JMIR Research Protocols

Transitioning to residential centers often induces significant psychological stress in older adults, adversely affecting their psychological well-being (PWB) and ability to age healthily. Chinese art activities and their combination with peer group participation have demonstrated efficacy in improving emotional well-being and fostering social connectivity among younger populations but have not been examined in older adult populations to date.

The rising burden of alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) calls for effective interventions. Alcohol cessation remains the only intervention known to reduce long-term ALD morbidity and mortality. Integrating treatment for alcohol use disorder with medical and hepatology care shows significant promise.

Physical activity (PA) is safe and beneficial for children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer, yet most engage in low levels of PA. We developed IMPACT (IMplementation of Physical Activity for Children and adolescents on Treatment), a PA intervention delivered by videoconference to enhance PA among young people during treatment for cancer and blood disorder diagnoses. IMPACT is being evaluated in a type II hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial in Alberta, Canada. While referral rates are high and early visual analyses suggest IMPACT may enhance PA and aspects of quality of life and physical function, participation, retention, and adherence rates are low. Findings signal the positive effect of IMPACT for those who participate and underscore the necessity of implementation adaptations. On the basis of these early findings, a demonstrated desire, and funding for PA at sites across Canada, we must first reimagine IMPACT through active collaboration with research users–those who will refer to and/or use or benefit from the intervention.

Cancer remains a leading cause of morbidity worldwide. To reduce this burden, scalable, effective approaches are needed to address modifiable risk factors for cancer and support behavioral self-management. With smartphone ownership now nearly ubiquitous, mobile health (mHealth) interventions offer a powerful means to extend the reach, accessibility, and sustainability of evidence-based treatments for a variety of modifiable risk factors (eg, excessive alcohol use, physical inactivity, poor diet, and smoking). Moreover, the flexibility of mHealth platforms enables efficient delivery of novel interventions, supports innovative study designs, and facilitates real-time data collection to advance public health research.

Many substance use disorder (SUD) care pathways exist in health care systems. However, patients with SUD often report poor care experiences, particularly regarding timely follow-up, clinician and general satisfaction ratings, and care communication. As SUD care pathways involve transitions across clinicians and venues of care, adequate treatment requires coordination across clinicians and settings to ensure unmet needs are addressed, and appropriate SUD care is delivered. Surprisingly little is known about the real-world care pathways patients engage in once identified as having SUD.

Approximately 25% of combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) seek treatment for traumas involving potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs), which involve acts of commission, omission, or betrayal that deeply transgress one’s sense of right and wrong. The sequelae of exposure to PMIEs, called “moral injury,” are associated with functional and psychiatric impairment and disrupt veterans’ sense of identity and meaning, ability to connect with and trust others, and engender disturbing guilt, shame, rage, and disgust. Currently, no first-line treatments directly address moral injury, and evidence-based treatments for PTSD may be limited because they were derived from civilian contexts, poorly fit the war zone context, and do not allow veterans to discuss the details of the PMIEs with other veterans.

Early childhood development (ECD) programs refer to policies and programs aimed at protecting young children’s rights to achieve their full potential. Parenting interventions are effective at improving children’s cognitive development and overall well-being. However, there is limited evidence on how to effectively implement and integrate such programs into routine service delivery at scale. The Government of China launched the ECD program in 2013 and the ECD scale-up program in 2023.

Family carers of older adults often experience significant mental health challenges, including anxiety and depression. Although online coaching interventions have been found to reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms in carers, only a few studies have examined the broader impact of applying online self-help interventions for enhancing resilience and overall well-being in carers. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a self-directed e-coaching intervention for family carers of older adults aimed at reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms, while also assessing its impact on enhancing their resilience and overall well-being, particularly for those with mild levels of carer needs.

Frontline workers across multiple occupations operate in high-stress, trauma-exposed environments characterized by chronic demands and irregular schedules, increasing risk of burnout, depression, and poor sleep. Emerging evidence highlights the role of 24-hour movement behaviors in relation to mental health. Despite growing attention, research remains fragmented and often focuses on individual behaviors rather than their combined influence. This protocol outlines a scoping review designed to map existing evidence and identify research gaps.

Mis-triage represents a global concern, with reported rates ranging from 15% to 33%. Understanding its causes and contributing factors is essential for ensuring patient safety. Currently, available studies have mainly focused on evaluating triage systems rather than investigating the human factors affecting triage performance. A major limitation in triage evaluation studies is the lack of standardized criteria to assess patient acuity and the absence of a clear consensus on how to measure triage accuracy. Most studies rely on retrospective data, which often fail to capture real-life clinical complexity. Therefore, the underlying causes and consequences of mis-triage remain partially understood.

Nursing theory and conceptual models are central to nursing as a knowledge discipline, yet theory is often perceived as abstract and difficult to operationalize in education and practice. This theory-practice tension suggests variability in nurses’ and nursing students’ capability to access, interpret, critique, and apply theoretical knowledge in ways that shape praxis. Nursing theoretical literacy (NTL) is an emerging, practice-oriented literacy construct that may help specify this capability; however, its conceptual boundaries, contextual uses, and measurement approaches remain unclear.

Current data analysis and coordination methods do not effectively support nurses and midwives in risk reduction, as retrospective reporting does not allow real-time insights and precludes proactive, preventive care. Analysis of administrative data within Australia’s health care sector to predict risk may help address this shortcoming. Predictive analytics can transform these data into meaningful insights, identifying harm risk profiles that benefit the performance of Australian and international clinical programs. Importantly, these tools may support nurses and midwives in preventing adverse events and predicting high-risk situations. Researchers, in collaboration with local health network staff, will develop a proof-of-concept predictive risk algorithm. The “predictive harm response management algorithmic tool to reduce adverse events in healthcare settings” program (project DHCRC-0156) will provide real-time insights via an interactive dashboard, enabling nurses, midwives, and health administration to assess risks and optimize resources in health care settings. This protocol details the algorithm development activities for subproject 1a, predictive risk model development, which aims to develop and pilot-test a predictive harm algorithm across 2 South Australian local health networks.