News

Predictores sociodemográficos y clínicos de la adherencia a los antidepresivos en los trastornos depresivos: una revisión sistemática con un metanálisis
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SESCS PUBLICATION: Association Between Childhood Obesity and the Risk of Food Addiction: A Matched Case-Control Study

Néstor Benítez Brito, Berta Pinto Robayna, Juan Ignacio Capafons Sosa, Miguel Ángel García Bello, Eva María Herrera Rodríguez, Jesús Enrique de las Heras Roger, Mónica Ruiz Pons, Irina María Delgado Brito, Carlos Díaz Romero, Yolanda Ramallo Fariña

ABSTRACT

Background

Food addiction is a new clinical entity that is beginning to be linked to obesity and eating disorders. The present study aims to investigate the association between the risk of food addiction in children and the presence of obesity. It also explores the relationship between food addiction, the development of eating disorders, and body image dissatisfaction.

Material and methods

A matched case-control study was conducted in a Spanish pediatric population (cases have obesity, and controls have normal weight). The main outcome measures were evaluation of food addiction (S-YFAS-C), child feeding attitudes (ChEAT), and evaluation of body image (CDRS). Additionally, sociodemographic and anthropometric data were gathered.

Results

A total of 62 children were evaluated (31 cases with age 11 ± 0.7 years and BMI Z-score 2.89 ± 1.33; 31 controls with age 10.7 ± 0.8 years and BMI Z-score −0.05 ± 0.52). For all items on the S-YFAS-C scale, significant differences were observed between the two groups (∧ = 0.252, p = 0.002). Food addiction was diagnosed in 32.3% of cases (2.06 ± 1.7 symptoms) and 22.6% of controls (1.61 ± 1.6 symptoms), although no statistically significant differences were observed between groups. A statistically significant correlation exists between all the scores of the scales studied in the children.

Conclusions

Children with obesity have a higher number of food addiction symptoms compared to those with normal weight. In general, as food addiction scores increase, higher scores are observed for the risk of developing eating disorders and body image dissatisfaction.

You can read the full article here.

Predictores sociodemográficos y clínicos de la adherencia a los antidepresivos en los trastornos depresivos: una revisión sistemática con un metanálisis
 Featured, News

SESCS PUBLICATION: Effectiveness of a web-based decision aid for patients with Generalised Anxiety Disorder in Spain: a randomised controlled trial

Vanesa Ramos García, Amado Rivero Santana, Wenceslao Peñate Castro, Yolanda Álvarez Pérez, María del Mar Trujillo Martín, Himar González Pacheco, Anthea Santos Álvarez, Andrea Duarte Díaz, María Isabel Del Cura González, Lilisbeth Perestelo Pérez

ABSTRACT

Objective

To evaluate the effectiveness of an online Patient Decision Aid (PtDA) for patients with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

Design

Randomised controlled trial comparing the PtDA to general information (fact sheet).

Setting

The study took place in 17 primary care centres in the Canary Islands (Spain).

Participants

Patients diagnosed with GAD and a score ≥8 in the GAD-7 questionnaire.

Intervention

Patients were randomly allocated to the PtDA group (n=58) or the control group (n=61).

Main outcome measure

The primary outcome was decisional conflict at postintervention, assessed with the Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS). Secondary outcomes include knowledge about GAD and its treatments, concordance between informed preference and 3 month actual choice, decision quality and GAD symptoms.

Results

There were no significant differences in decisional conflict at postintervention or 3 month follow-up in the intention-to-treat (ITT) or per-protocol sample (PPS). The PtDA significantly improved postintervention (MD=1.65, 95% CI: 0.84 to 2.46) and 3 month objective knowledge (MD=0.78, 95% CI: 0.02 to 1.55). In the PPS, anxiety symptoms at 3 months were significantly lower in the PtDA group (MD=−3.00, 95% CI: −5.69 to –0.30), but in the ITT sample, this difference did not reach significance (p=0.06). There were no significant differences in the rate of patients unsure about treatment preference at postintervention, nor on concordance or decision quality at follow-up.

Conclusion

The use of the PtDA led to improvements in knowledge at 3 months, but it did not result in a significant reduction of decisional conflict. These results must be interpreted with caution, given the methodological limitations of the study, mainly the high rate of dropouts. Further research is needed to confirm these results, the first published on the effectiveness of a PtDA for GAD patients.

Trial registration number NCT04364958.

You can read the full article here.

 News

Update of the Protocol for the Early Diagnosis of Coeliac Disease

The updated Protocol for the Early Diagnosis of Coeliac Disease is now available. It was developed within the framework of the Clinical Practice Guidelines Programme of the Spanish National Health System, coordinated by GuiaSalud.

Coeliac disease remains an underdiagnosed condition, despite advances in our understanding of the disease and in diagnostic tools. The new protocol brings together the best available scientific evidence to promote early detection.

The document addresses the care of people of any age with suspected or at-risk coeliac disease and includes key aspects related to diagnosis, treatment, clinical follow-up, refractory disease and potential complications.

The protocol was developed by a multidisciplinary panel comprising healthcare professionals from different specialties, researchers, methodologists and patient representatives, with the participation of representatives from 13 scientific societies.

The Canary Islands Health Service Health Technology Assessment Service (SESCS) provided methodological coordination and led the development of the document in collaboration with the multidisciplinary group of experts.

Access the Protocol for the Early Diagnosis of Coeliac Disease

 News, Scientific visits

Scientific visit: Javier Zambrano Melín

Javier Zambrano Melín holds a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing, a Master’s degree in Medical Sciences, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Public Health Sciences. His professional career combines clinical, teaching, and research experience, with a particular focus on health economic evaluations and the study of early-stage chronic kidney disease.

What was the purpose of the visit?

To improve the analysis of the economic and health benefit data related to my doctoral research and to deepen my knowledge of health technology assessment.

Why did you choose SESCS?

I chose SESCS because of the expertise and experience of its professionals. After learning about their backgrounds, I developed high expectations, which were more than exceeded during my stay.

How will you apply, or how might you benefit from, the activities conducted in collaboration with SESCS in your current professional work?

Without a doubt, this was an invaluable opportunity to refine the results of my doctoral thesis. I will now focus on writing and discussing my findings so that I can complete my PhD in the near future. I will also continue contributing to reports developed by SESCS and work to incorporate health technology assessment into academic teaching.

Did this visit meet your expectations?

Absolutely. The experience exceeded my expectations. Dr. Lidia García Pérez, together with the entire SESCS team, consistently supported my learning, helped strengthen my analyses, and generously shared their extensive practical and theoretical knowledge.

Comments or suggestions:

I am deeply grateful for this academic stay and sincerely hope to have the opportunity to return to the island of Tenerife someday.

Predictores sociodemográficos y clínicos de la adherencia a los antidepresivos en los trastornos depresivos: una revisión sistemática con un metanálisis
 Featured, News

SESCS PUBLICATION: Ozone Treatment in the Management of Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: A Review of Rationale and Research Directions

Bernardino Clavo, Ángeles Cánovas-Molina, Mario Federico, Gregorio Martínez-Sánchez, Gretel Benítez, Saray Galván, Yolanda Ramallo-Fariña, Himar Fabelo, Sara Cazorla-Rivero, Elba Lago-Moreno, Carla Antonilli, Juan A. Díaz-Garrido, Ignacio J. Jorge, Gustavo Marrero-Callico, Delvys Rodríguez-Abreu, Francisco Rodríguez Esparragón.

SIMPLE SUMARY

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common side effect of chemotherapy. CIPN can lead to a dose reduction and/or the interruption of chemotherapy, limiting its effectiveness, while chronic CIPN decreases patients’ quality of life. Unfortunately, the only evidence-based treatment for CIPN-related pain, duloxetine, provides only a modest clinical benefit, and there is no effective clinical management option for numbness and tingling. This narrative review summarizes the mechanisms underlying CIPN and the effects of ozone. It also summarizes experimental studies (18) and clinical reports (27) published between 1995 and 2025 that offer preliminary evidence supporting the potential role of ozone treatment in managing CIPN and highlight the need for ongoing randomized clinical trials to establish its efficacy.

ABSTRACT

Background:

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common side effect of chemotherapy. CIPN can lead to a dose reduction and/or the interruption of chemotherapy, limiting its effectiveness, while chronic CIPN decreases patients’ quality of life. Improvements in cancer treatment and patients’ survival have increased the number of patients living with CIPN. The only evidence-based treatment for CIPN-related pain, duloxetine, provides only modest clinical benefit, and there is no effective clinical management option for numbness and tingling. Several experimental studies and clinical reports suggest that adjuvant ozone treatment may be beneficial in managing CIPN.

Methods:

This narrative review aims to provide an overview of current knowledge regarding CIPN and ozone therapy. Specifically, it summarizes experimental studies (18) and clinical reports (27) published between 1995 and 2025 that offer preliminary evidence supporting the potential role of ozone treatment in managing CIPN, highlighting the need for ongoing randomized clinical trials to establish its efficacy. Additionally, this review highlights existing gaps in the literature and proposes directions for future research.

Results:

The hypothesized mechanisms of action and experimental findings suggest that ozone therapy may be a valuable intervention for CIPN, a concept supported by preliminary clinical observations.

Conclusions:

Clinically relevant approaches for established CIPN are currently unavailable. While preliminary data suggest a potential role of ozone therapy, clinical evidence remains limited. Further high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm its efficacy and safety in this context; several trials are currently ongoing.

You can read the full article here.

 News

First Meeting of the SerenApp Project at the Hospital Universitario Costa del Sol

Researchers from the Service for the Evaluation of the Canary Islands Health Service (SESCS) participated last week in the First Meeting of the #SerenApp Project, held at the Hospital Universitario Costa del Sol (Marbella, Málaga).

During the working sessions, the team made progress in defining the content, structure, and functional requirements of #SerenApp, an application aimed at supporting the emotional well-being and recovery of women survivors of breast cancer.

The meeting enabled joint work on different app modules related to emotional management, self-esteem, psychological coping, recovery, and other digital support resources, as well as defining next steps for the development of the project.

On behalf of SESCS, the participating researchers were Vanesa Ramos García, Yolanda Álvarez Díaz, and Andrea Duarte Díaz, together with the principal investigator of the project, Irene Zarco Pedrinaci, and the co-investigator Esperanza Varela Moreno, as well as other members of the unit and the project.

Project funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, the Carlos III Health Institute (Ref. PI24/01193) and co-funded by the European Union.

Predictores sociodemográficos y clínicos de la adherencia a los antidepresivos en los trastornos depresivos: una revisión sistemática con un metanálisis
 Featured, News

SESCS PUBLICATION: Health outcomes in caregivers after a continuous group-based educational intervention strategy

María Paula Martín-Andrade, Aroa Camejo-Guerra, Dolores María Ruano-López, Raquel del Rosario Medina-Ponce, Andrea Duarte-Díaz, Beatriz Candela-Angulo, Francisco J. Navarro-Vázquez, Juan José Suárez-Sánchez, Lilisbeth Perestelo-Pérez, Vanesa Ramos-García, Ana Isabel Barreno-Estévez, Yolanda Alvarez-Perez

ABSTRACT

Background:

The increase in life expectancy and chronic diseases has raised the complexity and burden of caring for patients with chronic conditions. This study evaluates a group-based educational intervention aimed at caregivers of these patients, focusing on caregiver burden, mental health, quality of life, and health literacy.

Methods:

A quasi-experimental design with a control group was used. The experimental group participated in a 16-session workshop, while the control group received no intervention. Caregiver burden (Zarit Burden Interview, EZA), mental health (Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scales), quality of life (EQ-5D-5L), family caregiver quality of life (ICUB-97-R), and acquired knowledge were assessed before and after the workshop, as well as at a 3-month follow-up.

Results:

A total of 37 participants (mean age 55.2 years) took part, of whom 35.1% had been caregivers for more than 10 years. Results showed significant improvements in acquired knowledge post-intervention (p = 0.033) in favour of the experimental group. Within-group analyses showed a significant improvement in caregiver impact (ICUB-97-R burden subscale) in the experimental group after the intervention (p = 0.023), while the control group showed a significant worsening in caregiver burden and anxiety. At follow-up, significant improvements in anxiety and depression were observed in the experimental group. Overall, 78% of caregivers rated the workshop sessions positively.

Conclusion:

The group workshop showed beneficial effects on caregivers’ well-being and caregiving capacity. However, strategies are needed to maintain these benefits in the long term.

You can read the full article (in spanish) here.

 News

The 2nd Research Day of the “La Laguna – Tenerife North” Teaching Unit strengthens collaboration with SESCS in the supervision of Medical Residents

The 2nd Research Day of the Multiprofessional Teaching Unit for Family and Community Care “La Laguna – Tenerife North”, held on 24 April 2026, brought together the results of the work carried out within the framework of the collaboration between this Teaching Unit and the Health Service Evaluation Unit of the Canary Islands Health Service (SESCS), in the supervision of two groups of Medical Residents that began in April 2024.

This collaboration has enabled the development of research projects aimed at improving clinical practice, with a particular focus on the incorporation of Shared Decision Making in the field of Paediatrics.

First research group

One of the groups, supervised by Alezandra Torres Castaño and Carmen Guirado Fuentes, carried out its training within the project “Analysis of the level of use of Shared Decision Making in Paediatric Services: an approach to diabetes, obesity and asthma in the Canary Islands”, funded by the Canary Islands Health Research Institute Foundation (FIISC).

The work carried out by Carlota Carmona Barragán, Carlos Alfonzo Ramírez and Nieves Kelly González Afonso focused on the application, following prior training, of the OPTION-5 scale as a tool to measure Shared Decision Making from the perspective of an external observer.

During the event, preliminary results from part of the project were presented, focusing on identifying the level of knowledge and use of Shared Decision Making among paediatric healthcare professionals, including physicians and nurses, based on real clinical consultations with paediatric patients.

These results provide relevant evidence for the achievement of the remaining project objectives and contribute to further progress in the implementation of Shared Decision Making in clinical practice.

Second research group

The second group, supervised by Lilisbeth Perestelo-Pérez, Vanesa Ramos-García and Anthea Santos-Álvarez, carried out its research training within the project “Validation of the Multimorbidity Treatment Burden Questionnaire (MTBQ) and its relationship with health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-5L) in the Primary Care setting: a cross-sectional study”, conducted in a population with multimorbidity in Primary Care in Tenerife.

The work, developed by Alicia Medina, Marta Castro and Ignacio Frías, focused on the cultural adaptation and psychometric validation of the Spanish version of the MTBQ questionnaire, a tool designed to assess treatment burden in people with multimorbidity, as well as its relationship with health-related quality of life.

During the event, the main results of the study were presented, showing that the Spanish version of the MTBQ scale has adequate psychometric properties for assessing treatment burden in patients with multimorbidity in Primary Care.

In addition, the findings provide relevant insights into patients’ perceived treatment burden and the impact of chronic disease management on their daily lives and quality of life.

Predictores sociodemográficos y clínicos de la adherencia a los antidepresivos en los trastornos depresivos: una revisión sistemática con un metanálisis
 Featured, News

SESCS PUBLICATION: Pain Relief, Disability, and Hospital Costs After Intradiscal Ozone Treatment or Microdiscectomy for Lumbar Disc Herniation: A 24-Month Real-World Prospective Study

Sara Bisshopp, Renata Linertová, Miguel A. Caramés, Adam Szolna, Ignacio J. Jorge, Minerva Navarro, Brian Melchiorsen, Benjamín Rodríguez-Díaz, Jesús M. González-Martín, Bernardino Clavo

ABSTRACT

Background/Objectives

Surgery is the treatment of choice for symptomatic disc herniation after unsuccessful conservative management. This prospective study compared the impact on clinical and hospital outcomes of intradiscal ozone treatment vs. surgery (microdiscectomy/discectomy) in our clinical practice.

Methods

Intradiscal ozone treatment was offered to 70 patients with scheduled surgery because of lumbar disc herniation. Initial treatment was surgery in 38 patients and ozone infiltration in 32 patients: lumbar and sciatic pain (Visual Analog Scale), Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire score, days of hospital admission, and direct hospital costs were recorded during 24 months of follow-up.

Results

At 12 and 24 months, lumbar pain, sciatic pain, and Roland-Morris score decreased significantly within both groups (p < 0.001). At 24 months, compared to the initial surgery, the initial intradiscal ozone treatment showed similar clinical outcomes with significantly lower requirements of surgery (100% versus 47%, p < 0.001) and lower hospital stay [median 2.5 (2–3) versus 0.5 (0–2) days, p < 0.001]. Direct hospital costs were significantly lower with initial ozone treatment at 12 months (p = 0.040).

Conclusions

In our real-world prospective study, after 24 months of follow-up, initial intradiscal ozone treatment avoided surgery in more than half of patients and provided similar clinical outcomes with lower hospitalization requirements. In patients with lumbar disc herniation requiring surgery (microdiscectomy/discectomy), initial intradiscal ozone treatment could offer benefits for patients and healthcare service providers (NCT00566007).

You can read the full article here.

Predictores sociodemográficos y clínicos de la adherencia a los antidepresivos en los trastornos depresivos: una revisión sistemática con un metanálisis
 Featured, News

SESCS PUBLICATION: Resource use and healthcare costs in long-term breast cancer survivors (CONCEPT-COSTS)

Cristina Valcárcel Nazco, Benjamín Rodríguez Díaz, David Abbad Gómez, Carmen Guirado Fuentes, Francisco Estupiñán Romero, Enrique Bernal Delgado, María Sala Serra

ABSTRACT

Objective

To analyze the use of resources and healthcare costs of a cohort of long-term survivors of breast cancer in four autonomous communities in Spain (Aragon, Catalonia, Madrid and Navarre) by assessing their pathways in the National Health System.

Method

Patient pathways were analyzed based on their interactions with the National Health System between 2012 and 2016. Healthcare pathways were obtained from the CONCEPT project and were use to examine resource use, associated costs, and to analyze potential differences between cohorts and regions. A total of 18,527 women were included, of whom 6115 were long-term survivors of breast cancer and 12,412 formed the control group, consisting of women with no history of the disease, matched by age and healthcare area with the survivors. Regression models were applied to analyze factors associated with the cost of trajectories.

Results

Long-term survivors of breast cancer had a higher use of healthcare resources, and a higher number of comorbidity and drug use compared to the control group, with statistically significant differences. Costs were also higher for survivors, especially in outpatient clinics. Factors such as the number of drugs, comorbidity and the Charlson index were identified as the main factors associated with higher healthcare costs in both groups.

Conclusions

This study identified the costs of healthcare pathways in long-term breast cancer survivors and suggests that the methodology used could help healthcare professionals allocate resources more efficiently.

You can read the full article (in spanish) here.