Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39232663›Full record

SynthesisBMC primary care2024

How effective are allied health group interventions for the management of adults with long-term conditions? An umbrella review of systematic reviews and its applicability to the Australian primary health system.

Sarah Dennis, Wing Kwok, Jennifer Alison, Leanne Hassett, Gillian Nisbet, Kathryn Refshauge, Catherine Sherrington, Anna Williams

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC primary care, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Sarah DennisFaculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. sarah.dennis@sydney.edu.au.
Wing KwokFaculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Jennifer AlisonFaculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Leanne HassettFaculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Gillian NisbetFaculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Kathryn RefshaugeFaculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Catherine SherringtonFaculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Anna WilliamsFaculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundGroup allied health interventions for people with chronic conditions may be a solution to increasing access to allied health in primary care. This umbrella review aimed to determine the effectiveness of allied health group interventions to improve health-related outcomes for adults with chronic conditions and the applicability of the findings to the Australian primary health care context.

methodsAn umbrella review of systematic reviews conducted April-July 2022, searching eight databases. Systematic reviews were eligible if they included randomised controlled trials (RCT) or quasi-RCTs, community dwelling adults aged ≥ 18, at least one chronic condition, group intervention in scope for allied health professionals, and published in English after 2000. Studies were excluded if interventions were conducted in hospital or aged care facilities, out of scope for allied health, or unsupervised.

resultsTwo thousand three hundred eighty-five systematic reviews were identified: after screening and full text review 154 were included and data extracted from 90. The chronic conditions included: cancer (n = 15), cardiovascular disease (n = 6), mixed chronic conditions (n = 3), kidney disease (n = 1), low back pain (n = 12), respiratory disease (n = 8), diabetes (n = 14), heart failure (n = 9), risk of falls (n = 5), hypertension (n = 4, osteoarthritis (n = 6) and stroke (n = 8). Most group interventions included prescribed exercise and were in scope for physiotherapists and exercise physiologists. Overall, allied health group exercise programs for community dwelling adults improved health outcomes for most chronic conditions. Aggregated data from the systematic reviews suggests programs of 45-60 min per session, 2-3 times per week for 12 weeks. Lifestyle education and support for people with type-2 diabetes improved glycaemic control.

conclusionsPrescribed group exercise delivered by allied health professionals, predominantly by exercise physiologists and physiotherapists, significantly improved health outcomes for community dwelling adults with a broad range of chronic conditions.

Indexed as

Allied Health PersonnelChronic DiseasePrimary Health CareAdultAustraliaHumansSystematic Reviews as TopicAllied healthChronic diseaseGroup programsPrimary care

Identifiers

PMID39232663
PMCPMC11373467

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.