Home-Based Diagnostic Testing – Revolutionizing IBD Treatment (Vol. 25, No. 1, Full Issue)

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (01) ◽  

For the month of January 2021, APBN features a cover story on innovations in home-based faecal calprotectin test for self-management of inflammatory bowel disease. Also, in the Features section, we bring you highlights of the new technologies and trends in cell-line research and development Taking a dive into healthcare technology, the Spotlights section covers interviews from two different experts on data analytics in healthcare as well as mitigating cybersecurity threats in healthcare systems. Keeping to this same umbrella of health technology, the Columns section the articles cover on the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare.

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Marchetti ◽  
S Daugbjerg

Abstract Issue/problem National healthcare systems worldwide are at a critical point due to the fiscal sustainability challenges faced. At the same time, healthcare systems are under pressure to meet the global demand for adaptation of medical innovations arriving into the market persistently. Description of the problem Hospitals often serve as the entry point for new technologies to the healthcare system. It is therefore extremely important that Health Technology Assessments (HTA) are available in timely order to accurately inform decision-makers on both short- and long-term effects of a health technology to avoid inappropriate investments. Hospital based HTA (HB-HTA) was developed to accommodate the need for evidence-based hospital-specific information in a timely manner. A substantial increase in the use of HB-HTA has been observed in the last years. However, only few reports are being published. A database for the structured collection of HB-HTA reports could help the dissemination and collaboration between hospitals. Effects/changes A survey answered by an international group of experts knowledgeable in HB-HTA from eighteen different countries has showed that there is an interest to realize the collection and dissemination of HB-HTA reports on an international scale. However, confidentiality and resources for a database are barriers for the dissemination of HB-HTA reports. The challenge will therefore be to overcome these barriers and design a database containing high quality, comparable and complete HB-HTA reports with proper data security, regular maintenance and user support. Lessons International collaboration in HB-HTA is the key to timely inform decision-makers without compromising the quality of the data or the methodology.


2020 ◽  
pp. flgastro-2020-101563
Author(s):  
Stephanie Shields ◽  
Allan Dunlop ◽  
John Paul Seenan ◽  
Jonathan Macdonald

COVID-19 has dominated life in 2020 with, at the time of writing, over 4.9M global cases and >320 000 deaths. The impact has been most intensely felt in acute and critical care environments. However, with most UK elective work postponed, laboratory testing of faecal calprotectin halted due to potential risk of viral transmission and non-emergency endoscopies and surgeries cancelled, the secondary impact on chronic illnesses such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is becoming apparent. Data from the Scottish Biologic Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) service shows a dramatic drop in TDM testing since the pandemic onset. April 2020 saw a 75.6% reduction in adalimumab testing and a 36.2% reduction in infliximab testing when compared with February 2020 data, a reduction coinciding with the widespread cancellation of outpatient and elective activity. It is feared that disruption to normal patterns of care and disease monitoring of biologic patients could increase the risk of disease flare and adverse clinical outcomes. Urgent changes in clinical practice have been instigated to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on routine clinical care. Further transformations are needed to maintain safe, effective, patient-centred IBD care in the future.


Author(s):  
Kirn Sandhu ◽  
Sandhia Naik ◽  
Ruth M Ayling

Background Faecal calprotectin has been widely used as a non-invasive marker of intestinal inflammation in children. Measurement of faecal haemoglobin using faecal immunochemical test is well established in adults for detection of colorectal cancer. In adults, faecal haemoglobin has been recommended as a reliable tool to aid identification of those at low risk of significant bowel disease and has also been used in inflammatory bowel disease to assess mucosal healing. Aims We aimed to evaluate the performance of faecal haemoglobin in the paediatric population and compare it with faecal calprotectin. Methods Children being assessed in the paediatric gastroenterology clinic for bowel symptoms had a sample sent for both faecal calprotectin and faecal haemoglobin. Samples were collected over a 10-month period from November 2018 to September 2019. Faecal haemoglobin was measured using an OC-Sensor. Faecal calprotectin was measured using Liason®Calprotectin. Results One hundred forty three samples were returned for faecal haemoglobin and in 107 a paired faecal calprotectin was also available. Faecal haemoglobin correlated with faecal calprotectin, Spearman’s rank coefficient 0.656 ( P < 0.0001). There were 35 patients with faecal haemoglobin >20 μg/g and in 32 of these patients faecal calprotectin was >200 μg/g; 74 patients with faecal haemoglobin and 38 patients with faecal calprotectin underwent colonoscopy. Patients with normal histology had faecal haemoglobin <4 μg/g; faecal haemoglobin >20 µg/g was associated with signification inflammation Conclusion Our study is the first to compare faecal haemoglobin and faecal calprotectin in a paediatric population. Results suggest that faecal haemoglobin correlates with faecal calprotectin and, as in adults, may be useful to rule out significant bowel disease. A faecal haemoglobin >20 μg/g was consistent with significant histological inflammation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 599-603
Author(s):  
Michael Friebe

AbstractThe effectiveness, efficiency, availability, agility, and equality of global healthcare systems are in question. The COVID-19 pandemic have further highlighted some of these issues and also shown that healthcare provision is in many parts of the world paternalistic, nimble, and often governed too extensively by revenue and profit motivations. The 4th industrial revolution - the machine learning age - with data gathering, analysis, optimisation, and delivery changes has not yet reached Healthcare / Health provision. We are still treating patients when they are sick rather then to use advanced sensors, data analytics, machine learning, genetic information, and other exponential technologies to prevent people from becoming patients or to help and support a clinicians decision. We are trying to optimise and improve traditional medicine (incremental innovation) rather than to use technologies to find new medical and clinical approaches (disruptive innovation). Education of future stakeholders from the clinical and from the technology side has not been updated to Health 4.0 demands and the needed 21st century skills. This paper presents a novel proposal for a university and innovation lab based interdisciplinary Master education of HealthTEC innovation designers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Connie Schumacher ◽  
Darly Dash ◽  
Fabrice Mowbray ◽  
Lindsay Klea ◽  
Andrew Costa

Abstract Background Home care clients are typically older and have some degree of medical, physical, cognitive or social conditions that require formal or informal support to promote healthy aging in the community. Home care clients contribute a significant proportion of health service use, including emergency department visits. The DIVERT-CARE trial introduced a cardio-respiratory management model to improve client motivation, symptoms and rates of unwarranted health service use. Our objective was to explore the perceptions and experiences of individuals who participated in the DIVERT-CARE self-management support and education intervention. Methods A qualitative study was nested within a pragmatic randomized control trial and conducted following a 15-week multi-component cardio-respiratory intervention. A phenomenological descriptive design was employed using thematic analysis. Post-intervention, clients and their caregivers were invited to participate in a semi-structured telephone interview. Interview questions were designed to elicit the experience with the intervention components. Results A total of 29 interviews were completed from June 2018 to March 2020 from participants in Ontario, Newfoundland, and British Columbia. Three themes were identified; self-care trajectory and burden of responsibility, learning and behaviour change, and feeling connected pre-emptively to care providers, the information and medical advice, and connection through the therapeutic relationship. Conclusions Home care clients experience unique challenges in managing cardio-respiratory related chronic disease. Home-based interventions fostered a therapeutic relationship of connectedness while equipping clients with necessary knowledge and skills. These results inform recommendations for community nursing, and home-based self-management supports for older community-residing individuals.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. e000786
Author(s):  
Abbie Maclean ◽  
James J Ashton ◽  
Vikki Garrick ◽  
R Mark Beattie ◽  
Richard Hansen

The assessment and management of patients with known, or suspected, paediatric inflammatory bowel disease (PIBD) has been hugely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although current evidence of the impact of COVID-19 infection in children with PIBD has provided a degree of reassurance, there continues to be the potential for significant secondary harm caused by the changes to normal working practices and reorganisation of services.Disruption to the normal running of diagnostic and assessment procedures, such as endoscopy, has resulted in the potential for secondary harm to patients including delayed diagnosis and delay in treatment. Difficult management decisions have been made in order to minimise COVID-19 risk for this patient group while avoiding harm. Initiating and continuing immunosuppressive and biological therapies in the absence of normal surveillance and diagnostic procedures have posed many challenges.Despite this, changes to working practices, including virtual clinic appointments, home faecal calprotectin testing kits and continued intensive support from clinical nurse specialists and other members of the multidisciplinary team, have resulted in patients still receiving a high standard of care, with those who require face-to-face intervention being highlighted.These changes have the potential to revolutionise the way in which patients receive routine care in the future, with the inclusion of telemedicine increasingly attractive for stable patients. There is also the need to use lessons learnt from this pandemic to plan for a possible second wave, or future pandemics as well as implementing some permanent changes to normal working practices.In this review, we describe the diagnosis, management and direct impact of COVID-19 in paediatric patients with IBD. We summarise the guidance and describe the implemented changes, evolving evidence and the implications of this virus on paediatric patients with IBD and working practices.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S53-S54
Author(s):  
Tina Aswani Omprakash ◽  
Norelle Reilly ◽  
Jan Bhagwakar ◽  
Jeanette Carrell ◽  
Kristina Woodburn ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a debilitating intestinal condition, manifesting as Crohn’s disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC) or indeterminate colitis (IC). The patient experience is impacted by a lack of awareness from other stakeholders despite growing global disease prevalence. To gain deeper insight of the patient experience, promote quality care, and enhance quality of life, we performed a qualitative study of the patient journey starting from pre-diagnosis through treatment. Methods U.S. patients with IBD were recruited via UC/CD support groups and organizations, social media platforms, blog followers, and personal networks. Participants were screened via an emailed survey and asked to self-identify as medically diagnosed on the basis of reported diagnostic testing. Interviews were conducted by qualitative researchers by phone or web conferencing. Open-ended questions were developed to support and gather information about our learning objectives—primarily, our desire to understand the unique experiences of UC/CD patients in their journey from symptom onset through diagnosis, treatment and maintenance (e.g. “Upon diagnosis, what were your immediate thoughts about the condition?”). This qualitative data were analyzed using Human-Centered Design methodology, including patient typologies (personas), forced temporal zoom (journey maps), forced semantic zoom (stakeholder system mapping), and affinity mapping for pattern recognition of unmet needs. Results A total of 32 patients were interviewed: N=17 CD patients, N=13 UC patients and N=2 IC patients. The interviewed population reflected regional, demographic, and disease-related diversity (Table 1). Five unique, mutually exclusive journeys were identified to understand and classify patient experiences: (1) Journey of Independence, (2) Journey of Acceptance, (3) Journey of Recognition, (4) Journey of Passion and (5) Journey of Determination (Figure 1). Patients with IBD expressed a need for increased awareness, education, and training for providers to shorten the path to diagnosis. Mental health support was found to be a critical gap in care, particularly for major treatment decisions (e.g., surgery). The inclusion of emotional support into the treatment paradigm was perceived as essential to long-term wellness. Patient attitudes and self-advocacy varied on their individual journeys; understanding these journeys may accelerate time to diagnosis and treatment. Conclusion Better understanding of patient journeys can help healthcare providers improve their approach to patient care and coordination.


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