Objectives To explore the barriers and facilitators to help-seeking behaviour for symptoms among patients with ovarian cancer in China. Design This semistructured interview-based study used a descriptive phenomenological research method. Setting The study was conducted in China. Participants 17 patients with ovarian cancer were selected based on the principle of maximum differentiation. Outcome measures and analysis The study followed the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research. Data were analysed using the Colaizzi’s seven-step method. Results Three main themes were identified: (1) low level of symptom perception and cancer risk awareness: unawareness of early non-specific symptoms, mistaken attribution of symptoms and delay caused by a previous diagnosis of benign tumours; (2) cognitive factors influencing help-seeking behaviour: positive health beliefs, perceived benefits of help-seeking, previous adverse medical experiences, stigma and restrained self-disclosure an

Objectives Due to prognostic uncertainty and limited decision-making capacity, the choice to perform transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) and comorbid dementia is challenging. This study explores older adults’ perspectives on complex decision-making preceding TAVI in the hypothetical setting of comorbid dementia. Design Qualitative study entailing semistructured interviews. Analysis was by systematic text condensation. The interview guide addressed their attitudes regarding treatment dilemmas before TAVI in patients living with dementia. Setting Patients were recruited from the TAVI outpatient clinic at a university hospital performing TAVI. Participants A purposive sample of 10 older adults (5 women) with AS and without dementia (range 77–94 years), where 8/10 had undergone TAVI were included. Results Three main challenges were identified: (1) Risk assessment. Participants found it hard to compare the burden of aortic stenosis vs

Objectives To evaluate and analyse the quality of clinical practice guidelines for Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter-related thrombosis (PICC-related thrombosis) to identify the most current and effective prophylactic measures recommended in the guidelines. Design Scoring and analysis of the guidelines using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II). Data sources Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Chinese databases (China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wan Fang) and the relevant websites of the guideline were searched through 8 August 2024. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Studies that primarily clinical practice guidelines on the prevention of PICC-related thrombosis were included. Data extraction and synthesis Two reviewers independently screened the searched items and extracted data and scored documents using AGREE II. Findings were summarised in Grading of Recommendat

Background Adolescence represents a pivotal period for the initiation of smoking behaviours. While family, peer and social groups serve as significant reference groups influencing adolescents’ decision-making process, there remains a paucity of research that examines how diversified reference groups influence their smoking decisions. Objective The objective is to compare normative and informative influences given by different reference groups on adolescents’ smoking decision-making. Design This study applied reference group theory and used the card sorting technique. Adolescents were presented with 16 cards portraying various reference groups and 27 cards portraying different types of reference group influences. They were asked to construct sentences as smoking-elicited and smoking-inhibited cues and ranked these influences based on their relevance to their smoking decision-making. Participants The participants were recruited from four cities in the North, Central, South and East regio

Objective This study explored the experiences of women who have undergone emergency caesarean section (EmCS) and how they perceived anxiety and depression to impact their quality of life. Design A qualitative study grounded in the biopsychosocial model was conducted among Ghanaian women diagnosed with anxiety and depression following EmCS. Semistructured interviews were used to collect data on the psychosocial impact of EmCS on women’s lives. Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes from the interviews, using Nvivo V.14 Software. Setting A hospital in Effutu Municipality, Central Region of Ghana. Data were collected from August 2022 to September 2023. Participants The study included 25 Ghanaian women who had undergone an EmCS, had clinically diagnosed and treated anxiety and/or depression and had recovered within the last 6 months. Women with pre-existing mental health conditions were excluded. Results The major themes identified from the thematic analysis of results included

Objectives The major complication of rhabdomyolysis is acute kidney injury (AKI), which requires prompt treatment. Currently, few biomarkers are available for the early detection of AKI. Serum neutrophil gelatinase–associated lipocalin (NGAL) has been suggested as an early biomarker for renal ischemia. However, its capacity to predict AKI in patients presenting with rhabdomyolysis in the emergency department (ED) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of NGAL to predict 48-hour AKI. Design Prospective, multicentre study. Setting Five adult EDs in France from August 2013 to December 2015. Participants NGAL levels were measured on ED admission in patients with rhabdomyolysis. A total of 197 patients were enrolled, and 189 (96%) were analysed, of whom 89 (47%) were women. Patients were included if they presented to the ED with rhabdomyolysis and a creatine phosphokinase (CPK) level above 1000 IU/L. Exclusion criteria were pregnancy, presentation with acute coro

Objectives To assess the prevalence and severity of paruresis (‘shy bladder syndrome’) in a population of university staff and students and to determine if there was any relationship between demographics, self-esteem, presence of social anxiety disorders and negative toilet experiences and paruresis. Design We undertook an anonymised cross-sectional online survey using Microsoft Forms. We invited participants aged 18 and over to complete the survey which included demographic information; any pre-existing medically or self-diagnosed anxiety-related conditions; Shy Bladder Scale (SBS); Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) and questions about using school toilets in their younger life. We defined ‘mild’ and ‘severe’ paruresis based on total SBS cut-off scores of greater than or equal to 31 and greater than or equal to 40. We calculated prevalence of paruresis, and explored differences in self-esteem, school toilet experience and social anxiety disorders between individuals with and without