Patient activation, broadly defined as the ability of individuals to manage their health and navigate the healthcare system effectively, is crucial for achieving positive health outcomes. The Patient Activation Measure (PAM), a popularly used tool, was developed to assess this vital component of health care. This review is the first to systematically examine the validity of the PAM, as well as study its reliability, factor structure, and validity across various populations. Following the PRISMA and COSMIN guidelines, a search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library, from inception to 1 October 2023, using combinations of keywords related to patient activation and the PAM. The inclusion criteria were original quantitative or mixed methods studies focusing on PAM-13 or its translated versions and containing data on psychometric properties. Out of 3007 abstracts retrieved, 39 studies were included in the final review. The PAM has been extensively studied across diverse populations and geographical regions, including the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Most studies looked at populations with chronic conditions. Only two studies applied the PAM to community-dwelling individuals and found support for its use. Studies predominantly showed a high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha > 0.80) for the PAM. Most studies supported a unidimensional construct of patient activation, although cultural differences influenced the factor structure in some cases. Construct validity was established through correlations with health behaviors and outcomes. Despite its strengths, there is a need for further research, particularly in exploring content validity and differential item functioning. Expanding the PAM’s application to more diverse demographic groups and community-dwelling individuals could enhance our understanding of patient activation and its impact on health outcomes.

Background: Older people are particularly vulnerable to medication errors and adverse drug events (ADEs) due to polypharmacy and age-related physiological changes. Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) presents itself as a potential solution for clinicians, but their effectiveness in care for older people remains uncertain. Objectives: To evaluate the impact of CDSS on reducing potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and improving medication safety amongst older people. Design and Setting: This was a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating CDSS interventions in older populations (aged 65 or older). Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in OVID Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library from inception to April 2025. Eligible studies were RCTs assessing CDSS in reducing PIM use and ADEs amongst older people. Data on medication safety outcomes (PIM, deprescription and ADEs) were extracted. The findings were narratively synthesized, and the certainty of evidence was evaluated using the GRADE framework. The Cochrane Risk-of-Bias 2 tool was also applied. Results: A total of 16 RCTs (comprising 135,108 participants) were included. CDSS significantly reduced PIM initiation by up to 18% (moderate certainty) and improved deprescription rates, with intervention groups achieving 55.4% PIM discontinuation. However, CDSS had inconsistent effects on ADEs (low certainty). Conclusions: CDSS improved prescribing practices by reducing inappropriate medication use in older people. However, its impact on ADEs was less evident. Implementation challenges such as clinician adherence, alert fatigue and system usability must be addressed to optimize CDSS effectiveness in care for older people. Further research is needed for long-term evaluation and refinement of CDSS.

Pharmaceutical therapy for NASH is associated with lipid modulation, but the consensus on drug treatment is limited and lacks comparative analysis of effectiveness. A network meta-analysis was conducted to compare NASH drug classes in lipid modulation.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease worldwide yet predicting non-obese NAFLD is challenging. Thus, this study investigates the potential of regional fat percentages obtained by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in accurately assessing NAFLD risk. Using the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011–2018, multivariate logistic regression and marginal analysis were conducted according to quartiles of regional fat percentages, stratified by gender. A total of 23,752 individuals were analysed. Males generally showed a larger increase in marginal probabilities of NAFLD development than females, except in head fat, which had the highest predictive probabilities of non-obese NAFLD in females (13.81%, 95%CI: 10.82–16.79) but the lowest in males (21.89%, 95%CI: 20.12–23.60). Increased percent of trunk fat was the strongest predictor of both non-obese (OR: 46.61, 95%CI: 33.55–64.76, p < 0.001) and obese NAFLD (OR: 2.93, 95%CI: 2.07–4.15, p < 0.001), whereas raised percent gynoid and leg fat were the weakest predictors. Ectopic fat deposits are increased in patients with non-obese NAFLD, with greater increases in truncal fat over gynoid fat. As increased fat deposits in all body regions can increase odds of NAFLD, therapeutic intervention to decrease ectopic fat, particularly truncal fat, may decrease NAFLD risk.

Adult idiopathic gastroparesis, characterized by delayed gastric emptying without mechanical obstruction, presents with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, early satiety, and postprandial fullness. Diagnostic criteria vary across studies, leading to inconsistencies in diagnosis and management. This systematic review explores the diagnostic criteria and categorization of definite, probable, and possible idiopathic gastroparesis in the literature. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we searched Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases for relevant articles published in English up to January 2024. Observational studies (cross-sectional, case-control, and cohort designs) that provided diagnostic criteria for idiopathic gastroparesis were included. Data were extracted on demographics, co-existing conditions, symptoms, and diagnostic approaches. Quality was assessed using Joanna Briggs Institute checklists. Of 2235 initial results, 11 studies met our inclusion criteria. Most studies were of high quality, exclusively from Western research centers, and had a preponderance of female patients (61.7% to 85.9%) with mean ages ranging from 40.0 years to 58.9 years. Diagnostic variability was noted. A definite diagnosis was most often based on clinical symptoms and positive gastric emptying scintigraphy, while probable gastroparesis was identified by suggestive symptoms with normal upper endoscopy findings. Nausea and upper abdominal pain were frequently reported symptoms. Significant overlaps were observed between idiopathic gastroparesis and functional dyspepsia. The findings highlight the inherent diagnostic challenges and underscores the need for confirming delayed gastric emptying to clinch an accurate diagnosis of gastroparesis. Future research should focus on developing consistent diagnostic criteria across diverse populations to improve the diagnosis and management of idiopathic gastroparesis.