Quality in specialist palliative care for patients with pre-existing severe mental disorders: A retrospective cohort study -ORCA

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Addiction is a mental disorder within the mental health spectrum, and it matters | Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine | Cambridge Core

Addiction is a mental disorder within the mental health spectrum, and it matters

Quality of life measures in treatment for active substance misuse: a scoping review - Quality of Life Research

Purpose Unlike previous reviews on quality of life (QoL) and substance use disorders (SUD), this scoping review focuses on QoL within the context of SUD treatment and active substance misuse. This review delineates and describes QoL measures, assesses their application, and explores the influence of demographics on QoL outcomes. Methods Five databases were searched (EMBASE, Web of Science, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Scopus) using keywords related to QoL, clinician-verified SUD, and SUD treatment. All studies were published in English before June 1st, 2025. Two reviewers screened abstracts and full text for eligibility and study elements. The first author extracted data regarding methodology, substance use, treatment, and QoL measures. The PRISMA-ScR checklist guided this study and the reporting process for rigor and transparency. Results Of the 11,078 initially identified articles, 108 were extracted for analysis. QoL measures accounted for multiple domains (e.g., physical, psychological, social, environmental, independence, security, and spiritual). Studies included male and female participants, all over the age of 18. Results found that many studies under-reported race, ethnicity, and cultural contexts, as well as high variability in the definition of QoL domains and standardization across treatment locations and geographic regions. Studies from Asia primarily showed preference for the WHOQOL-BREF measure compared to North America and Europe, which showed varied preference for measures. The most common QoL domains assessed were psychological, physical, and social. Conclusion This review highlights the need to operationalize QoL domains and assessment approaches in SUD treatment research to facilitate meaningful comparisons and enhance our understanding of treatment effectiveness.

Addressing methodological challenges in multiple long-term conditions research: A stakeholder workshop using a nominal group technique method - Hajira Dambha-Miller, Glenn Simpson, Lucy Smith, James Finney, Salwa S. Zghebi, Sarah E. Hughes, Victoria L. Keevil, Ge Yu, Clare MacRae, Kamlesh Khunti, Colin McCowan, 2025

Background Multiple long-term conditions (MLTC) - which refer to the coexistence in an individual of two or more long-term conditions - are a growing global con...

Người Việt trên 64 tuổi mắc cùng lúc nhiều bệnh tật

Người Việt Nam từ 64 tuổi trở lên mắc cùng lúc nhiều bệnh tật, cho thấy dù sống thọ nhưng 10 năm cuối đời không khỏe mạnh như người dân các nước.

Global evidence on the effectiveness of task-shifting and task-sharing strategies for managing individuals with multimorbidity: systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction Task-shifting and task-sharing strategies show promise for managing chronic diseases especially in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), though their effectiveness in multimorbidity management remains unclear. This study synthesised evidence on task-shifting and task-sharing strategies globally and assessed the impact on core health outcomes in multimorbidity management.Methods We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of global studies evaluating task-shifting and sharing interventions for individuals with multimorbidity. Six databases, including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Ovid (Medline), CINAHL and Cochrane Library, were searched for studies reporting the core outcomes of multimorbidity management in quality of life, mortality, hospitalisation, emergency department visits and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Random-effects models were used to calculate pooled effect sizes with heterogeneity assessed through subgroup and meta-regression analyses.Results From 8471 records, 36 studies from 14 countries were included, with only 5 conducted in LMICs. Twenty-one studies, encompassing 20 989 participants, were eligible for meta-analysis. More than half of the studies involved nurses as delegates, with some sharing the tasks with health professionals and about 10% of studies involved non-health professionals, including community healthcare workers as delegates to share the responsibility in caring for individuals with multimorbidity. Most studies were multicomponent, with 16.7% addressing all guideline-recommended aspects of multimorbidity management. By pooling the findings, task-shifting and task-sharing interventions were associated with a 27% reduction in mortality (OR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.55 to 0.97, I²=0%), a modest improvement in quality of life (standardised mean difference (SMD): 0.1, 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.17, I²=47%) and reduced symptoms of depression (SMD: 0.27, 95% CI: −0.52 to –0.02, I²=90%), but showed no significant effect on hospitalisation, emergency visits or anxiety-related symptoms.Conclusions Some evidence, although limited in existing research, indicates the great potential of task-shifting and task-sharing strategies in supporting management of multimorbidity. Further research is needed to optimise and adopt these interventions, particularly in LMICs where evidence remains scarce.PROSPERO registration number CRD42024526845.

Characteristics of people with severe mental illness excluded from incentivised physical health checks in the UK: electronic healthcare record study | The British Journal of Psychiatry | Cambridge Core

Characteristics of people with severe mental illness excluded from incentivised physical health checks in the UK: electronic healthcare record study