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Publicações

Publicações por Artur Rocha

2022

Development of a data classification system for preterm birth cohort studies: the RECAP Preterm project

Autores
Bamber, D; Collins, HE; Powell, C; Goncalves, GC; Johnson, S; Manktelow, B; Ornelas, JP; Lopes, JC; Rocha, A; Draper, ES;

Publicação
BMC MEDICAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Abstract
Background The small sample sizes available within many very preterm (VPT) longitudinal birth cohort studies mean that it is often necessary to combine and harmonise data from individual studies to increase statistical power, especially for studying rare outcomes. Curating and mapping data is a vital first step in the process of data harmonisation. To facilitate data mapping and harmonisation across VPT birth cohort studies, we developed a custom classification system as part of the Research on European Children and Adults born Preterm (RECAP Preterm) project in order to increase the scope and generalisability of research and the evaluation of outcomes across the lifespan for individuals born VPT. Methods The multidisciplinary consortium of expert clinicians and researchers who made up the RECAP Preterm project participated in a four-phase consultation process via email questionnaire to develop a topic-specific classification system. Descriptive analyses were calculated after each questionnaire round to provide pre- and post- ratings to assess levels of agreement with the classification system as it developed. Amendments and refinements were made to the classification system after each round. Results Expert input from 23 clinicians and researchers from the RECAP Preterm project aided development of the classification system's topic content, refining it from 10 modules, 48 themes and 197 domains to 14 modules, 93 themes and 345 domains. Supplementary classifications for target, source, mode and instrument were also developed to capture additional variable-level information. Over 22,000 individual data variables relating to VPT birth outcomes have been mapped to the classification system to date to facilitate data harmonisation. This will continue to increase as retrospective data items are mapped and harmonised variables are created. Conclusions This bespoke preterm birth classification system is a fundamental component of the RECAP Preterm project's web-based interactive platform. It is freely available for use worldwide by those interested in research into the long term impact of VPT birth. It can also be used to inform the development of future cohort studies.

2022

Moodbuster (E-MODEL): The feasibility of digital cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for depressed older adults: Study protocol of two pilot feasibility studies (Preprint)

Autores
Amarti, K; Schulte, MHJ; Kleiboer, AM; van Genugten, CR; Oudega, M; Sonnenberg, C; Gonçalves, GC; Rocha, A; Riper, H;

Publicação

Abstract
BACKGROUND

Internet-based interventions can be effective in the treatment of depression. However, internet-based interventions for older adults with depression are scarce and little is known about their feasibility and effectiveness.

OBJECTIVE

To present the design of two studies aiming to assess the feasibility of internet-based cognitive behavioural treatment (CBT) for older adults with depression (E-MODEL). We will assess the feasibility of an online, guided version of E-MODEL among depressed older adults from the general population as well as the feasibility of a blended format (combining integrated face-to-face sessions and internet-based modules) in specialised mental health care outpatient clinic.

METHODS

A single-group pretest-posttest design will be applied for both settings. The primary outcome of the studies will be feasibility in terms of (a) acceptance and satisfaction (measured with the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8, (b) usability (measured with the System Usability Scale) and (c) engagement (measured with the Twente Engagement with Ehealth Technologies Scale). Secondary outcomes include: (a) severity of depressive symptoms (PHQ-8), (b) participant and therapist experience with the digital technology (with the use of qualitative interviews), (c) working alliance between patient and practitioner (from both perspectives; WAI-SF), (d) technical alliance between patient and the platform (WAI-TECH-SF) and (e) uptake in terms of attemped and completed modules. N=30 older adults with mild to moderate depressive symptoms (score between 5 and 11 as measured with the Geriatric Depression Scale 15) will be recruited from the general population. N=15 older adults with moderate to severe depressive symptoms (GDS-15 score between 8 and 15) will be recruited from a specialised mental health care outpatient clinic.

RESULTS

A mixed-method approach of quantitative and qualitative analyses will be adopted. Both the primary and secondary outcomes will be additionally explored with an individual semistructured interview and synthesized descriptively. Descriptive statistics (Mean and SDs) will be used to examine the primary and secondary outcome measures. Within-group depression severity will be analyzed using a two-tailed paired sample t-test to investigate differences between time points. The interviews will be recorded and analyzed using thematic analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this pilot study will show whether this platform is feasible among the older adult population in a blended and guided format in the two settings as well as a first exploration of the size of the effect of E-MODEL in terms of decrease of depressive symptoms.

2022

Insomnia and nightmare profiles during the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal: characterization and associated factors

Autores
Goncalves M.; Henriques A.; Costa A.R.; Correia D.; Severo M.; Severo M.; Lucas R.; Lucas R.; Barros H.; Santos A.C.; Ribeiro A.I.; Rocha A.; Lopes C.; Correia D.; Ramos E.; Gonçalves G.; Barros H.; Araújo J.; Talih M.; Tavares M.; Lunet N.; Meireles P.; Duarte R.; Camacho R.; Fraga S.; Correia S.; Silva S.; Leão T.;

Publicação
SLEEP MEDICINE

Abstract
Objective/background: To describe and characterize insomnia symptoms and nightmare profiles in Portugal during the first six weeks of a national lockdown due to COVID-19. Patients/methods: An open cohort study was conducted to collect information of the general population during the first wave of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal. We analyzed data from 5011 participants (>= 16 years) who answered a weekly questionnaire about their well-being. Two questions about the frequency of insomnia and nightmares about COVID-19 were consecutively applied during six weeks (March-May 2020). Latent class analysis was conducted and different insomnia and nightmare profiles were identified. Associations between individual characteristics and both profiles were estimated using odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Five insomnia (No insomnia, Stable-mild, Decreasing-moderate, Stable-severe, Increasing-severe) and three nightmares profiles (Stable-mild, Stable-moderate, Stable-severe) were identified. Being female, younger, perceiving their income as insufficient and feelings of fear towards COVID-19 were associated with higher odds of insomnia (Women: OR = 6.98 95%CI: 4.18-11.64; >= 60 years: OR = 0.30 95%CI: 0.18-0.53; Insufficient income: adjusted OR (aOR) = 8.413 95% CI: 3.93-16.84; Often presenting fear of being infected with SARS-CoV-2 infection: aOR = 9.13 95%CI: 6.36-13.11), and nightmares (Women: OR = 2.60 95%CI: 1.74-3.86; >= 60 years: OR = 0.45 95%CI: 0.28-0.74; Insufficient income: aOR = 2.60 95%CI: 1.20e5.20; Often/almost always presenting fear of being infected with SARS-CoV-2 infection: aOR = 6.62 95%CI: 5.01-8.74). Having a diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection was associated with worse patterns of nightmares about the pandemic. Conclusions: Social and psychological individual factors are important characteristics to consider in the developmentof therapeutic strategies to supportpeoplewithsleep problems during the COVID-19 pandemic.

2022

Feasibility of Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depressed Older Adults With the Moodbuster Platform: Protocol for 2 Pilot Feasibility Studies

Autores
Amarti, K; Schulte, MHJ; Kleiboer, A; Van Genugten, CR; Oudega, M; Sonnenberg, C; Gonçalves, Gc; Rocha, A; Riper, H;

Publicação
JMIR Research Protocols

Abstract
Background: Internet-based interventions can be effective in the treatment of depression. However, internet-based interventions for older adults with depression are scarce, and little is known about their feasibility and effectiveness. Objective: To present the design of 2 studies aiming to assess the feasibility of internet-based cognitive behavioral treatment for older adults with depression. We will assess the feasibility of an online, guided version of the Moodbuster platform among depressed older adults from the general population as well as the feasibility of a blended format (combining integrated face-to-face sessions and internet-based modules) in a specialized mental health care outpatient clinic. Methods: A single-group, pretest-posttest design will be applied in both settings. The primary outcome of the studies will be feasibility in terms of (1) acceptance and satisfaction (measured with the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8), (2) usability (measured with the System Usability Scale), and (3) engagement (measured with the Twente Engagement with eHealth Technologies Scale). Secondary outcomes include (1) the severity of depressive symptoms (measured with the 8-item Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale), (2) participant and therapist experience with the digital technology (measured with qualitative interviews), (3) the working alliance between patients and practitioners (from both perspectives; measured with the Working Alliance Inventory-Short Revised questionnaire), (4) the technical alliance between patients and the platform (measured with the Working Alliance Inventory for Online Interventions-Short Form questionnaire), and (5) uptake, in terms of attempted and completed modules. A total of 30 older adults with mild to moderate depressive symptoms (Geriatric Depression Scale 15 score between 5 and 11) will be recruited from the general population. A total of 15 older adults with moderate to severe depressive symptoms (Geriatric Depression Scale 15 score between 8 and 15) will be recruited from a specialized mental health care outpatient clinic. A mixed methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative analyses will be adopted. Both the primary and secondary outcomes will be further explored with individual semistructured interviews and synthesized descriptively. Descriptive statistics (reported as means and SDs) will be used to examine the primary and secondary outcome measures. Within-group depression severity will be analyzed using a 2-tailed, paired-sample t test to investigate differences between time points. The interviews will be recorded and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: The studies were funded in October 2019. Recruitment started in September 2022. Conclusions: The results of these pilot studies will show whether this platform is feasible for use by the older adult population in a blended, guided format in the 2 settings and will represent the first exploration of the size of the effect of Moodbuster in terms of decreased depressive symptoms. © 2022 Khadicha Amarti, Mieke H J Schulte, Annet Kleiboer.

2012

Innovative ICT Solutions to Improve Treatment Outcomes for Depression: The ICT4Depression Project

Autores
Warmerdam, L; Riper, H; Klein, MCA; de Ven, Pv; Rocha, A; Henriques, MR; Tousset, E; Silva, H; Andersson, G; Cuijpers, P;

Publicação
Annual Review of Cybertherapy and Telemedicine 2012 - Advanced Technologies in the Behavioral, Social and Neurosciences

Abstract
Depression is expected to be the disorder with the highest disease burden in high-income countries by the year 2030. ICT4Depression (ICT4D) is a European FP7 project, which aims to contribute to the alleviation of this burden by making use of depression treatment and ICT innovations. In this project we developed an ICT-based system for use in primary care that aims to improve access as well as actual care delivery for depressed adults. Innovative technologies within the ICT4D system include 1) flexible self-help treatments for depression, 2) automatic assessment of the patient using mobile phone and web-based communication 3) wearable biomedical sensor devices for monitoring activities and electrophysiological indicators, 4) computational methods for reasoning about the state of a patient and the risk of relapse (reasoning engine) and 5) a flexible system architecture for monitoring and supporting people using continuous observations and feedback via mobile phone and the web. The general objective of the ICT4D project is to test the feasibility and acceptability of the ICT4D system within a pilot study in the Netherlands and in Sweden during 2012 and 2013. © 2012 Interactive Media Institute and IOS Press.

2003

SINUP: Using GIS to support e-democracy

Autores
Carvalho, A; Rocha, A; Oliveira, MA;

Publicação
ELECTRONIC GOVENMENT, PROCEEDINGS

Abstract
SINUP consists of a geographical information system whose purpose is to store, in a coherent manner, data resulting from key activities of Oporto local authority, allowing to better structure the knowledge about the urban reality. In the possession of such knowledge, and with the revision of Oporto's Municipal Master Plan taking place soon, the municipality is making an effort to develop an electronic citizen service that will allow a large number of citizens to consult it, and more important, participate in its public discussion prior to approval thus creating a major instrument of e-democracy in Oporto's municipality.

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