Emerging evidence has shown that an antibiotic first strategy is a viable treatment option for uncomplicated acute appendicitis (AA). Although there has recently been an interest and increase in the use of antibiotics as the primary strategy for treating uncomplicated AA, there is no consensus regarding the optimum antibiotic regimen. In particular, the long-term outcomes of different antibiotic regimens, such as the recurrence rate, still lack evidence. Given that the flora of the appendix is mainly anaerobic bacteria, we hypothesised that antianaerobe regimens could decrease the recurrence rate compared with those that did not include antianaerobic antibiotics.

The objective of this rapid scoping review was to identify studies of dose-sparing strategies for administration of intramuscular seasonal influenza vaccines in healthy individuals of all ages.

Women who inherit a pathogenic mutation in Breast Cancer Susceptibility Genes 1 or 2 (BRCA1 or BRCA2) are at substantially higher risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer than the average woman. Several cancer risk management strategies exist to address this increased risk. Decisions about which risk management strategies to choose are complex, personal and multifactorial for these women. This scoping review will map evidence relevant to cancer risk management decision making in BRCA mutation carriers without a personal history of cancer. The objective is to identify and describe the features of patient decision aids that have been developed for BRCA mutation carriers. This information may be beneficial for designing new decision aids or adapting existing decision aids to support decision making in this population.

Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes abnormal myeloblasts (a type of white blood cell), red blood cells or platelets. Gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO) holds promise as a new agent that also could be efficacious in newly diagnosed AML with acceptable toxicity. This paper describes the design of a protocol to conduct a systematic review of published studies assessing GO for the treatment of AML.

Meta-research.

To examine the comparative efficacy and safety of different antiplatelet regimens in patients with prior non-cardioembolic ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack.

To provide an overview of effective interventions aimed at reducing rates of adverse events in hospitals.

The German Guideline Program in Oncology (GGPO) has published patient versions of clinical practice guidelines for more than 10 years. However, a systematic evaluation of these is lacking. The project aims to investigate the role and applicability of patient versions by considering the perspectives of experts, patients and healthcare providers to derive recommendations for the development, dissemination and implementation of patient versions in Germany.

Our objectives were to review the literature to identify frailty instruments in use for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) recipients and synthesise prognostic data from these studies, in order to inform clinical management of frail patients undergoing TAVI.

Older people who live in care homes have a high level of need with complex health conditions. In addition to providing medical care to residents, general practitioners (GPs) play a role as gatekeeper for access to services, as well as leadership within healthcare provision. This review will describe how GPs were involved in initiatives to change arrangements of healthcare services in order to improve quality and experience of care.

Overprescription of antibiotics poses a significant threat to healthcare globally as it contributes to the issue of antibiotic resistance. While antibiotics should be predominately prescribed for bacterial infections, they are often inappropriately given for uncomplicated upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) and related conditions, such as the common cold. This study will involve a qualitative systematic review of physician-reported barriers to using evidence-based antibiotic prescription guidelines in primary care settings and synthesise the findings using a theoretical basis.

The research literature addressing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has increased considerably over the last decade. To better understand the research areas and explore research gaps, we will conduct a scoping review to map study topics and describe study characteristics and populations in publications focused on PrEP. The purpose of this protocol is to describe planned methods for the scoping review.

Investigators within many disciplines are using measures of well-being, but it is not always clear what they are measuring, or which instruments may best meet their objectives. The aims of this review were to: systematically identify well-being instruments, explore the variety of well-being dimensions within instruments and describe how the production of instruments has developed over time.

Approximately 20% of patients experience chronic pain after total knee replacement (TKR). The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the effectiveness of postdischarge interventions commenced in the first 3 months after surgery in reducing the severity of chronic pain after TKR.

To determine the contemporary effectiveness of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) in terms of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality and hospital admissions.

Preoperative anaemia is associated with increased risks of postoperative complications, blood transfusion and mortality. This meta-analysis aims to review the best available evidence on the clinical effectiveness of preoperative iron in anaemic patients undergoing elective total hip (THR) or total knee replacement (TKR).

To chart the global literature on gender equity in academic health research.

Adults with an intellectual disability (AWID) are often polymedicated because of somatic and psychiatric health problems. Besides, they may display challenging behaviours, leading to off-label prescription of psychotropic drugs, without efficacy and with numerous adverse effects. In this context, a prescription/deprescription tool (Tool for Optimising Prescription in Intellectual Disability/TOP-ID) was developed to improve the care of AWID. This paper describes how TOP-ID was designed.

To critically appraise the published comparative effectiveness studies on non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Results were compared with expectations formulated on the basis of trial results with specific attention to the patient years in each study.

Chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) are common and disabling conditions that can result in social isolation and economic hardship for patients and their families. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) improves functional exercise capacity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) but practical barriers to attending centre-based sessions or the need for infection control limits accessibility. Home-PR offers a potential solution that may improve access. We aim to systematically review the clinical effectiveness, completion rates and components of Home-PR for people with CRDs compared with Centre-PR or Usual care.