To examine the association and the mediating effect among medication beliefs, perception of illness, and medication adherence in ischemic stroke patients. Patients and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, 306 ischemic stroke patients recruited from The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, China between June 2018 and October 2018. The Beliefs about Medications Questionnaire (BMQ) was used to assess a patient's beliefs about medication. The Brief Illness Perceptions Questionnaire (BIPQ) was used to rapidly determine the cognitive and emotional representation of ischemic stroke. Self-reported adherence was assessed using the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS). Logistic regression analysis, Pearson correlations, and mediation analysis were used to evaluate the association and mediating effects among medication beliefs, perception of illness, and medication adherence. Results: Overall, 220 (65.48%) participants were non-adherent to their ischemic stroke medications. Non-adherent patients had greater stroke severity (p = 0.031) compared to adherent patients. After adjusting for demographic characteristics, specific concern (odds ratio [OR]: 0.652, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.431 to 0.987, p-value [P] = 0.043), and the perception of illness (overall score) (OR: 0.964, 95% CI: 0.944 to 0.985, P = 0.001) were significantly associated with medication adherence in ischemic stroke patients. The mediation analysis showed the significant indirect effects of specific concern, general overuse, and general harm. It suggested that some impacts of medication beliefs have been mediated on medication adherence. Conclusion: Perceived concern about adverse effects of medicines and perception of illness have an influential impact on self-reported medication adherence in ischemic stroke patients. To enhance adherence, patients' beliefs about medication and perceptions of their disease should be reconsidered. Future work should investigate interventions to influence patient adherence by addressing concerns about their ischemic stroke medications and the perception of the disease.

Objective This review aims to evaluate the current evidence on the use of the Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) in medical research, including but not limited to treatment, diagnosis, or medication provision. Methods This review follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We searched Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed, and Medline to identify studies published between 2022 and 2023 that aimed to utilize ChatGPT in medical research. All identified references were stored in EndNote. Results We initially identified 114 articles, out of which six studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria for full-text screening. Among the six studies, two focused on drug development (33.33%), two on literature review writing (33.33%), and one each on medical report improvement, provision of medical information, improving research conduct, data analysis, and personalized medicine (16.67% each). Conclusion ChatGPT has the potential to revolutionize medical research in various ways. However, its accuracy, originality, academic integrity, and ethical issues must be thoroughly discussed and improved before its widespread implementation in clinical research and medical practice.

Objective To determine how the COVID-19 pandemic impacts patients with chronic disease medication adherence. Methods Four electronic databases, PubMed, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and CINAHL Plus Full Text, were searched for literature between 2019 and 2021. Abstracts and later full texts were independently screened by the authors of this review using inclusion and exclusion criteria to determine relevance to our study. Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tools were used to assess the quality of included texts. Relevant information and data from the included texts were extracted into tables for data synthesis and analysis. Results Ten studies met the study criteria, the most popular study design was cross-sectional design (n = 9, 90.0%), others were case series (n = 1, 10.0%). Barriers to medication adherence and facilitators of medication adherence were the major two themes that participants reported regarding the impact of COVID-19 on medication adherence. Moreover, these two main themes have been organized in sub-themes that are dealt with in-depth. Discussion Our results could heighten healthcare providers, stakeholders, and policy leaders’ awareness of providing appropriate support for chronic disease patients, especially regarding medication adherence. Future research incorporating programs that support patients’ needs is recommended.

Background Stroke is a principal cause of mortality and disability globally. Numerous studies have contributed to the knowledge base regarding self-management interventions among chronic disease patients, but there are few such studies for patients with stroke. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze self-management interventions among stroke patients. This scoping review aimed to systematically identify and describe randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of self-management interventions for adults with stroke. Methods A review team carried out a scoping review on stroke and self-management interventions based on the methodology of Arksey and O'Malley, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL Plus Full Text, Medline Plus Full Text, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched from inception to July 2020. Results Fifty-four RCTs were included. The most popular study design is comparing a self-management intervention to usual care or waitlist control condition. Physical activity is the most common intervention topic, and interventions were mainly delivered face to face. The majority of interventions were located in inpatient and multiple settings. Interventions were conducted by various providers, with nurses the most common provider group. Symptom management was the most frequently reported outcome domain that improved. Conclusions Self-management interventions benefit the symptom management of stroke patients a lot. The reasonable time for intervention is at least 6–12 months. Multifarious intervention topics, delivery formats, and providers are adopted mostly to meet the multiple needs of this population. Physical activity was the most popular topic currently. Studies comparing the effect of different types of self-management interventions are required in the future.

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Objective: It is reported that age and sex have been identified as potential risk factors for severe outcomes and the distribution of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), although the specifics of these relationships are unclear. Furthermore, little is known about the relationship between age, sex, COVID-19, and population density in Thailand. This study proposed to examine the relationships among age, sex, population density, and the number of COVID-19 patients in Thailand.Material and Methods: In this nationwide descriptive correlational study, the dataset of daily COVID-19 cases in Thailand between January 12, 2020, and November 30, 2020, and population density (people/km2 ) in each province of Thailand was retrieved from the Open Government Data of Thailand, the Registration Office Department of the Interior, the Ministry of the Interior, and the National Statistical Office of Thailand. Chi-square and Pearson product-moment correlation were used to determine the difference and relationships among studied variables. Simple linear regression was used to predict the number of COVID-19 cases based on population density.Results: The findings illustrated a significant difference between male and female patients, in which the number of male patients was higher than female patients across age groups 31-45 years, 40-60 years, and >60 years (p-value<0.010). Further, population density was significantly associated with the number of COVID-19 cases.Conclusion: This investigation would provide intervention planning implications during potential future pandemics, especially in groups at higher risk (males, age 17-46 years old, and people living in high-density population areas).

Objective: To determine whether there is a relationship between the extent of human travel and the number of COVID-19 cases in Thailand. Materials and Methods: The data set on monthly COVID-19 in Thailand between January and July 2020 were retrieved from the Ministry of Public Health, Thailand. Data regarding people’s travel in Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic and for the same period of 2019 were retrieved from Open Government Data of Thailand. A paired t-test was used to compare the differences between the number of journeys made in each mode of transport in 2019 (January - July) and 2020 (January - July). Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient was used to examine the relationships among studied variables. Results: A Paired Samples t-test showed that from January until July 2020, the number of journeys made by public buses, ships, and airplanes declined by more than 50% from the previous year (p < 0.05). Pearson correlation coefficients showed that the mean monthly number of COVID-19 cases was significantly and inversely correlated with the number of public bus journeys made (r = -0.897, p < 0.01), the number of train journeys (r = -0.834, p < 0.05), ship journeys (r = -0.890, p < 0.01), and airplane journeys (r = -0.911, p < 0.01). There was no significant relationship between the number of COVID-19 cases and private car journeys (r = -0.405, p = 0.367). Conclusion: During the pandemic, the number of journeys has been decreased. Moreover, the correlation between the number of journeys and COVID-19 cases has been shown in our analysis.

Objectives This study aimed to identify the difficulties that caregivers of chronically ill patients experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic and to provide directions for future studies. Methods Five electronic databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL Plus Full Text, EMBASE, and Scopus, were systematically searched from January 2019 to February 2021. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses were employed for the literature screening, inclusion, and exclusion. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool was adopted for qualifying appraisal. Results Six studies met the study criteria, including three quantitative studies, two qualitative studies, and one mixed-method study. Mental health, personal experience, financial problems, physical health, and improvement approaches were the major five themes that participants reported regarding the impact of COVID-19 they encountered during the pandemic. Discussion The results could heighten healthcare providers, stakeholders, and policy leaders' awareness of providing appropriate support for caregivers. Future research incorporating programs that support caregivers’ needs is recommended.