scholarly journals Radiation therapist‐led telephone follow‐up: identifying patients who require post‐treatment care

Author(s):  
Fadila Najem ◽  
Susan Prosser ◽  
Jill Harris ◽  
Rachael Beldham‐Collins ◽  
Shamira Cross ◽  
...  
SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A139-A140
Author(s):  
Janannii Selvanathan ◽  
Chi Pham ◽  
Mahesh Nagappa ◽  
Philip Peng ◽  
Marina Englesakis ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Patients with chronic non-cancer pain often report insomnia as a significant comorbidity. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is recommended as the first line of treatment for insomnia, and several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have examined the efficacy of CBT-I on various health outcomes in patients with comorbid insomnia and chronic non-cancer pain. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effectiveness of CBT-I on sleep, pain, depression, anxiety and fatigue in adults with comorbid insomnia and chronic non-cancer pain. Methods A systematic search was conducted using ten electronic databases. The duration of the search was set between database inception to April 2020. Included studies must be RCTs assessing the effects of CBT-I on at least patient-reported sleep outcomes in adults with chronic non-cancer pain. Quality of the studies was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment and Yates quality rating scale. Continuous data were extracted and summarized using standard mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results The literature search resulted in 7,772 articles, of which 14 RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Twelve of these articles were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis comprised 762 participants. CBT-I demonstrated a large significant effect on patient-reported sleep (SMD = 0.87, 95% CI [0.55–1.20], p < 0.00001) at post-treatment and final follow-up (up to 9 months) (0.59 [0.31–0.86], p < 0.0001); and moderate effects on pain (SMD = 0.20 [0.06, 0.34], p = 0.006) and depression (0.44 [0.09–0.79], p= 0.01) at post-treatment. The probability of improving sleep and pain following CBT-I at post-treatment was 81% and 58%, respectively. The probability of improving sleep and pain at final follow-up was 73% and 57%, respectively. There were no statistically significant effects on anxiety and fatigue. Conclusion This systematic review and meta-analysis showed that CBT-I is effective for improving sleep in adults with comorbid insomnia and chronic non-cancer pain. Further, CBT-I may lead to short-term moderate improvements in pain and depression. However, there is a need for further RCTs with adequate power, longer follow-up periods, CBT for both insomnia and pain, and consistent scoring systems for assessing patient outcomes. Support (if any):


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshimi Sugiura ◽  
Fumiki Okamoto ◽  
Tomoya Murakami ◽  
Shohei Morikawa ◽  
Takahiro Hiraoka ◽  
...  

AbstractTo evaluate the effects of intravitreal ranibizumab injection (IVR) on metamorphopsia in patients with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO), and to assess the relationship between metamorphopsia and inner retinal microstructure and other factors. Thirty-three treatment-naïve eyes of 33 patients with macular edema caused by BRVO with at least 12 months of follow-up were included. The degree of metamorphopsia was quantified using the M-CHARTS. Retinal microstructure was assessed with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Disorganization of the retinal inner layers (DRIL) at the first month after resolution of the macular edema (early DRIL) and at 12 months after treatment (after DRIL) was studied. Central retinal thickness (CRT), and status of the external limiting membrane as well as ellipsoid zone were also evaluated. IVR treatment significantly improved best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and CRT, but the mean metamorphopsia score did not improve even after 12 months. Post-treatment metamorphopsia scores showed a significant correlation with pre-treatment metamorphopsia scores (P < 0.005), the extent of early DRIL (P < 0.05) and after DRIL (P < 0.05), and the number of injections (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that the post-treatment mean metamorphopsia score was significantly correlated with the pre-treatment mean metamorphopsia score (P < 0.05). IVR treatment significantly improved BCVA and CRT, but not metamorphopsia. Post-treatment metamorphopsia scores were significantly associated with pre-treatment metamorphopsia scores, the extent of DRIL, and the number of injections. Prognostic factor of metamorphopsia was the degree of pre-treatment metamorphopsia.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1511
Author(s):  
Katherine Nameth ◽  
Theresa Brown ◽  
Kim Bullock ◽  
Sarah Adler ◽  
Giuseppe Riva ◽  
...  

Binge-eating disorder (BED) and bulimia nervosa (BN) have adverse psychological and medical consequences. Innovative interventions, like the integration of virtual reality (VR) with cue-exposure therapy (VR-CET), enhance outcomes for refractory patients compared to cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Little is known about the feasibility and acceptability of translating VR-CET into real-world settings. To investigate this question, adults previously treated for BED or BN with at least one objective or subjective binge episode/week were recruited from an outpatient university eating disorder clinic to receive up to eight weekly one-hour VR-CET sessions. Eleven of 16 (68.8%) eligible patients were enrolled; nine (82%) completed treatment; and 82% (9/11) provided follow-up data 7.1 (SD = 2.12) months post-treatment. Overall, participant and therapist acceptability of VR-CET was high. Intent-to-treat objective binge episodes (OBEs) decreased significantly from 3.3 to 0.9/week (p < 0.001). Post-treatment OBE 7-day abstinence rate for completers was 56%, with 22% abstinent for 28 days at follow-up. Among participants purging at baseline, episodes decreased from a mean of one to zero/week, with 100% abstinence maintained at follow-up. The adoption of VR-CET into real-world clinic settings appears feasible and acceptable, with a preliminary signal of effectiveness. Findings, including some loss of treatment gains during follow-up may inform future treatment development.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Tamarozzi ◽  
Tamara Ursini ◽  
Pytsje T. Hoekstra ◽  
Ronaldo Silva ◽  
Cecilia Costa ◽  
...  

Abstract Background An accurate test for the diagnosis and post-treatment follow-up of patients with schistosomiasis is needed. We assessed the performance of different laboratory parameters, including the up-converting reporter particle technology lateral flow assay to detect circulating anodic antigen (UCP-LF CAA), for the post-treatment follow-up of schistosomiasis in migrants attending a dedicated outpatient clinic in a non-endemic country. Methods Routine anti-Schistosoma serology results and eosinophil counts were obtained of patients with positive urine/stool microscopy and/or PCR (confirmed cases) or only positive serology (possible cases), and at least one follow-up visit at 6 (T6) or 12 (T12) months after praziquantel treatment. All sera samples were tested with the UCP-LF CAA assay. Results Forty-eight patients were included, 23 confirmed and 25 possible cases. The percentage seropositivity and median antibody titers did not change significantly during follow-up. UCP-LF CAA was positive in 86.9% of confirmed and 20% of possible cases. The percentage positivity and median CAA levels decreased significantly post-treatment, with only two patients having positive CAA levels at T12. Conclusions The UCP-LF CAA assay proved useful for the diagnosis of active infection with Schistosoma spp. and highly valuable for post-treatment monitoring in migrants, encouraging the development of a commercial test.


Author(s):  
Gamze Akkus ◽  
Barış Karagun ◽  
Hilal Nur Yaldız ◽  
Mehtap Evran ◽  
Murat Sert ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectivesProlactinoma is the most common cause of pituitary tumours. Current medical guidelines recommend dopamine agonists (cabergoline or bromocriptine) as the initial therapy for prolactinoma. However, surgical removal can also be considered in selected cases, such as patients with macroadenomas with local complications (bleeding or optic chiasm pressure) or those not responding to medical treatment.MethodsThe present retrospective study included patients with prolactinomas (n=43; female, 24; male, 19) who were primarily managed with medical (n=32) or surgical (n=11) treatment.ResultsMacroadenoma (n=29.67%) was commonly detected in both genders (female, 54%; male, 84%). Moreover, the mean pre-treatment prolactin levels were similar in both genders (female, 683.3 ± 1347 ng/mL; male, 685.4 ± 805 ng/mL; p=0.226). Surgically treated patients had a greater reduction in tumour size (27.7 ± 17.9 mm pre-treatment vs. 8.72 ± 14.2 mm post-treatment) than non-surgically treated ones (12.5 ± 7.5 mm pre-treatment vs. 4.1 ± 4.2 mm post-treatment; p=0.00). However, the decrease in prolactin levels was similar between the two patient groups (p=0.108). During the follow-up period (10.6 ± 7.0 years), the average cabergoline dose of the patients was 1.42 ± 1.47 mcg/week.ConclusionsAlthough a surgical approach was considered for selected cases of prolactinoma, the average dose used for medical treatment was highly inadequate for the patients in the present study.


2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (10) ◽  
pp. e1364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiaoying Li ◽  
Akira Ito ◽  
Renqing Pengcuo ◽  
Yasuhito Sako ◽  
Xingwang Chen ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Henriët van Middendorp ◽  
Anneleen Berende ◽  
Fidel J. Vos ◽  
Hadewych H. M. ter Hofstede ◽  
Bart Jan Kullberg ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction/Objective Expectancies about symptom improvement or deterioration are reliable predictors of symptom progression and treatment outcomes (symptom resolution or symptomatic improvement) in many (non-)pharmacological studies and treatments. This study examined predictors of symptom improvement after antimicrobial therapy for persistent symptoms attributed to Lyme disease, hypothesizing particularly pre-treatment expectancies regarding symptom improvement to be predictive. Methods A predictive study was performed on pre-treatment and post-treatment individual characteristics, including expectancies, and physical and mental health–related quality of life (HRQoL) from the PLEASE-trial comparing randomized 12-weeks of doxycycline, clarithromycin-hydroxychloroquine, or placebo following 2 weeks of intravenous ceftriaxone. At end-of-treatment (14 weeks after trial start) and follow-up (52 weeks), complete data of 231 and 170 (of initial 280) patients with persistent symptoms temporally related to a history of erythema migrans or otherwise confirmed symptomatic Lyme disease, or accompanied by B. burgdorferi IgG or IgM antibodies, were examined through hierarchical regression analyses. Results In addition to pre-treatment HRQoL, pre-treatment expectancies regarding symptom improvement were consistently associated with stronger physical and mental HRQoL improvements at both end-of-treatment and follow-up (95% CI range: .09;.54, p < .01 to .27;.92, p < .001). Post-treatment expectancies regarding having received antibiotics vs. placebo was associated with more HRQoL improvement at end-of-treatment, but not at follow-up (95% CI-range 1.00;4.75, p = .003 to −7.34; −2.22, p < .001). Conclusions The present study shows that, next to pre-treatment functioning, patients’ pre-treatment and post-treatment expectancies regarding improvement of persistent symptoms attributed to Lyme disease relate to a more beneficial symptom course. Expectancies of patients may be relevant to explain and potentially improve patient outcomes (e.g., by optimized communication about treatment success). Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01207739 (Registration date: 23–09-2010) Key Points• As there is currently no sufficient symptom resolution or symptomatic improvement for many patients with persistent symptoms attributed to Lyme disease, it is relevant to know which factors determine symptom progression and predict heterogeneity in treatment response.• Next to pre-treatment functioning, expectancies regarding symptom improvement and having received antimicrobial study medication are associated with a more beneficial symptom course after both shorter-term and longer-term antimicrobial treatment.• Expectancies are relevant to consider in treatment studies and may be useful in clinical settings to improve symptom course and treatment outcome (e.g., by optimized communication about treatment success).


2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 243-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reginald D. V. Nixon ◽  
Leonard W. Kling

AbstractThe aim of this pilot study was to test whether a future-oriented expressive writing intervention is able to reduce post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) severity and associated symptoms such as depression and unhelpful trauma-related beliefs. In an uncontrolled pre-/ post-design participants attended 8 weeks of manualized therapy. Assessment was undertaken pre- and post-treatment, and participants also completed a 3-month follow-up assessment. Of the 17 participants who began therapy, 13 were treatment completers. Results indicated a significant decrease in PTSD severity, depression and unhelpful trauma-related cognitions from pre- to post-treatment and at 3-month follow-up. Clinically meaningful change was more modest; however, three participants reported PTSD remission at 3-month follow-up. It is concluded that expressive writing with a focus on achieving future goals and personal change may have some utility in reducing post-traumatic stress but future research will need to investigate this with greater methodological rigour before firm conclusions can be made.


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