Do we know how to design effective health coaching interventions: a systematic review of the state of the literature

 Objective. To systematically review health coaching interventions regarding effectiveness of health coaching for specific outcomes, optimal intervention approaches, and identification of specific techniques associated with effectiveness.
Data Source. Articles were sourced from CINAHL, Global Health, PsycINFO, Academic Search Complete, Health Source, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, and Medline.
Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria. Randomized controlled trials were included if the study (1) employed health coaching according to a predefined criterion; (2) clearly reported the use of health coaching; or (3) incorporated the use of coaching.

Data Extraction. Aims, participants, approach, behavior change techniques (BCTs), and findings pertaining to each study were summarized. BCTs were classified according to the CALO-RE taxonomy.

Data Synthesis. Data were synthesized by cross-tabulation of BCTs with study outcomes.
Results. Fifteen of 16 eligible studies reported a positive intervention effect in at least one outcome. Nine studies (56%) did not define health coaching; the number of intervention sessions provided ranged from 2 to 48; and in three studies, one or more intervention details were unclear. It was hence difficult to synthesize the studies to adequately address our research questions.
Conclusion. Health coaching is a promising strategy for health improvements; however, future research should ensure clarity in reporting intervention details, clearer definitions of health coaching/theoretical bases, consistency in reporting BCTs, and the inclusion of process variables as outcome measures.

Beta-lactam antibiotics as a possible novel therapy for managing epilepsy and autism, a case report and review of literature

Autism is a disorder of unknown etiology. There are few FDA approved medications for treating autism. Co-occurring autism and epilepsy is common, and glutamate antagonists improve some symptoms of autism. Ceftriaxone, a beta-lactam antibiotic, increases the expression of the glutamate transporter 1 which decreases extracellular glutamate levels. It is hypothesized that modulating astrocyte glutamate transporter expression by ceftriaxone or cefixime might improve some symptoms of autism. This case report of a child with autism and epilepsy suggests a decrease in seizures after taking cefixime

Psychosocial interventions to support partners of men with prostate cancer: a systematic and critical review of the literature

Prostate cancer poses many challenges for both the man and his partner. Partners have reported a range of issues that impact their own mental health following their partner's diagnosis of prostate cancer. The aim of this review is to summarise and critically evaluate the current literature reporting psychosocial intervention studies for partners of prostate cancer patients.

Q-fever and Australian farmers: is the health system paying enough attention? A literature review

Introduction: Q-fever is caused by Coxiella burnetii, a Gram-negative bacterium and Rickettsia-like organism. Transmitted from wild and domestic animals to humans, the most common route is inhalation of contaminated dust; however the oral route can be considered as a second pathway. Aim: to understand the reasons behind not including farming workforce and their families in the national vaccinations program. Discussion: In 1977 Q-fever became a notifiable disease nationally. Australia is the only country to have a registered Q-fever vaccine. As a result of the cost of the vaccine, Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) supply and subsidised program arrangements are based on the active cases count per year (by occupation), rather than for occupations that expose workers to high level of possible "risk". Conclusion: Australian farmers, farm managers, farm workers and their families need to be well educated about Q-fever and included in the national vaccination program.

Risky driving in young adults : A review of the literature

Young drivers aged between 16 and 25 are consistently over-represented in fatal crash statistics and are more likely than older drivers to be involved in a range of intentional risky driving behaviours, such as drink driving, speeding, drag racing, and tailgating. This paper reports the fndings of a systematic search of published peer-reviewed literature, identifying the association between age and the characteristics of risky drivers, as well as interventions that have been developed to improve their safety. The results suggest that it is young males who are predominantly involved in unsafe driving and that these drivers are generally high in reward sensitivity, have antisocial peers, and believe that they are not dangerous drivers. Further to this, deterrence-based interventions have shown limited efectiveness for the specifc category of 'hoon' drivers, suggesting the need for targeted interventions across a multitude of domains. Efective intervention requires an understanding of the antecedents of dangerous driving behaviour, and it is concluded that interventions might be most efective when targeted towards these identifed criminogenic needs.

On the effectiveness of supplemental instruction: a systematic review of supplemental instruction and peer-assisted study sessions literature between 2001 and 2010

Supplemental instruction (SI)—variously known as peer-assisted learning, peer-assisted study sessions, and other names—is a type of academic support intervention popular in higher education. In SI sessions, a senior student facilitates peer learning between undergraduates studying a high-risk course. This article presents a systematic review of the literature between 2001 and 2010 regarding the effectiveness of SI. Twenty-nine studies met the inclusion criteria. Due to methodological heterogeneity and lack of consistency defining the SI treatment, qualitative synthesis methods were applied. For seven included studies, however, an effect size of SI participation on final grades was calculated, ranging from d = 0.29 to d = 0.60. The findings of the review are consistent with claims validated by the U.S. Department of Education in the 1990s that participation in SI is correlated with higher mean grades, lower failure and withdrawal rates, and higher retention and graduation rates.

Clinical placements in mental health: a literature review

Gaining experience in clinical mental health settings is central to the education of health practitioners. To facilitate the ongoing development of knowledge and practice in this area, we performed a review of the literature on clinical placements in mental health settings. Searches in Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, Medline and PsycINFO databases returned 244 records, of which 36 met the selection criteria for this review. Five additional papers were obtained through scanning the reference lists of those papers included from the initial search. The evidence suggests that clinical placements may have multiple benefits (e.g. improving students' skills, knowledge, attitudes towards people with mental health issues and confidence, as well as reducing their fears and anxieties about working in mental health). The location and structure of placements may affect outcomes, with mental health placements in non-mental health settings appearing to have minimal impact on key outcomes. The availability of clinical placements in mental health settings varies considerably among education providers, with some students completing their training without undertaking such structured clinical experiences. Students have generally reported that their placements in mental health settings have been positive and valuable experiences, but have raised concerns about the amount of support they received from education providers and healthcare staff. Several strategies have been shown to enhance clinical placement experiences (e.g. providing students with adequate preparation in the classroom, implementing learning contracts and providing clinical supervision). Educators and healthcare staff need to work together for the betterment of student learning and the healthcare professions.

Diagnosis and management of oral leishmaniasis--case series and literature review

The worldwide prevalence of leishmaniasis is increasing because of ecologic changes and increased medical profession awareness. Furthermore, solitary cases have been recently reported in Western countries. The authors describe the epidemiology, mode of transmission, and diagnosis of leishmaniasis and present 4 oral cases treated with systemic, localized, or combined therapy. The authors suggest that clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion for atypical, resistant, oral and perioral lesions in individuals with a history of traveling in certain geographic regions. After diagnosis, treatment should be determined jointly by experts from the fields of oral and maxillofacial surgery, oral medicine, and dermatology based on leishmaniasis species and clinical presentation.

Supporting informal caregivers of people with advanced cancer: a literature review

Informal carers are people who provide care without a specific professional role. They provide diverse caregiving supports including disease-related problems, side effects of treatment and psychosocial impacts. This paper reports on a comprehensive review of caregiving literature, focusing specifically on cancer caregivers. The paper presents five observations drawn from the literature in order to make recommendations about how caregivers of people with advanced cancer can best be supported. The observations are: 1) caregivers are a heterogeneous group; 2) they have unique needs that differ to the patient; 3) their role includes more than attending to physical caregiving tasks; 4) they may feel unable to take a break from the role and 5) they need their own support which may be beneficial to their capacity to continue in the caregiving role. Recommendations for how health professionals can assist in supporting caregivers in their role are discussed.

Sport-for-development: an integrated literature review

Despite the significant increase of published research in sport-for-development (SFD), to date there have been no attempts to rigorously review and synthesize scholarly contributions in this area. To address this issue, we conducted an integrative review of SFD literature to portray an overarching and holistic picture of the field. Through a comprehensive literature analysis following Whittemore and Knafl’s (2005) five-step process, we provide evidence of the status quo of current SFD research foci, authorship, geographical contexts, theoretical frameworks, sport activity, level of development, methodologies, methods, and key research findings. Our study shows an increasing trend of journal publications since 2000, with a strong focus on social and educational outcomes related to youth sport and with football (soccer) as the most common activity. A large majority of SFD research has been conducted at the community level, where qualitative approaches are dominant. The geographical contexts of authorship and study location present an interesting paradox: Although the majority of SFD projects are carried out in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, 90% of SFD authors are based in North America, Europe, and Australia. We conclude our study by providing new perspectives on key issues in SFD and by outlining current research and theoretical gaps that provide the basis for future scholarly inquiry.

The relationship between collectivism and climate: a review of the literature

Collectivism is one of the well-researched dimensions of culture that pertains to an individual’s relationship to an in-group. Organisational climate, on the other hand, is predominantly defined as the shared perceptions of employees about their working environment. In spite of the long tradition of both constructs in the literature, the conceptual relationship between collectivism and climate has oftentimes been neglected. This paper explores this relationship by presenting (1) the conceptual overlap between culture and climate; (2) the congruence between collectivism and climate in terms of levels of conceptualisation and analysis; (3) the apparent influence of collectivism on organisational processes and practices that have been the domain of climate studies; and (4) the apparent influence of collectivism on climate outcomes. This paper also offers some recommendations to guide future studies including suggestions to have more empirical investigation to strongly establish the relationship between collectivism and climate, to investigate facets of climate simultaneously, to extend the link between climate and other work outcomes, to engage in multi-level research, and to explore how collectivism influences climate formation and change.

Review of the literature on the use of social media by people with traumatic brain injury (TBI)

Purpose: To review the literature relating to use of social media by people with a traumatic brain injury (TBI), specifically its use for social engagement, information exchange or rehabilitation.

Method: A systematic review with a qualitative meta-synthesis of content themes was conducted. In June 2014, 10 databases were searched for relevant, peer-reviewed research studies in English that related to both TBI and social media.

Results: Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria, with Facebook™ and Twitter™ being the most common social media represented in the included studies. Content analysis identified three major categories of meaning in relation to social media and TBI: (1) risks and benefits; (2) barriers and facilitators; and (3) purposes of use of social media. A greater emphasis was evident regarding potential risks and apparent barriers to social media use, with little focus on facilitators of successful use by people with TBI.

Conclusions: Research to date reveals a range of benefits to the use of social media by people with TBI however there is little empirical research investigating its use. Further research focusing on ways to remove the barriers and increase facilitators for the use of social media by people with TBI is needed. Implications for Rehabilitation: Communication disabilities following traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be wide-ranging in scope and social isolation with loss of friendships after TBI is common. For many people, social media is rapidly becoming a usual part of everyday communication and its use has the potential to increase communication and social participation for people with TBI.There is emerging evidence and commentary regarding the perceived benefits and risks, barriers and facilitators and purposes of use of social media within the TBI population.Risks associated with using social media, and low accessibility of social media sites, form barriers to its use. Facilitators for social media use in people with TBI include training the person with TBI and their communication partners in ways to enjoy and use social media safely.There is minimal rigorous evaluation of social media use by people with TBI and scant information regarding social media use by people with communication disabilities after TBI. Further investigation is needed into the potential benefits of social media use on communication, social participation and social support with the aim of reducing social isolation in people with TBI.