This study aimed to refine the content of a new patient-reported outcome (PRO) measure via cognitive interviewing techniques to assess the unique presentation of depressive symptoms in older adults with cancer (OACs).

OACs (≥ 70years) with a history of a depressive disorder were administered a draft measure of the Older Adults with Cancer – Depression (OAC-D) Scale, then participated in a semi-structured cognitive interview to provide feedback on the appropriateness, comprehensibility, and overall acceptability of measure. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed, and qualitative methods guided revision of scale content and structure.

OACs (N = 10) with a range of cancer diagnoses completed cognitive interviews. Participants felt that the draft measure took a reasonable amount of time to answer and was easily understandable. They favored having item prompts and response anchors repeated with each item for ease of completion, and they helped identify phrasing and wording of key terms consistent with the authors’ intended constructs. From this feedback, a revised version of the OAC-D was created.

The OAC-D Scale is the first PRO developed specifically for use with OACs. The use of expert and patient input and rigorous cognitive interviewing methods provides a conceptually accurate means of assessing the unique symptom experience of OACs with depression.

Congenital heart Disease (CHD) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Pulse-oximetry is a good non-invasive simple tool for critical CHD screening. Implications of this tool may be possible in certain areas and non-practical in others. We aim to report on the preliminary results of a recent ongoing protocol concerning the use of pulse-oximetry in detecting critical CHD in newborn in Egypt.

All neonates born in or transferred to 10 university hospitals during the period between February and November 2023 and fulfilled the criteria of inclusion were screened for critical CHD by pulse-oximetry using Granelli protocol in the first 24–72 hours after birth.

During a 10-month pilot period, a total of 2392 neonates were screened. A total of 549 neonates (23%) tested positive (failed) screening. Among the positive cases, 213 neonates (42%) died during their hospital stay, while the remaining were discharged or scheduled for intervention. The positive cases underwent echocardiography that revealed CHD in the majority of cases (80.3%). Only 40 cases of those cases had cardiac defects that are classified as critical CHD with a prevalence of 16.7 per 1000 live births, while the rest of the cases have either simple (non-critical CHD) or persistent pulmonary hypertension. About 19.7% of positive cases have completely free echocardiograms without cardiac defects.

The prevalence of critical CHD in Egypt is higher than the mean worldwide prevalence. The introduction of pulse-oximetry as a mass screening tool for critical CHD is possible and effective in low-income countries.

Studies show that people with severe mental illness (SMI) have a greater risk of dying from colorectal cancer (CRC). These studies mostly predate the introduction of national bowel cancer screening programmes (NBCSPs) and it is unknown if these have reduced disparity in CRC-related mortality for people with SMI.

We compared mortality rates following CRC diagnosis at colonoscopy between a nationally representative sample of people with and without SMI who participated in Australia’s NBCSP. Participation was defined as the return of a valid immunochemical faecal occult blood test (iFOBT). We also compared mortality rates between people with SMI who did and did not participate in the NBCSP. SMI was defined as receiving two or more Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme prescriptions for second-generation antipsychotics or lithium.

Amongst NBCSP participants, the incidence of CRC in the SMI cohort was lower than in the controls (hazard ratio [HR] 0.77, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.61–0.98). In spite of this, their all-cause mortality rate was 1.84 times higher (95% CI 1.12–3.03), although there was only weak evidence of a difference in CRC-specific mortality (HR 1.82; 95% CI 0.93–3.57). People with SMI who participated in the NBCSP had better all-cause survival than those who were invited to participate but did not return a valid iFOBT (HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.50–0.88). The benefit of participation was strongest for males with SMI and included improved all-cause and CRC-specific survival.

Participation in the NBCSP may be associated with improved survival following a CRC diagnosis for people with SMI, especially males, although they still experienced greater mortality than the general population. Approaches to improving CRC outcomes in people with SMI should include targeted screening, and increased awareness about the benefits or participation.

Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (Trial ID: ACTRN12620000781943).

The avoidance of asthma triggers, like tobacco smoke, facilitates asthma management. Reliance upon caregiver report of their child’s environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure may result in information bias and impaired asthma management. This analysis aimed to characterize the chronicity of ETS exposure, assess the validity of caregiver report of ETS exposure, and investigate the relationship between ETS exposure and asthma attack.

A secondary data analysis was performed on data from a longitudinal study of 162 children aged 7–12 years with asthma living in federally subsidized housing in three US cities (Boston, Cincinnati, and New Orleans). Data were collected at three time points over 1 year.

Over 90% of children were exposed to ETS (≥0.25 ng/ml of urine cotinine (UC)). Exposure was consistent over 1 year. Questionnaire data had a sensitivity of 28–34% using UC ≥0.25 ng/ml as the gold standard. High ETS exposure (UC ≥ 30 ng/ml) was significantly associated with asthma attack (aOR 2.97, 0.93–9.52, p = 0.07). Lower levels (UC 0.25–30 ng/ml) were not statistically significant (aOR 1.76, 0.71– 4.38, p = 0.22). No association was found using caregiver-reported ETS exposure.

Relying on questionnaire data to assess children’s exposure to tobacco smoke may lead to substantial information bias. For children with asthma, incorrect characterization may substantially impact asthma morbidity.

Guidelines recommend screening for psychiatric co-morbidities in patients with congenital heart defects alongside cardiac outpatient follow-ups. These recommendations are not implemented in Denmark. This study aimed to investigate the psychiatric co-morbidities in children and adolescents with Fontan circulation in Denmark and to evaluate the feasibility of an online screening measure for psychiatric disorders.

Children, adolescents, and their families answered the Development and Well-Being Assessment questionnaire and a questionnaire about received help online. Development and Well-Being Assessment ratings present psychiatric diagnoses in accordance with ICD-10 and DSM-5. Parent-reported received psychiatric help is also presented. Feasibility data are reported as participation rate (completed Development and Well-Being Assessments) and parental/adolescent acceptability from the feasibility questionnaire.

The participation rate was 27%. Of the participating children and adolescents, 53% (ICD-10)/59% (DSM-5) met full diagnostic criteria for at least one psychiatric diagnosis. Of these, 50% had not received any psychiatric or psychological help. Only 12% of participants had an a priori psychiatric diagnosis.

We found that a large proportion of children and adolescents with Fontan circulation are underdiagnosed and undertreated for psychiatric disorders. The results from our study emphasise the need for psychiatric screening in this patient group. Development and Well-Being Assessment may be too comprehensive for online electronic screening in children and adolescents with CHD.

We aimed to compare and link the total scores of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), two common global cognitive screeners.

2,325 memory clinic patients (63.2 ± 8.6 years; 43% female) with a variety of diagnoses, including subjective cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia due to various etiologies completed the MMSE and MoCA concurrently. We described both screeners, including at the item level. Then, using linear regressions, we investigated how age, sex, education, and diagnosis affected total scores on both instruments. Next, in linear mixed models, we treated the two screeners as repeated measures and analyzed the influence of these characteristics on the relationship between the instruments’ total scores. Finally, we linked total scores using equipercentile equating, accounting for relevant patient characteristics.

MMSE scores (mean ± standard deviation: 25.0 ± 4.6) were higher than MoCA scores (21.2 ± 5.4), and MMSE items generally showed less variation than MoCA items. Both instruments’ scores were individually influenced by age, sex, education, and diagnosis. The relationship between the screeners was moderated by age (estimate = −0.01, 95% confidence interval = [−0.03, −0.00]), education (0.14 [0.10, 0.18]), and diagnosis. These were accounted for when producing crosswalk tables based on equipercentile equating.

Accounting for the influence of patient characteristics, we created crosswalk tables to convert MMSE scores to MoCA scores, and vice versa. These tables may facilitate collaboration between clinicians and researchers and could allow larger, pooled analyses of global cognitive functioning in older adults.

To quantify the proportion of referrals sent to Crumlin Cardiology Department for cardiac screening prior to commencement or modifying attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medication and assess the number detected with a clinically significant abnormality.

A prospective audit was performed over a 6-month period, from November 2021 to April 2022 inclusive. Referrals sent via outpatient department triage letters, electrocardiogram dept. email, and walk-in electrocardiogram service were screened for those pertaining to commencing or modifying medication for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Each referral was coded against National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines to determine the degree of clinical details given. Reported abnormalities, recommended management, and correspondence were recorded.

Ninety-one referrals were received during the 6-month audit period. More than half lacked a clinical indication for referral (53/91, 58.2%), with fewer than one third (26/91, 28.5%) meeting National Institute for Health and Care Excellence criteria for referral for cardiology. Eighty (80/91) referrals had clinical outcomes available for review (missing outpatient department information and age outside of service range accounted for eleven referrals with unavailable clinical outcomes). Of the eighty clinically reviewed referrals, seventy-two (72/80, 90%) were reported as normal with no cardiology follow up required. Eight referrals (8/80, 10%) were reviewed in the Cardiology Outpatient Department prior to commencement or modifying attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medication. Of these, only one (1/80 1%) had a clinically significant abnormality which was a potential contraindication to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medication use, and this referral was appropriate as per National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

Routine screening prior to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medication prescription in the absence of clinical indications (as per National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) contributed to delays in medication initiation among young people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Unnecessary referrals have resource implications for cardiology clinical team. Improved adherence to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines would provide benefits for patients and clinicians.

Social determinants of health (SDOH) can contribute to disparities that negatively impact health outcomes and healthcare utilization. Comprehensive screening is frequently overlooked during inpatient clinical care. This pilot aimed to evaluate the capturability of a multi-domain SDOH screening tool during hospitalization, as well as correlation of SDOH needs to readmissions.

The Protocol for Responding to and Assessing Patients’ Assets, Risks and Experiences (PRAPARE) screening tool was implemented on admission with adult inpatients at an academic tertiary medical center in central Pennsylvania. A total of 80 patients were screened over an 8-week period using the PRAPARE tool.

43.7% of participants were identified as having at least one SDOH need and 21.2% were identified as having two or more needs. Of the participants identified as having at least one SDOH need through PRAPARE screening, 42.5% experienced a readmission within 30 days, compared to 15% readmissions among participants with no identified SDOH needs. For each additional SDOH need a patient had, the odds they experienced a readmission increased by 2.2 times.

The study findings suggest that utilization of the PRAPARE screening tool has the ability to capture significant SDOH needs among hospitalized patients. This study also suggests that higher SDOH needs correlate to increased odds of experiencing a hospital readmission.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with worse outcomes in stroke, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD), but diagnosis is challenging in these groups. We aimed to compare the prevalence of high risk of OSA based on commonly used questionnaires and self-reported OSA diagnosis: 1. within groups with stroke, AD, PD and the general population (GP); 2. Between neurological groups and GP.

Individuals with stroke, PD and AD were identified in the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging (CLSA) by survey. STOP, STOP-BAG, STOP-B28 and GOAL screening tools and OSA self-report were compared by the Chi-squared test. Logistic regression was used to compare high risk/self-report of OSA, in neurological conditions vs. GP, adjusted for confounders.

We studied 30,097 participants with mean age of 62.3 years (SD 10.3) (stroke n = 1791; PD n = 175; AD n = 125). In all groups, a positive GOAL was the most prevalent, while positive STOP was least prevalent among questionnaires. Significant variations in high-risk OSA were observed between different questionnaires across all groups. Under 1.5% of individuals self-reported OSA. While all questionnaires suggested a higher prevalence of OSA in stroke than the GP, for PD and AD, there was heterogeneity depending on questionnaire.

The wide range of prevalences of high risk of OSA resulting from commonly used screening tools underscores the importance of validating them in older adults with neurological disorders. OSA was self-reported in disproportionately small numbers across groups, suggesting that OSA is underdiagnosed in older adults or underreported by patients, which is concerning given its increasingly recognized impact on brain health.