Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Is The Use Of A Port As Opposed To A Picc More Effective In Improving Quality Of Life In Patients Receiving Chemotherapy?, Nicholas Coia

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

Objective: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not “Is the use of a PORT as opposed to a PICC more effective in improving quality of life in patients receiving chemotherapy?”

Study Design: Review of three randomized control trials (RCTs) including one monocentric RCT, one two-centre RCT, and one multi-centered RCT.

Data Sources: All articles were published in English and taken from peer-reviewed journals using PubMed. All articles were published between 2014-2020 and chosen based on their relevance to the clinical question.

Outcome Measured: The outcome measured was quality of life (QoL). The studies used …

Is Acupuncture Effective In Improving The Mental Health In Adults With Chronic Neck Pain?, Madison Joiner

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

Objective: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not acupuncture is effective in treating chronic neck pain in patients between the ages of 25-70y/o.

Study design: Review of three randomized controlled trials published in English language between 2010-2018.

Data sources: Three RCTs published in peer reviewed journals, searched through PubMed.

Outcome measured: The outcome measured included improvement in mental health. This was measured using short form 36 (SF-36).

Results: Cerezo-Téllez et al treatment showed significant improvement in patients mental health 3 months post acupuncture treatment compared to sham acupuncture. Liang et al also found significant …

Does The Combination Of A Proteasome Inhibitor, Lenalidomide, And Dexamethasone Reduce Fatigue In Patients With Relapsed Or Refractory Multiple Myeloma?, Jessica I. Larosa

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not “the combination of a proteasome inhibitor, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone reduce fatigue in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM)?”

STUDY DESIGN: A systematic review of three English language open-label clinical trials with one published in 2013 and two published in 2016.

DATA SOURCES: Two randomized open-label, phase 3 clinical trials and one open-label phase 2 cohort study found using PubMed and Cochrane Library. All sources were published in peer-reviewed journals.

OUTCOME MEASURED: Fatigue was the outcome measured in all three studies utilizing Common Terminology Criteria …

Do Adult Obese Patients Who Undergo Sleeve Gastrectomy Have A Greater Increase In Quality Of Life Compared To Those Who Undergo Gastric Bypass?, Jenna Loeser

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not obese patients have a better quality of life after undergoing gastric bypass rather than sleeve gastrectomy.

STUDY DESIGN: A review of 3 randomized controlled trials (RCT) that were published after 2014.

DATA SOURCES: The 3 peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials were found through PubMed. All studies were published in English.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: The outcome measured in these RCTs was overall change in quality of life after sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass. This was done by patients responding to questionnaires. Two articles Ignat et al. and Peterli et …

Does Catheter Ablation Improve The Quality Of Life In Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Compared To Drug Therapy?, Ry’N Bland

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this evidence-based medicine (EBM) review was to determine whether or not catheter ablation improves quality of life in patients with atrial fibrillation compared to drug therapy.

STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review of three peer-reviewed studies published in the years 2018 and 2019. All three studies were published in English.

DATA SOURCES: Articles were selected based on their relevance to the clinical question. Additionally, all three studies placed emphasis on patient-oriented outcomes. The studies were selected via Pubmed and keyword searching. The first study selected and reviewed was an observational cohort study, the second study was a multi-center …

Is Exercise Beneficial To The Functionality Of Elderly Individuals?, Nicholas L. Caputo

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not exercise improves the functionality of elderly individuals.

STUDY DESIGN: A review of three peer-reviewed studies published between 2012 and 2018.

DATA SOURCES: One unblinded randomized controlled trial, one blinded randomized control trial, and one matched-control group with randomized groups to show if exercise is beneficial to the functionality; focusing mainly on physical health, of elderly individuals.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: The outcome measured in this study is the quality of life of the patients in regards to their physical health from questionnaires filled out by the participants.

RESULTS: …

Does Light Therapy Improve The Quality Of Life For People With Acne?, Montana W. Banks

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not “Does light therapy improve the quality of life for people with acne?”

STUDY DESIGN: A systematic review of three peer-reviewed primary studies published between the years of 2016 and 2018. All articles were published in the English language and in peer-reviewed journals.

DATA SOURCES: One pilot study, one multicenter, randomized, split-face control study and one single-blind, randomized, split-face study evaluating if light therapy can improve the quality of life (QOL) of people with acne. Sources were selected from PubMed and Cochrane based off of the relevance …

Does Stem Cell Injection Improve Quality Of Life In Patients With Cardiopathy Patients?, Shoua Shue Casillas

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not stem cell injections improve the quality of life in patients with cardiopathy.

STUDY DESIGN: Review of three randomized controlled trial (RCT) articles. All articles were published between 2012 – 2017 and were all printed in the English language.

DATA SOURCES: All three RCT articles were found through PubMed.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: One of the outcomes measured in each of the articles were improvement in quality of life in patients with cardiopathy. Among the three review articles, quality of life was measured using either the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy …

Does Metacognitive Training Improve The Quality Of Life In Patients With Schizophrenia?, Amy Wei

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

Objective: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not “Does metacognitive training (MCT) improve the quality of life in patients with schizophrenia?”

Study Design: Systematic review of three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in peer-reviewed journals between 2010-2014, all in the English language; two of which were published in 2014 and one in 2010.

Data Sources: Three randomized controlled trials found using PubMed.

Outcomes Measured: Quality of life with a focus on social relationships was assessed using the Brief Quality of Life Questionnaire of the World Health Organization (WHOQOL-BREF) or Quality of Life Scale (QLS). …

Is Acupuncture Effective In Improving The Quality Of Life For Women In The Reproductive Age Diagnosed With Endometriosis?, Ashley M. Hayes

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

Objective: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not acupuncture is effective in improving the quality of life for women in the reproductive age diagnosed with endometriosis.

Study Design: Review of 3 RCTs published between 2011-current, all in the English language. One of the RCTs was blinded while the other two were non-blinded.

Data Source: Three RCTs that analyzed the effectiveness of acupuncture therapy compared to control groups. All studies were found using EBSCOhost, PubMed and Medline and were selected based on relevance to the proposed clinical question.

Outcomes Measured: Each of the 3 articles …

Does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Relieve Post-Concussion Symptoms And Improve Quality Of Life?, Kevin (Sung Min) Lee

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

Objective: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not hyperbaric oxygen therapy relieves post-concussion symptoms and improve quality of life.

Study Design: Review of three randomized controlled trials published in English in peer review journals.

Data Sources: Three randomized controlled trials which evaluated the therapeutic benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy compared to control group that did not receive any treatment. All studies were found in PubMed database.

Outcomes Measured: All three studies analyzed the effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on quality of life. Rivermead Postconcussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPQ) and EQ-VAS questionnaire were used to measure …

Does Physical Activity, When Combined With Androgen Deprivation Therapy, Yield A Better Quality Of Life In Prostate Cancer Survivors?, Nicholas J. Ridolfi

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not physical activity, when combined with androgen deprivation therapy, yields a better quality of life in survivors of prostate cancer.

STUDY DESIGN: Three randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) were found using the PubMed and Cochrane databases. The studies compared regular physical activity in men undergoing androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: The outcomes measured were self-reported quality of life surveys at different time intervals.

RESULTS: Two out of the three studies demonstrated statistically significant improvement in reported quality of life during the exercise programs. The third …

Is The Use Of Animal Assisted Therapy/Activity Effective In Improving Quality Of Life Through Self-Efficacy, Self-Perceived Health, Sense Of Coherence And Mood?, Kendra B. Keene

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not the use of Animal Assisted Therapy/Activity is effective in improving quality of life through self-efficacy, self-perceived health, sense of coherence and mood.

STUDY DESIGN: Review of three English language randomized control trials, two published in 2008, and one published in 2009.

DATA SOURCES: Three randomized, controlled trials comparing Animal Assisted Therapy/Activity to restricted or absent animal contact or alternative control therapy were found using PubMed Health and Cochrane Systematic Reviews.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: Depression measured via BDI (Beck Depression Inventory), Anxiety measured via BAI (Beck Anxiety …

Is Laparoscopic Gastric Banding An Effective Treatment For Obesity In Adolescents And Adults As Measured By Physical Function?, Shawna Mccormick

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not “Is laparoscopic gastric banding an effective treatment for obesity in adolescents and adults as measured by physical functioning?”

STUDY DESIGN: Review of all English language primary studies from 2009, 2010, and 2011.

DATA SOURCES: Two randomized control trials and one cohort study were found using PubMed, Medline, and OVID.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: There were multiple outcomes measured in the studies but the outcome of concern is quality of life post-operatively, specifically, physical functioning as measured by surveys including SF-36, Moorehead-Ardelt, BAROS, and CHQ CF-50. …

Do Antidepressants Improve The Quality Of Life And Decrease The Severity Of Symptoms In Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome?, Courtney E. Houde

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

Objective: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not the use of antidepressants improves the quality of life and decreases the severity of symptoms in patients with IBS.

Study Design: Review of three English language, double-blind, randomized controlled trials published in 2009.

Data sources: Randomized controlled trials comparing the use of three different antidepressants to a controlled placebo were found on PubMed, OVID and the Cochrane database.

Outcome(s) Measured: Primary end point was overall bowel symptom score at the end of twelve weeks. Secondary end points include individual BSS for each irritable bowel syndrome subset, …