Since 2001, the world has encountered an increase in terrorist attacks on civilian targets, during which conventional as well as unconventional modalities are being used. Terrorist attacks put immediate strains on health care systems, whilst they may also directly threaten the safety of first responders, health care workers, and health care facilities.

This scoping review aimed to systematically map the existing research on terrorist attacks targeting health care facilities, health care workers, and first responders, and to identify opportunities to improve future research and health care response to terrorist attacks.

A scoping review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) extension for scoping reviews. A systematic search for relevant literature was conducted through electronic databases including PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to check eligibility. Extracted data from the articles included the title, first author, year of publication, journal, study design, number of attacks, number of injured, number of fatalities, target type, and weapon modalities. Furthermore, methodological quality assessment was performed.

The initial search within three major databases yielded 4,656 articles, including 2,777, 1,843, and 36 articles from PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library, respectively. Finally, 11 studies were included, which were all database reviews.

This scoping review included 11 studies focusing on terrorist attacks against health care facilities, health care workers, and first responders. Nearly all studies were exclusively based on the Global Terrorism Database (GTD). An increase of attacks on health care-related targets was consistently reported by all studies in this review, but there were significant discrepancies in reported outcomes. In order to improve counter-terrorism preparedness and the future protection of health care workers, counter-terrorism medicine (CTM) research may benefit from a more standardized and transparent approach to document and analyze terrorist attacks, as well as the inclusion of additional databases other than the GTD.

There are critical gaps within implementation science concerning health equity, particularly for minoritised ethnic groups. Implementation framework adaptations are important to facilitate health equity, which is especially relevant for psychiatry due to ethnic inequities in mental health; however, the range of potential adaptations has yet to be synthesised.

This systematic scoping review aimed to identify and map the characteristics of adaptations to implementation frameworks for minority ethnic groups to improve health equity.

Bibliographic searches of the MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO and CINAHL databases were conducted, spanning the period from 2004 to February 2024 for descriptions of implementation frameworks adapted for minority ethnic groups. The characteristics of those meeting the criteria were narratively synthesised.

Of the 2947 papers screened, six met the eligibility criteria. Three different types of implementation frameworks were adapted across the six papers: evaluation, process and determinant frameworks. Most of the adaptations were made by expanding the original framework, and by integrating it with another model, theory or framework with an equity focus. The adaptations primarily focused on putting equity at the forefront of all stages of implementation from intervention selection to implementation sustainability. No studies measured the effectiveness of the adapted framework.

The findings demonstrate that implementation frameworks are modifiable, and different elements can be adapted according to the implementation framework type. This review provides a starting point for how researchers and healthcare providers can adapt existing implementation frameworks to promote health equity for minoritised groups across a range of healthcare settings.

Some individuals experience abnormally persistent and intense symptoms of grief that significantly interfere with daily functioning. This condition has been described using terms such as complicated or prolonged grief and prolonged grief disorder (PGD).

To identify the availability of evidence addressing a range of policy relevant issues related to grief, bereavement and PGD. In this paper we focus on the availability of evidence from systematic reviews.

We searched 12 databases and the websites of 18 grief- or bereavement-related organisations. Using key characteristics extracted from included reviews, we produced a high-level overview of the available evidence that enabled potential research gaps to be identified.

We identified 212 reviews – 103 focused on people’s experiences of grief/bereavement including service use; 22 reported on PGD prevalence, 42 on PGD risk factors, 37 on factors that influence grief more broadly and 80 on the effectiveness of grief-related interventions. Fifty-five reviews focused on multiple issues of interest. Half of reviews focused on a specific cause/type of death (n = 108). Of these reviews, most focused on three main causes/types of death: a specific health condition or terminal illness (n = 36), perinatal loss (n = 34) and suicide (n = 20).

We identified a large number of reviews, but key evidence gaps exist, particularly in relation to intervention cost-effectiveness and social, organisational or structural-level interventions that are needed for addressing inequities and other modifiable factors that can impair grieving and potentially increase the risk of PGD.

Poorly managed inpatient flow can lead to adverse health outcomes, including increased mortality and readmission rates. In neurosurgery, optimizing inpatient flow is crucial to improving patient experience and outcomes, but the factors influencing it are unclear. A preliminary analysis revealed suboptimal average length of stay (ALOS) and expected length of stay (ELOS) rates – key metrics used to assess inpatient flow – across Alberta, Canada. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the current state of inpatient flow in Alberta’s neurosurgical care and explore strategies for enhancement.

This study used mixed methods: a rapid scoping review and a retrospective cohort study. The rapid scoping review synthesized peer-reviewed and gray literature (after a three-stage screening process) to identify factors impacting neurosurgery inpatient flow across jurisdictions. The cohort study analyzed Alberta’s adult neurosurgical patient data from 2009 to 2019 to explore how patient- and system-level factors relate to ALOS/ELOS rates.

Nine of the 391 screened articles were included in the review. Three main themes emerged influencing neurosurgery inpatient flow: interdisciplinary care pathways, introducing new roles and identification of risk factors. Building on these themes, patient- and system-level factors impacting ALOS/ELOS were explored. ALOS/ELOS rates varied among the five Alberta Health Services zones, with Rural Zone 1 having the highest and significantly different rate. Age, sex, zone and comorbidities significantly accounted for differences in ALOS/ELOS rates (p < 0.001).

Neurosurgery patients in Alberta are experiencing longer hospital stays than expected. Several areas requiring further research have been identified, along with potential strategies to enhance patient care and outcomes.

Patients with cancer benefit greatly from receiving palliative care (PC), improving their overall survival and quality of life. Despite its benefits, PC is underutilized among patients with hematologic malignancies (HMs), particularly among Black patients, who face higher symptom burdens and lower survival rates compared to White patients. The purpose of this review was to identify and describe what is known about PC use among Black HM patients in the United States.

This review was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute approach for scoping reviews and included a search of the databases MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase (Elsevier), Scopus and Web of Science (Clarivate). The search was developed and conducted by a professional medical librarian in consultation with the author team and focused on keywords such as Black/African American patients, HM, and PC. Articles were screened and selected based on predefined inclusion criteria and carried out using Covidence software for systematic review management.

Seven publications were included in the final sample and most used quantitative methods and data from large national databases such as the National Cancer Database. Four of the studies reported that Black patients with HM were less likely to receive or use PC compared to White patients. Access to PC was associated with better outcomes, such as lower hospital charges and a reduced likelihood of dying within 30 days of initiating palliative radiotherapy.

This scoping review highlights ongoing inequities in the use of PC among Black patients with HM which mirrors trends in patients with solid cancers. Future studies should be conducted to understand the determinants of these disparities and to also build testable interventions to improve PC use within this underserved population.

To map out evidence on instruments for evaluating organisational food environments of workplaces and the components and dimensions considered in the identified instruments.

A scoping review that includes studies published as of January 2005, the year of publication of the model developed by Glanz et al. (2005). The databases consulted were PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Scopus and Google Scholar until November 2024, without language restrictions. Studies were included if they evaluated the food environment of workplaces such as companies/factories, universities/post-secondary institutions/technical colleges and hospitals/health care units. The conceptual model of Castro and Canella (2022), considering its components and dimensions, was used to synthesise the data.

After a full reading, fifty-four articles were selected. Most were conducted in the United States and Brazil, although there were studies from sixteen countries. A total of thirty-six instruments were identified: nineteen were used in universities, eight in hospitals, and eleven in companies. No instrument included all components and dimensions of the conceptual model; however, three instruments included most of them. The most evaluated component was the internal level of eating spaces, and the most evaluated dimensions were the availability and quality of foods/beverages in eating spaces. Of the thirty-six instruments, twenty-nine reported some measure of validity or reproducibility. The limitation most reported by the studies was the non-generaliation of results because samples are limited.

Evaluations of the organisational food environment of workplaces can be used for monitoring, planning interventions and formulating public policies for such places, thereby enhancing workers’ health.

Mass-gathering events (MGEs) such as sporting competitions and music festivals that take place in stadiums and arenas pose challenges to health care delivery that can differ from other types of MGEs. This scoping review aimed to describe factors that influence patient presentations to in-event health services, ambulance services, and emergency departments (EDs) from stadium and arena MGEs.

This scoping review followed the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist and blended both Arksey and O’Malley methodology and the Joanna Briggs Institute’s (JBI’s) approach. Four databases (CINAHL, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus) were searched using keywords and terms about “mass gatherings,” “stadium” or “arena,” and “in-event health services.” In this review, the population pertains to the spectators who seek in-event health services, the concept was MGEs, and the context was stadiums and/or arenas.

Twenty-two articles were included in the review, most of which focused on sporting events (n = 18; 81.8%) and music concerts (n = 3; 13.6%). The reported patient presentation rate (PPR) ranged between one and 24 per 10,000 spectators; the median PPR was 3.8 per 10,000. The transfer to hospital rate (TTHR) varied from zero to four per 10,000 spectators, and the median TTHR was 0.35 per 10,000. Key factors reported for PPR and TTHR include event, venue, and health support characteristics.

There is a complexity of health care delivery amid MGEs, stressing the need for uniform measurement and continued research to enhance predictive accuracy and advance health care services in these contexts. This review extends the current MGE domains (biomedical, psychosocial, and environmental) to encompass specific stadium/arena event characteristics that may have an impact on PPR and TTHR.

Suicide-related stigma (i.e. negative attitudes towards people with suicidal thoughts and/or behaviours as well as those bereaved by suicide) is a potential risk factor for suicide and mental health problems. To date, there has been no scoping review investigating the association between suicide-related stigma and mental health, help-seeking, suicide and grief across several groups affected by suicide.

To determine the nature of the relationship between suicide-related stigma and mental health, help-seeking, grief (as a result of suicide bereavement) and suicide risk.

This review was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022327093). Five databases (Web of Science, APA PsycInfo, Embase, ASSIA and PubMed) were searched, with the final update in May 2024. Studies were included if they were published in English between 2000 and 2024 and assessed both suicide-related stigma AND one of the following: suicide, suicidal thoughts or suicidal behaviours, help-seeking, grief or other mental health variables. Following screening of 14 994 studies, 100 eligible studies were identified. Following data charting, cross-checking was conducted to ensure no relevant findings were missed.

Findings across the studies were mixed. However, most commonly, suicide-related stigma was associated with higher levels of suicide risk, poor mental health, lowered help-seeking and grief-related difficulties. A model of suicide-related stigma has been developed to display the directionality of these associations.

This review emphasises the importance of reducing the stigma associated with suicide and suicidal behaviour to improve outcomes for individuals affected by suicide. It also identifies gaps in our knowledge as well as providing suggestions for future research.

The implementation of South Africa’s maternal care guidelines is still subpar, especially during the postnatal periods, despite midwives playing a key part in postnatal care for women and their newborns. This article aimed to pinpoint the obstacles to and enablers of midwives’ roles in putting South Africa’s maternal care recommendations for postnatal health into practice.

A scoping review was conducted following Arksey and O’Malley method. Systematic searches were conducted using the PsycINFO, Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL), PubMed, EBSCOhost web, and Google Scholar. The screening was guided by the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were analyzed using the Braun and Clarke method for thematic content analysis and included 22 articles. The quality of included studies was determined by Mixed Method Appraisal Tool and these were reported in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis for Scoping Review.

There is a gap between inadequate postnatal care services provision and suboptimal implementation of maternal recommendations. Owing to a lack of basic knowledge about the guidelines, an absence of midwives in the maternity units, inadequate facilities and resources, a lack of drive and support, inadequate training of midwives in critical competencies, and poor information sharing and communication. Maintaining qualified midwives in the maternity units and providing them with training to increase their capacity, knowledge, and competencies on the guidelines’ critical information for managing postnatal complications and providing high-quality care to women and their babies is necessary to effectively implement the recommendations.

The relative success in implementing maternal care guidelines in South Africa lies in the contextual consideration of these factors for the development of intersectoral healthcare packages, strengthening health system collaborations, and stakeholder partnerships to ameliorate maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality.

Migraine management involves a wide range of clinical rehabilitation practices. This variability hampers the clinical applicability of these protocols. Before proposing any recommendations for migraine interventions, one needs to identify how interventions are generally structured. This study aimed to systematically map the activities in multidisciplinary rehabilitation programs for people with migraine.

We conducted a scoping review from January 2002 to April 2024 in MEDLINE®, CINAHL, Academic Search Complete, AMED, APA PsycInfo and Academic Search Complete databases. Search terms were related to (i) migraine or headache, (ii) intervention and (iii) multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary care. Language and population inclusion criteria were applied. Two researchers independently screened titles, abstracts and full-text articles and extracted data according to three topics: (i) activities and their modalities, (ii) professionals involved and (iii) tools used.

The activities identified ranged from medication management and a variety of exercise types and lifestyle changes using education strategies to stress management techniques. Psychological interventions were rarely defined and appeared to overlap with education and stress management techniques. Information on treatment delivery was scarce. Professionals from many disciplines were mentioned. The outcomes assessed included migraine or headache characteristics, psychological symptoms, disability and quality of life. No explicit theoretical models were found.

The results highlight the heterogeneity of activities in multidisciplinary interventions for people with migraine. Operationalizing an intervention based on a theoretical model is essential for allowing replications, evaluation and implementation in rehabilitation settings.