There is some evidence to support the use of checking reference lists for locating studies in systematic reviews. However, this evidence is derived from weak study designs. In situations where the identification of all relevant studies through handsearching and database searching is difficult, it would seem prudent that authors of reviews check reference lists to supplement their searching. The challenge, therefore, is for review authors to recognize those situations.

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Well-designed, hypothesis-driven prospective cohort studies are warranted to improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the relationship between bed sharing, its benefits, and its harms.

Objective: There is uncertainty about the incidence of and prognosis associated with atrial fibrillation that is documented for the first time in the setting of an acute stressor, such as surgery or medical illness. Our objective was to perform a systematic review of the incidence and long-term recurrence rates for atrial fibrillation occurring transiently with stress in the setting of acute medical illness. Data sources: Medline, Embase and Cochrane Central to September 2017. Study selection: We included retrospective and prospective observational studies, and randomised controlled trials. The population of interest included patients hospitalised for medical (i.e. non-surgical) illness who developed newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation. Studies were included if they included data on either the incidence of atrial fibrillation or the rate of atrial fibrillation recurrence in atrial fibrillation occurring transiently with stress patients following hospital discharge. Data extraction: Two reviewers collected data independently and in duplicate. We characterised each study’s methodology for ascertainment of prior atrial fibrillation history, atrial fibrillation during hospitalisation and atrial fibrillation recurrence after hospital discharge. Data synthesis: Thirty-six studies reported the incidence of atrial fibrillation. Ten used a prospective design and included a period of continuous electrocardiographic (ECG) monitoring. Atrial fibrillation incidence ranged from 1% to 44%, which was too heterogeneous to justify meta-analysis ( I2=99%). In post-hoc meta-regression models, the use of continuous ECG monitoring explained 13% of the variance in atrial fibrillation incidence, while care in an intensive care unit explained none. Two studies reported the long-term rate of atrial fibrillation recurrence following atrial fibrillation occurring transiently with stress. Neither of these studies used prospective, systematic monitoring. Recurrence rates at 5 years ranged from 42% to 68%. Conclusions: The incidence of atrial fibrillation with medical illness may be as high as 44%, with higher estimates in reports using continuous ECG monitoring. Within 5 years following hospital discharge, atrial fibrillation recurrence is documented in approximately half of patients; however, the true rate may be higher. Protocol registration PROSPERO CRD42016043240

BackgroundCare transitions from the hospital to home are critical to the sustainability of our health care system. Ineffective care transitions can be caused by high incidences of post-discharge adverse events, by poor communication with patients, and/or by inadequate information transfer between providers from the hospital to home. Any one of these can lead to fragmented care, high readmission rates, increased visits to the emergency department, and ultimately poor patient outcomes. Despite the ongoing improvement efforts of health care organizations, the efficacy of person- and family-centered care transition interventions on the quality of care and on the patient experience are not known. The aim of this systematic review is to critically analyze the body of evidence regarding the effectiveness of person- and family-centered care transition interventions on the quality of care, and the experience of patients.MethodsWe will conduct a systematic review using the Cochrane Handbook’s guidelines and will adhere to a standardized reporting format: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). A comprehensive search strategy will be conducted in the following databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and the Cochrane Consumers and Communication Group. Following a two-step screening process, data including the full reference, objectives, target population, description of the intervention and control intervention, outcome measures, design, length of post-intervention follow-up period, and the study results will be extracted, synthesized, and reported. Risk of bias and quality of the studies will also be assessed.DiscussionThis systematic review will summarize and present the evidence base for person- and family-centered care transition interventions. This review will also inform further research and will lay the groundwork for more empirical studies on person- and family-centered care transitions. Specifically, the results of this systematic review may inform the development of measures to monitor safe and effective person- and family-centered transitions from the hospital to home. These results may also be important for policy makers, decision-makers, clinicians, and patients/families who are involved in navigating the health care system.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42017067990 Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13643-017-0554-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BACKGROUND: Adverse events during donation negatively impact the likelihood of subsequent donation. Syncope is a possible complication of blood donation in healthy individuals. This systematic review aims to identify risk factors for syncope in healthy blood donors. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Medline, Embase,Cochrane, CINAHL, Web of Science, Transfusion Evidence Library, and PubMed libraries up to November 2016 were searched. Inclusion criteria were observational and interventional trials, case series including more than 10 participants, randomized controlled trials, and clinical trials. Papers required data pertaining to syncopal events separate from presyncope for inclusion. Incomplete text or non-English language versions were excluded. Papers were evaluated using the CHARMS 2014 checklist. RESULTS:From 3316 papers, 1297 unique citations were identified, and 11 were selected for data extraction. Sex, estimated blood volume, age, donor status, blood pressure, heart rate, weight, previous reaction, caffeine, sleep, and donation site were identified as risk factors for syncope during blood donation.CONCLUSION: Possible risk factors for syncope in healthy blood donors have been identified that could allow for improved screening prior to donation and potential reduction in donor attrition due to negative experiences.ABBREVIATION: EBV = estimated blood volume.From the

Aim The aim was to critically analyse the body of evidence regarding the effectiveness of PFCC transition interventions on the quality of care and the experience of patients. Design We conducted a systematic review using the Cochrane Handbook's guidelines and adhered to a standardized reporting format: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA). Methods Four databases and grey literature were searched. Following a two‐step screening process, data from the eligible studies were extracted. Risk of bias and quality of the studies were also assessed. Narrative synthesis and vote counting were used for the data analysis. Results A total of 28 articles met our inclusion criteria. Interventions varied in regards to the extent of the PFCC focus and the comprehensiveness of the transition of care. Educating patients to promote self‐management was the most commonly included component and it was described in all 28 interventions.

In August 2010, the Canadian Health Libraries Association / Association des bibliothèques de la santé du Canada (CHLA / ABSC) distributed a survey to its members and the larger health library community in Canada. The purpose of the survey was to guide the CHLA / ABSC Board of Directors in creating the 2011-2013 Strategic Plan, to understand the demographics of health information professionals in Canada, and to understand the perceived value of CHLA / ABSC membership. Of the 186 respondents, 157 were current CHLA / ABSC members, representing 46% of the membership. This article examines the results of this survey and also compares the results to similar surveys CHLA / ABSC administered in