Rapid Improvement Events

2021 ◽  
pp. 135-166
Author(s):  
James William Martin
Keyword(s):  
2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 222-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clarissa Brocklehurst ◽  
Murtaza Malik ◽  
Kiwe Sebunya ◽  
Peter Salama

A devastating cholera epidemic swept Zimbabwe in 2008, causing over 90,000 cases, and leaving more than 4,000 dead. The epidemic raged predominantly in urban areas, and the cause could be traced to the slow deterioration of Zimbabwe's water and sewerage utilities during the economic and political crisis that had gripped the country since the late 1990s. Rapid improvement was needed if the country was to avoid another cholera outbreak. In this context, donors, development agencies and government departments joined forces to work in a unique partnership, and to implement a programme of swift improvements that went beyond emergency humanitarian aid but did not require the time or massive investment associated with full-scale urban rehabilitation. The interventions ranged from supply of water treatment chemicals and sewer rods to advocacy and policy advice. The authors analyse the factors that made the programme effective and the challenges that partners faced. The case of Zimbabwe offers valuable lessons for other countries transitioning from emergency to development, and particularly those that need to take rapid action to upgrade failing urban systems. It illustrates that there is a ‘middle path’ between short-term humanitarian aid delivered in urban areas and large-scale urban rehabilitation, which can provide timely and highly effective results.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1753495X2110199
Author(s):  
Mehmet Nuri Duran ◽  
Fatma Beyazit ◽  
Mesut Erbaş ◽  
Onur Özkavak ◽  
Celal Acar ◽  
...  

Pregnancy‐associated atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome is a rare and potentially lethal complement-mediated disorder. It can mimic preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelets syndrome. Thus, it can be hard to distinguish pregnancy‐associated atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome from other causes in peri/post-partum women presenting with features of microangiopathic haemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia and acute kidney injury. We present a case of a 35-year-old woman in her third pregnancy at 32 weeks’ gestation who underwent caesarean section due to fetal distress. She developed severe renal impairment, thrombocytopenia and neurologic symptoms within 24 hours after delivery. A diagnosis of pregnancy‐associated atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome was provided, and treatment with plasma therapy followed by eculizumab was initiated. A rapid improvement of both clinical and laboratory parameters was observed. This case demonstrates the significance of early initiation of anti-complement therapy to prevent irreversible renal damage and possible death in women with pregnancy‐associated atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome.


2020 ◽  
pp. 120347542098255
Author(s):  
Kayadri Ratnarajah ◽  
Michelle Le ◽  
Anastasiya Muntyanu ◽  
Steve Mathieu ◽  
Simon Nigen ◽  
...  

Dupilumab, a monoclonal antibody against the common receptor of interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13, was the first biologic therapy approved in Canada for treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD). While it is considered safe and effective, dupilumab is not universally effective and 8%-38% of patients develop conjunctivitis, while some patients develop head and neck dermatitis. Thus, new therapeutic options are warranted. While both IL-4 and IL-13 play important roles in the pathogenesis of AD, it has been recently demonstrated that IL-13 is the primary upregulated cytokine in AD skin biopsy samples. A placebo-controlled phase 2b clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of lebrikizumab, an IL-13 inhibitor, in AD demonstrated that, at 16 weeks, Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) 75 and Investigator’s Global Assessment (IGA) 0/1 were achieved by 60.6% and 44.6% of patients taking lebrikizumab at its highest dose (vs 24.3% and 15.3% of patients taking placebo, respectively). Moreover, treatment with lebrikizumab was associated with rapid improvement of pruritus and low rates of conjunctivitis (1.4%-3.8%). Another IL-13 monoclonal antibody, tralokinumab, was evaluated for safety and efficacy in moderate-to-severe AD. By week 12, among adults receiving 300 mg tralokinumab, 42.5% achieved EASI-75 and 26.7% achieved IGA 0/1 score (vs 15.5% and 11.8% in the placebo group, respectively). Both lebrikizumab and tralokinumab demonstrated acceptable safety profiles in AD (and non-AD) trials with adverse events often being comparable between treatment and control groups. Thus, IL-13 inhibitors may provide a safe and effective treatment alternative for patients with moderate-to-severe AD.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Jan Stochl ◽  
Emma Soneson ◽  
Freya Stuart ◽  
Jessica Fritz ◽  
Annabel E. L. Walsh ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Despite evidence for the general effectiveness of psychological therapies, there exists substantial heterogeneity in patient outcomes. We aimed to identify factors associated with baseline severity of depression and anxiety symptoms, rate of symptomatic change over the course of therapy, and symptomatic recovery in a primary mental health care setting. Methods Using data from a service evaluation involving 35 527 patients in England's psychological and wellbeing [Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT)] services, we applied latent growth models to explore which routinely-collected sociodemographic, clinical, and therapeutic variables were associated with baseline symptom severity and rate of symptomatic change. We used a multilevel logit model to determine variables associated with symptomatic recovery. Results Being female, younger, more functionally impaired, and more socioeconomically disadvantaged was associated with higher baseline severity of both depression and anxiety symptoms. Being older, less functionally impaired, and having more severe baseline symptomatology was associated with more rapid improvement of both depression and anxiety symptoms (male gender and greater socioeconomic disadvantage were further associated with rate of change for depression only). Therapy intensity and appointment frequency seemed to have no correlation with rate of symptomatic improvement. Patients with lower baseline symptom severity, less functional impairment, and older age had a greater likelihood of achieving symptomatic recovery (as defined by IAPT criteria). Conclusions We must continue to investigate how best to tailor psychotherapeutic interventions to fit patients’ needs. Patients who begin therapy with more severe depression and/or anxiety symptoms and poorer functioning merit special attention, as these characteristics may negatively impact recovery.


2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 792.2-793
Author(s):  
P. Helliwell ◽  
L. C. Coates ◽  
F. Van den Bosch ◽  
D. D. Gladman ◽  
L. Gheyle ◽  
...  

Background:Filgotinib (FIL), a novel preferential Janus kinase 1 inhibitor, was assessed in patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in the 16-week, Phase 2, EQUATOR trial (NCT03101670).1 EQUATOR2 (NCT03320876) is the open-label extension (OLE). As previously reported, an interim analysis of the OLE showed that the majority of patients had clinical resolution of enthesitis by Week 52.2Objectives:This post-hoc analysis evaluated the effect of FIL on clinical enthesitis after 100 weeks of treatment in the OLE, as assessed using the Leeds Enthesitis Index (LEI) and Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada (SPARCC) index, and evaluated the discriminatory capacity of the two indices. In addition, we assessed which of the sites included in LEI and SPARCC were most frequently involved and whether treatment effect was consistent across sites.Methods:In EQUATOR, patients with active moderate-to-severe PsA (≥5 swollen joints and ≥5 tender joints, fulfilling Classification for PsA criteria) were randomised 1:1 to receive oral FIL 200 mg or placebo (PBO) once daily (QD) for 16 weeks. At Week 16, all patients could continue into the OLE, receiving FIL 200 mg QD for up to an additional 304 weeks. We compared changes from core baseline in LEI and SPARCC measures, the effect on enthesitis at sites included in LEI and SPARCC assessments and the discriminatory capacity of both enthesitis indices.Results:Of 131 patients randomised to EQUATOR, 122 entered the OLE. There was strong agreement between LEI and SPARCC at baseline. While most patients had enthesitis at baseline according to either index (76/131 [58.0%] by LEI; 85/131 [64.9%] by SPARCC), a minority had enthesitis at a large number of sites (6.9% with 5–6 LEI sites; 12.2% with ≥9 SPARCC sites). The sites most frequently involved at baseline were the lateral epicondyle humerus and Achilles tendon, sites common to both LEI and SPARCC. There was greater variability in the change from baseline to Week 16 in SPARCC compared with LEI (Table 1). LEI showed a greater discriminatory capacity than SPARCC when change from baseline was compared for FIL vs PBO at Week 16, as shown by higher absolute standardised mean difference: −0.70 (LEI) and −0.30 (SPARCC) (observed cases; Table 1). Subgroup analyses indicated that the treatment effect of FIL vs PBO at Week 16 for all sites was consistent with the overall treatment effect seen for LEI or SPARCC, and indicative of an improvement with FIL vs PBO for nearly all sites. The proportion of patients with enthesitis decreased from baseline up to OLE Week 100 (Figure 1). There were no major differences in long-term effect on enthesitis between sites.Conclusion:FIL improved enthesitis consistently across sites compared with PBO. Rapid improvement in enthesitis was seen up to Week 16 of the core study and improvements continued up to Week 52, after which responses were generally stable up to Week 100. LEI assesses fewer locations than SPARCC, but reassuringly captured the sites most commonly affected by enthesitis; LEI also had greater discriminatory capacity.References:[1]Mease P, et al. Lancet 2018;392:2367–77[2]Mease P, et al. Arthritis Rheumatol 2020;72(suppl 10): abstract 0910Figure 1.Acknowledgements:EQUATOR and EQUATOR2 were sponsored by Galapagos NV (Mechelen, Belgium) and co-funded by Galapagos NV and Gilead Sciences, Inc (Foster City, CA, USA). Eline Vetters, Leen Gilles, Benjamin Pett and his team, all employees of Galapagos, provided assistance with statistical analyses. Medical writing/editorial support was provided by Debbie Sherwood, BSc, CMPP (Aspire Scientific, Bollington, UK), and funded by Galapagos NV.Disclosure of Interests:Philip Helliwell Speakers bureau: Janssen, Novartis, Paid instructor for: Pfizer, Consultant of: Eli Lilly, Laura C Coates Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Amgen, Biogen, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Gilead, Janssen, Medac, Novartis, Pfizer and UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Novartis, and Pfizer, Filip van den Bosch Consultant of: AbbVie, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Merck and UCB, Dafna D Gladman Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer and UCB, Lien Gheyle Shareholder of: Galapagos, Employee of: Galapagos, Mona Trivedi Shareholder of: Gilead Sciences, Amgen, Employee of: Gilead Sciences, Muhsen Alani Shareholder of: Gilead Sciences, Employee of: Gilead Sciences, Franck Olivier Le Brun Shareholder of: Galapagos, Employee of: Galapagos, Robin Besuyen Shareholder of: Galapagos, Employee of: Galapagos, Philip J Mease Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Amgen, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer and UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, SUN and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead Sciences, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, SUN and UCB.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. e000168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roaa Saleh Alsuhaibani ◽  
Hajer Alzahrani ◽  
Ghada Algwaiz ◽  
Haneen Alfarhan ◽  
Ashwaq Alolayan ◽  
...  

Tumour board contributes to providing better patient care by using a multidisciplinary team approach. In the efforts of evaluating the performance of the gastrointestinal tumour board at our institution, it was difficult to assess past performance due to lack of proper use of standardised documentation tool. This project aimed at improving adherence to the documentation tool and its recommendations in order to obtain performance measures for the tumour board. A multidisciplinary team and a plan were developed to improve documentation. Four rapid improvement cycles, Plan–Do–Study–Act (PDSA) cycles, were conducted. The first cycle focused on updating the case discussion summary form (CDSF) based on experts’ input and previous identified deficiencies to enhance documentation and improve performance. The second PDSA cycle aimed at incorporating the CDSF into the electronic medical records system and assessing its functionality. The third cycle was to orient and train staff on using the form and launching it. The fourth PDSA cycle aimed at assessing the ability to obtain tumour board performance measures. Adherence to completion of the CDSF improved from 82% (baseline) to 94% after the fourth PDSA cycle. Over 104 consecutive cases discussed in the tumour board between January and July 2016 and 76 cases discussed in 2015, results were as follows: adherence to National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines in 2016 was observed in 141 (95%) recommendations, while it was observed in 90 (92%) recommendations in 2015. Changes in the management plans were observed in 37 (36%) cases in 2016 and in 6 (8%) cases in 2015. Regarding tumour board recommendations, 87% were done within 3 months of tumour board discussion in 2016, while 69% were done in 2015. Implementing electronic standardised documentation tool improved communication among the team and enabled getting accurate data about performance measures of the tumour board with positive impact on healthcare process and outcomes.


1977 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 681-687 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chikao Nagashima ◽  
Takashi Iwasaki ◽  
Seiichi Kawanuma ◽  
Arata Sakaguchi ◽  
Akira Kamisasa ◽  
...  

✓ The authors report a case of a traumatic vertebral arteriovenous fistula with spinal cord symptoms. Direct closure of the fistula was followed by rapid improvement.


2017 ◽  
Vol 372 (1734) ◽  
pp. 20160247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide M. Dominoni ◽  
Susanne Åkesson ◽  
Raymond Klaassen ◽  
Kamiel Spoelstra ◽  
Martin Bulla

Chronobiological research has seen a continuous development of novel approaches and techniques to measure rhythmicity at different levels of biological organization from locomotor activity (e.g. migratory restlessness) to physiology (e.g. temperature and hormone rhythms, and relatively recently also in genes, proteins and metabolites). However, the methodological advancements in this field have been mostly and sometimes exclusively used only in indoor laboratory settings. In parallel, there has been an unprecedented and rapid improvement in our ability to track animals and their behaviour in the wild. However, while the spatial analysis of tracking data is widespread, its temporal aspect is largely unexplored. Here, we review the tools that are available or have potential to record rhythms in the wild animals with emphasis on currently overlooked approaches and monitoring systems. We then demonstrate, in three question-driven case studies, how the integration of traditional and newer approaches can help answer novel chronobiological questions in free-living animals. Finally, we highlight unresolved issues in field chronobiology that may benefit from technological development in the future. As most of the studies in the field are descriptive, the future challenge lies in applying the diverse technologies to experimental set-ups in the wild. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Wild clocks: integrating chronobiology and ecology to understand timekeeping in free-living animals’.


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