[Articles] Evaluation of health impacts of a disability-inclusive graduation programme among ultra-poor people with disabilities in Uganda: secondary analysis of a cluster randomized trial

This first randomized evaluation of a disability-inclusive graduation programme demonstrates that while economic empowerment alone may not reduce overall illness prevalence among people with disabilities, it can progressively improve healthcare access over time. The temporal evolution of effects and emerging sex-differentiated impacts highlight the need for sustained support and gender-sensitive approaches in future disability-inclusive poverty reduction programmes, with additional health-specific components to achieve broader improvements in health outcomes.

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Luglio 2025

[Articles] The impact of biological interventions on health-related quality of life in adults with Crohn's disease: a systematic review with meta-analysis

Methodological issues in HRQoL measurement, including the need for larger sample sizes, standardized reporting, and uniform participant characteristics, contribute to the low methodological quality of current evidence on the impact of biological agents on HRQoL in CD. There is a large unmet need to investigate the association between clinical outcomes and HRQoL outcomes more thoroughly.

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Luglio 2025

[Articles] World health Organization’s guidance for tracking non-communicable diseases towards sustainable development goals 3.4: an initiative for facility-based monitoring

This study highlights the urgent need for comprehensive, context-sensitive NCD monitoring frameworks. The proposed set of indicators offers a validated foundation for improving NCD care delivery and aligns with efforts to achieve SDG target 3.4. Ongoing updates and local adaptations will be essential to ensure continued relevance and effectiveness.

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Luglio 2025

Epistemologies, methodologies and theories used in qualitative Global North health and social care research: a scoping review protocol

Introduction
In qualitative research, there are different approaches to defining and engaging with social reality. Epistemology, as the study of knowledge and knowledge creation, influences the methodologies and theories used by researchers. A growing literature questions the universality of Western-centric and Global North research methodologies and theories and highlights their Western epistemological roots. While Western frameworks are appropriate for Western contexts, it is a fallacy to assume that they represent global realities, thereby marginalising Global South knowledge systems. Thus, the aim of this scoping review is to analyse the underlying epistemologies, methodologies or theories that are evident in qualitative research conducted by researchers from the Global North in their research on, for or with people from the Global South.

Methods and analysis
The review will be conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute framework for scoping reviews. A search strategy will be developed to identify published and unpublished literature in CINAHL, Embase, Google Scholar, MEDLINE, ProQuest, PsycINFO and Web of Science. All potential papers will be exported to the reference manager Zotero, and the results will be uploaded to Rayyan. Studies are selected using a three-step process and documented using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses flowchart. The abstracted studies will then be collated using the PAGER framework to identify the patterns, advances, gaps, evidence and recommendations that help to understand the review question.

Ethics and dissemination
As this is a secondary analysis, our research does not require ethical approval, but we will scrutinise all included studies for inclusion of an ethical approval statement. We intend to share our findings through peer-reviewed international journals and presentations at conferences, as well as collaborating with colleagues in related fields.

Study registration
The protocol for this scoping review has been registered with the Open Science Framework (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/5BUZX).

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Luglio 2025

[Articles] Development of a World Health Organization indicator and corresponding questions to measure effective coverage of rehabilitation

We propose a global tracer indicator for measuring effective coverage of rehabilitation at the population level that is captured through population-based surveys. This global indicator uses chronic primary low back pain as the tracer health condition and World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 12-item to assess whether quality interventions have been provided that produce the desired health gain.

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Luglio 2025

Health Care Administrative Costs

To the Editor The solutions proposed by Ms Istvan and colleagues for the administrative costs plaguing US health care will not meaningfully improve timely access to medically necessary care for individuals, or reduce moral injury among clinicians. Administrative burdens arise from obstruction by design.

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Luglio 2025

Health Care Administrative Costs—Reply

In Reply We appreciate the interest of Dr Habib regarding our description of waste and inefficiency in the administration of the US health care system. He acknowledges a decade or more of work that documents the burden of the current transaction process on patients, clinicians, and ultimately the individuals paying health insurance premiums.

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Luglio 2025