Hammoda Abu-Odah

• Research Assistant Professor -Transitional Supportive and Palliative Care
• Research Assistant Professor at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Context: The review of palliative care (PC) policies was introduced as one of the four main components of the WHO PC strategy. Considering that eastern Meditranian region countries (EMRCs) has made efforts to establish and develop PC in recent years, coordinated data collection provides a clearer picture of needs, challenges, and barriers at the re...

Introduction Clinical decision support system (CDSS) is an application used to aid decision-making and provide knowledge regarding treatment, diagnosis, and laboratory testing. Despite the associated benefits, the underutilization of CDSS is causing a global challenge. In Palestine, CDSS remains unimplemented, prompting a study on knowledge levels...

Background eHealth was widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic. Much attention was given to the technical aspects of eHealth, such as infrastructure and cost, while the soft skill of compassion remained underexplored. The wide belief in compassionate care is more compatible with in-person interactions but difficult to deliver via e-platforms where...

Background Caring for patients with advanced cancer is complex and challenging, requiring varied expertise, including symptom management, communication skills, care coordination and emotional resilience. Within existing literature, the lived experiences of oncology nurses are poorly articulated in countries with a lower income where formal palliati...

Objectives This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the effectiveness of creative arts therapy (CAT) interventions on the health outcomes of adult patients with cancer. Methods A comprehensive search was conducted in six databases from their inception to June 10, 2023, with no restrictions on sex, age, cancer type, cancer stage, or...

Purpose Exercise-based cancer rehabilitation via digital technologies can provide a promising alternative to centre-based exercise training, but data for cancer patients and survivors are limited. We conducted a meta-analysis examining the effect of telehealth exercise-based cancer rehabilitation in cancer survivors on cardiorespiratory fitness, ph...

Background Active participation of cancer patients and their caregivers in decision-making, along with high-quality communication, is crucial in patient-centered cancer management. Although numerous factors affecting patients’ communication and decision-making involvement have been identified, it is still unclear which ones are the most prevalent a...

Background Interactive features of computerized cognitive training (CCT) may enhance adherence to training, providing a relatively low-cost intervention. A robust systematic review on the effectiveness of CCT for improving working memory (WM) among pediatric survivors with cancer is lacking. Objective To summarize the available evidence and determ...

Objectives This review examined the effectiveness of using dance movement therapy (DMT) and dance movement interventions (DMIs) with cancer and palliative care patients. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Six databases were sea...

Background There was a substantial documented call for healthcare professionals to provide compassionate care during the COVID-19 pandemic and significant criticism voiced when it was lacking. This study aimed to explore perspectives on compassionate care among healthcare professionals providing care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study focuses...

Aims To examine the effects of virtual reality‐based cognitive interventions on cognitive function and activities of daily living among stroke patients, and to identify the optimal design for such intervention. Design Systematic review and meta‐analysis. Data Sources Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane, CINANL, JBI‐EBP and Web of Science from inception to...

This study conducted pairwise and network meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of three mind-body exercise interventions (Tai Chi, Qigong, and yoga) on physical capacity, psychological well-being, and quality of life in stroke patients. The research encompassed 30 studies involving 2107 participants and utilized the Risk of Bias 2.0 tool for...

Objectives This review aimed to synthesize the available evidence on the effectiveness of expressive writing (EW) on health outcomes of patients with cancer. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Six databases were searched from 19...

Background Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are highly prevalent and could progress cognitive decline towards dementia among the population with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Although emerging studies showed that mindfulness‐based intervention improved psychological well‐being among clinical and community po...

Background: Limited empirical evidence is available regarding the effect of technology-assisted cardiac rehabilitation (TACR) among coronary heart disease (CHD) patients with central obesity. Aim: To determine the effects of 12-week TACR on health outcomes of patients with CHD. Design: Two-arm randomized controlled trial. Setting: Cardiovasc...

Background: Older Chinese immigrants constitute the largest older Asian ethnic population in New Zealand. Aging in a foreign land can be complex, presenting increasing challenges for gerontology scholars, practitioners, and policy makers. Older Chinese immigrants are more susceptible to experiencing loneliness and social isolation compared to nativ...

Background: Employing non-family paid helpers has become a prevalent practice across North America, Europe, and Asia, which families adopt to alleviate the stroke care burden, allowing family to take a break from their obligations and perform other social activities. However, paid helpers’ experiences of providing palliative care to stroke patients...

Human‐induced climate change poses a pervasive threat to the world. Human activities, such as deforestation, farming livestock, and burning fossil fuels, are key drivers of climate change. Like other regions, the Southeast Asian region is greatly impacted by climate change. The article focuses on examining the current landscape of climate change ad...

Background Phenomenography emerged from pedagogy to examine the qualitatively different ways that individuals experience and perceive the same phenomenon. Despite its uniqueness, the uptake of phenomenography in nursing research is still limited. Potentially, this may be related to confusion regarding what the design is about, its philosophical und...

Undoubtedly, technology continues to permeate the world at an unprecedented pace. The discipline of nursing is not alien to this phenomenon as nurses continue to employ various technological objects and applications in clinical practice, education, administration and research. Despite the centrality of technology in nursing, it has not been recogni...

Aims: We aimed to test a model in which hope and spiritual well-being acted as protective factors against anxiety and depressive symptoms in childhood cancer patients (CCPs). We hypothesized that hope and spiritual well-being were mutually reinforcing factors that would both reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms. Methods: Using path analysis, t...

Background: Research led by nurses has evolved rapidly over the last 2 decades globally. Assessing the work that has been conducted so far can help the specialty to strategically shape future directions of nurse-led cancer research. Objective: The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive, up-to-date synthesis of all nurse-led cancer rese...

Objectives: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are highly prevalent in individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and are strongly linked to accelerated cognitive decline and dementia onset. While mindfulness-based interventions have shown promise in improving psychological well-being in clinical and comm...

Background: Despite emerging evidence on the effectiveness of eHealth interventions in improving cardiovascular health, little is known about the perception of use and efficacy of these interventions and real-world application. Objective: We sought to develop an in-depth understanding of the perceptions of eHealth interventions in improving card...

Despite the notable benefits of palliative care (PC) for patients with chronic diseases, its delivery to people with cardiac problems, particularly in the Middle East region (EMR), remains a critical issue. There is a scarcity of research assessing nursing staff’s needs and knowledge in providing PC to cardiac patients in the EMR. This study aimed...

Introduction: Infections acquired in hospitals are a major concern for patients, professionals and poli-cymakers. They have an impact on the morbidity and mortality rates, length of stay, and microbial resistance. Radiology departments are at high risk for nosocomial infections, and radiographers must adhere to infection control protocols to avoid...

Purpose: Although the distress thermometer (DT) scale has been widely validated and used in different cancer types and settings, an optimal cutoff score of DT is not defined to screen advanced cancer patients. The study aimed to define the optimal DT's cutoff score among advanced cancer patients in resource-limited countries without palliative car...

Introduction: Infections acquired in hospitals are a major concern for patients, professionals and policymakers. They have an impact on the morbidity and mortality rates, length of stay, and microbial resistance. Radiology departments are at high risk for nosocomial infections, and radiographers must adhere to infection control protocols to avoid...

Introduction Cancer and its treatment affect children’s physical, psychological and social well-being throughout the disease trajectory. Spiritual well-being is a fundamental dimension of people’s overall health and is considered a source of strength to motivate patients to cope with and adapt to their disease. Appropriate spiritual interventions a...

Citation: Abdullahi, Z.U.; Musa, S.S.; Abu-Odah, H.; Ahmed, A.; Lawan, A.A.; Bello, U.M. Bactericidal Effects of Snake Venom Phospholipases A2: A Systematic Review and Analysis of Minimum Inhibitory Concentration. Physiologia 2023, 3, 30-42. https:// Abstract: Background: Infections caused by multi-drug resistance (MDR) strains are potentially fata...

Objective There is limited research exploring the experiences of people living with advanced cancer in the Gaza Strip (GS), Palestine. Thus, this study aimed to determine the level of psychological distress, anxiety, and depression among advanced cancer patients in the GS and identify factors associated with a high level of distress. Materials and...

Background A previous randomized controlled trial (NeCR) has indicated the effectiveness of nurse-led eHealth cardiac rehabilitation (CR) on modifying the behaviors of patients with coronary heart disease. However, limited qualitative studies explore the experiences of using eHealth CR that led to such benefits. Objective The study aimed to explor...

Background During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, most patients experienced various respiratory and cardiovascular problems, and their health suddenly deteriorated despite active treatment. Many parameters have been used to assess patient health status. However, few have considered chest computed tomography (CCT) and lung findings...

Purpose This study aimed to explore the perspectives of policymakers and patients on breast cancer (BC) management in the Gaza Strip. Methods A descriptive qualitative study design was employed using semi-structured in-depth interviews with 13 policymakers and focus group discussions with 19 BC patients. The four criteria presented by Lincoln and...

Background The experiences of men in nursing academia remain poorly understood globally as they remain a minority within the underrepresented male nursing populace. Purpose To develop a comparative understanding of the experiences of male nurse educators. Method We conducted a systematic review and meta-synthesis. Studies were considered eligible...

Background: Despite vaccinations' efficacy in combating disease, people's readiness to get the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine are substantially varied. This study aimed to assess Vietnamese people's readiness, attitudes, and determinants for COVID-19 vaccination. Methods: A web-based cross-sectional online survey was conducted using a...

Introduction: Post-burn scarring is often cosmetically unappealing and create discomfort. This makes it crucial to understand the experience of individuals living with scars which can offer insights into their recovery. This review sought to develop an in-depth understanding of living with post-burn scars. Design: A systematic review and meta-et...

(1) Background: Nursing students should be well-prepared and educated in order to provide high-quality palliative care (PC) to patients with chronic diseases, which will have an impact on the quality of care for dying patients in the future; this study aimed to investigate the level of knowledge about PC and attitudes towards the care of dying pati...

ABSTRACT Background Due to a transitional demographic change in population growth globally and an increase in life expectancy, the need for palliative care (PC) has increased, and this approach is urgently required for adoption and integration into healthcare systems (HCSs). The integration of PC services into mainstream HCSs and national policies...

Despite the increasing number of publications globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored significant research gaps that should be resolved, including within PC-related research. This study aimed to map and understand the global trends in palliative care (PC)-related COVID-19 research and provide quantitative evidence to guide future studies. W...

Reinfection and reactivation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have recently raised public health pressing concerns in the fight against the current pandemic globally. In this study, we propose a new dynamic model to study the transmission of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The model incorporates poss...

Translating research into clinical practice is a global priority because of its potential impact on health services delivery and outcomes. Despite the ever-increasing depth and breadth of health research, most areas across the globe seem to be slow to translate relevant research evidence into clinical practice. Thus, this review sought to synthesis...

Objective: To scope the literature to ascertain the components of palliative care (PC) interventions for burn patients, models of integration, and outcomes. Methods: Arksey and O’Malley scoping review design with narrative synthesis was employed and reported following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Primary studies reporting PC interventions in the burn...

Background Although several studies assessing the needs of advanced cancer patients have been conducted globally, most have focused on a specific type of cancer such as lung or breast cancer. The variation across studies has also created difficulties in generalizing the results and applying the findings in other countries. The aim of this study was...

Background: Existing evidence suggest the emergence of palliative care (PC) services in the emergency department (ED). To gain insight into the nature of these services and provide direction to future actions, there is a need for a comprehensive review that ascertains the components of these services, integration models, and outcomes. Methods: A...

Background Despite increasing recognition of the role played by palliative care (PC) services, the priorities of policymakers in supporting PC remain unclear and have sometimes engendered controversy. There are few studies exploring policymakers’ perspectives towards PC services, with most shedding light on obstacles to PC development. Furthermore,...

Objective A brief discussion with policy leaders and citizens was conducted to understand the unwillingness of people to get the vaccine and their suggestions to increase the vaccination level. Background Despite the crucial benefits of the vaccine, people are unwilling to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Unwillingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine is...

A scarcity in research assessing the palliative care (PC) educational and health care system-related issues has been reported in the Middle East region; the region comprises a wide range of economically diverse countries. Discrepancies across countries have created difficulties in adopting other countries' experiences. This study aimed to assess PC...

Objectives Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, but there is an absence of evidence systematically assessing symptom burden and quality of life (QoL) using validated tools. Our objective was to assess associations between socio-demographic and disease-related characteristics, symptom burden and QoL in a sample o...

Background and objective Despite the important benefits of a bibliometric approach on mapping a research field, relatively little efforts have previously been conducted to map and analyse the global trends of palliative care (PC)-related research. This bibliometric review aimed to provide an overall picture and systematic mapping of the state of re...

Background Despite the development in disaster nursing and the increasing research and related publications, little efforts have been directed to map the global development and trends of disaster nursing literature, identify gaps and guide future research directions in the field. Objectives To generate a comprehensive picture of publications in di...

Objective This review aims at gaining a broad overview of national approaches about Palliative care (PC) implementation into health care systems in countries that have PC identified within their national policies and strategies. Methods Paper searching was conducted using both peer-reviewed databases and gray literature sources covering government...

The emergence of the coronavirus pandemic led to the implementation of several precautionary measures across the globe. For densely populated regions in the world, this may have been challenging given the proximity of people to one other. Thus, this brief report sought to compare the measures across 2 densely populated locations, Hong Kong and Gaza...

Palliative care services are considered one of the key pillars of the healthcare system that play a significant role in enhancing the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual well-being of patients with life-threatening illnesses. Despite the critical benefits of provision of palliative care services within the healthcare system, these servic...

Palliative care services are considered one of the key pillars of the healthcare system that play a significant role in enhancing the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual well-being of patients with life-threatening illnesses. Despite the critical benefits of provision of palliative care services within the healthcare system, these servic...

Background: Despite the significant benefits of palliative care (PC) services for cancer patients, multiple challenges hinder the provision of PC services for these patients. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are witnessing a sharp growth in the burden of non-communicable diseases. There is a significant gap between demand and supply of PC...

Objective: Patients’ satisfaction (PS) is recognized as an important emergency department service design and it has received a high interest and attention in the health management where many studies have focused on determining factors affecting PS in health-related circumstances. In this study, we aimed to examine PS in emergency department (ED) of...

Background End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is a major public health problem. Identification of risk factors for ESRD can inform intervention policies to minimise disease morbidity and mortality. The main objective of this study is to fill a gap in research literature by establishing baseline information for factors associated with ESRD among patient...

Palliative care is designed to help patients to experience the best possible quality of life. The purpose of this study is to ascertain how far palliative care services are provided for cancer patients in Gaza. Patients treated at the oncology departments of three governmental hospitals had completed the Multinational Association of Supportive Care...

Background: Quality of life (QoL) has emerged as a distinctive, consistent, and strong parameter for assessing and measuring the quality of health-care for patients with renal disease. Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) face physical, psychological and social problems that trigger reduced QoL. The QoL of hemodialysis patients in the Gaza...

End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Understanding the risk factors of ESRD can help identify preventive strategies. This study aimed to determine the risk factors of ESRD among patients undergoing hemodialysis in the governmental hospitals in Gaza Strip. Retrospective-hospital basedcase control...