In January, 6 new articles entered our top ten most read list. The Top 10 is compiled based on full text views, including downloads of the full article PDFs.
UK medical students mental health and their intention to drop out: a longitudinal study
Our most read new entry is a 3-month longitudinal questionnaire study from Medisauskaite et al., which explores the relationship between different mental health issues and attrition among UK medical students. From a follow-up sample of 407 (51.39%) students, highly significant associations (p<0.0001) between mental ill-health (e.g., emotional exhaustion, insomnia, anorexia tendencies) and intention to drop out were found. Hazardous drinking and bipolar symptoms were not significant predictors. Overall, one in five medical students surveyed considered dropping out, with mental ill-health being a significant contributor to the decision.
Effect of restrictive fluid resuscitation on severe acute kidney injury in septic shock: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Our next most read new entry is a systematic review and meta-analysis from Cai et al., which evaluated RCTs comparing restrictive vs. liberal (standard) fluid resuscitation on incidence of severe acute kidney injury in adults with sepsis hypotension and shock. Nine trials (n=3718) were included and, although it did not impact overall mortality, a significant lower incidence of severe acute kidney injury (p=0.006) and duration of mechanical ventilation (p=0.004) was found where patients received fluid restriction over standard care.
Traditional healing practices, factors influencing to access the practices and its complementary effect on mental health in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review
The next top-ten most read entry is a systematic review by Berhe et al., exploring evidence on traditional healing practices, accessibility, and its effectiveness in improving mental health among sub-Saharan Africans. Qualitative and quantitative studies were extracted, with 51 included in the analysis. Traditional practices included faith-based (spiritual or religious) healing and herbal therapies, and this study reports that mental health improved where traditional healing was used alongside standard medical care.