Structured Intervention (structured + intervention)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Female-Specific Education, Management, and Lifestyle Enhancement for Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Patients: The FEMALE-ICD Study

PACING AND CLINICAL ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 9 2010
LAUREN D. VAZQUEZ Ph.D.
Background:,Significant rates of psychological distress occur in implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) patients. Research has demonstrated that women are particularly at risk for developing distress and warrant psychosocial attention. The major objectives were to implement and test the effectiveness of a female-specific psychosocial group intervention on disease-specific quality of life outcomes in outpatient female ICD recipients versus a wait-list control group. Method:,Twenty-nine women were recruited for the study. Fourteen women were randomized to the intervention group and participated in a psychosocial intervention focused on female-specific issues; 15 were randomized to the wait-list control group. All women completed individual psychological batteries at baseline and at 1-month follow-up measuring shock anxiety and device acceptance. Results:,Pre-post measures of shock anxiety demonstrated a significant time by group interaction effect with the intervention group having a significantly greater decrease (Pillai's trace = 5.58, P = 0.026). A significant interaction effect (Pillai's trace = 5.05, P = 0.046) was found, such that women under the age of 50 experienced greater reduction in shock anxiety than their middle-aged cohorts. Pre-post measures of device acceptance revealed a significant time by group interaction effect with the intervention group having significantly greater increases (Pillai's trace = 5.80, P = 0.023). Conclusions:,Structured interventions for female ICD patients involving ICD-specific education, cognitive behavioral therapy strategies, and group social support provide improvements in shock anxiety and device acceptance at 1-month re-assessment. Young women appear to be an at-risk subgroup of this population and may experience more benefit from psychosocial treatment targeting device-specific concerns. (PACE 2010; 33:1131,1140) [source]


Targeted group antenatal prevention of postnatal depression: a review

ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 4 2003
M.-P. Austin
Objective:, To review the efficacy of antenatal group interventions aimed at reducing postnatal depression (PND) in ,at risk' women. Method:, Medline, Psyclit, HEALTHSTAR, EMBASE, Cochrane library, UK National Research Register and CINHAL searches were performed from 1960 to December 2001 focussing on randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Results:, As statistical synthesis of the studies was not feasible, a qualitative review is provided. All five studies reviewed suffer from substantial limitations including small numbers; unrealistic effect sizes; large attrition rates; lack of a systematic approach in identifying those ,at risk' and thus clinically heterogenous samples. Three of the studies used unvalidated interventions that were educational or supportive in approach. While one such study reported a benefit of intervention, the largest study using a structured intervention, reported no effect. A very small study using interpersonal therapy, was promising but needs replication with an adequate sample size. Conclusion:, There is currently little evidence from RCTs to support the implementation of antenatal group interventions to reduce PND in ,at risk' women. Further studies addressing the significant methodological limitations are recommended before concluding that antenatal targeted interventions have no place in maternity care. [source]


A randomized controlled trial of a smoking cessation intervention based in community pharmacies

ADDICTION, Issue 2 2001
T. A. Maguire
Aims. To evaluate whether a structured community pharmacy-based smoking cessation programme (the PAS model) would give rise to a higher smoking cessation rate compared with ad hoc advice from pharmacists. Design. A randomized controlled trial comparing a structured intervention with usual care. Setting. One hundred pharmacists working in community pharmacies in N. Ireland and 24 in London took part in the study and were each asked to enroll 12 smokers; 44% of pharmacists who were trained managed to recruit one or more smokers during the recruitment period of approximately 1 year. Participants. A total of 484 smokers were enrolled by the pharmacists and individually randomized into the PAS intervention group ( N = 265) or the control group ( N = 219). Intervention. The PAS intervention involved a structured counselling programme, an information leaflet and a follow-up weekly for the first 4 weeks then monthly as needed. Measurements. The primary outcome measure of this study was self-reported smoking cessation for 12 months with cotinine validation at the 12-month follow-up. Findings. Of smokers in the PAS group, 14.3% (38) were abstinent up to 12 months compared with 2.7% (6) in the control group ( p < 0.001 for the difference). Conclusion. The community pharmacy-based PAS smoking cessation service can be an effective method of helping people stop smoking when delivered by pharmacists willing to adopt this approach. [source]


A systematic narrative review of the studies on structured child-centred interventions for families with a parent with cancer

PSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 5 2010
Mika Niemelä
Abstract Objective: To perform a systematic narrative review of the current state of published articles on the structured interventions targeted at children with a parent suffering from cancer. Methods: The study was based on a narrative synthesis approach. Eleven structured child-centred intervention studies were systematically searched through PubMed, PsycINFO and MEDLINE. The interventions were grouped into two main categories: ,structured family interventions' and ,structured peer group interventions'. Special attention was focused on the preventive purpose of the interventions. Results: The participants (children, parents and health professionals) reported several positive impacts of interventions on children's and parents' psychosocial well-being, although no improvement or changes were also observed. The effect of interventions on the children was evaluated by structured methods only in five studies. Conclusions: This review showed the lack of valid psychosocial preventive intervention methods focusing on children with parental cancer and highlighted the need of intervention research with controlled study designs and long follow-up periods. However, an intervention method should be easy to train and applicable to the clinical practice of healthcare professionals. By refining the practice-based experiences with scientific research evidence it is possible to move to the next level in providing psychosocial support and prevention for children living in families with parental cancer. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]