Inflammatory myopathy is a challenging condition in both diagnosis and management. Our audit has shown delays in the diagnosis of IBM, a relatively high incidence of malignancy and a notable risk of relapse and mortality.
BackgroundeHealth facilitation of chronic disease management has potential to increase engagement and effectiveness and extend access to care in rural areas.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility and acceptability of an eHealth system for the management of chronic conditions in a rural setting.MethodsWe developed an online management program which incorporated content from the Flinders Chronic Condition Management Program (Flinders Program) and used an existing software platform (goACT), which is accessible by patients and health care workers using either Web-enabled mobile phone or Internet, enabling communication between patients and clinicians. We analyzed the impact of this eHealth system using qualitative and simple quantitative methods.ResultsThe eHealth system was piloted with 8 recently hospitalized patients from rural areas, average age 63 (SD 9) years, each with an average of 5 chronic conditions and high level of psychological distress with an average K10 score of 32.20 (SD 5.81). Study participants interacted with the eHealth system. The average number of logins to the eHealth system by the study participants was 26.4 (SD 23.5) over 29 weeks. The login activity was higher early in the week.ConclusionsThe pilot demonstrated the feasibility of implementing and delivering a chronic disease management program using a Web-based patient-clinician application. A qualitative analysis revealed burden of illness and low levels of information technology literacy as barriers to patient engagement.
Objectives To examine the effect of individualized smartphone‐recorded video review on dental student confidence in performing local anesthesia (LA) techniques, in a manikin‐based simulation environment. Methods All University of Minnesota second‐year dental students were invited to participate in this randomized trial developed following the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials statement, in 2020. With a parallel trial design, 104 students were randomly divided into two groups (52 per group) prior to the learning experience. Students and researchers were not blinded to group assignments. All students learned LA techniques in the same manikin‐based simulation setting. The experimental group incorporated individualized smartphone filming into simulation training, and the control group did not. A paper‐based questionnaire with 19 5‐point Likert scale questions assessed the students’ self‐rated confidence levels in LA techniques before, immediately after, and approximately one month after the training. Results The final sample included 45 students in the experimental group (48.4%) and 48 in the control group (51.6%). In both groups, student confidence in performing LA techniques increased after completion of the training (p < 0.001), with no harm reported. The experimental group reported greater confidence in inferior alveolar nerve injection (p = 0.038), and in local anesthetic administration rate (p = 0.029), compared with the control group. Conclusions This study suggested that the incorporation of smartphone‐recorded video review in simulation training is beneficial for learning LA techniques. Further investigation on teaching methods to enhance student confidence and performance in LA administration is indicated.
BACKGROUND Mindfulness and meditation have a rich historical tradition, and a growing scientific base of evidence supports their use in creating positive psychological and neuroplastic changes for practitioners. Though meditation can be taught in various ways, the scientific community has yet to systematically study different types of meditation on neuropsychological outcomes, especially as it pertains to digital implementation. Therefore, it is critical that the instruction of mindfulness be evidence-based as meditation is being used in both scientific and clinical settings. OBJECTIVE This study investigated the use of teacher cueing and the integration of neuroscience education into a meditation program. Compassion cueing was chosen as the element of experimental manipulation as traditional lineages of Buddhist meditation teach compassion for self and others as one of the primary outcomes of meditation. We hypothesized that participants receiving compassion cueing would have enhanced neuropsychological outcomes over participants receiving functional cueing, and that gains in neuroscience knowledge would relate to neuropsychological outcomes. METHODS Participants (n=89) were recruited via social media, university listservs, and local businesses of interest. Those with English proficiency and access to a digital device for study implementation were included, and those with recent trauma or diagnosed and untreated mental illness were excluded. Participants were randomized to receive either functional cueing (control group) or compassion cueing (experimental group), and engaged with five, 10-minute meditations a week for the duration of four weeks. All intervention sessions were administered through digital presentation. All participants completed momentary assessments before and after the daily intervention as well as pre- and post-intervention questionnaires. RESULTS Participants demonstrated significant benefits over time including increased mindfulness and self-compassion, decreased depression, and gains in neuroscience content; however no significant between group differences were found. Daily scores from each day of the intervention showed a significant shift from active towards settled. Importantly, long-term increases in mindfulness were positively correlated to changes in compassion and self-compassion and negatively correlated to changes in anxiety and depression. Finally, the acute effects of meditation were significantly correlated to the longitudinal outcomes, especially those relevant to mindfulness. CONCLUSIONS We developed a novel neuroscience-based education meditation program, which enhanced self-regulation as evidenced by improved mindfulness, self-compassion, and mood state. Our findings demonstrate the behavioral importance of engaging with mindfulness meditation and reinforces the idea that the benefits of meditation are independent of teacher cueing behavior. Future studies will need to investigate the brain-based changes underlying these meditation-induced outcomes.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.