Abstract Background: Despite Australia's universal health insurance scheme, Medicare, out-of-pocket costs (OOPC) for health care comprises 14 % of total health expenditure. People with chronic conditions spend a greater proportion of their incomes on health care than people without a chronic condition. Objective: To review the qualitative literature examining experiences of OOPC of out-of-hospital care by people with chronic conditions and to discuss this in relation to current Australian health policy. Methods: Systematic review and narrative synthesis of the qualitative literature examining OOPC for people with chronic conditions in Australia. Search: Pubmed, CINAHL Complete, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO and EconLit databases from 1999 to 10th April 2025. Results: 37 studies met the inclusion criteria. Reduced or lost employment due to ill-health led to income loss, aggravating the financial burden of health management. While many people were able to access bulk-billing general practitioners, challenges in affording upfront and copayments for medical and allied health consultations, and medication costs were reported. Cost was the greatest barrier to accessing dental care. Trade-offs were described between health management and meeting basic living needs, particularly for people who earned too much to qualify for government welfare payments. Conclusion: While Australian health policies effectively reduce the financial burden of health care for many people, distinct challenges exist for groups ineligible for concessional thresholds. Future research to identify the priorities and preferences of people with chronic conditions can further inform policy to improve the equity of health financing in Australia.

Background: Oral health is a crucial component of overall well-being, particularly in childhood and adolescence when lifetime habits are established. Health education and theory-Based health promotion interventions can enhance oral health outcomes more effectively than traditional knowledge-transfer methods. Objective: The present systematic review and meta-analysis were performed with the objective of assessing the effectiveness of theory-Based health education and promotion interventions in impacting oral health outcomes among children and adolescents. Methods: Based on PRISMA and PROSPERO registration, the systematic search in seven databases was performed up to March 2025. Only RCTs involving participants aged 5 to 18 years old and with use of theoretical models like the Health Belief Model, Theory of Planned Behavior, or Social Cognitive Theory were taken into account. Primary outcomes included oral health behavior, knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and clinical indicators like dental plaque, periodontal status, and DMFT. The data were combined through random-effects meta-analysis, and risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2.0 tool. Results: Nineteen RCTs were included. Interventions had a significant boost in self-efficacy (SMD = 1.49, 95% CI: 0.99,2.00), oral health-related quality of life (SMD = 7.38, 95% CI: 5.57,9.19), knowledge (SMD = 1.09, 95% CI: 0.80,1.39), attitudes (SMD = 9.32, 95% CI: 7.08,11.55), and behavior (SMD = 2.58, 95% CI: 2.03,3.12). Significant declines in dental plaque (SMD = -1.92, 95% CI: -2.42,-1.42) and periodontal health (SMD = -1.18, 95% CI: -1.83,-0.53) but not in DMFT scores (SMD = -0.11, 95% CI: -0.27,0.04) also occurred. High heterogeneity and small sample of evidence of publication bias were detected. Conclusions: Theory-Based health education and promotion interventions are effective in enhancing oral health outcomes across a wide range of outcomes in children and adolescents. Future research should have long-term follow-up, standardization of outcomes measures, fidelity of intervention, economic evaluations, and equitable provision across diverse populations. Clinical trial number: Not applicable. Trial registration: This systematic review has been registered prospectively in PROSPERO (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews) with registration number CRD420251026862.

Background: Despite advances in precision medicine, the translation of genetic and genomic technologies into routine practice is hampered by a heterogeneous and limited evidence base and the absence of standardized evaluation methodologies. Health Technology Assessment (HTA) plays a critical role in bridging this gap, yet assessment approaches and comprehensiveness vary widely. This systematic review aims to map the landscape of the assessment reports on genetic and genomics applications, analyze their methodological aspects and identify gaps. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and the international HTA database, were searched for assessment reports of genetic/genomic technologies. Information on reports general characteristics, assessment domains and their components, consulted sources of evidence and reported gaps was extracted. Findings were synthesized narratively. Results: Out of 27,331 screened records, 41 reports were included, predominantly from Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia, mainly aimed at informing policy making for single or multiple gene tests for cancer patients. Most reports used a generic HTA methodology and assessment domains varied across reports. Key clinical aspects, such as clinical accuracy and safety, suffered from evidence gaps (39.0% and 22.0%), while personal and societal aspects were the least investigated assessment domain (48.8-78.0%). Overall, lack of evidence and limited generalizability of findings were the most commonly reported gaps across multiple domains. Conclusions: The review highlighted significant fragmentation in current evaluation methodologies of genetic and genomic applications, with underassessment of analytical/clinical accuracy, safety, and non-health outcomes, alongside evidence gaps and limited generalizability. These issues compromise both evaluation and decision-making process, underscoring the urgent need for alternative study designs and standardized, comprehensive assessment frameworks to facilitate the successful implementation of emerging genetic and genomic technologies.

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic had a major impact on nursing and healthcare as well as on research. The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of nursing- and SARS-CoV-2-related research in Germany. Methods: A scoping review was conducted. We systematically searched (06/2023) Medline, CINAHL, the German Register of Clinical Trials, abstract books of conferences and conducted a manual literature search. We included empirical studies addressing aspects of nursing and the pandemic and involving German researchers. Study selection and data extraction were conducted independently by two reviewers. Results were analysed descriptively. Results: We included 131 publications (85 quantitative, 27 qualitative, 6 mixed-/multi-methods studies, 12 systematic reviews, 1 discussion paper); 49 % of the studies were published in 2021. First authors were mostly from medicine, psychology and nursing science, last authors from medicine. Most studies were explorative. Most of the quantitative studies used observational designs, only four were experimental. Nurses and other healthcare professionals were the most common target group; people with care needs or relatives were rarely addressed. The most common topics included health, perceived burden, working conditions, and characteristics of care during the pandemic. A quarter of the studies were not externally funded, 32 % did not provide information on funding. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (21 %) was the most common funding body. Conclusion: Pandemic-related nursing research was published to a limited extent by nursing scientists; clinical nursing research was particularly underrepresented. Dependable funding and the development of a research infrastructure for nursing research are necessary to ensure evidence-based nursing in times of crisis and to generate findings that are relevant to clinical practice and health policy decision-makers.

Background: Both Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and Performance Management (PM) are clinical governance disciplines that aim to improve the quality, equity, and financial sustainability of health organizations and systems. Although HTA and PM share many features, to the authors' knowledge, few studies have investigated their interplay. This study attempts to fill this gap by analysing how the literature has explored and developed the integration between HTA and PM concepts and tolls within healthcare sector. Methods: To address this gap, this study examines 33 papers selected through a scoping review that explores the inter of HTA and PM within the healthcare sector. In particular, the paper adopted the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) methodology to select and analyse articles. Results: The review highlights the dynamic convergence of HTA and PM, emphasizing how combining these frameworks and functions can enhance decision-making in healthcare. This integration ensures that technologies are adopted on the basis of proven effectiveness in pursuing healthcare systems goals and that performance metrics align with evidence-based practices, leading to better resource allocation and improved patient outcomes. The literature review underscores the need for further research to understand the integration between HTA and PM and their combined impact on organizational performance, sustainability, and resilience in the healthcare sector. Conclusion: This study contributes to the literature by providing a comprehensive overview of the current state of research on HTA and PM, offering insights for future studies, and practical recommendations for integrating these disciplines to improve healthcare management and policymaking.

Background Although taxes that raise retail tobacco prices and industry-initiated price increases have been shown to decrease tobacco consumption, the scarcity of studies in Latin America and the Caribbean using household- or individual-level data in existing reviews limits their policy relevance. Objective To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the association between prices and taxes and the use of tobacco products in Latin America and the Caribbean. Methods We searched six electronic bibliographic databases, two online search engines, two working paper repositories, and hand-searched seven journals. We included all quantitative studies that used any measures of individual or household tobacco use as an outcome, written in English, Portuguese or Spanish. We used random-effects meta-analyses to pool results across studies. Results We found consistent evidence that in Latin American countries, higher cigarette prices were associated with lower cigarette smoking participation, consumption and initiation and that effect sizes were large enough to be policy meaningful. Pooled own-price elasticities indicate that higher prices were associated with a less than proportional decrease in tobacco use (pooled own-price elasticities, participation: –0.14 [95%CI –0.22, –0.06]; consumption: –0.54 [95%CI –0.75, –0.34]; total: -0.75 [95%CI -1.14, -0.36]). We found no consistent evidence that socioeconomic status, age, sex, rurality, or geographic regions affected price responsiveness. Conclusions Our review confirms that taxes that raise tobacco prices can effectively lower tobacco use. Moreover, raising tobacco prices through increased taxes is anticipated to boost tax revenue due to the inelastic nature of the demand for tobacco.

Fluoridation of community water supplies constitutes one of the most effective public health interventions for preventing dental caries. In recent years, questions have been raised about its effectiveness and safety. This study aims to systematically review and summarize the existing evidence on community water fluoridation (CWF) and dental caries in permanent and deciduous teeth. Five databases and 3 gray databases were searched for relevant studies. Paired reviewers independently screened the studies, extracted data, and assessed their methodological quality. Standard mean differences (SMDs) for dmf(s)/DMFT(S) (decayed, missing, and filled teeth/surface) and odds ratios (ORs) for caries prevalence were measured between exposure or not to CFW for deciduous and permanent teeth. Subgroup analysis was performed to explore whether the study design, continent, or decade of publication changed the point estimates. Seventy-four studies were included in the qualitative analysis: 57 cross-sectional, 13 before-and-after, and 4 cohort studies. Thirty-two studies provided sufficient data for meta-analyses. The overall SMD of DMFT and dmf in those exposed to CWF compared with unexposed were -0.32 (95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.48 to -0.17, I2 = 96%, P < 0.01) and -0.30 (95% CI: -0.39 to -0.21, I2 = 88%, P < 0.01), respectively. The prevalence of caries was smaller in those exposed to CWF for both the permanent (OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.43 to 0.63) and deciduous (OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.48 to 0.76) dentitions. Study design, continent, or decade of publication satisfactorily explained the heterogeneity between studies. Communities where water was fluoridated experienced less caries and differences expressed in terms of SMD and prevalence (OR) where of high magnitude, both in children and in adults. The results of the meta-analyses revealed significant differences in caries experience and prevalence in favor of CWF, which represents an effective and comprehensive public health intervention for caries prevention, especially in the primary dentition.Knowledge Transfer Statement:Based on the published literature, the results of this study show that fluoridation of community water supplies is still an effective public health intervention to prevent dental caries, both in children and adults, despite the widespread availability of fluoride-containing dental products, especially toothpaste. This result adds to the existing evidence to support its incorporation into public oral health policies.

Objective: This study aims to assess research trends in the association between schizophrenia and autoimmune diseases, systematically review their relationship, and evaluate the credibility of existing evidence. Methods: Bibliometric analysis was conducted using the bibliometrix package in R, along with VOSviewer and CiteSpace. Relevant systematic reviews and meta-analyses were retrieved from six databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Library. Summary risk estimates were recalculated using the DerSimonian and Laird method under a random-effects model, and the credibility of the evidence was assessed. Results: The bibliometric analysis found that "meta-analysis" has become a frequently used keyword and may be a focal point for future research. The umbrella review included 17 articles, containing 24 report data points from 12 quantitative reviews. Results indicated that 9 reports assessed the relationship between schizophrenia and autoimmune diseases. Schizophrenia was significantly associated with autoimmune neurological disorders (RR = 1.42; 95 % CI = 1.18-1.72), providing suggestive evidence. Seven reports evaluated the impact of schizophrenia on autoimmune diseases, showing highly suggestive evidence that schizophrenia patients had a pooled relative risk of 2.22 (95 % CI = 1.95-2.52) for psoriasis. Eight reports assessed the impact of autoimmune diseases on schizophrenia, with bullous pemphigoid patients showing significantly higher schizophrenia prevalence (OR = 2.63; 95 % CI = 2.03-3.39). Conclusions: This study synthesizes evidence of varying levels, highlighting the association between schizophrenia and autoimmune diseases. It offers new insights for future exploration, fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, and provides valuable implications for public health policy development.

Background: The global push to scale up telemedicine services is challenged by complex, multilevel, multifaceted implementation and a lack of consensus on what the evidence-based essential building blocks of implementation are. Objective: We aimed to evaluate the evidence base supporting telemedicine implementation knowledge tools; identify shared conceptual constructs and outliers; and formulate recommendations to guide the design, development, and optimization of telemedicine services. Methods: We conducted implementation research using a rapid umbrella review, that is, an overview of systematic reviews, in accordance with PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). In total, we searched 3 databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus) for studies focusing on telemedicine implementation frameworks, models, and tools, collectively referred to as "knowledge tools." Reviews meeting the operational definition of a systematically undertaken, secondary evidence synthesis, such as systematic and scoping reviews, and those published from January 2018 to May 2024 were considered. A meta-aggregative qualitative analysis was undertaken, comprising inductive thematic synthesis. Results: In total, 18 reviews were selected, encompassing 973 primary studies. Global perspectives were reflected in 61% (n=11) of the reviews, while 33% (n=6) focused on low- and middle-income country contexts. The primary research included in the reviews represented 63 countries, spanning the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia and the Pacific. Findings indicated substantial heterogeneity across the identified telemedicine implementation theories, models, and frameworks. However, following evidence synthesis, considerable convergence was observed, highlighting a state-of-the-art understanding of the essential requirements for a national telemedicine implementation ecosystem. These were categorized into "process" and "thematic" dimensions. Process dimensions included readiness and needs assessment, road map and planning, managing change, implementing telemedicine services, and continuous improvement and measuring performance. Thematic dimensions covered human and sociocultural aspects; organization, operations, management, and leadership; communication and coordination; policy, legal, and financial considerations; clinical health condition and quality of care; and the wider context. Conclusions: The findings of this study inform a pressing translational research knowledge gap in telemedicine implementation, hindering the implementation of high-quality, sustainable, and scalable telemedicine systems. The study contributes to building global consensus on the state of the art of key constructs in telemedicine implementation and recommends that future research focus on field-testing the evidence-based implementation tools to evaluate their usability and adaptability across diverse telemedicine contexts.

Prostate cancer (PCa) poses a significant global health threat, with high incidence and mortality rates. In 2022, the Council of the European Union (EU) updated its screening recommendations, prioritizing PCa screening. This signals a crucial step towards establishing new early detection programmes in EU member states. This study investigates the role of policy makers and governance in cancer screening to inform the development of PCa screening. We had a mixed-method study design. First, a rapid review was conducted on policy making and governance in EU-funded cancer screening initiatives. Second, a focus group discussion reviewed study concepts and methods. Third, a systematic literature review was performed and, fourth, a series of in-depth interviews with actors involved in PCa screening pilots was conducted. Data were analysed thematically and the findings are used to propose 10 recommendations for policy makers. The results of the rapid review and focus group discussion framed the study in the context of existing cancer screening programmes across the EU, and highlighted what already exists in terms of governance tools and methodology. The literature review and in-depth interviews presented key learnings from the literature and real-life settings. These findings are reported using a pre-existing conceptional framework for effective health system governance. The study underscores the critical importance of governance in effective cancer screening programmes. Ten recommendations are proposed, including: defining cancer screening governance, allocating budgets and defining common approaches and key performance indicators for evaluation, establishing methods to enhance citizen participation, and reinforcing network governance.

Background: The historical and cultural importance of traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine (TCIM) is observable in diverse contexts and among different populations. As the use of TCIM continues to grow globally, policymakers need to acknowledge its importance in healthcare services. Objectives: We conducted a scoping review of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method research to identify the factors that promote and hinder the adoption of TCIM. Methods: This scoping review involved a comprehensive search of online databases from 2000 to February 2024. The review utilized the methodology suggested by Arksey and O'Malley. Qualitative content analysis was employed to synthesize the data. Findings: From a total of 1403 articles retrieved, 61 full-text articles were chosen for the final analysis. Among these, 47 examined facilitators, 4 addressed barriers, and 10 investigated both barriers and facilitators of using TCIM. Three key themes were recognized concerning barriers to using TCIM services, including "service delivery problems", "governance challenges", and "personal barriers". Six key themes associated with the factors facilitating the use of TCIM services were recognized, which include "financial facilitators", "health conditions", "personal determinants", "perceived benefits", "social impact", and "appropriate service delivery". Conclusions: Exploring the barriers and facilitators of using TCIM services can provide valuable insights to policymakers, enabling them to develop strategies to overcome existing challenges and enhance the support for the growth of these services. This knowledge is essential for making sure that TCIM services are available to people in a safe, prompt, and high-quality way.

Abstract Background: Contact time in general practice (GP) refers to the duration a physician spends with a patient during an appointment. There are significant differences in contact times across OECD countries, raising questions about the influencing factors and potential consequences of these variations. Objective: To study the determinants and consequences of the length of consultations in GP care. Method: We descriptively investigate differences in average appointment durations in GP care across OECD countries. We then conduct a scoping review of the literature encompassing 150 studies in seven topical clusters. Results: We identify considerable differences in contact times across countries and find evidence for substitution effects between the length of consultations and the number of consultations per year. There is also an association between reimbursement schemes and visit lengths. The review reveals consistent evidence for a few determinants, such as patient characteristics and physician experience, but mixed evidence on the effects of contact time on shared decision-making and health outcomes. The literature is dominated by correlational studies. Conclusion: Descriptive comparisons show shorter contact times are substituted with more frequent visits, and fee-for-service payment systems result in longer contact times compared to capitation systems. For future health policy discussions, it is crucial to clarify which service delivery form is socially desired and economically sustainable.

Objectives: The relationship between the volume of medical procedures conducted in hospitals and the resulting health outcomes has been described for various surgical and non-surgical medical interventions. As a policy response to this, several countries have implemented minimum volume standards. However, there is currently a lack of systematically compiled evidence assessing their impact. To close this research gap, we conducted a systematic review on the effects of minimum volume standards in hospitals. Design: Systematic review using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Data sources: MEDLINE, PubMed Central and Bookshelf (PubMed), EMBASE (Elsevier), CENTRAL (Cochrane Library), CINHAL (EBSCO), EconLIT (EBSCO), PDQ-Evidence for Informed Health Policymaking, Health Systems Evidence and three trial registries were searched until June 2023. Additionally, manual searches were conducted. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies: For inclusion in this review, studies must investigate the effects of minimum volume standards. We accepted all categories of outcomes. Following the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) criteria, only a strict set of study designs, namely randomised controlled trials, non-randomised controlled trials, controlled before-after studies and interrupted time series studies, were included. No restrictions were placed on language, publication date or publication status. Data extraction and synthesis: Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts for eligibility, reviewed the full texts and performed data extraction of the included articles. Risk of bias was assessed using the 'Risk Of Bias In Non-Randomised Studies-of Interventions' (ROBINS-I) tool. Certainty of evidence was rated using the GRADE approach. For data synthesis and statistical analyses, we adhered to the EPOC guidance. Results: We included nine studies into our systematic review. Overall, the outcomes reported in the studies are heterogeneous, which did not allow for a meta-analysis, resulting in a narrative analysis of the found evidence. While travel distance increased and length of stay decreased, other reported outcomes such as complications or reoperations were not affected by the introduction of minimum volume standards. Overall, the risk of bias was considered serious for results on outcomes of seven out of the nine included studies and moderate for the remaining two. The certainty of evidence was rated low for complications, reoperations, length of stay and travel distance and very low for mortality (in-hospital; 30 days). Conclusion: This systematic review does not provide conclusive evidence on the effects of minimum volume standards in hospitals regarding any outcomes. The certainty of evidence for mortality (in-hospital; 30 days) is very low and low for complications, reoperations and travel distance. The results are based on a relatively small number of studies for most outcomes. There is a need for studies researching the effects of minimum volume standards based on a robust study design. Prospero registration number: CRD42022318883.

Background: Telehealth technologies can enhance patients' and their families' access to high-quality resources in home-based palliative care. Nurses are deeply involved in delivering telehealth in home-based palliative care. However, no previous integrative systematic reviews have synthesized evidence on nurses' roles, facilitators, and barriers to implementing nurse-delivered telehealth in home-based palliative care. Objective: This integrative systematic review aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the roles of nurses and the multilevel facilitators and barriers to implementing nurse-delivered telehealth in home-based palliative care, which could inform future policy development, research, and clinical practice. Methods: This integrative systematic review was conducted using Joanna Briggs Institute methodological guidance. We followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) guidelines. We systematically searched articles published from January 1, 2014, to May 2024 in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library. We included English-language; peer-reviewed; original; and qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods studies that centered on nurse-delivered telehealth in home-based palliative care. We used the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool to assess the quality of the included articles. Furthermore, 3 authors independently assessed eligibility, extracted data, and assessed the quality of articles. The entities to extract were identified by research questions of interest regardless of the type of study. We applied a convergent synthesis approach to integrate quantitative and qualitative data. Guided by the updated Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) 2.0, we synthesized the facilitators and barriers to implementing nurse-delivered telehealth in home-based palliative care. Results: This integrative systematic review identified 4819 unique articles, including 34 papers encompassing 29 unique primary research studies. Innovations were mainly delivered by nurses (n=8) and nurse-involved multiprofessional teams (n=18). The roles of nurses in telehealth home-based palliative care involve palliative care nurses, community nurses, nurse coordinators, nurse coaches or nurse navigators, and nurse case managers. Guided by CFIR 2.0, facilitators and barriers to implementing nurse-delivered, telehealth, home-based palliative care were identified to 6 implementation levels and 20 constructs. The key facilitators included the COVID-19 pandemic, cost avoidance to the health care system, engagement of patients and their family caregivers, and so on. The barriers included a lack of reimbursement and payment mechanisms, technical problems, insufficiently trained health care providers, and so on. Conclusions: This integrative systematic review synthesizes evidence on nurses' evolving roles in telehealth home-based palliative care and identifies multilevel facilitators and barriers to nurse-delivered, home-based palliative care implementation. With the empowerment of telehealth technologies, nurses could establish a stronger professional identity and develop leadership in home-based palliative care. Nurses should leverage influence to promote nursing practice, clinical management, and policy support in the implementation of telehealth home-based palliative care. Trial registration: PROSPERO CRD42024541038; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42024541038.

Background: Essential services ensure the health, safety, and well-being of individuals and their communities. However, there is currently a lack of consensus on what constitutes an essential service in Australia. This gap hinders a detailed spatial understanding of essential service provision, access, and influence on populations. This systematic review critically assessed the literature on essential services and their impact on quality of life to understand service definitions and their relative contributions to quality of life. Methods: A systematic search of ten databases was undertaken following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses methodology. Five criteria were established for the inclusion of studies: (i) major developed economies, (ii) defined essential service and focus on spatial access, (iii) quality of life outcome, (iv) peer-reviewed, and (v) published between 2000 and 2024. Results: From 1,473 unique records, seven studies met the inclusion criteria, with studies from Europe, Asia-Pacific, and North America. Across the studies, services were characterised based on their primary function and contributions to quality of life. Service categories included food, retail, personal services, health, education, culture and recreation, and faith-based services. Despite demographic and scale variations, services that fostered social connection and a sense of place showed the highest positive impact on quality of life. Conclusions: Findings indicate limited and inconsistent evidence on essential service measures and their relationship with quality of life. The persistent lack of justification for classifying services as essential in research hinders definitive conclusions about which services most effectively enhance quality of life. Future research should adopt standardised, validated measures, and address representation gaps across diverse populations and regions. This work is fundamental for developing a validated set of essential services, to improve national modelling of geographic access and inform policy, decision-making, and understanding of how access to services influences quality of life.

Background: Mobile health (mHealth) interventions promoting healthy lifestyle changes offer an adaptable and inexpensive method for accessing health information but require cultural appropriateness and suitability for acceptance and effectiveness in Indigenous populations. No systematic review on effective mHealth interventions for Indigenous women during pregnancy and the early childhood years has been conducted. Objective: This review evaluated the effectiveness of mHealth interventions promoting healthy behaviors for Indigenous mothers and children from conception to 5 years post partum. It also aimed to explore the observed effectiveness differences based on participant engagement, intervention design, and provision of context. Further, the review explored if the interventions were co-designed. Methods: A systematic search of 5 databases was conducted: SCOPUS, MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and ProQuest (Dissertation or Thesis). Studies were included if they were either a randomized controlled trial, pre-post comparison, or a cohort study using mHealth with Indigenous women for maternal and child health following a preregistered PROSPERO protocol (CRD42023395710). HealthInfoNet was searched for gray literature and the reference lists of included studies were hand searched. The initial title and abstract screen for eligibility were performed by 1 reviewer. A full-text screen of eligible studies and a quality appraisal of included studies was performed by 2 reviewers independently. The appraisal tools used were the Mixed Methods Quality Appraisal Tool and the Centre of Excellence in Aboriginal Chronic Disease Knowledge Translation and Exchange (CREATE). A descriptive synthesis of the extracted data was performed. Results: Of the 663 articles screened, only 3 met the eligibility criteria. Each paper evaluated a different mHealth intervention: Remote Prenatal Education; the SMS Parent Action Intervention (two-way text messaging); and the Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) eCHECKUP To Go (web-based screening and intervention). Statistically significant changes were reported in some outcomes, including an increase in the parental participation rate in face-to-face prenatal education; increased rate of breastfeeding initiation and exclusive breastfeeding (2-12 months); improved overall children's behavior related to sleep, diet, physical activity, screen time, and intake of sugary beverages; improved individual children's behavior related to physical activity and sleep; and decrease in alcohol drinks per week and binge drinking episodes per 2 weeks due to time effect. However, no study provided a sample size calculation for the reported significant outcomes. Also, due to the small number of included studies and each study evaluating a different intervention, it was not possible to combine results to ascertain if the participant engagement, intervention design, or community context had any impact on the effectiveness. Conclusions: Due to the lack of sample size calculation, it was not possible to establish whether differences in the effectiveness were due to the interventions or a type I statistical error. Therefore, caution is required in the interpretation of these findings. Trial registration: PROSPERO CRD42023395710; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42023395710.

Objective: The objective of this review is to assess and synthesize the available qualitative evidence on health professionals' experiences in screening for postpartum depression (PPD). Introduction: PPD is a significant public health problem. Clinical screening is essential to develop appropriate interventions to meet the needs of women and their families. The findings of this review have important implications for decision-making and policy development for continuous professional development programs that promote evidence-based PPD screening. Inclusion criteria: This review considered studies that explore the experiences of health professionals who screen for PPD in any geographic location at any health care facility, scenario, or setting. The review focused on qualitative data, including methods such as phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, action research, and feminist research. Methods: The review followed a 3-step search strategy in line with JBI methodology for systematic reviews of qualitative evidence. The databases searched included PubMed, CINAHL (EBSCOhost), Embase (Elsevier), Scopus, LILACS (BVS), ScienceDirect (Elsevier), PsycINFO (Ovid), Index Psi Journals (BVS-PSI), and PePsic (IPUSP). Unpublished studies were searched for in Google Scholar, Cybertesis, Dart-E, EthOS, and Open Access Theses and Dissertations (OATD). Two independent reviewers evaluated the included studies for methodological quality and extracted data using the JBI data extraction and synthesis tools. Studies published in English, Portuguese, and Spanish from database inception until October 2023 were included. Results: Twenty-four qualitative studies from 14 countries across 5 continents involving 392 health professionals were included. A total of 113 findings were extracted and grouped into 5 categories: i) education and training; ii) responsibility of PPD screening, referral, and follow-up: role of the job and work overload; iii) screening, referral, and follow-up; iv) disclosure, judgment, culture; v) and health system structure. Two synthesized findings evolved from these categories: i) The need for training and ongoing education, professional role, professional practice, and ways of caring in screening postpartum women for depressive symptoms; ii) External barriers, facilitating factors, and health system issues. Conclusions: Health professionals' experiences caring for women and families concerning PPD are influenced by their culture, practices, training, and worldview. Regular workshops and practical training sessions that emphasize the development of PPD-screening skills, particularly in recognizing subtle signs of depression and conducting culturally sensitive assessments, could be highly effective for health professionals. Policymakers should collaborate with health care professionals to develop and implement policies tailored to different contexts and cultures. Providing educational subsidies and ensuring monitoring and follow-up after PPD screening are fundamental for the sustainability of PPD screening and management.

Introduction: The concept of transition refers to the shift from hospital-based care to home-based palliative care, encompassing the physical, emotional, and logistical adjustments patients and families face. This study aimed to synthesize the experiences of people in palliative situations at home. Methods: A systematic review using thematic synthesis was guided using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes (PRISMA) to organize the extracted information. Preparation of the qualitative synthesis followed ENTREQ-Enhancing transparency in reporting the synthesis of qualitative research recommendations. The literature search was carried out in MEDLINE, CINAHL, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, ProQuest, and Worldcat, until October 31, 2023, for articles addressing the experiences of people over 18 years of age in a palliative situation at home. Data analysis employed thematic synthesis, involving inductive coding, development of themes, and interpretative synthesis to provide a comprehensive understanding of patient experiences. Results: Of the 441 articles identified, 17 studies were included. Data analysis was guided by Meleis 's Theory of Transitions, and six distinct categories were included in the conditions of the transition (facilitators or inhibitors): "Personal Facilitators," "Community Facilitators," "Social Facilitators," "Personal Inhibitors," "Community Inhibitors," and "Social Inhibitors." Conclusions: Findings indicate that the unique nature of the palliative condition and self-perception requires nursing care adapted to the person's experiences. The data collected and the analysis carried out in this thematic synthesis of the literature collectively contributed to identifying the facilitating and inhibiting factors regarding the complex transition process, considering the Theory of Transitions. The findings highlight the importance of personalized care approaches that address patients' emotional, social, and logistical needs during the transition to home-based palliative care. They underscore the need for enhanced communication, caregiver support, and accessible healthcare resources to improve patient and family experiences, guiding future interventions and policy development in palliative care.

Abstract Background: with Europe's demographic diversity growing due to immigration, understanding and addressing the barriers to healthcare experienced by immigrants is of paramount importance. However, an updated systematic review of the literature on this topic is missing. Methods: we systematically searched the PubMed and Scopus databases to synthesise quantitative evidence regarding self-perceived barriers to healthcare access faced by immigrants in Europe. Peer-reviewed articles, written in English, published from 2011 onwards, studying adult populations not in detention centres were eligible for the review. Articles were charted according to the population of study, sample size, geographical area and level of study (local vs national), and applied methodology (descriptive vs inferential). Results: linguistic and health literacy barriers emerge as the most prominent, and most studied, barriers to healthcare for immigrants. The extant literature covers disproportionally Northern European countries; often uses small sample sizes and convenience sampling; and is particularly limited as far as the undocumented population is concerned. Discussion: policies should aim at increasing the availability of interpreters and healthcare materials translated in different languages, as well as at better training health professionals to address specific immigrants' needs. We encourage future research to focus on healthcare barriers faced by immigrants in Southern and Central European contexts; to improve results' robustness and external validity by using high quality sampling techniques and larger sample sizes, and including native populations as comparison groups; and to put more attention to the experience of undocumented immigrants, as they are the immigrant population with the most critical and precarious healthcare status.

The marketing of unhealthy foods has been implicated in poor diet and rising levels of obesity. Rapid developments in the digital food marketing ecosystem and associated research mean that contemporary review of the evidence is warranted. This preregistered (CRD420212337091) systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to provide an updated synthesis of the evidence for behavioural and health impacts of food marketing on both children and adults, using the 4Ps framework (Promotion, Product, Price, Place). Ten databases were searched from 2014 to 2021 for primary data articles of quantitative or mixed design, reporting on one or more outcome of interest following food marketing exposure compared with a relevant control. Reviews, abstracts, letters/editorials and qualitative studies were excluded. Eighty-two studies were included in the narrative review and twenty-three in the meta-analyses. Study quality (RoB2/Newcastle-Ottawa scale) was mixed. Studies examined 'promotion' (n 55), 'product' (n 17), 'price' (n 15) and 'place' (n 2) (some > 1 category). There is evidence of impacts of food marketing in multiple media and settings on outcomes, including increased purchase intention, purchase requests, purchase, preference, choice, and consumption in children and adults. Meta-analysis demonstrated a significant impact of food marketing on increased choice of unhealthy foods (OR = 2·45 (95 % CI 1·41, 4·27), Z = 3·18, P = 0·002, I2 = 93·1 %) and increased food consumption (standardised mean difference = 0·311 (95 % CI 0·185, 0·437), Z = 4·83, P < 0·001, I2 = 53·0 %). Evidence gaps were identified for the impact of brand-only and outdoor streetscape food marketing, and for data on the extent to which food marketing may contribute to health inequalities which, if available, would support UK and international public health policy development.