Recent studies have introduced attention models for medical visual question answering (MVQA). In medical research, not only is the modeling of “visual attention” crucial, but the modeling of “question attention” is equally significant. To facilitate bidirectional reasoning in the attention processes involving medical images and questions, a new MVQA architecture, named MCAN, has been proposed. This architecture incorporated a cross-modal co-attention network, FCAF, which identifies key words in questions and principal parts in images. Through a meta-learning channel attention module (MLCA), weights were adaptively assigned to each word and region, reflecting the model’s focus on specific words and regions during reasoning. Additionally, this study specially designed and developed a medical domain-specific word embedding model, Med-GloVe, to further enhance the model’s accuracy and practical value. Experimental results indicated that MCAN proposed in this study improved the accuracy by 7.7% on free-form questions in the Path-VQA dataset, and by 4.4% on closed-form questions in the VQA-RAD dataset, which effectively improves the accuracy of the medical vision question answer.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the efficacy of Tai Chi on patients with heart failure.MethodsDatabases including CNKI, VIP, WanFang Data, Web of Science, PubMed, EMbase and The Cochrane Library (Issue 8, 2016) were searched from inception to August, 2016 to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of Tai Chi for heart failure patients. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. Then meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software.ResultsA total of 10 RCTs involving 689 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that, compared with the control group, the heart failure patients in Tai Chi group had better score of minnesotaliving with heart failure questionnaire (MLHFQ) (MD=–9.37, 95%CI –13.09 to –5.65, P<0.000 01), longer six minute walk test (6MWT) (MD=40.37, 95%CI 9.48 to 71.27, P=0.01), higher left ventricular ejectionfractions (LVEF) (MD=7.89, 95%CI 3.01 to 12.77, P=0.002) and lower level of BNP (brain natriuretic peptide) (MD=–10.75, 95%CI –13.20 to –8.30, P<0.000 01); however, as to the maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) (MD=0.29, 95%CI –1.223 to 1.81, P=0.71), systolic pressure (SBP) (MD=–2.81, 95%CI –8.52 to 2.90, P=0.33) and diastolic pressure (DBP) (MD=0.37, 95%CI –3.73 to 4.48, P=0.86), there were no significant differences between both groups.ConclusionThe current evidence shows that Tai Chi is feasible for patients with heart failure as it has positive effects on life quality, physiological functions. Due to the limited quality and quantity of included studies, the above conclusion should be validated by more high quality studies.
In the process of guideline development and construction of clinical questions, it is necessary to guide clinicians to propose clinical problems into PICO (population, intervention, control, outcome) structured clinical questions. However, there are still unclear criteria to define and judge the appropriateness of the width of the PICO elements of a clinical question. Either too wide or too narrow can make the PICO question unsuitable to be a question for clinical practice guidelines to answer. We graded the clinical questions to be eight grades (3, 2, 1, 0, −1, −2, −3, mixed) according to the number of the PIC elements, which obviously needed to be adjusted to evaluate applicability of the appropriateness of the width of the clinical questions. Our work can provide methodological references for clinicians and guideline developers.
ObjectiveTo introduce and preliminarily apply a tool for assessing the importance of research questions (Australia & New Zealand Musculoskeletal Clinical Trials Network Research Question Importance Tool, ANZMUSC-RQIT), thereby providing a methodological reference for selecting research questions. MethodsAn overview of the development process and main content of ANZMUSC-RQIT is provided, and an exploratory application of the tool is conducted to evaluate clinical research questions in the field of musculoskeletal disorders (MSKDs) within Chinese Medicine (CM). ResultsANZMUSC-RQIT assesses the importance of specific research questions across five dimensions. Currently, clinical research on MSKDs in CM often focuses on the consensus among stakeholders regarding the importance of issues, prioritizes addressing problems that pose a significant burden on patients, and aims to alleviate clinical symptoms as the main intervention goal. The total score of ANZMUSC-RQIT is positively correlated with journal impact but shows no statistically significant relationship with citation frequency. Additionally, national funding support is positively correlated with the RQIT total score of the research question. ConclusionThe development of ANZMUSC-RQIT provides valuable reference and inspiration for selecting future research questions. However, to more effectively assess the importance of CM clinical research questions, there is a pressing need to develop an evaluation tool tailored to the specific characteristics of CM clinical research.
Objective To verify the reliability and validity of a self-developed satisfaction evaluation questionnaire for outpatient department employees in public hospitals, and to provide suitable tools for conducting such surveys. Methods Two anonymous surveys were conducted on all employees of the Outpatient Department of West China Hospital of Sichuan University in July 2019 and November 2021, respectively. Questionnaire items were screened using methods such as item distribution, coefficient of variation, and decision value, and the reliability and validity of the questionnaire were evaluated using Spearman-Brown coefficient and Cronbach’s α coefficient, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis. Results The final questionnaire retained 14 items, which could be divided into two dimensions: work conditions and interpersonal environment, and the overall fit index of structural equation model were as follows: χ2/ν=6.957, the standardized root mean square residual was 0.061, the root mean square error of approximation was 0.147, the goodness-of-fit index was 0.796, the adjusted goodness-of-fit index was 0.719, the normed fit index was 0.849, the relative fit index was 0.819, the incremental fit index was 0.868, the Tucker-Lewis Index was 0.841, and the comparative fit index was 0.867. The combined reliability of the two factors in the questionnaire was 0.94 and 0.91, respectively. The average variance extraction was 0.67 and 0.76, respectively, and the square root of the average variance extraction was 0.82 and 0.87, respectively, both of which were greater than the correlation coefficient of 0.71 between the two factors. The Spearman-Brown coefficient of the final questionnaire was 0.913, and the Cronbach’s α coefficients for the overall and two dimensions were 0.953, 0.937, and 0.910, respectively. Conclusion The reliability and validity of the satisfaction evaluation questionnaire for outpatient department employees in public hospitals are good and the questionnaire can be applied to practical surveys.
Objective To understand the new characteristics of clinical symptoms of patients with mild COVID-19 during the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron, and provide basis for better prevention and treatment of COVID-19.Methods A cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted with WeChat questionnaire among medical staff with COVID-19 recently, who come from the Third Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University and The Second Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University.Results A total of 630 valid questionnaires was received. 99.2% of infected people had been vaccinated against COVID-19. 2.4% of infected persons developed pneumonia and 2.1% were hospitalized. The most common symptoms after infection were coughing (89.7%), fever (83.0%), fatigue (84.1%), headache and dizziness (75.7%), muscle soreness (72.7%), sore throat (62.1%), nasal congestion and runny nose (60.6%), expectoration (71.6%), anorexia (58.0%) and taste loss (40.2%). The incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms and cardiovascular symptoms was relatively low (17.8% and 31.0% respectively). The severity of self-reported symptoms of most infected persons was moderate or severe. The proportion of serious symptoms reported was coughing (23.8%), sore throat (27.0%), headache and dizziness (17.9%). The severity of symptoms reported by young group (<35 years old) was significantly higher than that of older group (>35 years old). Fever was the highest at 38 to 39 ℃ (52.4%). 77.0% of fever sustained for 1 to 3 days. At the time of investigation, the viral detection turned negative in 60.6% of infected people, and the time of turning negative was mostly 7 to 10 days. More than half of the infected persons still had different symptoms, among which cough (43.7%) and fatigue (23.8%) were the most common.Conclusions Most subjects with mild COVID-19 infection have obvious upper respiratory tract and systemic symptoms, the most prominent is the high incidence of cough, which has become a new feature of omicron infection. And most of the infected people have moderate to severe symptoms, and the younger ones have more severer symptoms.
Objective To analyze the nurses' current view and perceptions of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) by a questionnaire and to promote the clinical application of ERAS. Methods We conducted a questionnaire study for nurses who attended the First West China Forum on Chest ERAS in Chengdu during September 26-27, 2016 and 259 questionnaires were collected for descriptive analysis. Results (1) The application status of ERAS: There were 13.5% responders whose hospital took a wait-an-see attitude, while the others' hospital took different actions for ERAS; 85.7% of nurses believed that ERAS in all surgeries should be used; 58.7% of nurses believed that the concept of ERAS was more in theory than in the practice; 40.2% of nurses thought that all patients were suitable for the application of ERAS; (2) 81.9% of nurses believed that the evaluation criteria of ERAS should be a combination of the average hospital stay, patients’ comprehensive feelings and social satisfaction; (3) 70.7% of nurses thought that the combination of subjects integration, surgery orientation and surgeon-nurse teamwork was the best model of ERAS; 44.8% of nurses thought the hospital administration was the best way to promote ERAS applications; (4) 69.1% of responders believed that immature plan, no consensus and norms and insecurity for doctors were the reasons for poor compliance of ERAS; 79.5% of nurses thought that the ERAS meeting should include the publicity of norms and consensus, analysis and implementation of projects and the status and progress of ERAS. Conclusion ERAS concept has been recognized by most nurses. Multidisciplinary collaboration and hospital promotion is the best way to achieve clinical applications.
Objective To understand the current status of the preferences and opinions on the investigator-initiated trails (IIT) of the neurosurgeons participating in INTERACT3 in China, as well as the design preference for IIT projects, and to provide a basis for the design and organization of multi-center clinical studies in the future. Methods Neurosurgeons with different seniority and professional titles from 89 domestic research institutions participating in the INTERACT3 project were collected from September to October 2023. The questionnaires were collected by questionnaire star. Results A total of 56 valid questionnaires were collected from 29 units. Among the 56 respondents, 52 neurosurgeons (92.86%) were from teaching hospitals and 45 (80.36%) were from grade A tertiary hospitals. 30 neurosurgeons (53.57%) had experience in conducting various clinical studies, and 55 neurosurgeons (98.21%) had experience in participating in various clinical studies. The main purposes of presiding over or participating in clinical research focused on “accumulating relevant experience and preparing for future projects” and “standardizing clinical diagnosis and treatment”, which were 89.29% and 83.93%. Respectively, regarding the way the case report form completing, respondents preferred to use electronic data collection systems (83.93%). Conclusions The purpose of the neurosurgeons interviewed to host or participate in clinical research is mainly to assist clinical and scientific research. Economic reasons have little impact on whether to participate in clinical research. The rationality and ease of operation of the trail design are the keys to attracting respondents to participate in clinical researches, and the level of remuneration has little impact on the decision-making of the respondents. The safety of clinical studies and the difficulty of enrolling subjects are the key factors that hinder respondents’ participation in clinical studies.
Objective To investigate the validity of estimating American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) grade with a bowel-routine based self-administered questionnaire for assessment of sacral sparing after spinal cord injury (SCI).Methods The 5-item SCI sacral sparing self-report questionnaire was administrated to SCI inpatients from August 2014 to July 2016, followed by an standardized digital rectal examination. Question 1 (perceiving the tissue), Question 2 (identifying the water temperature as warm or cold), Question 3 (perceiving the inserted finger), and Question 4 (perceiving the inserted enema tube) tested the sensory sacral sparing, and Question 5 (holding the enema for more than 1 min) evaluated the voluntary anal sphincter contraction. Based on the answers from each participant, the sensory and motor sacral sparing was implied, and an estimated AIS grade (AIS A, AIS B, or AIS C/D) was recorded. Agreement of the estimated AIS grade and the actual AIS grade according to the physical examination was analyzed. Sensitivity, specificity, and Youden’s index of the questionnaire for estimating completeness of injury were calculated.ResultsA total of 102 SCI patients were enrolled. The general agreement of estimated and actual AIS grades was good (κ=0.681, P<0.001). For the estimation of a complete injury, both the sensitivity (87.10%) and the specificity (100.00%) of this questionnaire were high, with a Youden’s index of 0.87. For the estimation of a motor complete injury, the sensitivity increased (92.00%) while the specificity decreased slightly (75.00%), with a Youden’s index of 0.67.ConclusionsThe validity of this self-report questionnaire for estimation of AIS grade is good. In some situations, it could be considered as an alternative tool for the estimation of sacral sparing as well as the AIS grades within SCI individuals, especially when repeated anorectal examinations are not feasible.
Objective To investigate the current development status of chest wall surgery at all levels of hospitals in Sichuan Province, as well as to provide evidence for the promotion of chest wall surgery. Methods We conducted a questionnaire study to investigate chest wall surgery at all levels of hospitals in Sichuan Province and to collect suggestions for chest wall surgery development from thoracic surgeons attending the meeting of the Sichuan International Medical Exchange & Promotion Association from September 2021 to January 2022. Results A total of 128 questionnaires were issued, with 97 (75.8%) of them being valid. According to the survey results, hospitals with grade A secondary or higher in Sichuan Province performed chest wall surgery. Chest wall surgery accounted for 14.3% of thoracic surgery, with 70.4% being chest wall trauma surgeries, 11.6% being chest wall tumor surgeries, 10.5% being chest wall infection surgeries, and 7.5% being chest wall deformity surgeries. Chest wall surgery accounted for 9.3% of thoracic surgery in the grade A tertiary hospitals, primarily for chest wall trauma and tumor; 23.1% in grade B tertiary hospitals, primarily for chest wall trauma and tumor; and 50.7% in grade A secondary hospitals, primarily for chest wall trauma and infection. Totally 96.9% of hospitals supported the establishment of a subspecialty in chest wall surgery. Suggestions for advancing chest wall surgery included: enhancing communication and cooperation (e.g. holding academic conferences, training courses), the establishment of the chest wall surgery association or consortium, and the formulation of regulations and guidelines or consensus, etc. Conclusion Chest wall surgery has been performed at all levels of hospitals in Sichuan Province. The relevant guidelines can be made based on the related academic associations, thus boosting the development of chest wall surgery in the future.