomy, Financial Resources, and School Environment. Overall health-related quality of life, measured by the KIDSCREEN-10, compared with children who did not participate in aquatic activities.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Halliwick-based aquatic physical activity was associated with better quality of life in children and adolescents with ASD, with higher scores observed according to sex, but further research is needed to confirm these findings.</p>","PeriodicalId":12977,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare","volume":"14 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13665036/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149192956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Benefits of Training Volunteers in Mental Health Promotion Within Organisations Employing People with Disabilities: Preliminary Results.","authors":"Santiago Gascón-Santos, Agustín Albesa, Ricardo Fueyo-Díaz, Ana Isabel Marqués Fernández, Yago Pérez-Montesinos","doi":"10.3390/healthcare14193329","DOIUrl":"10.3390/healthcare14193329","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background:</b> Psychosocial factors present in various work environments can pose a risk to workers' health, but those with some form of disability may be more vulnerable and more severely affected by these issues. Objective: The goal of this study is to assess whether training employees to act as health promoters, as well as providing them with follow-up support, can help to improve health outcomes among other workers and serve as a link between them and healthcare professionals. <b>Method</b>: Initially, 148 employees were recruited from five centres belonging to the same company, in which the majority of staff had some form of disability or were at risk of social exclusion. Three centres were randomly assigned to the intervention group and two centres formed the control group (waiting list). Measurements were taken at three time points (baseline, at six months and at twelve months). Initially, 82 people participated from the intervention group, and at the two subsequent time points, 69 and 55 respectively. From the control group, 49 employees participated in the baseline assessment and, at the two subsequent time points, 37 and 32 respectively. The following instruments were used: (1) a demographic and employment data form; (2) the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12); (3) the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI General Questionnaire); and (4) five items from the Columbia Scale for the Assessment of Suicidal Severity. <b>Results:</b> The intervention group showed improvements in all variables over time and also in comparison with the control group. These improvements were statistically significant in terms of general health and in the dimensions of cynicism and professional efficacy. <b>Conclusions</b>: The establishment of mental health promotion teams within organisations can help to improve key aspects of employees' psychological wellbeing, which encourages further research in this field to investigate the effectiveness of structured and sustainable interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":12977,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare","volume":"14 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13664896/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149192916","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}