Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Predictors Of Potentially Avoidable Emergency Department Visits: A Systematic Review, Lisa M. Lines, Arlene S. Ash

Lisa M. Lines

Potentially avoidable, or primary care sensitive, emergency department (PCS ED) visits include non-emergencies and problems that potentially could have been prevented with better primary care. Our goal was to summarize the literature on the predictors of PCS ED visits. A total of 16 articles met all inclusion criteria. Characteristics found to predict PCS ED use included being female, African American, and/or covered by Medicaid. Studies defined a PCS ED visit in various ways, complicating the question of how best to prevent such visits. We identified several gaps in the literature, including lack of recent, nationally representative data; little clarity on …

Body Composition, Physical Fitness, Functional Performance, Quality Of Life, And Fatigue Benefits Of Exercise For Prostate Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review, Justin W. L. Keogh, Roderick D. Macleod

Justin Keogh

Context: Prostate cancer patients, especially those on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), experience many symptoms that make it difficult to maintain their independence and quality of life. Because ADT acts by means of reducing testosterone production, exercise may offset many of the ADT side effects and those of the cancer itself.Objectives: This systematic review of the literature evaluates whether exercise could reduce symptoms and improve quality of life for prostate cancer patients.Methods: Using relevant databases and key words, 12 training studies were found meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria.Results: Grade A level evidence was observed for the benefits of exercise in …

The Effect Of St John’S Wort Extracts On Cyp3a: A Systematic Review Of Prospective Clinical Trials, Hans Wohlmuth, Jason Hawrelak, Dawn Whitten, Stephen Myers

Dr Hans Wohlmuth

Aim The aim of this systematic review was to assess the quality and outcomes of clinical trials investigating the effect of St John’s wort extracts on the metabolism of drugs by CYP3A. Methods Prospective clinical trials assessing the effect of St John’s wort (SJW) extracts on metabolism by CYP3A were identified through computer-based searches (from their inception to May 2005) of Medline, Cinahl, PsycINFO, AMED, Current Contents and Embase, hand-searches of bibliographies of relevant papers and consultation with manufacturers and researchers in the field. Two reviewers selected trials for inclusion, independently extracted data and recorded details on study design. Results …

The Alvarado Score For Predicting Acute Appendicitis: A Systematic Review., Robert Ohle, Fran O'Reilly, Kirsty O'Brien, Tom Fahey, Borislav Dimitrov

Borislav D Dimitrov

BACKGROUND:

The Alvarado score can be used to stratify patients with symptoms of suspected appendicitis; the validity of the score in certain patient groups and at different cut points is still unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the discrimination (diagnostic accuracy) and calibration performance of the Alvarado score.

METHODS:

A systematic search of validation studies in Medline, Embase, DARE and The Cochrane library was performed up to April 2011. We assessed the diagnostic accuracy of the score at the two cut-off points: score of 5 (1 to 4 vs. 5 to 10) and score of 7 (1 …

The Effectiveness Of Post-Operative Rehabiliation Following Partial Meniscectomy Of The Knee, Duncan Reid, Jana Rydwanski, Wayne Hing, Steve White

Wayne Hing

Background: Injuries to the menisci of the knee are a common cause of impairment and functional disability. The prevalence of meniscal injury ranges from 19 to 56% depending on the population studied. Arthroscopic surgery to the meniscus may be required if conservative care has failed. There is still controversy as to the need for routine post-operative rehabilitation to improve function and reduce impairments.

Objectives: The purpose of this paper was to systematically review the literature that evaluated the effectiveness of post-operative exercise programmes to improve function and reduce impairments following partial meniscectomy of the knee.

Methods: A computerized electronic search …