Background As hospitals expand their roles within transforming health systems, their governance structures must adapt to changing demands, with novel leadership structures evolving to meet new challenges. Objective This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview on the evidence of the influence of hospital C-level positions on key organisational performance parameters. It maps key concepts from the existing literature relating to hospital performance and leadership and identifies mediators and moderators of top management team impacts based on the Upper-Echelons-Theory. Methods The scoping review was conducted according to the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews, covering studies from 1990 to the present. Eligible studies addressed at least one identifiable hospital C-Suite role and one hospital-wide leadership effect. Results Out of 5,430 articles identified, 60 were included. The analysis covers seven distinct C-Suite roles and their effects on six performance dimensions: quality of care, structural quality, patient satisfaction, work satisfaction, financial performance, and process efficiency. Conclusions The findings suggest that the influence of C-Suite positions on hospital performance is multifaceted, with the Chief Executive Officer's influence extending beyond financial performance to shaping the quality of care. Additionally, the impact of newer roles such as the Chief Quality Officer, as well as leadership roles like the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Nursing Officer, appear to depend on a collaborative approach and alignment with the Chief Executive Officer. From a policy perspective, the findings emphasise that hospital governance, shaped by regulations, determines key performance indicators and strategic priorities.

Aim: CPR training for schoolchildren to increase bystander CPR-rates is widely applied. HCPs are regarded as the instructor gold standard, but using non-HCP instructors (e.g., peer-tutors, schoolteachers, medical students) challenges that. This systematic review assesses whether cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training for children led by peer-tutors, schoolteachers, or medical students results in different learning outcomes to training by health-care professionals (HCPs). Methods: We searched studies that compared CPR training for schoolchildren (population) delivered by peer-tutors, schoolteachers, or medical students (intervention), with training led by HCPs (comparison), assessing student knowledge, skills, willingness and/or confidence to perform CPR (outcome). We included randomized and non-randomized controlled trials (study design). Medline, Embase, Psychinfo, Cinahl, Cochrane, Scopus, Web of Science, and Eric were searched from inception until December 23rd, 2023 (timeframe). Two independent reviewers performed title, abstract, full text screening, bias assessment, and grading of certainty of evidence. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, and registered the review with PROSPERO. Results: Of 9'092 studies identified, 14 were included. Comparison of intervention groups to HCP-led training showed similar overall results (knowledge, skills, self-confidence). Superior results for HCP training were only reported for 'ventilation volume', while schoolteachers and medical students achieved superior knowledge transfer. A meta-analysis was possible for 'compression depth' between peer-tutors and HCPs showing no significant differences. Certainty of evidence was 'low' to 'very low'. Conclusion: This systematic review of CPR training for school children revealed that peer-tutors, schoolteachers and medical students achieve similar educational outcomes compared to those of HCPs. Non-HCPs training schoolchildren is an appropriate cost-efficient alternative and easy to implement in school curricula.

Background: Good oral health is an important part of healthy ageing, yet there is limited understanding regarding the status of oral health care for older people globally. This study reviewed evidence (policies, programs, and interventions) regarding oral health care for older people. Methods: A systematic search of six databases for published and grey literature in the English language by the end of April 2022 was undertaken utilising Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review framework. Results: The findings from oral health policy documents (n = 17) indicated a lack of priorities in national health policies regarding oral health care for older people. The most common oral health interventions reported in the published studies (n = 62) included educational sessions and practical demonstrations on oral care for older adults, nurses, and care providers. Other interventions included exercises of facial muscles and the tongue, massage of salivary glands, and application of chemical agents, such as topical fluoride. Conclusion: There is currently a gap in information and research around effective oral health care treatments and programs in geriatric dental care. Efforts must be invested in developing guidelines to assist both dental and medical healthcare professionals in integrating good oral health as part of healthy ageing. Further research is warranted in assessing the effectiveness of interventions in improving the oral health status of the elderly and informing approaches to assist the integration of oral health into geriatric care.

BackgroundStudies of the associations between soft drinks and the risk of cancer showed inconsistent results. No previous published systematic reviews and meta-analysis has investigated a dose-response association between exposure dose and cancer risk or assessed the certainty of currently available evidence. Therefore, we aim to demonstrate the associations and assessed the certainty of the evidence to show our confidence in the associations.MethodsWe searched Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library from inception to Jun 2022, to include relevant prospective cohort studies. We used a restricted cubic spline model to conduct a dose-response meta-analysis and calculated the absolute effect estimates to present the results. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach was used to assess the certainty of the evidence.ResultsForty-two articles including on 37 cohorts enrolled 4,518,547 participants were included. With low certainty evidence, increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) per 250 mL/day was significantly associated with a 17% greater risk of breast cancer, a 10% greater risk of colorectal cancer, a 30% greater risk of biliary tract cancer, and a 10% greater risk of prostate cancer; increased consumption of artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs)re per 250 mL/day was significantly associated with a 16% greater risk of leukemia; increased consumption of 100% fruit juice per 250 mL/day was significantly associated with a 31% greater risk of overall cancer, 22% greater risk of melanoma, 2% greater risk of squamous cell carcinoma, and 29% greater risk of thyroid cancer. The associations with other specific cancer were no significant. We found linear dose-response associations between consumption of SSBs and the risk of breast and kidney cancer, and between consumption of ASBs and 100% fruit juices and the risk of pancreatic cancer.ConclusionsAn increment in consumption of SSBs of 250 mL/day was positively associated with increased risk of breast, colorectal, and biliary tract cancer. Fruit juices consumption was also positively associated with the risk of overall cancer, thyroid cancer, and melanoma. The magnitude of absolute effects, however, was small and mainly based on low or very low certainty of evidence. The association of ASBs consumption with specific cancer risk was uncertain.

目的:系统评价Teach-back健康教育对脑卒中病人康复效果的影响。方法:计算机检索PubMed、EMbase、Web of Science、the Cochrane Library、CINAHL、中国生物医学文献数据库(SinoMed)、中国知网、维普数据库、万方数据库。检索时间均为建库至2022年1月。依据Cochrane手册6.1.0质量评价标准对纳入文献进行评价，采用RevMan 5.4软件进行系统评价。结果:共纳入11项研究，共1 018例病人。Meta分析结果显示，试验组肢体运动功能[MD=9.98,95%CI(7.19,12.77),P<0.000 01]、焦虑情绪[SMD=-0.86,95%CI(-1.31,-0.42),P=0.000 1]、抑郁情绪[SMD=-0.99,95%CI(-1.41,-0.57),P<0.000 01]、健康素养[SMD=2.66,95%CI(2.26,3.07),P<0.000 01]、日常生活自理能力[SMD=1.52,95%CI(0.83,2.21),P<0.000 1]改善程度均优于对照组，差异有统计学意义...

OBJECTIVES: Humour is an integral part of communication and often used in education to support learning, build relationships, lessen stress, and create a positive environment. This paper presents results from an integrative review of literature that aimed to explore how humour is used in nursing education. DESIGN: Integrative literature review. DATA SOURCES: CINAHL, INFORMIT, Medline and Proquest education. REVIEW METHODS: An integrative review of published research was conducted in the above-mentioned databases during March to June 2022. A hand search in reference lists of published articles was also conducted. Search terms followed PEO (population, exposure and outcome) and included 'Faculty, Nursing', 'Nurse* Student*', 'Baccalaureate', 'Humo?r', 'Laugh*', 'Wit', 'Fun*', 'Comedy', 'Educat*', 'Teach*', 'Learn*' and 'Curricul*'. Inclusion criteria stated articles must have a research component investigating how humour is used and received by students in nursing education. The articles were peer reviewed and published after 2001. Conference abstracts, editorials and articles describing the use of humour in nursing education without research evidence were excluded. Grey literature was not included. RESULTS: The search yielded two hundred and one articles, 10 of which met the inclusion criteria. Studies were primarily qualitative (n = 9) with 1 quantitative study. Five themes were found among the articles (1) Humour builds social relationships (2) Humour aids learning/critical thinking (3) Humour and stress relief (4) Humour to focus attention and (5) Negative use of humour. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that the use of humour in nursing education lowers stress, improves attention, increases focus and improved information retention. However, findings also conclude that negative humour is not conducive to learning. Research is needed to explore the use of humour in nurse education in order to develop teaching approaches that include culturally sensitive humour to enhance the student learning experience and reduce stress.

Interprofessional education (IPE) has grown in popularity over the years because it is effective in training future health professionals and serves as the engine of productivity in healthcare-related research. The research team, consisting of higher education faculty in various health profession disciplines, conducted a systematic review of existent IPE literature targeting both graduate and under-graduate students. The main purpose of the systematic review was to categorize research and analyze IPE studies to determine sub-constructs that entail both barriers and facilitators often related to occurrences in primary provider, learner, and researcher IPE initiatives. If identified, IPE training and related curriculum plans were also analyzed in this review. The research team wanted to identify any/all potential instances of the use of research activities in coordination with IPE training to identify underlying constructs to support future college and program-specific andragogy initiatives. Review results demonstrate three categorical constructs related to IPE initiatives in higher education health professions programs (provider, learner, and researcher stakeholder perspectives). Results further demonstrate provider IPE challenges surrounding limited resources and a willingness to participate, while both patient experience and teamwork foci were identified as common IPE session themes. Further, the learners' perspectives included a challenge related to a willingness to participate, as well as the patient experience focus. Review constructs were further validated using supplementary topic modeling. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that combined systematic review with a supplementary topic modeling. Findings support ongoing pedagogy and research efforts related to IPE activities for health professions programs in higher education.

AIMS: The aim of this systematic review is to understand strategies to influence patient outcomes by synthesizing existing evidence on effective interventions for teamwork, delegation and communication between registered nurses (RNs) and nursing assistants (NAs). BACKGROUND: Three-quarters of deaths in hospitals are related to breakdowns in teamwork and communication. Acute care systems utilize teams of RNs and NAs for primary delivery of nursing care. Research has been conducted to improve the partnership between the dyad. Literature reviews are needed to synthesize the effectiveness of delegation and communication interventions between RNs and NAs on patient outcomes. METHODS: The authors applied Whittemore and Knafl's integrative review methodology to conduct an integrative review of the literature. Databases searched included Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Medline, and PubMed along with reference searches. Included articles were intervention studies related to teamwork, delegation, or communication between RNS and NAs, conducted in the United States, and published from 2000-2019. Methodological quality was assessed utilizing the Mixed Methods Assessment Tool (MMAT). The Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) model 2.0 was applied as a guiding framework to analyze the findings. RESULTS: Seven articles met the inclusion criteria. The interventions in these articles focused on building a foundation of trust and respect through simulation, education, and mindful communication. Four of the seven articles measured patient outcomes including patient falls, hospital-acquired pressure injuries, and patient satisfaction. Three articles reported decreased patient falls, two articles reported increased patient satisfaction, while one article reported a reduction in pressure injury. Five of the studies reported improved teamwork and/or communication, and two studies reported improved job satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: There has been limited research on the impact of the RN-NA relationship on patient safety and care outcomes. The existing research demonstrates a need for interventions to foster a dynamic and effective relationship between RNs and NAs. There is a need for more interventional studies linking improved teamwork, delegation, and communication between the RN and NA to patient outcomes such as falls, hospital-acquired pressure injury. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Several interventions exist to improve teamwork and communication between the RN-NA dyad. Leaders need to assess their own culture and develop interventions to build and maintain high performing teams. Future research is necessary to develop interventions aimed at improving delegation from RNs to NAs for applicable activities.

Interprofessional primary care (IPPC) teams are promoted as an alternative to single profession physician practices in primary care with focus on preventive care and chronic disease management. Characteristics of teams can have an impact on their performance. We synthesized quantitative, qualitative or mixed-methods evidence addressing the design of IPPC teams. We searched Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and PAIS using search terms focused on IPPC teams. Studies were included if they discussed the influence of team structure, organization, financial arrangements, or policies and procedures, or either health care processes or outputs, health outcomes, or costs, and were conducted in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom or New Zealand between 2003 and 2016. We screened 11,707 titles, 5366 abstracts, and selected 77 full text articles (38 qualitative, 31 quantitative and 8 mixed-methods). Literature focused on the implications of team characteristics on team processes, such as teamwork, collaboration, or satisfaction of patients or providers. Despite heterogeneity of contexts, some trends are observable: shared space, common vision and goals, clear definitions of roles, and leadership as important to good teamwork. The impacts of these on health care outputs or patient health are not clear. To move the state of knowledge beyond perception of what works well for IPPC teams, researchers should focus on quantitative causal inference about the linkages between team characteristics and patient health.

BACKGROUND:Efficacy of programs for patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) that have promoted family members to help with patients' self-care activities has been largely inconsistent. This meta-analysis aims to assess the effect of family-oriented diabetes programs for glycemic control (GC).METHODS:Electronic literature searches were conducted for clinical trials with a parallel design wherein there were two groups according to whether family members were included (intervention group) or not included (control group) and changes in glycohemoglobin A1C (A1C) were assessed as a study outcome. Each effect size (i.e. difference in A1C change between the intervention and control group) was pooled with a random-effects model.RESULTS:There were 31 eligible trials consisting of 1466 and 1415 patients in the intervention and control groups, respectively. Pooled A1C change [95% confidence interval (CI)] was -0.45% (-0.64% to -0.26%). Limiting analyses to 21 trials targeted at patients with type 1 DM or 9 trials targeted at patients with type 2 DM, the pooled A1C changes (95% CI) were -0.35% (-0.55% to -0.14%) and -0.71% (-1.09% to -0.33%), respectively.CONCLUSION:This meta-analysis suggests that focusing on the family as well as the individual patient in self-management diabetes programs to improve the performance of self-care activities of patients with DM is effective in terms of proper GC.

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a common disease that has an increasing influence on the health of human beings. While the role of pharmaceutical care (PC) programs in the treatment of patients with diabetes mellitus is well established, there is little research that quantitatively and comprehensively assesses the impact of PC programs on glycemic control in diabetics. Objective: To evaluate the effect of PC programs on glycemic control in patients with diabetes mellitus. Methods: Publications on PC programs and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of glycemic control were retrieved by searching MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, Elsevier, Chinese Biomedicine Database, and Chinese Journal Full-Text Database databases from January 1996 through February 2010. Data were extracted by 2 reviewers independently, based on their correlation with this project, and then evaluated with meta-analysis. The meta-analysis was conducted using STATA version 10.1. Begg-Mazumdar’s funnel plot was generated to determine the potential impact of publication bias. Results: Fourteen RCTs, with a total of 1770 patients with diabetes mellitus, were included in this metaanalysis. Pharmacists were involved in all of these PC interventions. The average ± SD study period of included trials was 9.5 ± 4.1 months. Drug counseling, drug therapy management, lifestyles education, selfmonitoring, and recommendations of drug therapy changes were the most frequently used interventions. All of the trials reported the reduction of hemoglobin A1c (A1C) as the primary clinical outcome of PC intervention. Compared with the usual-care control groups, the PC intervention groups had significant reduction in A1C levels (weighted mean difference –0.68; 95% CI –1.03 to –0.34; p = 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: PC programs delivered separately or in combination by pharmacists and other health professionals can lead to an improvement in glycemic control. The incorporation of PC programs into disease management should be strongly considered.

Background: The nursing profession has a significant evidence to practice gap in an increasingly complex and dynamic health care environment. Objective(s): To evaluate effectiveness of teaching and learning strategies related to a capstone project within a Masters of Nursing program that encourage the development of evidence based practice capabilities. Design: Systematic review that conforms to the PRISMA statement. Sample: Master's Nursing programs that include elements of a capstone project within a university setting. Data Sources/Review Methods: MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, ERIC and Psyclnfo were used to search for RCT's or quasi experimental studies conducted between 1979 and 9 June 2017, published in a peer reviewed journal in English. Results: Of 1592 studies, no RCT's specifically addressed the development of evidence based practice capabilities within the university teaching environment. Five quasi-experimental studies integrated blended learning, guided design processes, small group work, role play and structured debate into Masters of Nursing research courses. All five studies demonstrated some improvements in evidence based practice skills and/or research knowledge translation, with three out of five studies demonstrating significant improvements. Conclusions: There is a paucity of empirical evidence supporting the best strategies to use in developing evidence based practice skills and/or research knowledge translation skills for Master's Nursing students. As a profession, nursing requires methodologically robust studies that are discipline specific to identify the best approaches for developing evidence-based practice skills and/or research knowledge translation skills within the university teaching environment. Provision of these strategies will enable the nursing profession to integrate the best empirical evidence into nursing practice.

Background: Pharmacists have become an integral member of the multidisciplinary team providing clinical patient care in various healthcare settings. Although evidence supporting their role in the care of patients with other disease states is well-established, minimal literature has been published evaluating pharmacist interventions in stroke patients. The purpose of this systematic review is to summarize the evidence evaluating the impact of pharmacist interventions on stroke patient outcomes. Methods: Study abstracts and full-text articles evaluating the impact of a pharmacist intervention on outcomes in patients with an acute stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) or a history of an acute stroke/TIA were identified and a qualitative analysis performed. Results: A total of 20 abstracts and full-text studies were included. The included studies provided evidence supporting pharmacist interventions in multiple settings, including emergency departments, inpatient, outpatient, and community pharmacy settings. In a significant proportion of the studies, pharmacist care was collaborative with other healthcare professionals. Some of the pharmacist interventions included participation in a stroke response team, assessment for thrombolytic use, medication reconciliation, participation in patient rounds, identification and resolution of drug therapy problems, risk-factor reduction, and patient education. Pharmacist involvement was associated with increased use of evidence-based therapies, medication adherence, risk-factor target achievement, and maintenance of health-related quality of life. Conclusions: Available evidence suggests that a variety of pharmacist interventions can have a positive impact on stroke patient outcomes. Pharmacists should be considered an integral member of the stroke patient care team.

The objective of this study was to systematically review the evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effectiveness of multidisciplinary team (MDT) care for the management of disability, disease activity and quality of life (QoL) in adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Data sources identified published (MEDLINE, PsychINFO, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, CENTRAL) and unpublished (OpenGrey) literature. Independent data extraction and quality assessment, using the Cochrane risk of bias tool, were conducted by two reviewers. The primary outcome was change in disability at 12 months; secondary outcomes included disability at other time points and disease activity and QoL at 12 months. Where possible, the pooled effect sizes were calculated for inpatient or outpatient MDT interventions. Four hundred and fifteen studies were retrieved. Twelve manuscripts, which reported 10 RCTs, representing 1147 participants were included. Only data from five high- or moderate-quality trials were pooled according to clinical setting. There was no difference in disability between inpatient MDT care and any comparison group [mean difference (95 % confidence intervals) 0.04, -0.13 to 0.20] or between outpatient MDT care and comparison groups (0.09, -0.07 to 0.25) at 12 months. There was no difference in disability at 2 years or <12 months or disease activity and QoL at 12 months between MDT care and any comparison group. There is limited evidence evaluating the effect of MDT care on disability, disease activity or QoL in people with RA. There is likely to be no effect of MDT care on disability at 12 months or other time points

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature to evaluate the characteristics of injury and treatment outcomes of rotator cuff tears in young patients. METHODS: A systematic electronic search was performed for clinical studies evaluating rotator cuff tears in patients younger than 40 years with special emphasis on reporting of injury characteristics and treatment outcomes with a minimum 1-year follow-up. RESULTS: Twelve studies (involving 336 patients) met inclusion criteria. The mean age of the patients was 28 years (range, 16-40 years), with a mean follow-up of 39 months. There were 2 distinct subgroups. The majority of studies (7 of 10) showed that patients typically had a full-thickness tear with an acute traumatic etiology. However, within the subgroup of elite throwers, 5 of 6 studies demonstrated a majority of tears that were partial thickness stemming from chronic overuse. Rotator cuff repair improved pain and strength in almost all studies reporting on these parameters. Eighty-seven percent of patients reported they were satisfied. However, all studies examining elite throwers showed significant difficulty in returning to play (25%-97%). CONCLUSIONS: In young patients with rotator cuff tears, there are 2 primary groups. (1) A majority group with rotator cuff tears of traumatic origin responded well to both arthroscopic and open rotator cuff repair in terms of pain relief and self-reported outcomes postoperatively. These patients reported high levels of satisfaction and return to preinjury level of play. (2) A unique subpopulation composed of elite throwers had improved outcomes but suboptimal return to play

PURPOSE: To identify and describe the strategies and processes used by multidisciplinary teams of health care professionals to reduce surgical site infections (SSIs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: An integrative review of the research literature was undertaken. Searches were conducted in April 2015. Following review of the included studies, data were abstracted using summary tables and the methodological quality of each study assessed using the Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence guidelines by two reviewers. Discrepancies were dealt with through consensus. Inductive content analysis was used to identify and describe the strategies/processes used by multidisciplinary health care teams to prevent SSI. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: In total, 13 studies met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 12 studies used quantitative methods, while a single study used qualitative interviews. The majority of the studies were conducted in North America. All quantitative studies evaluated multifaceted quality-improvement interventions aimed at preventing SSI in patients undergoing surgery. Across the 13 studies reviewed, the following multidisciplinary team-based approaches were enacted: using a bundled approach, sharing responsibility, and, adhering to best practice. The majority of studies described team collaborations that were circumscribed by role. None of the reviewed studies used strategies that included the input of allied health professionals or patient participation in SSI prevention. CONCLUSION: Patient-centered interventions aimed at increasing patient participation in SSI prevention and evaluating the contributions of allied health professionals in team-based SSI prevention requires future research.

AIM: To identify facilitators and barriers influencing collaboration and teamwork between general practitioners and nurses working in general (family) practice. BACKGROUND: Internationally, a shortage of doctors entering and remaining in general practice and an increasing burden of chronic disease has diversified the nurse's role in this setting. Despite a well-established general practice nursing workforce, little attention has been paid to the ways doctors and nurses collaborate in this setting. DESIGN: Integrative literature review. DATA SOURCES: CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Life, Cochrane Library, Joanna Briggs Institute Library of Systematic Reviews and Trove (dissertation and theses) were searched for papers published between 2000 and May 2014. REVIEW METHODS: This review was informed by the approach of Whittemore and Knafl (2005). All included papers were assessed for methodological quality. Findings were extracted, critically examined and grouped into themes. RESULTS: Eleven papers met the inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis revealed three themes common to the facilitators of and barriers to collaboration and teamwork between GPs in general practice: (1) roles and responsibilities; (2) respect, trust and communication; and (3) hierarchy, education and liability. CONCLUSION: This integrative review has provided insight into issues around role definition, communication and organizational constraints which influence the way nurses and general practitioners collaborate in a team environment. Future research should investigate in more detail the ways doctors and nurses work together in general practice and the impact of collaboration on nursing leadership and staff retention

BACKGROUND: Comorbidity is very common among patients with cancer. Multidisciplinary team meetings (MDTs) are increasingly the context within which cancer treatment decisions are made internationally. Little is known about how comorbidity is considered, or impacts decisions, in MDTs. METHODS: A systematic literature review was conducted to evaluate previous evidence on consideration, and impact, of comorbidity in cancer MDT treatment decision-making. Twenty-one original studies were included. RESULTS: Lack of information on comorbidity in MDTs impedes the ability of MDT members to make treatment recommendations, and for those recommendations to be implemented among patients with comorbidity. Where treatment is different from that recommended due to comorbidity, it is more conservative, despite evidence that such treatment may be tolerated and effective. MDT members are likely to be unaware of the extent to which issues such as comorbidity are ignored. CONCLUSIONS: MDTs should systematically consider treatment of patients with comorbidity. Further research is needed to assist clinicians to undertake MDT decision-making that appropriately addresses comorbidity. If this were to occur, it would likely contribute to improved outcomes for cancer patients with comorbidities

Background 1(8) F-FDFG uptake by brain tissue as measured by positron emission tomography (PET) is a well-established method for assessment of brain function in people with dementia. Certain findings on brain PET scans can potentially predict the decline of mild cognitive Impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer's disease dementia or other dementias. Objectives To determine the diagnostic accuracy of the 1(8) F-FDG PET index test for detecting people with MCI at baseline who would clinically convert to Alzheimer's disease dementia or other forms of dementia at follow-up. Search methods We searched the Cochrane Register of Diagnostic Test Accuracy Studies, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Science Citation Index, PsycINFO, BIOSIS previews, LILACS, MEDION, (Meta-analyses van Diagnostisch Onderzoek), DARE (Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects), HTA (Health Technology Assessment Database), ARIF (Aggressive Research Intelligence Facility) and C-EBLM(International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine Committee for Evidence-based Laboratory Medicine) databases to January 2013. We checked the reference lists of any relevant studies and systematic reviews for additional studies. Selection criteria We included studies that evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of 1(8) F-FDG PET to determine the conversion from MCI to Alzheimer's disease dementia or to other forms of dementia, i.e. any or all of vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, and fronto-temporal dementia. These studies necessarily employ delayed verification of conversion to dementia and are sometimes labelled as 'delayed verification cross-sectional studies'. Data collection and analysis Two blinded review authors independently extracted data, resolving disagreement by discussion, with the option to involve a third review author as arbiter if necessary. We extracted and summarised graphically the data for two-by-two tables. We conducted exploratory analyses by plotting estimates of sensitivity and specificity from each study on forest plots and in receiver operating characteristic (ROC) space. When studies had mixed thresholds, we derived estimates of sensitivity and likelihood ratios at fixed values (lower quartile, median and upper quartile) of specificity from the hierarchical summary ROC (HSROC) models. Main results We included 14 studies (421 participants) in the analysis. The sensitivities for conversion from MCI to Alzheimer's disease dementia were between 25% and 100% while the specificities were between 15% and 100%. From the summary ROC curve we fitted we estimated that the sensitivity was 76% (95% confidence interval (CI): 53.8 to 89.7) at the included study median specificity of 82%. This equates to a positive likelihood ratio of 4.03 (95% CI: 2.97 to 5.47), and a negative likelihood ratio of 0.34 (95% CI: 0.15 to 0.75). Three studies recruited participants from the same Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) cohort but only the largest ADNI study (Herholz 2011) is included in the meta-analysis. In order to demonstrate whether the choice of ADNI study or discriminating brain region (Chetelat 2003) or reader assessment (Pardo 2010) make a difference to the pooled estimate, we performed five additional analyses. At the median specificity of 82%, the estimated sensitivity was between 74% and 76%. There was no impact on our findings. In addition to evaluating Alzheimer's disease dementia, five studies evaluated the accuracy of 1(8) F-FDG PET for all types of dementia. The sensitivities were between 46% and 95% while the specificities were between 29% and 100%; however, we did not conduct a meta-analysis because of too few studies, and those studies which we had found recruited small numbers of participants. Our findings are based on studies with poor reporting, and the majority of included studies had an unclear risk of bias, mainly for the reference standard and participant selection domains. According to the assessment of Index test domain, more than 50% of studies were of poor methodological quality. Authors' conclusions It is difficult to determine to what extent the findings from the meta-analysis can be applied to clinical practice. Given the considerable variability of specificity values and lack of defined thresholds for determination of test positivity in the included studies, the current evidence does not support the routine use of 1 F-FDG PET scans in clinical practice in people with MCI. The 1(8) F-FDG PET scan is a high-cost investigation, and it is therefore important to clearly demonstrate its accuracy and to standardise the process of 1(8) F-FDG PET diagnostic modality prior to its being widely used. Future studies with more uniform approaches to thresholds, analysis and study conduct may provide a more homogeneous estimate than the one available from the included studies we have identified.

Objectives To review the literature on interventions to improve team effectiveness and identify their ‘evidence based’-level. Methods Major data bases (PubMed, Web of Science, PsycInfo and Cochrane Library) were systematically searched for all relevant papers. Inclusion criteria were: peer-reviewed papers, published in English between January 1990 and April 2008, which present empirically based studies focussing on interventions to improve team effectiveness in health care. A data abstraction form was developed to summarize each paper. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation Scale was used to assess the level of empirical evidence. Results Forty-eight papers were included in this review. Three categories of interventions were identified: training, tools, and organisational interventions. Target groups were mostly multidisciplinary teams in acute care. The majority of the studies found a positive association between the intervention and non-technical team skills. Most articles presented research with a low level of evidence. Positive results in combination with a moderate or high level of evidence were found for some specific interventions: Simulation training, Crew Resource Management training, Team-based training and projects on Continuous quality improvement. Conclusions There are only some studies available with high quality evidence on interventions to improve team effectiveness. These studies show that team training can improve the effectiveness of multidisciplinary teams in acute (hospital) care.