Surgical site infections (SSI) cause substantial morbidity and pose a burden to acute healthcare services after surgery. We aimed to investigate whether a smartphone-delivered wound assessment tool can expedite diagnosis and treatment of SSI after emergency abdominal surgery. This single-blinded randomised control trial (NCT02704897) enroled adult emergency abdominal surgery patients in two tertiary care hospitals. Patients were randomised (1:1) to routine postoperative care or additional access to a smartphone-delivered wound assessment tool for 30-days postoperatively. Patient-reported SSI symptoms and wound photographs were requested on postoperative days 3, 7, and 15. The primary outcome was time-to-diagnosis of SSI (Centers for Disease Control definition). 492 patients were randomised (smartphone intervention: 223; routine care: 269). There was no significant difference in the 30-day SSI rate between trial arms: 21 (9.4%) in smartphone vs 20 (7.4%, p = 0.513) in routine care. Among the smartphone group, 32.3% (n = 72) did not utilise the tool. There was no significant difference in time-to-diagnosis of SSI for patients receiving the intervention (−2.5 days, 95% CI: −6.6−1.6, p = 0.225). However, patients in the smartphone group had 3.7-times higher odds of diagnosis within 7 postoperative days (95% CI: 1.02−13.51, p = 0.043). The smartphone group had significantly reduced community care attendance (OR: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.34−0.94, p = 0.030), similar hospital attendance (OR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.28−1.96, p = 0.577), and significantly better experiences in accessing care (OR: 2.02, 95% CI: 1.17−3.53, p = 0.013). Smartphone-delivered wound follow-up is feasible following emergency abdominal surgery. This can facilitate triage to the appropriate level of assessment required, allowing earlier postoperative diagnosis of SSI.

The COVID-19 pandemic requires a range of healthcare services to meet the needs of society. The objective was to explore what is known about the roles and services performed by frontline pharmacists during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. A scoping review was conducted of frontline pharmacists’ roles and services during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. A medical librarian conducted comprehensive searches in five bibliographic databases—MEDLINE (via Ovid), Embase (Ovid), CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science Core Collection for articles published between December 2019 and December 2020. The initial search retrieved 3269 articles. After removing duplicates, 1196 articles titles and abstracts were screened, 281 full texts were reviewed for eligibility, and 63 articles were included. This scoping review presents a conceptual framework model of the different layers made visible by COVID-19 of pharmacist roles in public health, information, and medication management. It is theorized that there is an invisible layer of change representing evolving professional role identity that may influence permanent role change following the pandemic. Thus, the pharmacy profession needs to build upon the lessons and experiences of this global pandemic and not let the momentum of the visible and invisible changes go to waste.

No abstract

The response of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to fecal microbial transplantation (FMT) has been inconsistent possibly due to variable engraftment of donor microbiota. This failure to engraft has resulted in the use of several different strategies to attempt optimization of the recipient microbiota following FMT. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the effects of two distinct microbial strategies—antibiotic pre-treatment and repeated FMT dosing—on IBD outcomes. A systematic literature review was designed and implemented in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A medical librarian conducted comprehensive searches in MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, and Cochrane Library on 25 November 2019 and updated on 29 January 2021. Primary outcomes of interest included comparing relapse and remission rates in patients with IBD for a single FMT dose, repeated FMT dosages, and antibiotic pre-treatment groups. Twenty-eight articles (six randomized trials, 20 cohort trials, two case series) containing 976 patients were identified. Meta-analysis revealed that both repeated FMT and antibiotic pre-treatment strategies demonstrated improvements in pooled response and remission rates. These clinical improvements were associated with increases in fecal microbiota richness and α-diversity, as well as the enrichment of several short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing anaerobes including Bifidobacterium, Roseburia, Lachnospiraceae, Prevotella, Ruminococcus, and Clostridium related species.

The emerging role of a microbiota‐gut‐brain axis in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) suggests that modulating gut microbial composition may offer a tractable approach to addressing the lifelong challenges of ASD. The aim of this systematic review was to provide an overview and critically evaluate the current evidence on the efficacy and safety of probiotic, prebiotic, synbiotic, and fecal microbiota transplantation therapies for core and co‐occurring behavioral symptoms in individuals with ASD. Comprehensive searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar were performed from inception to March 5, 2020, and two update searches were completed on October 25, 2020, and April 22, 2021, respectively. A total of 4306 publications were identified, of which 14 articles met the inclusion criteria. Data were extracted independently by two reviewers using a preconstructed form. Results of probiotic studies do not confirm the supposed beneficial effect of probiotics on ASD, whereas prebiotics and synbiotic combinations appear to be efficacious in selective behavioral symptoms. Evidence of the efficacy of fecal microbiota transplantation in ASD is still scarce but supports further research. Overall, the current evidence base to suggest beneficial effects of these modalities in ASD is limited and inconclusive. More clinical trials are currently looking at the use of microbial‐based therapies in ASD. With a robust double‐blind randomized controlled protocol to investigate the efficacy, these trials should provide significant and definitive results. Lay Summary There is a link between altered gut bacteria and autism spectrum disorder. Some people believe that modulating bacterial composition in the gut may help reduce autism symptoms, but evidence from human studies suggesting beneficial effects of probiotic, prebiotic, and combination thereof as well as fecal transplants in autism spectrum disorder is limited and inconclusive. Current data should not encourage use of these modalities. Further clinical studies are needed.

The results suggest a number of steps that librarians can take to improve information skills training including using a longitudinal approach, integrating consumer health resources, and developing robust assessments.

No abstract

Kidney function assessment in the critically ill overlooks the possibility for hyperfunctioning kidneys, known as augmented renal clearance (ARC), which could contribute to therapeutic failures in the intensive care unit (ICU). The aim of this research is to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence and risk factors of ARC in the critically ill. MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Scopus, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global databases were searched on 27 October 2020. We included studies conducted in critically ill adults who reported the prevalence and/or risk factors of ARC. We evaluated study quality using the Joanna Briggs Institute appraisal tool. Case reports, reviews, editorials and commentaries were excluded. We generated a random-effects meta-analytic model using the inverse variance method and visualized the pooled estimates using forest plots. Seventy studies were included. The pooled prevalence (95% CI) was 39% (34.9–43.3). Prevalence for neuro, trauma, mixed and sepsis ICUs were 74 (55–87), 58 (48–67), 36 (31–41) and 33 (21–48), respectively. Age, male sex and trauma were associated with ARC with pooled OR (95% CI) of 0.95 (0.93–0.96), 2.36 (1.28–4.36), 2.60 (1.21–5.58), respectively. Limitations included variations in ARC definition, inclusion and exclusion criteria and studies design. In conclusion, ARC is prevalent in critically ill patients, especially those in the neurocritical care and trauma ICU population. Young age, male sex and trauma are risk factors for ARC in those with apparently normal renal function. Further research on optimal dosing of drugs in the setting of ARC is warranted. (Prospero registration: CRD42021246417)