Monthly Archives: January 2020

“You don’t know how it affects your baby”: Women’s beliefs and decision-making about physical activity during pregnancy and postpartum

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Amy Findley

While the benefits to both mother and baby of appropriate physical activity in pregnancy are well-studied, the reasons that women do or don’t meet those recommendations are less well-investigated. In this blog post, the lead author of a new qualitative study of women’s experiences and beliefs about physical activity during and after pregnancy, published in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, discusses the findings and their implications for practice.

Health

The aging-simulation experience: an innovative educational training to enhance health professionals’ empathy towards older patients

Let’s talk about a treatment plan

Julie Giner-Pérot & Joël Belmin

Many health professionals are not sufficiently aware of age-related difficulties experienced by older patients and traditional training does not allow them to imagine the impact of sensory and functional limitations. A new study in BMC Geriatrics describes the effects of an innovative training enhancing health professionals’ perceptions of age-related limitations.

Health

Mitigating Violence against Women and Children in East Africa

Peter Memiah

Despite global efforts to address them, violence against women and under-5 child mortality remain high in many regions of the world, including East Africa. However, little consideration has been given to associations between these two issues. A new paper in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth examines the associations between violence, child mortality, and protective factors. In this blog post, the study’s lead author highlights the findings and outlines responses that take into account the interconnectedness of these issues.

Developing World Health

Performance scores and kidney discard rates: the challenging balance for transplant centers

Doctor_Microscope

Sumeska Thavarajah

This month in BMC Nephrology, a study by Lee et al. found that the survival rates of dual kidney transplant grafts, from deceased donors over the age of 70, were similar to those of single kidney transplant grafts. This study questioned whether this practice could in the future expand the donor pool. In our third BMC Nephrology blog, Blog Editor Dr. Sumeska Thavarajah explores the challenges that transplant centers face in sourcing sufficient, acceptable kidney allografts and how this new research could inform future strategies to overcome current barriers.

Medicine Open Access

Still thinking about eating that whole bag of chips?

shopper

Natalie Pafitis

The Food and Drug Administration’s new nutrition labeling rules kicked in on January 1st, outlining requirements for food package labeling. Changes include enlarged and emboldened calorie information as well as an emphasis on serving size. In this blog, we take a closer look at the guidelines as well as research published in BMC Public Health on nutrition and food labels.

Health

Challenges and Strategies for Making a Smooth Transition from Pediatric to Adult Nephrology

Decisions

Daphne Knicely

This week in BMC Nephrology, an article by Joslin et al. evaluated young adult patient perceptions of the transition from pediatric to adult nephrology services. In our second BMC Nephrology blog, Blog Editor Dr. Daphne Harrington Knicely explores the challenges pediatric patients can face when transitioning to adult nephrology services and the strategies clinicians can use to overcome these challenges.

Medicine Open Access

Working in partnership with communities: listening to women’s lived experiences to help set research priorities to address the preterm birth epidemic

Linda S. Franck, Monica McLemore, & Shanell Williams

Health research had traditionally been led by the medical community without input from communities impacted by the conditions studied, but efforts to include the perspectives of these communities have begun to influence how future research is planned. A new paper in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth presents research questions prioritized by women affected by preterm birth. In this blog post, the authors, including both healthcare professionals and community representatives, discuss how they have made their research and funding processes more inclusive of previously unrepresented voices.

Health

“The father is just as upset”: why we need multi-level strategies to support men when a baby dies

Kate Obst, Clemence Due, & Melissa Oxlad

Grief over a miscarriage, stillbirth, or early newborn death affect both parents, but most support and research focus solely on the mother. This often leaves fathers to grieve in isolation or try to suppress their grief to support the mother. In this blog post, the authors of a new systematic review in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth summarize existing research on men’s grief and propose a model for understanding the factors that affect it.

Health