Fertility treatments and stroke: a scoping review

Objectives
Fertility therapies are becoming an increasingly common option for conception, but there is little knowledge on the interactions of assisted reproductive technology (ARTs) and stroke in women, and its use among women with a history of stroke. This scoping review aims to examine the current state of knowledge and identify the knowledge gaps regarding: (1) the stroke risk with use of fertility therapy and (2) the safety of fertility therapy among stroke survivors, to help guide future research and clinical practice.

Design
The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) checklist for scoping reviews was followed.

Data sources
MEDLINE (Ovid), Cochrane Central Registry of Controlled Trials (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), Medline, ClinicalTrials.gov and International Clinical Trials Registry Platform were searched through 20 June 2023.

Eligibility criteria for selecting studies
All observational studies pertaining to use of fertility and stroke in humans over the age of 18 were included in this review.

Data extraction and synthesis
Title and abstract and subsequent full-text review were performed by two independent reviewers in duplicate. A narrative synthesis of final articles for data abstraction is presented.

Results
10 studies met inclusion criteria. The only meta-analysis that was included could not estimate the risk of stroke among all individuals undergoing fertility therapy due to lack of high-quality prospective cohort studies. There was only one prospective cohort that examined pregnancy among stroke survivors. Among the 32 pregnancies, one was conceived through in vitro fertilisation (IVF), although the details regarding stroke type, time since stroke, medications and IVF protocol were not specified. Therefore, the safety and effectiveness of ART among stroke survivors is currently unknown.

Conclusion
In this comprehensive review of existing fertility therapy science and stroke risk, we identify a large knowledge gap and a major scientific need for a systematic approach and prospective studies to better inform the risk of stroke during fertility therapy, especially among stroke survivors. Understanding this risk and developing treatment strategies serves to better inform women and healthcare providers as more women with a history of stroke seek and contemplate fertility therapy.

Trial registration number
DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/PHQ4X

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Multisectoral coordination during the COVID-19 pandemic: practices, challenges and recommendations for future preparedness–a systematic literature review protocol

Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic amplified the need for robust multisectoral coordination; yet the specific mechanisms, benefits and challenges of such collaboration particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remain poorly synthesised. This review aims to delineate the key elements, benefits, challenges and improvement strategies of multisectoral coordination during COVID-19 and to compare patterns between LMICs and high-income countries (HICs).

Methods and analysis
Eligible studies will include empirical qualitative, quantitative or mixed-methods research published in English between 1 January 2020 and 15 August 2024 that examines formal coordination mechanisms (eg, task forces, public-private partnerships, inter-agency committees) within the context of COVID-19. Searches will be conducted across PubMed, EBSCOhost, Emerald Insight, Google Scholar and selected grey-literature repositories. Citation chaining will be employed to identify additional sources.
Two reviewers will independently screen all records using Covidence, applying pre-piloted eligibility criteria to 5% of citations and proceeding only if inter-rater reliability achieves ≥0.70. Data will be extracted into a Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR)-informed template. Qualitative data will be analysed through framework synthesis, structured by the five CFIR domains. Quantitative data will be narratively summarised and, where outcomes are sufficiently similar across at least two studies, synthesised using a fixed-effect model.
Risk of bias will be assessed using Critical Appraisal Skills Programme for qualitative and Risk Of Bias In Non-randomised Studies of Interventions for non-randomised studies. Studies with serious or critical risk will be excluded from pooling. Subgroup analyses (LMIC vs HIC), sensitivity analyses (model and risk) and confidence grading using Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative Research and Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations will be conducted.

Ethics and dissemination
No primary data will be collected; thus additional Research Ethics Committee approval is unnecessary. The results will be disseminated via open-access publication, conference presentations and policy briefs for Nairobi County health stakeholders.

PROSPERO registration number
CRD42023466849.

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Interventions that use highly visual social media platforms to tackle unhealthy body image in adolescents and young adults: a systematic review protocol

Introduction
Social media sites are increasingly used to assess and treat different mental health problems in adolescents and young adults. However, it is still unclear which social network sites are the most used for this purpose and what interventions for tackling unhealthy body image have been validated. This systematic review will assess evidence on the effectiveness of social media interventions in improving unhealthy body image among adolescents and young adults.

Methods and analysis
Five databases, including Embase, Scopus, MEDLINE, Web of Science (Core Collection) and PsycINFO, will be consulted, with a publication window starting in 2011 and ending on 31 October 2024. Rayyan software will detect and eliminate duplicates. We will include only studies based on social media-based interventions for adolescents and young adults with body image problems. Two independent reviewers will screen titles, abstracts and full-text articles, resolving conflicts through discussion with a third reviewer as needed. The two reviewers will complete the risk of bias assessments for each included study, using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklists for randomised controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies. We will report on the characteristics of studies, participants and interventions in descriptive narrative form, along with the results from the assessment of social media interventions.

Ethics and dissemination
Universidad Cesar Vallejo’s ethics committee approved this systematic review protocol as part of a wider project (code 100-CEI-EPM-UCV-2022). Results will be shared via social media to engage stakeholders and promote awareness of body image issues.

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Use of an electronic medication management application to support Pharmacists Review to Optimise Medicines in Residential Aged Care (PROMPT-RC): a study protocol for a parallel cluster randomised controlled trial

Introduction
Most older adults living in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) have at least one marker of potentially suboptimal prescribing. Pharmacists play a crucial role in medication management, with their effectiveness enhanced by using computerised decision support tools. The Pharmacists Review to Optimise Medicines in Residential Aged Care (PROMPT-RC) study aims to optimise medicine use by providing pharmacists in RACFs with an electronic medicine management app with integrated decision support (AusTAPER App/Pathway) to use as part of medication reviews they undertake.

Methods and analysis
The PROMPT-RC study is a parallel cluster randomised controlled trial design involving Australian RACFs. It will assess if pharmacists’ use of the AusTAPER App/Pathway for medication reviews improves medication regimens for RACF residents compared with usual care. Pharmacists in RACFs randomised to the intervention arm will be trained to use the AusTAPER App/Pathway, which flags potentially inappropriate medicines (PIMs) across a person’s entire medicine regimen. Pharmacists in RACFs randomised to the control arm will not have access to the AusTAPER App/Pathway—they will continue to provide usual care. The primary outcome is the difference in the number of regular medicines between treatment arms at 12 months. Secondary outcomes will measure the number of regular and pro re nata medicines, PIMs, medicine administration times, medicine regimen complexity, use of antipsychotics, antidepressants, and benzodiazepines, quality of life, mortality, instances of physical restraint, and the number of falls, hospitalisations and general practitioner/health professional visits. The cost-effectiveness of the AusTAPER App/Pathway compared with usual care will be calculated. Data collection will occur at baseline, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months postrandomisation and 3 and 6 months prebaseline. We aim to recruit 668 participants to adjust for an estimated 10% loss to follow-up, giving 334 participants in each arm. Data analysis will follow an intention-to-treat approach using a linear mixed model.

Ethics and dissemination
Ethical approval was obtained from The University of Western Australia Human Research Ethics Committee (Reference: 2024/ET000525; approved 14 August 2024). Reciprocal approval was also obtained in other states. This study is registered on the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (https://anzctr.org.au). Trial findings will be disseminated through national and international peer-reviewed publications and conferences.

Trial registration number
ACTRN12624001409561.

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Exploring tuberculosis patients preferences for AI-assisted remote health management services in China: a protocol for a discrete choice experiment

Introduction
Effective health management is critical for patients with tuberculosis (TB), especially given the need for long-term treatment adherence and continuous monitoring. Artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted remote health management services offer a promising solution to increase patient engagement, optimise follow-up and improve treatment outcomes. However, little research has explored TB patients’ preferences for these services, and no discrete choice experiment (DCE) has systematically investigated how they make trade-offs between different service attributes. This study aims to (1) identify key attributes of AI-assisted remote health management services that influence TB patients’ choices, (2) assess how patients with TB evaluate trade-offs between different service options using a DCE and (3) examine whether preferences vary by sociodemographic characteristics and health system factors.

Methods and analysis
Six attributes were identified through a literature review, focus group discussions and expert consultations. A fractional factorial design was used to generate choice sets while maintaining statistical efficiency and minimising respondent burden. The DCE will be analysed using a multinomial logit model to estimate average preferences. A mixed logit model will be applied to explore preference heterogeneity among participants, incorporating interaction terms with sociodemographic and attitudinal variables. Stratified and latent class analyses will also be considered to further investigate sources of heterogeneity.

Ethics and dissemination
This study complies with the Declaration of Helsinki and has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital. All participant data will remain anonymous, and individuals may withdraw from the study at any time. The findings will inform the development of patient-centred AI-assisted TB management strategies and contribute to broader policy discussions on AI integration in TB care. The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journal publications, policy briefs, conferences and online platforms.

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Development and retrospective validation of an artificial intelligence system for diagnostic assessment of prostate biopsies: study protocol

Introduction
Histopathological evaluation of prostate biopsies using the Gleason scoring system is critical for prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment selection. However, grading variability among pathologists can lead to inconsistent assessments, risking inappropriate treatment. Similar challenges complicate the assessment of other prognostic features like cribriform cancer morphology and perineural invasion. Many pathology departments are also facing an increasingly unsustainable workload due to rising prostate cancer incidence and a decreasing pathologist workforce coinciding with increasing requirements for more complex assessments and reporting. Digital pathology and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms for analysing whole slide images show promise in improving the accuracy and efficiency of histopathological assessments. Studies have demonstrated AI’s capability to diagnose and grade prostate cancer comparably to expert pathologists. However, external validations on diverse data sets have been limited and often show reduced performance. Historically, there have been no well-established guidelines for AI study designs and validation methods. Diagnostic assessments of AI systems often lack preregistered protocols and rigorous external cohort sampling, essential for reliable evidence of their safety and accuracy.

Methods and analysis
This study protocol covers the retrospective validation of an AI system for prostate biopsy assessment. The primary objective of the study is to develop a high-performing and robust AI model for diagnosis and Gleason scoring of prostate cancer in core needle biopsies, and at scale evaluate whether it can generalise to fully external data from independent patients, pathology laboratories and digitalisation platforms. The secondary objectives cover AI performance in estimating cancer extent and detecting cribriform prostate cancer and perineural invasion. This protocol outlines the steps for data collection, predefined partitioning of data cohorts for AI model training and validation, model development and predetermined statistical analyses, ensuring systematic development and comprehensive validation of the system. The protocol adheres to Transparent Reporting of a multivariable prediction model of Individual Prognosis Or Diagnosis+AI (TRIPOD+AI), Protocol Items for External Cohort Evaluation of a Deep Learning System in Cancer Diagnostics (PIECES), Checklist for AI in Medical Imaging (CLAIM) and other relevant best practices.

Ethics and dissemination
Data collection and usage were approved by the respective ethical review boards of each participating clinical laboratory, and centralised anonymised data handling was approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority. The study will be conducted in agreement with the Helsinki Declaration. The findings will be disseminated in peer-reviewed publications (open access).

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Platinum and etoposide chemotherapy, durvalumab with thoracic radiotherapy in the first-line treatment of patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer: CHEST-RT (TROG 20.01) Trial – protocol for a phase II study

Background
Trans Tasman Radiation Oncology Group 20.01 CHEST-RT (Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy in Extensive Stage Small cell with Thoracic Radiotherapy) is a single-arm, open-label, prospective, multicentre phase II trial study that aims to establish the safety, feasibility and describe the efficacy of incorporating thoracic radiotherapy (TRT) (concurrent or sequential) to chemotherapy and immunotherapy in patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer.

Methods
A single arm of up to 30 evaluable participants given TRT concurrent or sequentially with chemoimmunotherapy will be enrolled. Participants should commence radiotherapy with cycle 3 or cycle 4 of chemotherapy. Those not suitable for concurrent radiotherapy due to large tumour volumes may receive sequential radiotherapy. Accounting for a 15% non-evaluable rate, up to 35 participants will be enrolled. An independent data and safety monitoring committee will review the data and assess safety and feasibility. Progression to a phase III trial would be considered feasible if ≤20% of participants experienced ≥grade 3 oesophageal toxicity and ≤10% experienced ≥grade 3 pneumonitis. This approach would be considered feasible if there is ≤20% treatment discontinuation of systemic therapy secondary to radiation toxicities and ≥75% of participants have tumour volumes that can be safely treated to a dose of 30 Gy in 10 fractions. The primary outcome of the trial is safety and feasibility, and survival and responses will be assessed as secondary endpoints. A predefined subgroup analysis of toxicity will be performed on group 1 (concurrent TRT) versus group 2 participants (consolidation TRT).

Ethics and dissemination
This study was approved by the Peter MacCallum Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC/73189/PMCC-2021). The protocol, technical and clinical data will be disseminated by conference presentations and publications. Any modifications to the protocol will be formally documented by administrative letters and will be submitted to the approving HREC for review and approval.

Trial registration numbers
Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12621000586819) and ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT05796089).

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Retraction: Unleashing the potential of exosome ncRNAs for early gastric cancer detection–a critical appraisal of machine learning approaches

Zeng X. Unleashing the potential of exosome ncRNAs for early gastric cancer detection—a critical appraisal of machine learning approaches. Gut 2025;74:1191–1192.
This letter1 has been retracted by Gut due to apparent peer review manipulation.
BMJ has evidence that this letter’s peer review process was compromised. Two reviewers, recommended by the authors, used the same computer to submit their peer review comments as the submitting author used to submit the article to the journal. The authors and reviewers were asked to respond to these concerns and provide an explanation, but did not provide a satisfactory response.

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Beyond the guideline: lessons in leadership, limits and legacy from the BSG IBD process

Introduction: the hidden labour behind clinical guidelines The British Society of Gastroenterology’s (BSG) latest 5-year national guideline for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)1 has recently completed. This adjunct commentary to the guideline contains the reflections of two chairs—one methodological, one clinical—who steered the process. It is not written to seek praise or indulgence but rather to lay bare the pragmatic decisions, structural challenges and emerging questions that surfaced while leading the guideline process. We offer five key insights to inform future BSG guideline work and to contribute to international dialogue on how we produce, update and future-proof clinical guidance in increasingly complex evidence environments. Breadth versus usability: how big is too big? The scope of this guideline is vast—over 100 000 words, 43 recommendations, 114 good practice statements with nearly 800 original manuscripts referenced, prompting peer review to suggest relegating many visual and tabular summaries to supplementary…

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Single-cell omics in inflammatory bowel disease: recent insights and future clinical applications

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), which include ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), are chronic conditions characterised by inflammation of the intestinal tract. Alterations in virtually all intestinal cell types, including immune, epithelial and stromal cells, have been described in these diseases. The study of IBD has historically relied on bulk transcriptomics, but this method averages signals across diverse cell types, limiting insights. Single-cell omic technologies overcome the intrinsic limitations of bulk analysis and reveal the complexity of multicellular tissues at a cell-by-cell resolution. Within healthy and inflamed intestinal tissues, single-cell omics, particularly single-cell RNA sequencing, have contributed to uncovering novel cell types and cell functions linked to disease activity or the development of complications. Collectively, these results help identify therapeutic targets in difficult-to-treat complications such as fibrostenosis, creeping fat accumulation, perianal fistulae or inflammation of the pouch. More recently, single-cell omics have gradually been adopted in studies to understand therapeutic responses, identify mechanisms of drug failure and potentially develop predictors with clinical utility. Although these are early days, such studies lay the groundwork for the implementation in clinical practice of new technologies in diagnostics, monitoring and prediction of disease prognosis. With this review, we aim to provide a comprehensive survey of the studies that have applied single-cell omics to the study of UC or CD, and offer our perspective on the main findings these studies contribute. Finally, we discuss the limitations and potential benefits that the integration of single-cell omics into clinical practice and drug development could offer.

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Cardiac Xenotransplantation: Current State and Future Directions

Circulation, Volume 152, Issue 1, Page 58-73, July 8, 2025. The increasing demand for donor hearts presents both a critical challenge and a significant opportunity for innovation in cardiac transplantation. Advancements in immunosuppressive regimens and genetic engineering have reignited recent interest in xenotransplantation. Notably, 2 human patients have received genetically modified pig hearts under expanded-access authorization. They survived for 40 and 60 days, with xenograft failure preceding death in both cases. Concurrently, decedent studies have focused on monitoring the short-term physiological function of genetically modified cardiac xenografts in legally brain-dead recipients, representing a novel experimental paradigm for preclinical testing to help bridge the gap between nonhuman primate studies and clinical trials. These contemporary achievements build on a large body of exploratory efforts in cardiac xenotransplantation in nonhuman primates. Despite significant progress in overcoming hyperacute rejection, adaptive cellular and humoral immunological barriers remain. This review aims to critically evaluate the current advancements in xenotransplantation, to explore ongoing challenges, and to discuss the future potential of this innovative approach in addressing the growing demand for donor organs in cardiac transplantation.

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What motivates GPs to vaccinate against influenza? Protocol for a mixed-methods study

Introduction
In Germany, influenza vaccination rates in at-risk groups are well below the 75% coverage recommended by the WHO. Although it has been shown that general practitioners (GPs) can play a key role in increasing their patients’ willingness to be vaccinated, this potential does not seem to have been fully used. This study aims to uncover factors that motivate GPs to vaccinate their patients against influenza, investigate the role of financial incentives in achieving higher vaccination rates and determine how the daily practice of GPs can be made more vaccination friendly.

Methods and analysis
A mixed-methods approach is employed to reach the research aims. Literature reviews will be conducted to identify factors that motivate GPs to vaccinate against influenza and to identify studies in which preferences are elicited. This is followed by semistructured interviews with GPs (n=6–10). The scoping reviews and interviews serve as a basis for the development of a quantitative survey directed at GPs which includes a discrete choice experiment. The quantitative survey will be sent to a total of 3760 GPs.

Ethics and dissemination
The study will be conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. A positive vote has been received from the Ethics Committee of the Medical Association North Rhine (2024259). Study participants will only be included in the study after being given informed consent. Manuscripts will be prepared for the scoping review on motivating factors and after completion of the quantitative survey, which will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals. Interim results and final results of the project will be presented at conferences.

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Comparative efficacy of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions on pain intensity of primary dysmenorrhoea: protocol for systematic review and network meta-analysis

Introduction
Primary dysmenorrhoea (PD) is the most common gynaecological condition among young women and is associated with significant socioeconomic repercussions. It is unclear which works best for pain relief when pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions are compared. This systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) will aim to compare and rank the effects of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions in patients with PD.

Methods and analysis
Randomised controlled trials of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for PD will be identified via a search of the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus database and Google Scholar search engine until September 2025. The primary outcome will be a change in pain intensity among patients with PD, while the secondary outcomes include health-related quality of life, symptoms of depression and anxiety, and treatment-related adverse events. Two independent reviewers will perform document screening, study selection and data extraction. The methodological quality of the included studies will be assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool (V.2). The RevMan, Stata and Aggregate Data Drug Information System software will be used to perform a pairwise meta-analysis and Bayesian NMA in a random-effects model. The certainty of the evidence will be rated using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation System.

Ethics and dissemination
This systematic review protocol is exempt from ethical approval as it involves analysis of previously published data. The findings of this review will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals.

Trial Registration number
CRD42024543573.

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Mental health interventions for humanitarian volunteers: a scoping review

Objectives
The aim of this scoping review was to map the nature and extent of the existing literature on mental health interventions for humanitarian volunteers in disaster contexts. The study also explored how the interventions were evaluated.

Design
The methodology of this scoping review followed the extended guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews.

Data sources
Five academic bibliographic databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, EBSCOhost and Google Scholar), grey literature websites (Google Scholar, ProQuest, Policy Commons, etc.) and relevant organisational archives were systematically searched for eligible documents.

Eligibility criteria
Both peer-reviewed and grey literature studies on mental health interventions for humanitarian volunteers in the context of any type of disaster were eligible for inclusion. Research papers that evaluated any such intervention were also included. Documents that targeted professional humanitarian workers or explored physical health conditions or diseases in disaster contexts, letters to the editor, comments, correspondence and research protocols were excluded. There were no restrictions in terms of the date and language of the documents.

Data extraction and synthesis
A systematic search of the targeted databases was conducted from 12 May 2025 to 20 May 2025. Deduplication, screening and full-text evaluation for the selection of documents were done using the online version of Rayyan. Data were collected and recorded into a structured Microsoft Excel sheet. Two researchers individually conducted the selection of the articles and the extraction of data. A third researcher helped to resolve any discrepancies if required.

Results
A total of 2627 documents were retrieved by searching the targeted databases and websites. After matching them with the eligibility criteria, 20 documents were included in the final list. 14 of them were research papers; the rest was organisational literature. All the papers were from 2006 and later, except one that was from 1998. No documents were found from the Middle East, North Africa and Sub-Saharan regions. 10 broad categories of interventions were identified, which were either implemented in the field or suggested in the form of guidelines. Most of the interventions were postexposure and preventive in nature. Psychological first aid was the most widely used intervention in this context, being used by the national societies of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Nine of the documents were research papers evaluating the effectiveness of the interventions using different scales and customised questionnaires. Four of them did not observe any notable effect on the mental health of the participants.

Conclusions
Over the past two decades, the evidence on mental health interventions for humanitarian volunteers has grown. The reviewed literature documented various interventions and guidelines that need further study and testing to both prove and improve their effectiveness. Organisational policies could incorporate and further evaluate these to ensure the psychosocial well-being of volunteers. A review of research papers on intervention effectiveness found heterogeneity in settings, designs, interventions and methods, precluding a systematic review. More research is needed on individual interventions, volunteer perceptions and comparing interventions to identify the most effective ones. Additionally, comparing pre-exposure and postexposure interventions with multimodal systems that support volunteers throughout deployment is recommended.

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Construction of a quality evaluation indicator system for extended care in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a cross-sectional study

Objective
The aim of this study was to construct a quality evaluation indicator system for extended care in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), provide beneficial references for quality evaluation and practice standardisation of extended care.

Design
This study was conducted from April to November 2023. Based on the three-dimensional quality structure model of ‘structure–process–result’, we used literature review and Delphi method to form the quality evaluation indicator system for extended care in patients with COPD and determined the weight of each indicator by analytic hierarchy process (AHP).

Setting
Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University and School of Nursing and Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.

Participants
20 experts from different universities and hospitals in China participated in the study. They all had profound attainments in clinical treatment, nursing and extended care of COPD.

Primary outcome measures
Effective questionnaire response rate, coefficient of expert authority, arithmetic mean, proportion of maximum score, Kendall harmony coefficient, scores of importance, variation coefficient and weight were used to evaluate the quality evaluation indicator system for extended care.

Results
In the two rounds of Delphi expert consultation, the effective questionnaire response rates were both 100%. The coefficients of expert authority were 0.83 and 0.89, respectively. Kendall harmony coefficients were 0.088 and 0.215, respectively. The final formed quality evaluation indicator system for extended care included 3 primary indicators, 10 secondary indicators and 40 tertiary indicators. For each indicator, the variation coefficient was 0.063–0.151 and the weight was 0.001–0.065.

Conclusion
The quality evaluation indicator system for extended care based on mature theoretical basis and scientific method is scientific and reliable. And the weight of each indicator is set reasonably and accurately, which could provide a basis for quality evaluation and continuous quality improvement of extended care.

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