The high-stress nature of policing contributes to deterioration of officer health and wellbeing as well as high levels of absenteeism and attrition. Wearable technology (WT) has been identified as a potential tool that can help in improving officer health and wellbeing. This pilot study aimed to give initial insight into acceptability and engagement with WT amongst officers. The study also aimed to uncover any notable areas for exploration in future research within the domain of officer health and wellbeing. Two groups were observed, firearms officers and a mixed group of officers. Participants wore the WT for an extended period, completed a variety of health and wellbeing questionnaires and discussed their experience in focus groups. Firearms officers and mixed group officers displayed similar sleep efficiency, but firearms officers have worse sleep consistency and sleep performance. Firearms officers appear to have higher HRV and a slightly lower resting heart rate. Both groups display reasonable acceptance of the use of WT, speaking favorably during the focus groups of how monitoring the data had improved their quality of life in terms of their understanding of sleep, wellbeing and how they had consequently completed lifestyle modification. WT offers some promise in managing officer health and wellbeing; studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm this.

Chloe Gay, Laura Kudrna, Kanta Kumar, James Yates, Shirish Dubey; The need for effective workplace interventions for ethnic minorities living with rheumato

Background: Most patients with hypertension exhibit elevated and detectable levels of natriuretic peptides, particularly BNP and NT-proBNP, as well as troponin concentrations. However, the prognostic relevance of this finding has not been clearly established in patients who have hypertension without heart failure (HF). In this review, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic utility of BNP/NT-proBNP alongside troponin T/I for risk stratification in hypertensive patients, excluding those with HF. Methods: This systematic review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024552031). A systematic literature search was conducted using two online databases, Ovid Medline and Web of Science, to identify studies. Data retrieved from articles were used in line with the PRISMA statement guidelines. Participants were aged ≥ 18 years with hypertension. The primary end point was a major adverse cardiac event (MACE) and its individual components. Descriptive synthesis was performed, and data are presented in tabular form. Results: Seventeen studies (70,021 participants) were retrieved for analysis comprising eight prospective cohort studies, six randomized controlled trials, and three retrospective studies. The review evaluated cardiac biomarkers: BNP (n = 6), NT proBNP (n=9), troponin T (n = 4), and troponin I (n = 7). Studies predicted composite MACE (n = 8), all-cause mortality (n = 7), HF (n = 6), and atrial fibrillation (n = 3) outcomes. Cardiac biomarkers showed a strong association with reported outcomes. However, heterogeneity in biomarker thresholds and methodologies limited comparability. Conclusions: The obtained results suggest that elevated cardiac biomarkers BNP/NT-proBNP and troponin I are associated with significantly higher risk of MACE and are powerful predictors in clinical setting. However, large-scale studies are required to validate the robustness and prognostic utility of these biomarkers

Previous research suggests a goal-based intervention called ‘mental contrasting and implementation intentions’ improves participants’ health and wellbeing. The present study sought to extend these findings to workplaces in the United Kingdom. A mixed-methods cluster randomised controlled trial was conducted with 28 workplaces and 225 staff. All participants deliberated on wishes (potential goals) about improving their health and wellbeing. In the intervention arm, participants were guided to think about the benefits and obstacles to achieving a wish (mental contrasting) and to plan actions to overcome these obstacles (implementation intentions). The results showed no substantive effect of the intervention on average self-reported progress towards what they wished to do for their health and wellbeing four weeks later (mean difference on a 1–7 scale: −0.19; 95% credible interval: −1.08–0.71). Unexpectedly, anxiety increased, and we found evidence that might suggest people identifying as men or of Asian ethnicity made less progress in the intervention group. To explain the results, qualitative focus group data were analysed, guided by normalisation process theory (NPT) and the behaviour change wheel (BCW). Three key themes emerged: insufficient differentiation from other approaches using writing/drawing (NPT), a mismatch between an internal motivational intervention and external barriers (NPT/BCW), and poor timing of opportunities (NPT/BCW). The discussion explores how these results can enhance future workplace health and wellbeing initiatives.