JMIR Research Protocols

Nonspecific low back pain (NSLBP) is a significant global public health concern that affects the health and well-being of individuals across different age groups, limiting their daily activities and reducing their quality of life. As Tuina (Chinese therapeutic massage) therapy and medicated oil are widely used in China, it is necessary to design a randomized clinical trial to assess the effectiveness of Tuina combined medicated oil (TNO) in treating NSLBP.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) functions according to the concepts of “holism” and treatment based on syndrome differentiation, and it has achieved good clinical results in treating patients with dysmenorrhea, which is a common gynecological disorder. However, there are currently no international clinical practice guidelines involving TCM therapies for dysmenorrhea. This study aims to establish a protocol for the development of such guidelines.

Caregivers to a person diagnosed with a glioblastoma often face significant responsibilities, balancing the demands of care with the complexities of the disease and treatment trajectory, while also coping with concerns and uncertainty of the future. Caregivers report unmet needs of information and support throughout the patient’s disease and treatment trajectory, and they may benefit from targeted supportive care interventions.

Cancer registries are essential to monitor cancer incidence and survival to provide better quality cancer data for research. In Switzerland, the pediatric oncology units within pediatric hospitals actively report cancer cases, and the coding and registration team of the Childhood Cancer Registry (ChCR) enters data manually from medical files into the registry database. There are no automated data transfers or feedback loops between the pediatric oncology clinics and the ChCR. This ongoing process is time-consuming, inefficient, and a source of potential errors.

Wearable devices offer an opportunity to objectively monitor and capture sleep and activity in psychiatric inpatient settings, where traditional approaches often rely on subjective reporting or staff observation, both of which have inherent flaws. Technologies such as Fitbit, Garmin, Oura Ring, GENEActiv, Empatica, and WHOOP (among others) have been used to passively collect physiological data that may inform care planning and clinical decision-making. Despite growing interest, the extent to which these wearables are feasible, acceptable, and useful in inpatient mental health settings remains unclear. Synthesizing this evidence is essential to inform their potential integration into psychiatric care.

Multi-organ autoimmunity belongs to a group of ultrarare diseases characterized by complex autoimmune or autoinflammatory processes affecting multiple organs. In addition to adequate medical care for patients with multi-organ autoimmunity, the understanding of patients’ treatment preferences and the measurement of their health-related quality of life are essential for improving therapy for these patients.

Street food is readily available food and beverages sold by vendors, frequently situated along streets or other public spaces. Street food is largely popular because it is low cost and readily available. However, unsafe food hygiene behaviors and conditions contribute to a substantial burden of foodborne illness. There is a gap in understanding what factors determine food hygiene behavior among street food vendors and consumers in low-income countries (LICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

People with traumatic brain injury (TBI) morbidity (impaired cognition and behavioral regulation) and polytrauma comorbidity (depression, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], chronic pain, and sleep disorders) experience health care inequities. Among Veterans and Service Members (V/SMs), TBI morbidity or polytrauma comorbidity may impact access and meaningful engagement in the high-quality health care needed to reduce poor health care outcomes. The National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Report on Accelerating Progress in TBI highlights a dearth of implementation science research in TBI that may help overcome health care access challenges. Implementation science uses a mixed methods approach to understand, implement, and examine outcomes associated with using evidence-based care in practice.

University education for physicians and midwives in sexual and reproductive health (SRH), particularly regarding abortion, is shaped by broader societal debates, which are often polarized. Teaching at faith-based universities might limit the scope and quality of SRH education. The study is contextualized within Chile’s shifting legal and social landscape following the landmark 2017 reform under President Michelle Bachelet. This reform partially lifted Chile’s absolute ban on abortion, permitting it under 3 circumstances: risk to the mother’s life, fatal fetal anomaly, and a pregnancy resulting from rape. The protocol presented here intends to examine how the enacted legislation plays out in the curricula and how abortion is taught in secular and faith-based universities, which often take conflicting stances on abortion.

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD), affecting approximately 20% to 30% of individuals with major depressive disorder, is associated with significant disability, reduced quality of life, and an increased risk of hospitalization and suicide. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a noninvasive neuromodulation therapy, has demonstrated strong efficacy for TRD but is typically limited to research contexts or private clinics. Existing research on patient perspectives on rTMS is limited and largely retrospective, focusing on individuals who have already undergone treatment. As a result, little is known about the factors that influence patients’ decisions to accept or decline rTMS at the time of referral, particularly within real-world clinical settings.

The accurate measurement of physical behaviors (PBs) and eating behaviors (EBs) is critical for designing, monitoring, and implementing public health guidelines and intervention strategies. The objective of the Wearable Sensor Assessment of Physical and Eating Behaviours (WEALTH) project was to develop standardized methods to identify daily PBs and EBs from wearable research- and consumer-grade sensors and evaluate the interaction and contexts of these behaviors.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and mental health conditions represent intersecting public health challenges, especially in resource-limited rural China. Existing care models often neglect the psychosocial needs of populations at high risk for COPD, resulting in limited effectiveness of prevention and management strategies. This study evaluates an integrated intervention designed to improve both mental and physical health outcomes among high-COPD-risk individuals with mental health symptoms, using a population medicine framework.