PurposeTo determine which factors are associated with physical inactivity in hospitalized adults of all ages.MethodsA cross-sectional sample of 114 adults admitted to a gastrointestinal surgery, internal medicine or cardiology hospital ward (median age 60, length of stay 13 days) were observed during one random day from 8 am to 8 pm using wireless accelerometers and behavioral mapping protocols. Factors (e.g., comorbidities, self-efficacy, independence in mobility, functional restraints) were collected from medical records, surveys, and observations.ResultsPatients were physically active for median(IQR) 26 (13–52.3) min and were observed to lie in bed for 67.3%, sit for 25.2%, stand for 2.5%, and walk for 5.0% of the time. Multivariable regression analysis revealed that physical inactivity was 159.87% (CI = 89.84; 255.73) higher in patients dependent in basic mobility, and 58.88% (CI = 10.08; 129.33) higher in patients with a urinary catheter (adjusted R2 = 0.52). The fit of our multivariable regression analysis did not improve after adding hospital ward to the analysis (p > 0.05).ConclusionsIndependence in mobility and urine catheter presence are two important factors associated with physical inactivity in hospitalized adults of all ages, and these associations do not differ between hospital wards. Routine assessments of both factors may therefore help to identify physically inactive patients throughout the hospital.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONHealthcare professionals should be aware that physical inactivity during hospital stay may result into functional decline.Regardless of which hospital ward patients are admitted to, once patients require assistance in basic mobility or have a urinary catheter they are at risk of physical inactivity during hospital stay.Implementing routine assessments on the independence of basic mobility and urine catheter presence may therefore assist healthcare professionals in identifying physically inactive patients before they experience functional decline.
In light of increasing calls for transparent reporting of research and prevention of detrimental research practices, we conducted a cross-sectional machine-assisted analysis of a representative sample of scientific journals' instructions to authors (ItAs) across all disciplines. We investigated addressing of 19 topics related to transparency in reporting and research integrity. Only three topics were addressed in more than one third of ItAs: conflicts of interest, plagiarism, and the type of peer review the journal employs. Health and Life Sciences journals, journals published by medium or large publishers, and journals registered in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) were more likely to address many of the analysed topics, while Arts & Humanities journals were least likely to do so. Despite the recent calls for transparency and integrity in research, our analysis shows that most scientific journals need to update their ItAs to align them with practices which prevent detrimental research practices and ensure transparent reporting of research.
Evidence-based research (EBR) is the systematic and transparent use of prior research to inform a new study so that it answers questions that matter in a valid, efficient, and accessible manner. This study surveyed experts about existing (e.g., citation analysis) and new methods for monitoring EBR and collected ideas about implementing these methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study via an online survey between November 2022 and March 2023. Participants were experts from the fields of evidence synthesis and research methodology in health research. Open-ended questions were coded by recurring themes; descriptive statistics were used for quantitative questions. Ideas proposed in this study for monitoring the implementation of EBR can be used to refine methods and define responsibility but should be further explored in terms of feasibility and acceptability. Different methods may be needed to determine if the use of EBR is improving over time.
