BackgroundThis systematic review examined the reliability and validity of the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8 (MMAS-8), which has been widely used to assess patient medication adherence in clinical research and medical practice.MethodsOf 418 studies identified through searching 4 electronic databases, we finally analyzed 28 studies meeting the selection criteria of this study regarding the reliability and validity of MMAS-8 including sensitivity and specificity. Meta-analysis for Cronbach’s α, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), sensitivity and specificity to detect a patient with nonadherence to medication were performed. The pooled estimates for Cronbach’s α and ICC were calculated using the random-effects weighted T transformation. A bivariate random-effects model was used to estimate pooled sensitivity and specificity.FindingsThe pooled Cronbach's α estimate for type 2 diabetes group in 7 studies and osteoporosis group in 3 studies were 0.67 (95% Confidence Interval(CI), 0.65 to 0.69) and 0.77 (95% CI, 0.72 to 0.83), respectively. With regard to test-retest, the pooled ICC for type 2 diabetes group in 3 studies and osteoporosis group in 2 studies were 0.81 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.85) and 0.80 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.85). For a cut-off value of 6, the pooled sensitivity and specificity in 12 studies were 0.43 (95% CI, 0.33 to 0.53) and 0.73 (95% CI, 0.68 to 0.78), respectively.ConclusionsThe MMAS-8 had acceptable internal consistency and reproducibility in a few diseases like type 2 diabetes. Using the cut-off value of 6, criterion validity was not enough good to validly screen a patient with nonadherence to medication. However, this study did not calculated a pooled estimate for criterion validity using the higher values than 6 as a cut-off value since most of included individual studies did not report criterion validity based on those values.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is commonly used for treating dry eye syndrome (DES). This meta-analysis was performed to compare the efficacies of HA- and non-HA-based eye drops, including saline and conventional artificial tears (ATs), for the treatment of dry eye disease. Eight databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, DBpia, KoreaMed, KMBASE, RISS, KISS) were searched for studies comparing the efficacies of HA- and non-HA-based ATs in patients with DES published up to September 2020. Two independent reviewers assessed the quality and extracted the relevant data. The mean differences of Schirmer’s (SH) test scores, tear breakup times (TBUT), corneal fluorescein staining scores (Oxford scale, 0–4), and ocular surface disease indexes were calculated. The standard mean difference and 95% confidence interval were calculated using a random effect model. Nineteen studies, including 2078 cases, were included. HA eye drops significantly improved tear production compared with non-HA-based eye drops (standard mean difference (SMD) 0.18; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.03, 0.33). In a subgroup analysis, the SH test scores and TBUT values after using HA significantly increased compared to those measured after using saline (SMD 0.27; 95% CI 0.05, 0.49 and SMD 0.28; 95% CI 0.03, 0.52, respectively). Based on these results, HA eye drops may be superior to non-HA eye drops including normal saline and ATs. Further research is needed to assess the efficacies stratified by age, treatment duration, the severity of dry eye, and optimal dosages.

This study investigated the nature of media coverage of a national entertainer's suicide and its impact on subsequent suicides. After the celebrity suicide, the number of suicide-related articles reported surged around 80 times in the week after the suicide compared with the week prior. Many articles (37.1%) violated several critical items on the World Health Organization suicide reporting guidelines, like containing a detailed suicide method. Most gender and age subgroups were at significantly higher risk of suicide during the 4 weeks after the celebrity suicide. Results imply that massive and noncompliant media coverage of a celebrity suicide can cause a large-scale copycat effect.

PurposeThis study aims to examine how inequalities in suicide by education changed during and after macroeconomic restructuring following the economic crisis of 1997 in South Korea.Materials and MethodsUsing Korea's 1995, 2000, and 2005 census data aggregately linked to mortality data (1993 - 2006), relative and absolute differentials in suicide mortality by education were calculated by gender and age among Korean population aged 35 and over.ResultsAverage annual suicide mortality rates have steadily increased from 1993 - 1997 to 2003 - 2006 in almost all sociodemographic groups stratified by gender, age, and education. Based on the relative index of inequality (RII) and slope index of inequality (SII), educational differentials in suicide mortality generally increased over time in men and women aged 45 years +. Although RII did not increase with year among men and women aged 35 - 44 years, SII showed a significantly increasing trend in this age group.ConclusionThese worsening absolute inequalities in suicide mortality indicate that the governmental suicide prevention policy should be directed toward socially disadvantaged groups of the Korean population.

BackgroundThe demographics of poisoned patients and the circumstances of toxic exposure have not been evaluated in Singapore for the last 10 years.AimThis study aims to give an estimate of the burden of poisoning in Singapore from the emergency department’s (ED) perspective.MethodA retrospective study of toxic exposure was conducted over a period of 3 years from 2001 to 2003 at the ED of three public hospitals, one being a paediatric hospital.ResultsThere were 9,212 cases of toxic exposures during the study period, which constituted 0.94% of total ED attendances. The poison exposure rate was 1.7 per 1,000 population and the estimated case fatality rate was 0.8 per 1,000 ED attendances for poisoning. The mean age of patients was 29 years and the majority were male (63.3%). Non-accidental injuries constituted 60% of the cohort. Alcohol was the commonest toxin involved (26%), but paracetamol (acetaminophen) was the most common pharmaceutical agent (33%). The mean time of exposure to ED presentation was 3.3 h. About one third of the patients were admitted of whom 157 patients (4.7% of admitted cases) required intensive care management.ConclusionThe patients were predominantly young adults. This may suggest a need for poison prevention and chemical safety education to reduce the impact on this high-risk group. Although poisoning accounts for only 1% of the total ED attendance, a sizable proportion of them required inpatient care (36.1%) with a significant proportion requiring intensive care management. However, it was also noted that a third of those who were admitted stayed for less than 24 h, and hence a short-stay ward in the ED might be a cost-effective strategy to consider.