Department of Health

Effective Strategies for Learning Solving Well-Structured Problems in STEM Education: A Systematic Literature Review

Problem-solving is central to STEM in higher education, yet evidence on effective learning strategies for problem-solving remains fragmented across cognitive psychology and discipline-specific research. This systematic literature review, conducted following the PRISMA framework,...

Home-based geriatric rehabilitation after shortened inpatient rehabilitation: cost-effectiveness analysis of the “Better@Home” multicentre prospective cohort study with a matched historical control group

PURPOSE: Geriatric rehabilitation (GR) is facing increased demand due to population ageing. Home-based GR could reduce reliance on resource-intensive inpatient care. However, evidence is limited regarding the cost-effectiveness of home-based GR. The aim of this study is to assess...

Public health workforce reform in Abu Dhabi: a pathway to evidence-based policy and global standards alignment

Reforming the public health workforce in Abu Dhabi and across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) became increasingly urgent during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside wider pressures from evolving public health challenges and health-system transformation. A mixed-methods study...

Untimely follow-up after cervical cancer screening: A qualitative study among healthcare providers in Flanders (Belgium)

Background Cervical cancer remains a global health burden despite being largely preventable through vaccination, screening, and timely treatment. Delays in follow-up after abnormal screening undermine the effectiveness of organized cervical cancer screening programmes. In Flander...

Assessing residual bias in real-world vaccine effectiveness studies: validating negative controls to avoid misleading results

Observational studies and randomized controlled trials demonstrate that vaccines protect against infections and severe outcomes, but real-world vaccine effectiveness estimates remain vulnerable to residual biases. Negative control outcomes can help detect and mitigate such biases...

Chronic kidney disease prevalence in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a growing global health burden; however, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region faces a disproportionately higher burden due to rapid urbanisation, elevated rates of metabolic syndrome, and a uniquely diverse multinational population. Epidemiolo...

Emergency and disaster preparedness in the zonal hospitals in the Somali Regional State, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Hospital preparedness is essential for effective response to disasters and emergencies. Nevertheless, empirical evidence about hospital disaster preparedness is scarce in most low- and middle-income contexts, including Ethiopia. This study evaluated the degree...

Intermittent fasting in diabetic retinopathy: microbiome modulation, mechanisms, and clinical insights.

Intermittent fasting, a nonpharmacological approach, shows promise for controlling diabetic retinopathy but lacks concrete human evidence directly associating intermittent fasting with eye responses. This review highlights preclinical research insights about intermittent fasting...

Investigating graduates’ perception of overall goal attainment of a resilience-focused medical program offered in the United Arab Emirates: a quantitative cross-sectional study, 2025

It is vital to develop transversal skills that collectively reinforce individual learners’ resilience. Although resilience-focused initiatives are widely adopted in health and care professions’ education, these initiatives seem to take the form of discrete interventions, as oppos...

Geographic variations and factors associated with breastfeeding counseling during the first 2 days of birth in Ethiopia: spatial and multilevel analysis

Breastfeeding improves child health, and counseling during pregnancy and after delivery supports early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding. However, coverage remains uneven in many low- and middle-income countries, and relatively little work has sought to use multilevel and sp...

Evaluating Bayesian Variable Selection Approaches for Nonlinear Random Effects Models

Longitudinal data modeling attracts special interest from researchers and practitioners because of its capacity to help understand individual and mean trends of growth and development over time. One feature of longitudinal design is the collection of extensive information on part...

Knowledge, attitude, and practice of antifungal resistance and stewardship among pharmacy students in Zambia: a cross-sectional study to inform antifungal stewardship programs

Background Antifungal resistance (AFR) is a growing global health threat, particularly in low- and middle-income countries such as Zambia, where antifungals are often accessed without prescription. Antifungal stewardship (AFS) programs aim to optimise antifungal use, yet limited...

Experiences of insemination fraud: discovering and navigating unexpected and entangled connections

The increasing use of direct-to-consumer genetic testing revealed not only more, but also different types of insemination fraud worldwide, making research into the topic urgently needed. This study explores how donor-conceived people and parents experience insemination fraud and...

BLEND-M: cellular deconvolution with personalized DNA methylation references

Cellular deconvolution estimates cell type fractions in tissue samples, providing an in-silico alternative to costly and labor-intensive cell sorting techniques. Accurate fraction estimates are essential for DNA methylation (DNAm) analyses, as they enable adjustment for confoundi...

Predictors of Postsurgical Outcomes in Trigger Finger Release: A Retrospective Analysis

Purpose This study aimed to examine factors associated with recurrent trigger finger and postoperative infection after trigger finger release (TFR) surgery. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted to examine the variables that impact 4 postsurgical outcomes: postoperative...