JMIR Research Protocols

Labor pain is among the most intense forms of pain, and neuraxial analgesia, including epidural, spinal, and combined spinal-epidural techniques, is considered the gold standard for its management. Despite its effectiveness, persistent misconceptions, cultural barriers, and disparities in awareness contribute to underuse among certain populations. Educational interventions have been developed to address these gaps, yet a comprehensive synthesis of such efforts in the United States is lacking.

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne illness in the United States. The limitations of traditional surveillance strategies for Lyme disease affect the ability to reliably track its burden and evaluate interventions. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established the Surveillance Based Lyme Disease Network (SubLyme) in September 2023 to strengthen Lyme disease surveillance and research using electronic health record (EHR) data.

Chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) is widely recognized as one of the precancerous lesions of gastric cancer. Helicobacter pylori is one of the important risk factors for CAG and gastric cancer. However, a large proportion of patients with CAG cannot avoid developing gastric cancer even after eradicating H pylori. It is necessary to find a safe and effective treatment to suppress this “inflammation-cancer” progression. The Qi-Lian-Xiao-Pi prescription (WW-1), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been reported to be effective in the treatment of CAG. However, the evidence is subject to methodological limitations.

The aging population presents both opportunities and challenges. Both global and Malaysian statistics have shown that an increase in longevity is also marked by an increase in the time spent in poor health. A key measure of healthy aging is the ability to lead an independent life. This has implications not only for the individual’s quality of life but also for society as a whole; loss of independence with age is associated with increased economic burden and reduced workforce productivity. Understanding and subsequently addressing these age-related declines (slowing or reversing them) is critical in improving the health and societal challenges faced by older adults. However, most studies are focused on Western populations. The scarcity of interventions tailored to multiethnic Asian populations is compounded by the fact that existing measurements rely heavily on Western-designed psychometric instruments, which frequently fail in capturing true cognitive health because of large cultural and educational gaps.

High mortality and prevalence rates are hallmarks of chronic heart failure (CHF). Patients frequently have a much lower quality of life as a result of diminished exercise tolerance. Chinese guidelines have recommended Yiqi Fumai lyophilized injection (YQFM) for the treatment of heart failure, although there is currently inadequate evidence to support its effectiveness in increasing exercise tolerance in these patients.

Influenza A viruses are a significant cause of global morbidity, mortality, and economic losses. Swine are considered an important host for pandemic emergence; however, knowledge on the ecology and evolution of swine influenza viruses in relation to pig production and exchange systems is limited. The PigFluCam+ project was first initiated in 2019 as a One Health–focused research collaboration between public and animal health stakeholders in Cambodia.

Malnutrition, a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in children aged <5 years, requires early detection and intervention. In Ayurveda, “Kumarasosha” closely corresponds to childhood malnutrition, with its pathophysiology and treatment principles offering a more precise and effective approach to management.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are 2 of the leading causes of vision loss worldwide. As population aging and diabetes prevalence increase, timely detection of these conditions has become essential. However, limited professionalism and insufficient training in ophthalmic screening among general medicine physicians may lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment. Artificial intelligence (AI)–assisted diagnostic tools may help to improve the screening of DR and AMD in routine clinical practice.

Hospital discharge reports (HDRs) support continuity of care; yet, their specialized terminology may hinder patient understanding and postdischarge self-management, particularly among individuals with limited health literacy (HL).

Prostate cancer treatment increasingly emphasizes quality-of-life maintenance alongside oncological control. Integrative Traditional East Asian Medicine (TEAM), including traditional Chinese medicine, traditional Korean medicine, and Kampo medicine, has been used as an adjunctive approach for symptom management during cancer treatment. However, evidence regarding its effectiveness and safety across different disease stages remains heterogeneous and has not been comprehensively synthesized.

Patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke, as well as admitted patients who develop stroke symptoms in acute nonstroke units, are commonly transferred to stroke units, where trained interdisciplinary teams provide comprehensive assessments and discharge planning. However, the lack of integrated interdisciplinary stroke assessments in the ED and acute nonstroke unit care settings has contributed to inefficient patient flow and capacity pressure, prolonged hospital length of stay (LOS), and delayed discharge. Prior models have emphasized rapid outpatient TIA or stroke prevention clinics and ED observation pathways; these approaches have largely focused on expedited medical diagnosis and treatment, with limited attention to coordinated interdisciplinary functional assessment and discharge planning to facilitate early discharge, especially from the ED and nonstroke units, reduce readmissions, and support rehabilitation.

Delivery of interventions within student mental health services has undergone considerable digital transformation in recent years. Traditional face-to-face meetings are being substituted with autonomous digital tools with evident advantages in terms of accessibility and scalability. Despite an increasing array of digital options, there is also a growing recognition that digital tools offer limited effectiveness without some degree of human support. For example, for mental well-being, completely digitally delivered interventions show approximately half the effect sizes of interventions delivered in a traditional format. Blended forms of delivery that use both digital advantages and recognized effects of human contact are therefore promising. Hitherto, the effects of blended delivery have not been evaluated for mental well-being. Hence, investigating how digitalization in intervention delivery impacts intervention effects on mental well-being is important. This is especially relevant among emerging adults enrolled in higher education, going through a critical, transformative life phase.