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Mody A, Filiatreau LM, Goss CW, Powell BJ, Geng EH. Instrumental variables for implementation science: exploring context-dependent causal pathways between implementation strategies and evidence-based interventions. Implement Sci Commun 2023; 4:157. [PMID: 38124203 PMCID: PMC10731809 DOI: 10.1186/s43058-023-00536-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The impact of both implementation strategies (IS) and evidence-based interventions (EBI) can vary across contexts, and a better understanding of how and why this occurs presents fundamental but challenging questions that implementation science as a field will need to grapple with. We use causal epidemiologic methods to explore the mechanisms of why sharp distinctions between implementation strategies (IS) and efficacy of an evidence-based intervention (EBI) may fail to recognize that the effect of an EBI can be deeply intertwined and dependent on the context of the IS leading to its uptake. METHODS We explore the use of instrumental variable (IV) analyses as a critical tool for implementation science methods to isolate three relevant quantities within the same intervention context when exposure to an implementation strategy is random: (1) the effect of an IS on implementation outcomes (e.g., uptake), (2) effect of EBI uptake on patient outcomes, and (3) overall effectiveness of the IS (i.e., ~ implementation*efficacy). We discuss the mechanisms by which an implementation strategy can alter the context, and therefore effect, of an EBI using the underlying IV assumptions. We illustrate these concepts using examples of the implementation of new ART initiation guidelines in Zambia and community-based masking programs in Bangladesh. RESULTS Causal questions relevant to implementation science are answered at each stage of an IV analysis. The first stage assesses the effect of the IS (e.g., new guidelines) on EBI uptake (e.g., same-day treatment initiation). The second stage leverages the IS as an IV to estimate the complier average causal effect (CACE) of the EBI on patient outcomes (e.g., effect of same-day treatment initiation on viral suppression). The underlying assumptions of CACE formalize that the causal effect of EBI may differ in the context of a different IS because (1) the mechanisms by which individuals uptake an intervention may differ and (2) the subgroup of individuals who take up an EBI may differ. IV methods thus provide a conceptual framework for how IS and EBIs are linked and that the IS itself needs to be considered a critical contextual determinant. Moreover, it also provides rigorous methodologic tools to isolate the effect of an IS, EBI, and combined effect of the IS and EBI. DISCUSSION Leveraging IV methods when exposure to an implementation strategy is random helps to conceptualize the context-dependent nature of implementation strategies, EBIs, and patient outcomes. IV methods formalize that the causal effect of an EBI may be specific to the context of the implementation strategy used to promote uptake. This integration of implementation science concepts and theory with rigorous causal epidemiologic methods yields novel insights and provides important tools for exploring the next generation of questions related to mechanisms and context in implementation science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaloke Mody
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Campus Box 8051, 4523 Clayton Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
| | - Lindsey M Filiatreau
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Campus Box 8051, 4523 Clayton Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Charles W Goss
- Division of Biostatistics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Byron J Powell
- Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Elvin H Geng
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Campus Box 8051, 4523 Clayton Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
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Castelo-Branco L, Pellat A, Martins-Branco D, Valachis A, Derksen JWG, Suijkerbuijk KPM, Dafni U, Dellaporta T, Vogel A, Prelaj A, Groenwold RHH, Martins H, Stahel R, Bliss J, Kather J, Ribelles N, Perrone F, Hall PS, Dienstmann R, Booth CM, Pentheroudakis G, Delaloge S, Koopman M. ESMO Guidance for Reporting Oncology real-World evidence (GROW). Ann Oncol 2023; 34:1097-1112. [PMID: 37848160 DOI: 10.1016/j.annonc.2023.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- L Castelo-Branco
- Scientific and Medical Division, European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), Lugano, Switzerland.
| | - A Pellat
- Department of Gastroenterology and Digestive Oncology, Hôpital Cochin AP-HP, Université Paris Cité, Paris; Centre d'Épidémiologie Clinique, Hôtel Dieu, Paris, France
| | - D Martins-Branco
- Scientific and Medical Division, European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), Lugano, Switzerland; Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Hôpital Universitaire de Bruxelles (HUB), Institut Jules Bordet, Academic Trials Promoting Team (ATPT), Brussels, Belgium
| | - A Valachis
- Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University Hospital, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - J W G Derksen
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Department of Epidemiology and Health Economics, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht
| | - K P M Suijkerbuijk
- Department of Medical Oncology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - U Dafni
- Laboratory of Biostatistics, Department of Nursing, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens; Frontier Science Foundation Hellas, Athens, Greece
| | - T Dellaporta
- Frontier Science Foundation Hellas, Athens, Greece
| | - A Vogel
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Medical School of Hannover, Hannover, Germany; Toronto Center of Liver Disease, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto; Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - A Prelaj
- AI-ON-Lab, Medical Oncology Department, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan; NEARLab, Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - R H H Groenwold
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - H Martins
- Business Research Unit, ISCTE Business School, ISCTE-IUL, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - R Stahel
- ETOP IBCSG Partners Foundation, Berne, Switzerland
| | - J Bliss
- ICR-CTSU, Division of Clinical Studies, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - J Kather
- Else Kroener Fresenius Center for Digital Health, Technical University Dresden, Dresden; Medical Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - N Ribelles
- Medical Oncology Intercenter Unit, Regional and Virgen de la Victoria University Hospitals, IBIMA, Málaga, Spain
| | - F Perrone
- Clinical Trial Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, Naples, Italy
| | - P S Hall
- Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - R Dienstmann
- Oncoclinicas Precision Medicine, Oncoclinicas Group, São Paulo, Brazil; Oncology Data Science Group, Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - C M Booth
- Department of Oncology; Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada
| | - G Pentheroudakis
- Scientific and Medical Division, European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), Lugano, Switzerland
| | - S Delaloge
- Department of Cancer Medicine, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
| | - M Koopman
- Department of Medical Oncology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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3
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Ravlyk L, Warunek S, Covell D, Tanberg W, Al-Jewair T. Comparison of GUMMETAL® and stainless steel alloy during canine retraction: A pilot split-mouth randomized controlled trial. Int Orthod 2023; 21:100810. [PMID: 37774499 DOI: 10.1016/j.ortho.2023.100810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES A TiNb alloy wire (GUMMETAL® [GM], Toyota Central R&D Labs, Inc., Nagakute, Japan) was recently developed with unique properties for orthodontic applications. This pilot split-mouth randomized controlled trial compared maxillary canine retraction during space closure using sliding mechanics on GM vs. stainless steel (SS) archwires. METHODS Subjects who met the inclusion criteria were treated with fixed appliances and maxillary first-premolar extractions between September 2020 and March 2022. After leveling and aligning, maxillary archwires, fabricated by crimping together segments of 0.016×0.022" GM and SS archwires, were placed and canine retraction initiated using nickel-titanium coil springs. Digital models of the maxillary arch were superimposed at 0, 4, 8 and 12 weeks and the amount of canine movement (mm), rate of movement (mm/month), and 3-dimensional changes (rotational, vertical extrusion, tip) were measured and compared statistically. RESULTS Of the 12 subjects recruited, only six completed the study with a median age of 15.8 years (12.0-17.4 years). At 12 weeks, the median canine retraction was 3.41mm (IQR: 2.10, 4.76) with GM versus 3.71mm (IQR: 1.62, 6.45) with SS. The retraction rate was 1.14mm/month (IQR: 0.69, 1.59) with GM, versus 1.24mm/month (IQR: 0.54, 2.15) with SS. The median rotational, vertical and tip changes of the canine were 7.90̊, 0.59mm and 6.15̊ with GM, and 7.25̊, 0.29mm and 2.05̊ with SS. Intergroup differences with all measurements were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION No significant differences were found between GM and SS during maxillary canine retraction. GM demonstrated clinical potential for space closure mechanics, however, future larger studies are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lubomyr Ravlyk
- Department of Orthodontics, School of Dental Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - Stephen Warunek
- Department of Orthodontics, School of Dental Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - David Covell
- Department of Orthodontics, School of Dental Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - William Tanberg
- Department of Orthodontics, School of Dental Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - Thikriat Al-Jewair
- Department of Orthodontics, School of Dental Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States.
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Bieske L, Zinner M, Dahlhausen F, Truebel H. Critical path activities in clinical trial setup and conduct: How to avoid bottlenecks and accelerate clinical trials. Drug Discov Today 2023; 28:103733. [PMID: 37544639 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2023.103733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Most clinical trials are delayed due to scientific and/or operational challenges. Any effort to minimize delays can generate value for patients and sponsors. This article reviews critical path process steps commonly identified by practitioners, such as during protocol development, site contracting, or patient recruitment. Commonly considered measures, such as adding more trial sites or countries, were contrasted with less frequented measures, such as evidence-based feasibility or real-world evidence analysis, to help validate assumptions before clinical trial initiation. In a broad analysis, we integrated a literature review with a practitioner survey into a framework to help decision makers on the most critical process steps when setting up or conducting clinical trials in order to bring critical treatments to patients faster.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linn Bieske
- Witten/Herdecke University, Alfred Herrhausen Str. 45, D-58455 Witten, Germany
| | - Maximillian Zinner
- Witten/Herdecke University, Alfred Herrhausen Str. 45, D-58455 Witten, Germany
| | - Florian Dahlhausen
- Witten/Herdecke University, Alfred Herrhausen Str. 45, D-58455 Witten, Germany
| | - Hubert Truebel
- Witten/Herdecke University, Alfred Herrhausen Str. 45, D-58455 Witten, Germany; The Knowledge House GmbH, Breite Str. 22, D40213 Duesseldorf, Germany.
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5
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Boateng D, Kumke T, Vernooij R, Goetz I, Meinecke AK, Steenhuis C, Grobbee D, Zuidgeest MGP. Validation of the GetReal Trial Tool - Facilitating discussion and understanding more pragmatic design choices and their implications. Contemp Clin Trials 2023; 125:107054. [PMID: 36529438 DOI: 10.1016/j.cct.2022.107054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The GetReal Trial Tool is a decision support tool to assess the impact of design choices on generalizability of clinical trials to routine clinical practice, while taking into account the risk of bias, precision, acceptability and operational feasibility. This study describes the validation of the GetReal Trial Tool. METHODS Twelve experts took part in the GetReal Trial tool validation using the protocols of 6 trials conducted with pragmatic elements. The tool entails 7 domains with a total of 43 questions. A pooled Kappa statistic (95% CI) using random effects model was estimated using Open Meta (analyst) software. The possible operational challenges were collated and discussed with the trialists that conducted the trials. RESULTS Agreement in the design choices made for the trial protocols was >50% for all the trials and all teams reached consensus during discussion. The pooled Kappa statistic (95% CI) was 0.236 (0.154-0.318). The GetReal Trial tool highlighted several operational challenges, of which almost half had been experienced previously by the trialists. Out of 25 additional operational challenges mentioned by the trialists, 76% were already highlighted by the tool. The tool was considered helpful to optimize trials right from the design stage. CONCLUSION The GetReal Trial Tool helps to scrutinize the choice of study design in the light of Real World Evidence generation. The tool identifies most of the operational challenges experienced by trialists to date. The tool serves the intended purpose of facilitating discussion and understanding more pragmatic design choices and their implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Boateng
- Julius Global Health, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | | | - Robin Vernooij
- Division Internal Medicine and Dermatology, Nephrology & Hypertension, University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Iris Goetz
- Department of Value, Evidence and Outcomes (VEO), Eli Lilly & Co. Ltd, Bracknell, UK
| | - Anna-Katharina Meinecke
- Partnerships and IEG Office, Integrated Evidence Generation & Business Innovation, Medical Affairs & Pharmacovigilance, Bayer AG
| | | | - Diederick Grobbee
- Julius Global Health, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Mira G P Zuidgeest
- Julius Global Health, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
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6
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Mtande TK, Nair G, Rennie S. Ethics and regulatory complexities posed by a pragmatic clinical trial: a case study from Lilongwe, Malawi. Malawi Med J 2022; 34:213-219. [PMID: 36406092 PMCID: PMC9641616 DOI: 10.4314/mmj.v34i3.12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Pragmatic clinical trials generally rely on real world data and have the potential to generate real world evidence. This approach arose from concerns that many trial results did not adequately inform real world practice. However, maintaining the real world setting during the conduct of a trial and ensuring adequate protection for research participants can be challenging. Best practices in research oversight for pragmatic clinical trials are nascent and underdeveloped, especially in developing countries. Methods We use the PRECIS-2 tool to present a case study from Lilongwe in Malawi to describe ethical and regulatory challenges encountered during the conduct of a pragmatic trial and suggest possible solutions. Results In this article, we highlight the following six issues: (1) one public facility hosting several pragmatic trials within the same period; (2) research participants refusing financial incentives; (3) inadequate infrastructure and high workload to conduct research; (4) silos among partner organisations involved in delivery of health care; (5) individuals influencing the implementation of revised national guidelines; (6) difficulties with access to electronic medical records. Conclusion Multiple stakeholder engagement is critical to the conduct of pragmatic trials, and even with careful stakeholder engagement, continuous monitoring by gatekeepers is essential. In the Malawian context, active engagement of the district research committees can complement the work of the research ethics committees (RECs).
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiwonge Kumwenda Mtande
- Centre for Bioethics in Eastern and Southern Africa (CEBESA), Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Malawi, Centre for Medical Ethics and Law (CMEL), Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Gonasagrie Nair
- Centre for Medical Ethics and Law (CMEL), Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Stuart Rennie
- Centre for Medical Ethics and Law (CMEL), Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa, UNC Bioethics Center, Department of Social Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
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7
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McKernan LC, Finn MTM, Crofford LJ, Kelly AG, Patterson DR, Jensen MP. Delivery of a Group Hypnosis Protocol for Managing Chronic Pain in Outpatient Integrative Medicine. Int J Clin Exp Hypn 2022; 70:227-250. [PMID: 35834408 PMCID: PMC9420809 DOI: 10.1080/00207144.2022.2096455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Although strong evidence exists for using individual hypnosis to treat pain, evidence regarding group applications is limited. This project evaluated changes in multiple outcome measures in persons with chronic pain treated with 8 weeks of group hypnosis. Eighty-five adults with diverse chronic pain etiologies completed an 8-session, structured group hypnosis treatment. Pain intensity, pain interference, and global health were evaluated at baseline, posttreatment, and 3- and 6-months posttreatment. Linear mixed effects models assessed changes in outcomes over time. In a model testing, all three outcome measures simultaneously, participants improved substantially from pre- to posttreatment and maintained improvement across follow-up. Analyses of individual outcomes showed significant pre- to posttreatment reductions in pain intensity and interference, which were maintained for pain intensity and continued to improve for pain interference across follow-up. The findings provide compelling preliminary evidence that a group format is an effective delivery system for teaching individual skills in using hypnosis for chronic pain management. Larger randomized controlled trials are warranted to demonstrate equivalence of outcomes between treatment modes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey C McKernan
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Michael T M Finn
- Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Leslie J Crofford
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - A Gracie Kelly
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - David R Patterson
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, USA
| | - Mark P Jensen
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, USA
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Pritchard-Wiart L, Thompson-Hodgetts S, McKillop AB, Rosychuk R, Mrklas K, Zwaigenbaum L, Zwicker J, Andersen J, King G, Firouzeh P. A multi-center, pragmatic, effectiveness-implementation (hybrid I) cluster randomized controlled trial to evaluate a child-oriented goal-setting approach in paediatric rehabilitation (the ENGAGE approach): a study protocol. BMC Pediatr 2022; 22:375. [PMID: 35764983 PMCID: PMC9241221 DOI: 10.1186/s12887-022-03381-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Child-oriented goal-setting in pediatric rehabilitation may improve child motivation, engagement in therapy, child outcomes related to therapy, and service delivery efficiency. The primary objective of this trial is to determine the effectiveness of a principles-driven, child-focused approach to goal-setting, Enhancing Child Engagement in Goal-Setting (ENGAGE), on pediatric rehabilitation outcomes compared to usual practice. The three secondary objectives are to 1) compare costs and secondary outcomes of the ENGAGE approach to usual practice, 2) determine the influence of child, parent and therapist characteristics on child engagement in therapy and rehabilitation outcomes, and 3) identify barriers and facilitators to the implementation of ENGAGE. METHODS This research protocol describes a pragmatic, multi-site, cluster, effectiveness-implementation (hybrid type 1 design) randomized controlled trial. Therapists (n = 12 clusters of two therapists) at participating sites (n = 6) will be randomized to 1) the ENGAGE intervention group, or 2) usual care (control) using a computer-generated, permuted-block randomization sequence with site as a stratification variable designed by a statistician (RR). Each therapist will recruit four children 5-12 years old with neurodevelopmental conditions (n = 96), who will receive ENGAGE or usual care, according to therapist group allocation. ENGAGE therapists will be trained to use a 'toolbox' of evidence-driven, theory-informed principles to optimize child and parent motivation, engagement in the goal-setting process, and performance feedback strategies. Outcomes include goal performance (primary outcome), engagement in therapy, functional abilities, participation, and parent and child quality of life. Qualitative interviews with children, parents, ENGAGE therapists, and managers will explore challenges to implementation and potential mitigation strategies. Mixed effects multiple linear regression models will be developed for each outcome to assess group differences adjusted for clustering. A cost-effectiveness analysis will combine cost and a measure of effectiveness into an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. Qualitative data on implementation will be analyzed inductively (thematic analysis) and deductively using established implementation science frameworks. DISCUSSION This study will evaluate the effects of collaborative goal-setting in pediatric rehabilitation and inform effective implementation of child-focused goal-setting practices. TRIAL REGISTRATION NCT05017363 (registered August 23, 2021 on ClinicalTrials.gov).
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Affiliation(s)
- Lesley Pritchard-Wiart
- Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, University of Alberta, 3-60 Corbett Hall, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2G4, Canada.
| | - Sandy Thompson-Hodgetts
- Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, 3-20 Corbett Hall, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2G4, Canada
| | - Ashley B McKillop
- Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, University of Alberta, 3-78 Corbett Hall, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2G4, Canada
| | - Rhonda Rosychuk
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, 3-524 Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, 11405 87 Ave, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1C9, Canada
| | - Kelly Mrklas
- System Innovation and Programs, Alberta Health Services and Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Strategic Clinical Networks, Provincial Clinical Excellence, Alberta Health Services and Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 1403 29th St NW, T2N 2T9
| | - Lonnie Zwaigenbaum
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, 10230 111 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB, T5G 0B7, Canada
| | - Jennifer Zwicker
- Director School of Public Policy, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, NW University of Calgary, 135 376 Collegiate Blvd 2500 University Drive, NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - John Andersen
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, 10230 111 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB, T5G 0B7, Canada
| | - Gillian King
- Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, 150 Kilgour Rd, East York, ON, M4G 1R8, Canada
| | - Pegah Firouzeh
- Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, University of Alberta, 3-70 Corbett Hall, Edmonton, T6G 2G4, Canada
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Patel ZS, Philips D, Casline E, Aarons GA, Maxwell CA, Ginsburg GS, Ehrenreich-May J, Jensen-Doss A. WHO Participates in Effectiveness Research? A Comparison of Effectiveness Trial Clinicians to National Survey Samples. ADMINISTRATION AND POLICY IN MENTAL HEALTH AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH 2022; 49:899-908. [PMID: 35701676 PMCID: PMC9393133 DOI: 10.1007/s10488-022-01202-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Findings from research participants in effectiveness treatment trials (i.e., randomized control trials conducted in community rather than research settings) are considered more generalizable than those from participants in efficacy trials. This is especially true for clinician participants, whose characteristics like attitudes towards evidence-based practices (EBPs) may impact treatment implementation and the generalizability of research findings from effectiveness studies. This study compared background characteristics, attitudes toward EBPs, and attitudes towards measurement-based care (MBC) among clinicians participating in a National Institute of Mental-Health (NIMH) funded effectiveness trial, the Community Study of Outcome Monitoring for Emotional Disorders in Teens (COMET), to clinician data from nationally representative U.S. survey samples. Results indicated COMET clinicians were significantly younger, less clinically experienced, and were more likely to have a training background in psychology versus other disciplines compared to national survey samples. After controlling for demographics and professional characteristics, COMET clinicians held more positive attitudes towards EBPs and MBC compared to national survey samples. Implications for implementation efforts are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zabin S Patel
- Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, 33124, USA.
| | - Dominique Philips
- Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, 33124, USA
| | - Elizabeth Casline
- Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, 33124, USA
| | - Gregory A Aarons
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Colleen A Maxwell
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA
| | - Golda S Ginsburg
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, 06030, USA
| | | | - Amanda Jensen-Doss
- Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, 33124, USA
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10
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Pressure pain thresholds in a real-world chiropractic setting: topography, changes after treatment, and clinical relevance? Chiropr Man Therap 2022; 30:25. [PMID: 35550595 PMCID: PMC9097359 DOI: 10.1186/s12998-022-00436-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Changes in pain sensitivity are a commonly suggested mechanism for the clinical effect of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT). Most research has examined pressure pain thresholds (PPT) and has primarily been conducted in controlled experimental setups and on asymptomatic populations. Many important factors are likely to differ between research and clinical settings, which may affect PPT changes following SMT. Therefore, we planned to investigate PPT before and after clinical chiropractic care and investigate relationships with various potentially clinically-relevant factors. METHODS We recruited participants from four Danish chiropractic clinics between May and August 2021. A total of 129 participants (72% of the invited) were included. We measured PPT at eight pre-determined test sites (six spinal and two extra-spinal) immediately before (pre-session) and immediately after (post-session) the chiropractic consultation. We used regression analyses to investigate PPT changes, including the following factors: (i) vertebral distance to the nearest SMT site, (ii) rapid clinical response, (iii) baseline PPT, (iv) number of SMTs performed, (v) at the region of clinical pain compared to other regions, and (vi) if other non-SMT treatment was provided. We also performed topographic mapping of pre-session PPTs. RESULTS After the consultation, there was a non-significant mean increase in PPT of 0.14 kg (95% CIs = - 0.01 to 0.29 kg). No significant associations were found with the distance between the PPT test site and nearest SMT site, the clinical response of participants to treatment, the pre-session PPT, the total number of SMTs performed, or the region/s of clinical pain. A small increase was observed if myofascial treatment was also provided. Topographic mapping found greater pre-session PPTs in a caudal direction, not affected by the region/s of clinical pain. CONCLUSIONS This study of real-world chiropractic patients failed to demonstrate a substantial local or generalized increase in PPT following a clinical encounter that included SMT. This runs counter to prior laboratory research and questions the generalizability of highly experimental setups investigating the effect of SMT on PPT to clinical practice.
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Darker C, Loudon K, O'Connell N, Castello S, Burke E, Vance J, Reynolds C, Buggy A, Dougall N, Williams P, Dobbie F, Bauld L, Hayes CB. An application of PRECIS-2 to evaluate trial design in a pilot cluster randomised controlled trial of a community-based smoking cessation intervention for women living in disadvantaged areas of Ireland. Pilot Feasibility Stud 2022; 8:19. [PMID: 35078530 PMCID: PMC8787878 DOI: 10.1186/s40814-022-00969-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND "We Can Quit2" (WCQ2) was a pilot cluster randomised controlled trial with an embedded process evaluation assessing the feasibility and acceptability of 'We Can Quit' (WCQ, a peer-delivered community-based stop-smoking programme for women in disadvantaged communities. The control group comprised 'enhanced usual care' offered by the Irish Health Service Executive (HSE). The PRagmatic Explanatory Continuum Indicator Summary (PRECIS-2) is a tool to assess whether a trial design is more explanatory (working under ideal conditions) or pragmatic (working under 'real-world' conditions). The aim of this paper was to retrospectively evaluate the WCQ2 pilot trial using PRECIS-2 to inform the decision-making process on progression to a future definitive trial (DT). METHODS The WCQ2 trial protocol and HSE standard stop-smoking service were described across the nine PRECIS-2 domains: eligibility, recruitment, setting, organisation, flexibility-delivery, flexibility-adherence, follow-up and primary outcome. Team members scored the domains as pragmatic or explanatory for each arm in a half-day workshop. RESULTS Seven team members (practitioners and researchers) assessed the overall trial design as more explanatory than pragmatic. Important differences emerged between the two arms. WCQ targeted adult women from disadvantaged communities whereas HSE run a limited enhanced service for all quitters. Trial recruitment was challenging, intense efforts were needed as the trial proceeded. WCQ was delivered in a non-clinical community setting, HSE services in a clinical setting. WCQ organisation was co-designed with community partners and comprises peer-to-peer group support delivered by trained lay community facilitators, whereas HSE one-to-one support is delivered by Smoking Cessation Officers with a clinical background. Only WCQ allowed flexibility in delivery and adherence. Follow-up was more intensive in WCQ. Greater efforts to improve participant retention will be required in a future DT. CONCLUSIONS PRECIS-2 allowed the reflection of practitioners and researchers on similarities and differences between intervention and control arms. Results will inform the decision on progression to an effectiveness DT, which will require more a pragmatic and less explanatory design. This novel use of PRECIS-2 to retrospectively evaluate a complex community-based pilot trial in advance of a full DT will also support learning for those undertaking hybrid trials of implementation and effectiveness. TRIAL REGISTRATION This trial is registered with the ISRCTN registry ( No. 74721694 ).
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Darker
- Public Health & Primary Care, Institute of Population Health, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | | | - Nicola O'Connell
- Public Health & Primary Care, Institute of Population Health, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Stefania Castello
- Public Health & Primary Care, Institute of Population Health, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Emma Burke
- Public Health & Primary Care, Institute of Population Health, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | | | | | - Aine Buggy
- Health Promotion and Improvement, Health Service Executive, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Nadine Dougall
- School of Health & Social Care, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, Scotland
| | - Pauline Williams
- Public Health & Primary Care, Institute of Population Health, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.,Public and Patient Representative, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Fiona Dobbie
- Usher Institute and SPECTRUM Consortium, College of Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland
| | - Linda Bauld
- Usher Institute and SPECTRUM Consortium, College of Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland
| | - Catherine B Hayes
- Public Health & Primary Care, Institute of Population Health, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
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12
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Zuidgeest MGP, Goetz I, Meinecke AK, Boateng D, Irving EA, van Thiel GJM, Welsing PMJ, Oude-Rengerink K, Grobbee DE, Initiative G. The GetReal Trial Tool: Design, Assess and Discuss Clinical Drug Trials in Light of RWE Generation. J Clin Epidemiol 2021; 149:244-253. [PMID: 34929319 DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2021.12.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Methodologies incorporating Real World Elements into clinical trial design (also called pragmatic trials) offer an attractive opportunity to assess the effect of a treatment strategy in routine care and as such guide decision making in practice. Uptake of these methods is slow for several reasons, including uncertainty about acceptability of trial results, lack of experience with the methodology and operational challenges. We developed the 'Get Real Trial Tool', an easy-to-use interface, which allows users to assess the impact of design choices on generalisability to routine clinical practice, while taking into account risk of bias, precision, acceptability and operational feasibility. The tool is grounded in the scientific literature on pragmatic trials combined with knowledge of experts from academia, pharmaceutical companies, HTA bodies, patient organisations, and regulators. The aim is to help researchers optimise trial design and facilitate translation of evidence from pragmatic trials to clinical practice. In this paper we describe the development, structure and application of the GetReal Trial Tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mira G P Zuidgeest
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | | | - Anna-Katharina Meinecke
- Partnerships and IEG Office, Integrated Evidence Generation & Business Innovation, Medical Affairs & Pharmacovigilance, Bayer AG
| | - Daniel Boateng
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Elaine A Irving
- Clinical Development, GSK Research & Development Ltd., Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Ghislaine J M van Thiel
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Paco M J Welsing
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Department of Rheumatology & Clinical immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Katrien Oude-Rengerink
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Diederick E Grobbee
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Julius Clinical, Zeist, the Netherlands
| | - GetReal Initiative
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Eli Lilly & Co Ltd, Bracknell, UK; Partnerships and IEG Office, Integrated Evidence Generation & Business Innovation, Medical Affairs & Pharmacovigilance, Bayer AG; Clinical Development, GSK Research & Development Ltd., Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 2NY, UK; Department of Rheumatology & Clinical immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Julius Clinical, Zeist, the Netherlands
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13
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Cohen PA, Musiello T, Jeffares S, Bennett K. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for Fear of Recurrence in Ovarian Cancer Survivors (FROCS): a single-arm, open-label, pilot study. Support Care Cancer 2021; 30:2317-2325. [PMID: 34727225 DOI: 10.1007/s00520-021-06659-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Fear of recurrence is common following treatment for cancer. Our aim was to assess the feasibility of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) to treat fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) in ovarian cancer survivors. METHODS Investigator initiated, single-arm, open-label, pilot study. Women were eligible after completing adjuvant treatment. The intervention was an 8-week MBCT course of weekly 2-h group sessions. The primary outcome was FCR measured by the FCR inventory. Secondary outcomes were depression and anxiety measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The study is registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12615000213549. RESULTS Between May 8, 2015, and May 6, 2019, 33 participants were enrolled. Ten women withdrew. Data were evaluable for 19 participants. There was a significant decrease in FCR at 8 weeks (FCR inventory mean 63.00, SD 27.90) compared to pre-intervention (FCR inventory mean 71.03, SD 31.01) but not at 6 months (FCR inventory mean 63.65, SD 30.08). No differences in depression were observed at baseline (HADS mean 3.42, SD 2.41), 8 weeks (HADS mean 3.10, SD 1.79) and 6 months (HADS mean 2.73, SD 1.88). Anxiety decreased from baseline (HADS mean 8.72, SD 3.99) at both 8 weeks (HADS mean 6.89, SD 2.98) and 6 months (HADS mean 7.06, SD 3.87). CONCLUSIONS MBCT may be effective as a treatment for FCR and anxiety in women following diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer. A randomised controlled trial is required to assess the efficacy of MBCT for FCR but may not be feasible due to high rates of withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul A Cohen
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia.
- Dept of Gynaecological Oncology, St John of God Hospital, 12 Salvado Road, Subiaco, WA, 6008, Australia.
| | - Toni Musiello
- Division of Surgery, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Stephanie Jeffares
- Dept of Gynaecological Oncology, St John of God Hospital, 12 Salvado Road, Subiaco, WA, 6008, Australia
| | - Kellie Bennett
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
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14
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Lasala R, Santoleri F, Romagnoli A, Musicco F, Abrate P, Costantini A. Randomized clinical trials and real life studies: Comparison of baseline characteristics of patients in oral target therapies for renal cell carcinoma. J Oncol Pharm Pract 2021; 28:870-883. [PMID: 33847190 DOI: 10.1177/10781552211005518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Pivotal Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) constitute scientific evidence in support of therapeutic choices when a drug is authorized in the market. In RCTs, patients are selected in a rigorous manner, in order to avoid bias that may influence efficacy assessments. Therefore, patients who take the drug in Real Life Studies (RLSs) are not the same as those participating in RCTs, which, in turn, leads to low data transferability from RCTs to RLS. The objective of this study was to evaluate the differences between RCTs and RLS, in terms of patient baseline characteristics. MATERIALS AND METHODS Our study includes all oral target therapies for RCC (Renal Cell Carcinoma) marketed in Europe before March 31, 2019. For each treatment, we considered both RCTs and RLSs, the former gathered from Summary of Product Characteristics published on the European Medicine Agency (EMA) website, and the latter yielded by our search in relevant literature. For each drug considered, we then compared the baseline characteristics of patients included in the RCT samples with those of the samples included in the RLSs using the Chi-squared and Mann-Whitney tests. RESULTS We considered six medicines, for a total of 9 pivotal RCTs and 31 RLSs. RCTs reported the same type of patient baseline characteristics, whereas RLSs are more varied in reporting. Some patient baseline characteristics (metastases, previous treatments, etc.) were significantly different between RCTs and RLs. Other characteristics, such as ECOG Performance Status, brain metastases, and comorbidities, liver and kidney failure, are comprised in exclusion criteria of RCTs, though are included in RLS.Discussion and Conclusion: While evaluating equal treatments for the same indications, RCTs and RLSs do not always assess patients with the same characteristics. It would be necessary to produce evidence from RLSs so as to have an idea of treatment effectiveness in patients groups that are not eligible or underrepresented in RCTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruggero Lasala
- Hospital Pharmacy of Corato, Local Health Unit of Bari, Bari, Italy
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15
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Nicholls SG, Carroll K, Hey SP, Zwarenstein M, Zhang JZ, Nix HP, Brehaut JC, McKenzie JE, McDonald S, Weijer C, Fergusson DA, Taljaard M. A review of pragmatic trials found a high degree of diversity in design and scope, deficiencies in reporting and trial registry data, and poor indexing. J Clin Epidemiol 2021; 137:45-57. [PMID: 33789151 DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2021.03.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We established a large database of trials to serve as a resource for future methodological and ethical analyses. Here, we use meta-data to describe the broad landscape of pragmatic trials including research areas, identification as pragmatic, quality of trial registry data and enrolment. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING Trials were identified by a validated search filter and included if a primary report of a health-related randomized trial published January 2014-April 2019. Data were collated from MEDLINE, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov, and full text. RESULTS 4337 eligible trials were identified from 13,065 records, of which 1988 were registered in ClinicalTrials.gov. Research areas were diverse, with the most common being general and internal medicine; public, environmental and occupational health; and health care sciences and services. The term "pragmatic" was seldom used in titles or abstracts. Several domains in ClinicalTrials.gov had questionable data quality. We estimated that one-fifth of trials under-accrued by at least 15%. CONCLUSION There is a need to improve reporting of pragmatic trials and quality of trial registry data. Under accrual remains a challenge in pragmatic RCTs despite calls for more streamlined recruitment approaches. The diversity of pragmatic trials should be reflected in future ethical analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart G Nicholls
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI).
| | - Kelly Carroll
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI)
| | | | - Merrick Zwarenstein
- Centre for Studies in Family Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 3K7; Department of Family Medicine, Western University, London, Canada; Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, Canada
| | - Jennifer Zhe Zhang
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Hayden P Nix
- Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, Canada
| | - Jamie C Brehaut
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI); School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Joanne E McKenzie
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, 553 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia
| | - Steve McDonald
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, 553 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia
| | - Charles Weijer
- Department of Medicine, Western University, London, Canada; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Western University, London, Canada; Department of Philosophy, Western University, London, Canada
| | - Dean A Fergusson
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI); School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Monica Taljaard
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI); School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
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Porzsolt F, Wiedemann F, Phlippen M, Weiss C, Weiss M, Schmaling K, Kaplan RM. The terminology conflict on efficacy and effectiveness in healthcare. J Comp Eff Res 2020; 9:1171-1178. [PMID: 33314965 DOI: 10.2217/cer-2020-0149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Designers and architects created the rule 'form follows function (FFF)' for their own profession. Our paper demonstrates that this FFF rule applies equally well to the designers of clinical studies. Four examples present are as follows: disregarding this FFF rule causes an inconsistent terminology to differentiate between efficacy and effectiveness, inconsistent differentiation of efficacy and effectiveness interferes with the consistent interpretation of the results of clinical studies, inconsistent interpretation of clinical studies results in an unexpectedly variance of recommendations in clinical guidelines and the fusion of the FFF designer rule and of the demands of Cochrane and Bradford Hill ('can it work?', 'does it work?' and 'is it worth it?') avoids the terminology problem and its misleading consequences. This strategy is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franz Porzsolt
- Institute of Clinical Economics (ICE) e.V., D-89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Felicitas Wiedemann
- Institute of Clinical Economics (ICE) e.V., D-89081 Ulm, Germany.,Department of General Surgery, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany.,Department of General Surgery, Diakonie Klinikum Stuttgart, 70176 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Meret Phlippen
- Institute of Clinical Economics (ICE) e.V., D-89081 Ulm, Germany.,Department of General Surgery, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany.,Department of E.N.T., Vivantes Klinikum im Friedrichshain Berlin, 10249 Berlin, Germany
| | - Christel Weiss
- Institute of Clinical Economics (ICE) e.V., D-89081 Ulm, Germany.,Department of Medical Statistics & Biomathematics, University of Heidelberg, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Manfred Weiss
- Institute of Clinical Economics (ICE) e.V., D-89081 Ulm, Germany.,Department of Anaesthesiology, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Karen Schmaling
- Department of Psychology, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA 98686-9600, USA
| | - Robert M Kaplan
- Clinical Excellence Research Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-6015, USA
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Age specific recruitment and retention to a large multicentre observational breast cancer trial in older women: The Age Gap Trial. J Geriatr Oncol 2020; 12:714-723. [PMID: 33127384 PMCID: PMC8205116 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgo.2020.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Revised: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Introduction Recruitment and retention are two of the most important factors in successfully running clinical trials. Many trials encounter problems with both, causing delays or preventing study progress. These issues are greater in older adults and patients with cancer. Materials and methods We assessed recruitment and retention in a large, multicentre, observational breast cancer study in older female patients (>70 years, N = 3440). Data collected by the Age Gap study were used to assess rates of, and reasons for, patients not being recruited or retained. Statistical analysis assessed the impact of age as a predictor of recruitment and retention. Results Between February 2013 and June 2018, 6876 patients were screened and 3456 were consented across 56 United Kingdom (UK) breast units. Reasons for non-recruitment included ineligibility, clinician issues, staffing resource issues, patients' lack of interest or time and trial burden. In comparison with the age demographics of patients with breast cancer in the UK, women aged 70–75 years were over-represented compared to older age groups. Logistic regression demonstrated that older age significantly reduced the odds of consent (OR = 0.96, CI: 0.938–0.982; p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that age (p < 0.001), markers of poor functional ability (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (p = 0.011)) and instrumental activities of daily living (p = 0.026) were significant predictors of withdrawal. Discussion This study has demonstrated that selection and attrition bias for age are apparent despite a range of ‘age friendly’ study design measures. Exploration of the underlying reasons for this and development of measures to address this should be the focus of further research.
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Excisional treatment comparison for in situ endocervical adenocarcinoma (EXCISE): A phase 2 pilot randomized controlled trial to compare histopathological margin status, specimen size and fragmentation after loop electrosurgical excision procedure and cold knife cone biopsy. Gynecol Oncol 2020; 159:623-629. [PMID: 33032824 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2020.09.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) of the cervix is a precursor to cervical adenocarcinoma. When AIS is detected by cervical screening an excision biopsy is mandatory to exclude invasion. We aimed to compare margins status, specimen size and fragmentation after loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) and 'cold knife cone biopsy' (CKC). METHODS The EXCISE Trial was an investigator-initiated, multicenter, open-label, parallel-group, phase 2, randomized study. Patients were enrolled at seven hospitals in Australia and New Zealand. We randomly assigned women aged ≥18 to ≤45 years with screen detected AIS to LEEP or CKC. Co-primary endpoints were margin status, specimen size and fragmentation. Analysis was by intention-to-treat. RESULTS Between August 2, 2017 and September 6, 2019, 40 patients were randomly assigned 2:1 to LEEP or CKC. Margin status was evaluable in 36 cases. The proportion of patients with involved margins did not differ between groups. 25 of 26 LEEP and all 14 CKC biopsies were excised as single specimens (p = 1·00). There were no differences in specimen dimensions. Patients in the CKC group had more post-operative complications (64.3% compared to 15.4% for LEEP p = ·00). There were no differences in grade three complications (p = ·65). CONCLUSIONS LEEP was not associated with a greater likelihood of positive margins, specimen fragmentation or smaller excision compared to CKC when performed according to a standardized protocol. However, the study was not powered to establish non-inferiority of LEEP and a definitive phase 3 trial to compare margin status and rates of treatment failure after LEEP and CKC is warranted.
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Elliott N, Steel A, Leech B, Peng W. Design characteristics of comparative effectiveness trials for the relief of symptomatic dyspepsia: A systematic review. Integr Med Res 2020; 10:100663. [PMID: 34258220 PMCID: PMC8260395 DOI: 10.1016/j.imr.2020.100663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2020] [Revised: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Dyspepsia represents a symptom domain rather than a diagnostic condition and covers a wide range of complex, underlying pathophysiologies that are not well understood. The review explores comparative effectiveness interventions for the treatment of symptomatic dyspepsia along a pragmatic-explanatory continuum. The aim is to identify relevant design characteristics applicable to future upper gastrointestinal comparative effectiveness research employing integrative medicine. Methods Medline, CINAHL, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and WHO Clinical Trials were systematically searched until January 2019. Included articles were original research with two or more comparative intervention arms for the primary outcome; relief of symptomatic dyspepsia. Evaluation of the studies was conducted using the pragmatic-explanatory continuum indicator summary (PRECIS-2) tool. Results Thirty-six articles were included in the review. A total of 68 Patient Reported Outcome Measurements (PROMs), utilizing 50 different formats were deployed across the studies. The appraisal process revealed eligibility, flexibility in adherence, flexibility in delivery and organization domains further aligned towards an explanatory design. Conclusion This review identified three design characteristics relevant for future comparative effectiveness research for the treatment of upper gastrointestinal disorders in a community setting. Extensive exclusion eligibility criteria limited the generalization of comparative effectiveness study results by removing sub-groups of the target populations more at risk of dyspeptic symptoms. The requirement for entry endoscopy was found to be common and not always pragmatically justifiable. Development of validated PROMs appropriate for a generic application to upper gastrointestinal disorders would be advantageous for future comparative effectiveness research within integrative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Elliott
- Endeavour College of Natural Medicine, Office of Research, Fortitude Valley, QLD, Australia
| | - Amie Steel
- University of Technology Sydney, Faculty of Health, Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
| | - Bradley Leech
- Endeavour College of Natural Medicine, Office of Research, Fortitude Valley, QLD, Australia.,University of Technology Sydney, Faculty of Health, Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
| | - Wenbo Peng
- University of Technology Sydney, Faculty of Health, Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
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Gemzoe K, Crawford R, Caress A, McCorkindale S, Conroy R, Collier S, Doward L, Vekaria RM, Worsley S, Leather DA, Irving E. Patient and healthcare professional experiences of the Salford Lung Studies: qualitative insights for future effectiveness trials. Trials 2020; 21:798. [PMID: 32943093 PMCID: PMC7499906 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-020-04655-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted in the routine care setting provide the opportunity to better understand the effectiveness of new medicines but can present recruitment difficulties. An improved understanding of the challenges/opportunities for patient and healthcare professional (HCP) engagement in clinical research is needed to enhance participation and trial experience. In this study, we explored patient and HCP drivers for, and experiences of, participation in the Salford Lung Studies (SLS), and their views on future trial participation and the overall value of such trials. Methods This was a qualitative study set in Salford, UK, comprising patient telephone interviews (N = 10) and HCP advisory boards (one with general practitioners [GPs], one with practice managers [PMs]); all individuals had participated in the SLS. Semi-structured telephone interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed thematically. Advisory board meetings were analysed based on transcriptions of audio recordings and field notes. Results For patients, key positive aspects of the SLS were the ease/convenience of study assessments and excellent relationships with study nurses. GPs and PMs considered the SLS to be well-organized and highlighted the value of research nurse support; they also described minor challenges relating to trial systems, initial financial strain on practices and staff turnover. All participants indicated that they were very likely to participate in future trials, citing a design closely aligned with routine care practice as essential. Several strategies to encourage trial participation were suggested, such as clearly communicating benefits to patients and ensuring flexible study assessments. Conclusions Patients and HCPs had positive experiences of the SLS. The study design, closely aligned with routine care, was considered important to their high likelihood of participating in future trials. The experiences of patients and HCPs in the SLS provide valuable insights that will help inform future best practice in the design and conduct of future real-world effectiveness RCTs in primary care. The detailed first-hand experiences of HCPs will be of significant value to others considering engaging in clinical research and participating in effectiveness RCTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Gemzoe
- Real World Study Delivery, Value Evidence and Outcomes, GlaxoSmithKline plc., Research & Development Ltd., Stockley Park West, 1-3 Ironbridge Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1BT, UK.
| | | | - Ann Caress
- School of Human and Health Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK
| | | | | | - Susan Collier
- UK Medical, GlaxoSmithKline plc, Uxbridge, UB11 1BT, UK
| | | | | | - Sally Worsley
- Real World Study Delivery, Value Evidence and Outcomes, GlaxoSmithKline plc., Research & Development Ltd., Stevenage, SG1 2NY, UK
| | - David A Leather
- Global Respiratory Franchise, GlaxoSmithKline plc., Brentford, TW8 9GS, UK
| | - Elaine Irving
- Real World Study Delivery, Value Evidence and Outcomes, GlaxoSmithKline plc., Research & Development Ltd., Stevenage, SG1 2NY, UK
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21
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Suojanen LU, Ahola AJ, Kupila S, Korpela R, Pietiläinen KH. Effectiveness of a web-based real-life weight management program: Study design, methods, and participants' baseline characteristics. Contemp Clin Trials Commun 2020; 19:100638. [PMID: 32885090 PMCID: PMC7451764 DOI: 10.1016/j.conctc.2020.100638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Revised: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Obesity is an important public health concern with limited effective treatment options. Internet-based technologies offer a cost-effective means to treat obesity. However, most of the online programs have been of short duration, have focused on a limited number of treatment modalities, and have not utilized the potential of coaching as part of the intervention. In this paper, we present the design, methods and participants’ baseline characteristics in a real-life internet-based weight management program. Healthy Weight Coaching (HWC) is a 12-month web-based intervention for the management of obesity. The program is based on the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and includes themes important for weight loss, including diet, physical activity, psychological factors, and sleep. In addition to the automated, interactive program, a personal coach is allocated to each participant. The participants are nationally enrolled through referrals from primary care, occupational health, hospitals, and private health care units. Adult individuals with BMI ≥25 kg/m2 without severe complications are included. On a weekly basis, participants submit their weight logs, training sessions, and lifestyle targets to the internet portal and are scheduled to have online discussions with their coaches 26 times over the course of a year. Questionnaires on lifestyle, diet, physical activity, psychological factors, sleep, and quality of life are completed at baseline, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months, and thereafter yearly until 5 years. Additionally, log data on the use of the service and discussions with the coach are collected. The main outcome is weight change from baseline to 12 months. Recruitment to the HWC is ongoing. Baseline data of the participants recruited between Oct 2016 and Mar 2019 (n = 1189) are provided. This research will bring insight into how internet-based technologies can be implemented in the virtual management of obesity. Trial registration The trial is registered at clinicaltrials.cov (Clinical Trials Identifier NCT04019249).
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Affiliation(s)
- L-U Suojanen
- Research Program for Population Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Obesity Center, Endocrinology, Abdominal Center, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - A J Ahola
- Obesity Research Unit, Research Program for Clinical and Molecular Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Folkhälsan Institute of Genetics, Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland.,Abdominal Center, Nephrology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - S Kupila
- Obesity Research Unit, Research Program for Clinical and Molecular Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - R Korpela
- Medical Nutrition Physiology, Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland.,Research Program for Human Microbiome, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - K H Pietiläinen
- Obesity Center, Endocrinology, Abdominal Center, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Obesity Research Unit, Research Program for Clinical and Molecular Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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22
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Byhoff E, Kangovi S, Berkowitz SA, DeCamp M, Dzeng E, Earnest M, Gonzalez CM, Hartigan S, Karani R, Memari M, Roy B, Schwartz MD, Volerman A, DeSalvo K. A Society of General Internal Medicine Position Statement on the Internists' Role in Social Determinants of Health. J Gen Intern Med 2020; 35:2721-2727. [PMID: 32519320 PMCID: PMC7459005 DOI: 10.1007/s11606-020-05934-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Elena Byhoff
- Department of Medicine, Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies Tufts Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Shreya Kangovi
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Seth A Berkowitz
- Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Matthew DeCamp
- Department of Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Elizabeth Dzeng
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Mark Earnest
- Department of Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Cristina M Gonzalez
- Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Sarah Hartigan
- Department of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Midlothian, VA, USA
| | - Reena Karani
- Department of Medicine, Medicine and Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Milad Memari
- Departments of Medical Education, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Brita Roy
- Department of Medicine, Yale Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Mark D Schwartz
- Departments of Population Health and of Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Anna Volerman
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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23
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Ochodo EA, Kalema N, Schumacher S, Steingart K, Young T, Mallett S, Deeks J, Cobelens F, Bossuyt PM, Nicol MP, Cattamanchi A. Variation in the observed effect of Xpert MTB/RIF testing for tuberculosis on mortality: A systematic review and analysis of trial design considerations. Wellcome Open Res 2020; 4:173. [PMID: 32851196 PMCID: PMC7438967 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.15412.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Most studies evaluating the effect of Xpert MTB/RIF testing for tuberculosis (TB) concluded that it did not reduce overall mortality compared to usual care. We conducted a systematic review to assess whether key study design and execution features contributed to earlier identification of patients with TB and decreased pre-treatment loss to follow-up, thereby reducing the potential impact of Xpert MTB/RIF testing. Methods: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, and Scopus for literature published from 1 st January 2009 to February 2019. We included all primary intervention studies that had evaluated the effect of Xpert MTB/RIF on mortality compared to usual care in participants with presumptive pulmonary TB. We critically reviewed features of included studies across: Study setting and context, Study population, Participant recruitment and enrolment, Study procedures, and Study follow-up. Results: We included seven randomised and one non-randomised study. All included studies demonstrated relative reductions in overall mortality in the Xpert MTB/RIF arm ranging from 6% to 40%. However, mortality reduction was reported to be statistically significant in two studies. Study features that could explain the lack of observed effect on mortality included: the higher quality of care at study sites; inclusion of patients with a higher pre-test probability of TB leading to higher than expected empirical rates; performance of additional diagnostic testing not done in usual care leading to increased TB diagnosis or empiric treatment initiation; the recruitment of participants likely to return for follow-up; and involvement of study staff in ensuring adherence with care and follow-up. Conclusion: Most studies of Xpert MTB/RIF were designed and conducted in a manner that resulted in more patients being diagnosed and treated for TB, minimising the potential difference in mortality Xpert MTB/RIF testing could have achieved compared to usual care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor A. Ochodo
- Department of Global Health, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, Western Cape, 8000, South Africa
| | - Nelson Kalema
- Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University, Kampala, 22418, Uganda
| | - Samuel Schumacher
- Tuberculosis Department, Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, Geneva, 1202, Switzerland
| | - Karen Steingart
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, L3 5QA, UK
| | - Taryn Young
- Department of Global Health, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, Western Cape, 8000, South Africa
| | - Susan Mallett
- NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
- Test Evaluation Research Group, Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - Jon Deeks
- NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
- Test Evaluation Research Group, Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - Frank Cobelens
- Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, 1105 BP, The Netherlands
| | - Patrick M. Bossuyt
- Deapartment of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, 1105 AZ, The Netherlands
| | - Mark P. Nicol
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Adithya Cattamanchi
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of California San Francisco Medical Center, San Francisco, California, 94110, USA
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24
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Bradburn MJ, Lee EC, White DA, Hind D, Waugh NR, Cooke DD, Hopkins D, Mansell P, Heller SR. Treatment effects may remain the same even when trial participants differed from the target population. J Clin Epidemiol 2020; 124:126-138. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2020.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Revised: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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25
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Marquis-Gravel G, Moliterno DJ, Francis DP, Jüni P, Rosenberg YD, Claessen BE, Mentz RJ, Mehran R, Cutlip DE, Chauhan C, Quella S, Zannad F, Goodman SG. Improving the Design of Future PCI Trials for Stable Coronary Artery Disease: JACC State-of-the-Art Review. J Am Coll Cardiol 2020; 76:435-450. [PMID: 32703515 PMCID: PMC10018282 DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2020.05.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The role of percutaneous coronary interventions in addition to medical therapy for patients with stable coronary artery disease continues to be debated in routine clinical practice, despite more than 2 decades of randomized controlled trials. The residual uncertainty arises from particular challenges facing revascularization trials. Which endpoint do doctors care about, and which do patients care about? Which participants should be enrolled? What background medical therapy should we use? When is placebo control relevant? In this paper, we discuss how these questions can be approached and examine the merits and disadvantages of possible options. Engaging multiple stakeholders, including patients, researchers, regulators, and funders, to ensure the design elements are methodologically valid and clinically meaningful should be an aspirational goal in the development of future trials.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David J Moliterno
- Gill Heart Institute and Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - Darrel P Francis
- Department of Cardiology, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare National Health Service Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Jüni
- Department of Medicine and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Applied Health Research Centre, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Yves D Rosenberg
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Bimmer E Claessen
- The Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Robert J Mentz
- Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina; Department of Population Health Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Roxana Mehran
- The Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Clinical Trials Center, Cardiovascular Research Foundation, New York, New York
| | | | | | | | - Faiez Zannad
- Clinical Investigation Center 1433, French Clinical Research Infrastructure Network, Investigation Network Initiative-Cardiovascular and Renal Clinical Trialists, Centre Hospitalier Regional et Universitaire de Nancy, Vandoeuvre les Nancy, France
| | - Shaun G Goodman
- Terrence Donnelly Heart Centre, St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto and Canadian Heart Research Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Canadian VIGOUR Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
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26
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Kenny M, Gilmartin J, Thompson C. Video-guided exercise after stroke: a feasibility randomised controlled trial. Physiother Theory Pract 2020; 38:609-620. [PMID: 32684076 DOI: 10.1080/09593985.2020.1790072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Facilitating self-directed upper-limb exercise in people after a stroke whilst not in therapy sessions may increase therapy intensity and improve outcomes. Objectives: To investigate the feasibility and acceptability of video-guided exercise for facilitating upper-limb exercise after stroke. METHODS A single-blind feasibility randomized controlled trial with embedded qualitative study in stroke wards at a large teaching hospital in the United Kingdom. Fourteen participants with stroke were randomized to either video-guided exercise intervention or a "treatment-as-usual" control group. Intervention participants received a computer tablet containing filmed individualized exercises to guide out of therapy practice. The primary outcome measure was the Motor status scale (MSS) for the upper limb, which was used to guide possible sample sizes for a future main trial. Qualitative focus group and interview data on feasibility/acceptability were collected and analyzed. RESULTS The intervention was acceptable, but the need for motivation/support to exercise was highlighted. Based on similar assumptions to the feasibility study, circa ninety-two patients in each group would be needed to detect a difference of 5 in upper-limb motor status for a main trial. CONCLUSION A trial of video-guided exercise is feasible, although an optimal main trial would require some relatively minor changes to design, outcome measures, eligibility, and the intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine Kenny
- G Floor Physiotherapy Department, Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust, Leeds, UK.,School of Healthcare, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Jo Gilmartin
- School of Healthcare, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Carl Thompson
- School of Healthcare, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
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27
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Adekpedjou R, Stacey D, Brière N, Freitas A, Garvelink MM, Dogba MJ, Durand PJ, Desroches S, Croteau J, Rivest LP, Légaré F. Engaging Caregivers in Health-Related Housing Decisions for Older Adults With Cognitive Impairment: A Cluster Randomized Trial. THE GERONTOLOGIST 2020; 60:947-957. [PMID: 31095318 PMCID: PMC7362613 DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnz045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and Objectives Informal caregivers are rarely as involved as they want to be in the housing decisions of cognitively impaired older adults. Lack of awareness of available options and their benefits and risks may lead to decisions that do not reflect older adults’ preferences, and to guilt and regret. We assessed the effect of training home care teams in interprofessional shared decision-making (SDM) on the proportion of caregivers who report being active in this decision. Research Design and Methods In a two-arm pragmatic cluster randomized trial with home care teams working in health centers in the Province of Quebec, we randomized health centers to receive training in interprofessional SDM (intervention) or not (control). Eligible caregivers had made a housing decision for a cognitively impaired adult aged 65 years or older who was receiving services from a home care team. The primary outcome was the proportion of caregivers reporting an active role in decision making. We performed intention-to-treat multilevel analysis. Results We consecutively enrolled a random group of 16 health centers and recruited 309 caregivers, among whom 296 were included in the analysis. In the intervention arm, the proportion of caregivers reporting an active role in decision making increased by 12% (95% CI −2% to 27%; p = .10). After removal of an influential cluster outlier, the proportion increased to 18% (95% CI: 7%–29%; p < .01). Discussion and Implications Training home care teams in interprofessional SDM increased caregiver involvement in health-related housing decisions for cognitively impaired older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhéda Adekpedjou
- Centre de recherche sur les soins et les services de première ligne de l'Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Dawn Stacey
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nathalie Brière
- Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Québec, Canada
| | - Adriana Freitas
- Centre de recherche sur les soins et les services de première ligne de l'Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Mirjam M Garvelink
- Centre de recherche sur les soins et les services de première ligne de l'Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | | | | | - Sophie Desroches
- School of Nutrition, Québec, Canada.,CHU de Québec Research Centre, Québec, Canada
| | - Jordie Croteau
- Centre de recherche sur les soins et les services de première ligne de l'Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Louis-Paul Rivest
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - France Légaré
- Centre de recherche sur les soins et les services de première ligne de l'Université Laval, Québec, Canada
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28
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Leather DA, Jones R, Woodcock A, Vestbo J, Jacques L, Thomas M. Real-World Data and Randomised Controlled Trials: The Salford Lung Study. Adv Ther 2020; 37:977-997. [PMID: 31927698 PMCID: PMC7147238 DOI: 10.1007/s12325-019-01192-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Traditional efficacy double-blind randomised controlled trials (DBRCTs) measure the benefit a treatment produces under near-ideal test conditions in highly selected patient populations; however, the behaviour of patients and investigators in such trials is highly controlled, highly compliant and adherent, and non-representative of routine clinical practice. Pragmatic effectiveness trials measure the benefit a treatment produces in patients in everyday "real-world" practice. Ideally, effectiveness trials should recruit patients as similar as possible to those who will ultimately be prescribed the medicine, and create freedom within the study design to allow normal behaviours of patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs) to be expressed. The Salford Lung Study (SLS) was a world-first, prospective, phase III, pragmatic randomised controlled trial (RCT) programme in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma to evaluate the effectiveness of a pre-licensed medication (fluticasone furoate/vilanterol) in real-world practice using electronic health records and through collaboratively engaging general practitioners and community pharmacists in clinical research. The real-world aspect of SLS was unique, requiring careful planning and attention to the goals of maximising the external validity of the trials while maintaining scientific rigour and securing suitable electronic processes for proper interpretation of safety data. Key learnings from SLS that may inform the design of future pragmatic effectiveness RCTs include: (1) ensuring the trial setting and operational infrastructure are aligned with routine clinical care; (2) recruiting a broad patient population with characteristics as close as possible to patients in routine clinical practice, to maximise the generalisability and applicability of trial results; (3) ensuring that patients and HCPs are suitably engaged in the trial, to maximise the chances of successful trial delivery; and (4) careful study design, incorporating outcomes of value to patients, HCPs, policymakers and payers, and using pre-planned analyses to address scientifically valid research hypotheses to ensure robustness of the trial data.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Leather
- Global Respiratory Franchise, GlaxoSmithKline plc., Brentford, Middlesex, UK.
| | - Rupert Jones
- Community and Primary Health Care, Faculty of Health, Plymouth University, Plymouth, UK
| | - Ashley Woodcock
- Division of Infection, Immunity and Respiratory Medicine, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, The University of Manchester and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Jørgen Vestbo
- Division of Infection, Immunity and Respiratory Medicine, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, The University of Manchester and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Loretta Jacques
- Clinical Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline plc., Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK
| | - Mike Thomas
- Primary Care and Population Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
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29
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Brunette CA, Miller SJ, Majahalme N, Hau C, MacMullen L, Advani S, Ludin SA, Zimolzak AJ, Vassy JL. Pragmatic Trials in Genomic Medicine: The Integrating Pharmacogenetics In Clinical Care (I-PICC) Study. Clin Transl Sci 2020; 13:381-390. [PMID: 31808996 PMCID: PMC7070795 DOI: 10.1111/cts.12723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Pragmatic clinical trials (PCTs) have an established presence in clinical research and yet have only recently garnered attention within the landscape of genomic medicine. Using the PRagmatic-Explanatory Continuum Indicator Summary 2 (PRECIS-2) as a framework, this paper illustrates the application of PCT principles to The Integrating Pharmacogenetics In Clinical Care (I-PICC) Study, a trial of pharmacogenetic testing prior to statin initiation for cardiovascular disease prevention in primary care. The trial achieved high engagement with providers (85% enrolled of those approached) and enrolled a representative sample of participants for which statin therapy would be recommended. The I-PICC Study has a high level of pragmatism, which should enhance the generalizability of its findings. The PRECIS-2 may be useful in the design and evaluation of PCTs of genomic medicine interventions, contributing to the generation of evidence that can bridge the gap between genomics innovation and clinical adoption.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Cynthia Hau
- VA Boston Healthcare SystemBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | | | | | - Sophie A. Ludin
- VA Boston Healthcare SystemBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Cornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
| | - Andrew J. Zimolzak
- VA Boston Healthcare SystemBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Baylor College of MedicineHoustonTexasUSA
- Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical CenterHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Jason L. Vassy
- VA Boston Healthcare SystemBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary CareBrigham and Women's HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
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30
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He J, Morales DR, Guthrie B. Exclusion rates in randomized controlled trials of treatments for physical conditions: a systematic review. Trials 2020; 21:228. [PMID: 32102686 PMCID: PMC7045589 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-020-4139-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The generalisability of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) can be uncertain because the impact of exclusion criteria is rarely quantified. The aim of this study was to systematically review studies examining the percentage of clinical populations with a physical health condition who would be excluded by RCTs of treatments for that condition. Methods Medline and Embase were searched from inception to Feb 11th 2018. Two reviewers independently completed screening, full-text review, data extraction and risk-of-bias assessment. The primary outcome was the percentage of patients in the clinical population who would have been excluded from each examined trial. Subgroup analyses examined exclusion by population setting, publication date and funding source. Results Titles/abstracts (20,754) were screened, and 50 studies were included which reported exclusion rates from 305 trials of treatments in 31 physical conditions. Estimated rates of exclusion from trials varied from 0% to 100%, and the median exclusion rate was 77.1% of patients (interquartile range 55.5% to 89.0% exclusion). Median exclusion rates for trials in common chronic conditions were high, including hypertension 83.0%, type 2 diabetes 81.7%, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 84.3%, and asthma 96.0%. The most commonly applied exclusion criteria related to age, co-morbidity and co-prescribing, whereas more implicit criteria relating to life expectancy or functional status were not typically examined. There was no evidence that exclusion varied by the nature of the clinical population in which exclusion was evaluated or trial funding source. There was no statistically significant change in exclusion rates in more recent compared with older trials. Conclusions The majority of trials of treatments for physical conditions examined excluded the majority of patients with the condition being treated. Almost a quarter of the trials studied excluded over 90% of patients, more than half of trials excluded at least three quarters of patients, and four out of five trials excluded at least half of patients. A limitation is that most studies applied only a subset of eligibility criteria, so exclusion rates are likely under-estimated. Exclusion from trials of older people and people with co-morbidity and co-prescribing is increasingly untenable given population aging and increasing multimorbidity. Trial registration PROSPERO registration CRD42016042282.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinzhang He
- Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, University of Dundee, James Arrott Drive, Dundee, DD2 1SY, Scotland
| | - Daniel R Morales
- Population Health and Genomics Division, University of Dundee, Mackenzie Building, Kirsty Semple Way, Dundee, DD2 4BF, Scotland
| | - Bruce Guthrie
- Centre for Population Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Doorway 3 Old Medical School, Teviot Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9AG, Scotland.
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31
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Lefebvre C, Hindié J, Zappitelli M, Platt RW, Filion KB. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in chronic kidney disease: a systematic review of prescription practices and use in primary care. Clin Kidney J 2020; 13:63-71. [PMID: 32082554 PMCID: PMC7025355 DOI: 10.1093/ckj/sfz054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2018] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic kidney disease (CKD) management focuses on limiting further renal injury, including avoiding nephrotoxic medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). We performed a systematic review to evaluate the prevalence of primary care NSAID prescribing in this population. METHODS We systematically searched MEDLINE and Embase from inception to October 2017 for observational studies examining NSAID prescribing practices or use in CKD patients in a primary care setting. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed independently by two authors using a modified version of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Methodological Evaluation of Observational Research checklist. RESULTS Our search generated 8055 potentially relevant publications, 304 of which were retrieved for full-text review. A total of 14 studies from 13 publications met our inclusion criteria. There were eight cohort and three cross-sectional studies, two quality improvement intervention studies and one prospective survey, representing a total of 49 209 CKD patients. Cross-sectional point prevalence of NSAID use in CKD patients ranged from 8 to 21%. Annual period prevalence rates ranged from 3 to 33%. Meta-analysis was not performed due to important clinical heterogeneity across study populations. CONCLUSIONS Evidence suggests that NSAID prescriptions/use in primary care among patients with CKD is variable and relatively high. Future research should explore reasons for this to better focus knowledge translation interventions aimed at reducing NSAID use in this patient population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Lefebvre
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Montreal, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jade Hindié
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Montreal, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Michael Zappitelli
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Nephrology, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning (PGCRL), Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Robert W Platt
- Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Centre for Clinical Epidemiology, Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Kristian B Filion
- Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Centre for Clinical Epidemiology, Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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32
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Riva G, Bernardelli L, Browning MHEM, Castelnuovo G, Cavedoni S, Chirico A, Cipresso P, de Paula DMB, Di Lernia D, Fernández-Álvarez J, Figueras-Puigderrajols N, Fuji K, Gaggioli A, Gutiérrez-Maldonado J, Hong U, Mancuso V, Mazzeo M, Molinari E, Moretti LF, Ortiz de Gortari AB, Pagnini F, Pedroli E, Repetto C, Sforza F, Stramba-Badiale C, Tuena C, Malighetti C, Villani D, Wiederhold BK. COVID Feel Good-An Easy Self-Help Virtual Reality Protocol to Overcome the Psychological Burden of Coronavirus. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:563319. [PMID: 33173511 PMCID: PMC7538634 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.563319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Living in the time of the COVID-19 means experiencing not only a global health emergency but also extreme psychological stress with potential emotional side effects such as sadness, grief, irritability, and mood swings. Crucially, lockdown and confinement measures isolate people who become the first and the only ones in charge of their own mental health: people are left alone facing a novel and potentially lethal situation, and, at the same time, they need to develop adaptive strategies to face it, at home. In this view, easy-to-use, inexpensive, and scientifically validated self-help solutions aiming to reduce the psychological burden of coronavirus are extremely necessary. AIMS This pragmatic trial aims to provide the evidence that a weekly self-help virtual reality (VR) protocol can help overcome the psychological burden of the Coronavirus by relieving anxiety, improving well-being, and reinforcing social connectedness. The protocol will be based on the "Secret Garden" 360 VR video online (www.covidfeelgood.com) which simulates a natural environment aiming to promote relaxation and self-reflection. Three hundred sixty-degree or spherical videos allow the user to control the viewing direction. In this way, the user can explore the content from any angle like a panorama and experience presence and immersion. The "Secret Garden" video is combined with daily exercises that are designed to be experienced with another person (not necessarily physically together), to facilitate a process of critical examination and eventual revision of core assumptions and beliefs related to personal identity, relationships, and goals. METHODS This is a multicentric, pragmatic pilot randomized controlled trial involving individuals who experienced the COVID-19 pandemic and underwent a lockdown and quarantine procedures. The trial is approved by the Ethics Committee of the Istituto Auxologico Italiano. Each research group in all the countries joining the pragmatic trial, aims at enrolling at least 30 individuals in the experimental group experiencing the self-help protocol, and 30 in the control group, over a period of 3 months to verify the feasibility of the intervention. CONCLUSION The goal of this protocol is for VR to become the "surgical mask" of mental health treatment. Although surgical masks do not provide the wearer with a reliable level of protection against the coronavirus compared with FFP2 or FFP3 masks, surgical masks are very effective in protecting others from the wearer's respiratory emissions. The goal of the VR protocol is the same: not necessarily to solve complex mental health problems but rather to improve well-being and preserve social connectedness through the beneficial social effects generated by positive emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Riva
- IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy.,Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | | | | | - Gianluca Castelnuovo
- IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy.,Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Alice Chirico
- Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | - Pietro Cipresso
- IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy.,Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Daniele Di Lernia
- Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | | | | | - Kei Fuji
- Division of Psychology, University of Tsukuba, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Andrea Gaggioli
- IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy.,Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Upyong Hong
- Department of Media and Communication, Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea
| | | | - Milena Mazzeo
- Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | - Enrico Molinari
- IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy.,Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | - Luciana F Moretti
- Sociedad Española de Realidad Virtual y Psicología, Las Rozas - Madrid, Spain
| | - Angelica B Ortiz de Gortari
- The Centre for the Science of Learning & Technology (SLATE), University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Psychology and Neuroscience of Cognition Research Unit, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Francesco Pagnini
- Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | - Elisa Pedroli
- IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy.,Faculty of Psychology, University of eCampus, Novedrate, Italy
| | - Claudia Repetto
- Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | | | | | - Cosimo Tuena
- IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy.,Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | - Clelia Malighetti
- Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | - Daniela Villani
- Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | - Brenda K Wiederhold
- Virtual Reality Medical Center, La Jolla, CA, United States.,Virtual Reality Medical Institute, Brussels, Belgium
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33
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Nicholls SG, Carroll K, Zwarenstein M, Brehaut JC, Weijer C, Hey SP, Goldstein CE, Graham ID, Grimshaw JM, McKenzie JE, Fergusson DA, Taljaard M. The ethical challenges raised in the design and conduct of pragmatic trials: an interview study with key stakeholders. Trials 2019; 20:765. [PMID: 31870433 PMCID: PMC6929346 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-019-3899-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background There is a concern that the apparent effectiveness of interventions tested in clinical trials may not be an accurate reflection of their actual effectiveness in usual practice. Pragmatic randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are designed with the intent of addressing this discrepancy. While pragmatic RCTs may increase the relevance of research findings to practice they may also raise new ethical concerns (even while reducing others). To explore this question, we interviewed key stakeholders with the aim of identifying potential ethical challenges in the design and conduct of pragmatic RCTs with a view to developing future guidance on these issues. Methods Interviews were conducted with clinical investigators, methodologists, patient partners, ethicists, and other knowledge users (e.g., regulators). Interviews covered experiences with pragmatic RCTs, ethical issues relevant to pragmatic RCTs, and perspectives on the appropriate oversight of pragmatic RCTs. Interviews were coded inductively by two coders. Interim and final analyses were presented to the broader team for comment and discussion before the analytic framework was finalized. Results We conducted 45 interviews between April and September 2018. Interviewees represented a range of disciplines and jurisdictions as well as varying content expertise. Issues of importance in pragmatic RCTs were (1) identification of relevant risks from trial participation and determination of what constitutes minimal risk; (2) determining when alterations to traditional informed consent approaches are appropriate; (3) the distinction between research, quality improvement, and practice; (4) the potential for broader populations to be affected by the trial and what protections they might be owed; (5) the broader range of trial stakeholders in pragmatic RCTs, and determining their roles and responsibilities; and (6) determining what constitutes “usual care” and implications for trial reporting. Conclusions Our findings suggest both the need to discuss familiar ethical topics in new ways and that there are new ethical issues in pragmatic RCTs that need greater attention. Addressing the highlighted issues and developing guidance will require multidisciplinary input, including patient and community members, within a broader and more comprehensive analysis that extends beyond consent and attends to the identified considerations relating to risk and stakeholder roles and responsibilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart G Nicholls
- Clinical Epidemiology Program-Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI), Ottawa, ON, Canada.
| | - Kelly Carroll
- Clinical Epidemiology Program-Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI), Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Merrick Zwarenstein
- Centre for Studies in Family Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Jamie C Brehaut
- Clinical Epidemiology Program-Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI), Ottawa, ON, Canada.,School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Charles Weijer
- Rotman Institute of Philosophy, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Spencer P Hey
- Center for Bioethics, Harvard Medical School and Program on Regulation, Therapeutics, and Law at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Cory E Goldstein
- Rotman Institute of Philosophy, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Ian D Graham
- Clinical Epidemiology Program-Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI), Ottawa, ON, Canada.,School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Jeremy M Grimshaw
- Clinical Epidemiology Program-Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI), Ottawa, ON, Canada.,School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.,Department of Medicine University of Ottawa, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI), ON, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Joanne E McKenzie
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Dean A Fergusson
- Clinical Epidemiology Program-Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI), Ottawa, ON, Canada.,School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.,Department of Medicine University of Ottawa, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI), ON, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Monica Taljaard
- Clinical Epidemiology Program-Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI), Ottawa, ON, Canada.,School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
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Chung VC, Wong CH, Wu IX, Ching JY, Cheung WK, Yip BH, Chan KL, Cheong PK, Wu JC. Electroacupuncture plus on-demand gastrocaine for refractory functional dyspepsia: Pragmatic randomized trial. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2019; 34:2077-2085. [PMID: 31117149 DOI: 10.1111/jgh.14737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Revised: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM Treatment options for functional dyspepsia (FD) refractory to pharmacological treatments are limited but the effectiveness of electroacupuncture (EA) is uncertain. We assessed the effectiveness of EA combined with on-demand gastrocaine. METHODS We conducted a single-center, assessor-blind, randomized parallel-group 2-arm trial on Helicobacter pylori negative FD patients of the postprandial distress syndrome subtype refractory to proton pump inhibitor, prokinetics, or H2 antagonists. Enrolled participants were block randomized in a 1:1 ratio, with concealed random sequence. The treatment and control groups both received on-demand gastrocaine for 12 weeks, but only those in treatment group were offered 20 sessions of EA over 10 weeks. The primary endpoint was the between-group difference in proportion of patients achieving adequate relief of symptoms at week 12. RESULTS Of 132 participants randomly assigned to EA plus on-demand gastrocaine (n = 66) or on-demand gastrocaine alone (n = 66), 125 (94.7%) completed all follow-up at 12 weeks. The EA group had a compliance rate 97.7%. They had a significantly higher likelihood in achieving adequate symptom relief at 12 weeks, with a clinically relevant number needed to treat (NNT) value of 2.36 (95% CI: 1.74, 3.64). Among secondary outcomes, statistically and clinically significant improvements were observed among global symptom (NNT = 3.85 [95% CI: 2.63, 7.69]); postprandial fullness and early satiation (NNT = 5.00 [95% CI: 2.86, 25.00]); as well as epigastric pain, epigastric burning, and postprandial nausea (NNT = 4.17 [95% CI: 2.56, 11.11]). Adverse events were minimal and nonsignificant. CONCLUSION For refractory FD, EA provides significant, clinically relevant symptom relief when added to on-demand gastrocaine (ChiCTR-IPC-15007109).
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Ch Chung
- Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.,School of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Charlene Hl Wong
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.,Hong Kong Institute of Integrative Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Irene Xy Wu
- Xiang-Ya School of Public Health, Central South University, Chang-Sha, Hu-Nan, China
| | - Jessica Yl Ching
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.,Hong Kong Institute of Integrative Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - William Kw Cheung
- Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Benjamin Hk Yip
- Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Kam Leung Chan
- School of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.,Hong Kong Institute of Integrative Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Pui Kuan Cheong
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.,Hong Kong Institute of Integrative Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Justin Cy Wu
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.,Hong Kong Institute of Integrative Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
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35
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Ochodo EA, Kalema N, Schumacher S, Steingart K, Young T, Mallett S, Deeks J, Cobelens F, Bossuyt PM, Nicol MP, Cattamanchi A. Variation in the observed effect of Xpert MTB/RIF testing for tuberculosis on mortality: A systematic review and analysis of trial design considerations. Wellcome Open Res 2019; 4:173. [PMID: 32851196 PMCID: PMC7438967 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.15412.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: Most studies evaluating the effect of Xpert MTB/RIF testing for tuberculosis (TB) concluded that it did not reduce overall mortality compared to usual care. We conducted a systematic review to assess whether key study design and execution features contributed to earlier identification of patients with TB and decreased pre-treatment loss to follow-up, thereby reducing the potential impact of Xpert MTB/RIF testing. Methods: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, and Scopus for literature published from 1 st January 2009 to February 2019. We included all primary intervention studies that had evaluated the effect of Xpert MTB/RIF on mortality compared to usual care in participants with presumptive pulmonary TB. We critically reviewed features of included studies across: Study setting and context, Study population, Participant recruitment and enrolment, Study procedures, and Study follow-up. Results: We included seven randomised and one non-randomised study. All included studies demonstrated relative reductions in overall mortality in the Xpert MTB/RIF arm ranging from 6% to 40%. However, mortality reduction was reported to be statistically significant in two studies. Study features that could explain the lack of observed effect on mortality included: the higher quality of care at study sites; inclusion of patients with a higher pre-test probability of TB leading to higher than expected empirical rates; performance of additional diagnostic testing not done in usual care leading to increased TB diagnosis or empiric treatment initiation; the recruitment of participants likely to return for follow-up; and involvement of study staff in ensuring adherence with care and follow-up. Conclusion: Most studies of Xpert MTB/RIF were designed and conducted in a manner that resulted in more patients being diagnosed and treated for TB, minimising the potential difference in mortality Xpert MTB/RIF testing could have achieved compared to usual care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor A. Ochodo
- Department of Global Health, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, Western Cape, 8000, South Africa
| | - Nelson Kalema
- Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University, Kampala, 22418, Uganda
| | - Samuel Schumacher
- Tuberculosis Department, Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, Geneva, 1202, Switzerland
| | - Karen Steingart
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, L3 5QA, UK
| | - Taryn Young
- Department of Global Health, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, Western Cape, 8000, South Africa
| | - Susan Mallett
- NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
- Test Evaluation Research Group, Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - Jon Deeks
- NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
- Test Evaluation Research Group, Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - Frank Cobelens
- Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, 1105 BP, The Netherlands
| | - Patrick M. Bossuyt
- Deapartment of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, 1105 AZ, The Netherlands
| | - Mark P. Nicol
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Adithya Cattamanchi
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of California San Francisco Medical Center, San Francisco, California, 94110, USA
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Bloem BR, Ypinga JHL, Willis A, Canning CG, Barker RA, Munneke M, De Vries NM. Using Medical Claims Analyses to Understand Interventions for Parkinson Patients. JOURNAL OF PARKINSONS DISEASE 2019; 8:45-58. [PMID: 29254108 PMCID: PMC5836412 DOI: 10.3233/jpd-171277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The scientific evidence to support the value of a range of non-pharmacological interventions for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) is increasing. However, showing unequivocally that specific interventions are better than usual care is not straightforward because of generic drawbacks of clinical trials. Here, we address these challenges, specifically related to the context of evaluating complex non-pharmacological interventions for people with PD. Moreover, we discuss the potential merits of undertaking “real world” analyses using medical claims data. We illustrate this approach by discussing an interesting recent publication in The Lancet Neurology, which used such an approach to demonstrate the value of specialized physiotherapy for PD patients, over and above usual care physiotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bastiaan R Bloem
- Department of Neurology, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jan H L Ypinga
- Department Care Purchasing, CZ Groep, Goes, The Netherlands
| | - Allison Willis
- Departments of Neurology and of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Colleen G Canning
- Discipline of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Roger A Barker
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Marten Munneke
- Department of Neurology, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Nienke M De Vries
- Department of Neurology, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Zhang Z, Goyal H, Lange T, Hong Y. Healthcare processes of laboratory tests for the prediction of mortality in the intensive care unit: a retrospective study based on electronic healthcare records in the USA. BMJ Open 2019; 9:e028101. [PMID: 31239303 PMCID: PMC6597637 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-028101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Healthcare process carries important prognostic information for patients, but the healthcare processes of laboratory tests have not yet been investigated for patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). The study aimed to investigate the effect of healthcare processes of laboratory tests on hospital mortality, with the hypothesis that the addition of healthcare processes could improve the discrimination for mortality outcome. DESIGN The study included 12 laboratory tests. There were two dimensions for each laboratory test. One was the pathophysiology value; and the other was the healthcare process variables including the clock hour, the number of measurements and the measurement time from ICU admission. Generalised additive model was employed to investigate the effect of continuous variables on mortality. Generalised linear models with and without healthcare process variables were compared for their discrimination power. SETTING ICUs in an US-based hospital. PARTICIPANTS Adult patients included in the critical care big data Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES The hospital mortality was the primary outcome. RESULTS A total of 52 963 adult patients with complete ICU stay information were included for analysis. The mortality rate was 12.3%. Lower number of tests such as 1-3 times were associated with the lowest mortality for most laboratory tests. However, the hematocrit, glucose and potassium required 6-10 measurements for the first 24 hours to reach the lowest mortality rate. In n of the 12 prediction models involving laboratory tests, the addition of healthcare process variables was associated with significantly increased area under receiver operating characteristics. CONCLUSIONS The study showed that healthcare processes of laboratory tests were independently associated with hospital mortality. The addition of healthcare processes to the pathophysiology value could increase the discrimination for mortality outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongheng Zhang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Hemant Goyal
- Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, PA, USA
| | - Theis Lange
- Section of Biostatistics, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Center for Statistical Science, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yucai Hong
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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38
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Zhang Z, Spieth PM, Chiumello D, Goyal H, Torres A, Laffey JG, Hong Y. Declining Mortality in Patients With Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: An Analysis of the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Network Trials. Crit Care Med 2019; 47:315-323. [PMID: 30779718 DOI: 10.1097/ccm.0000000000003499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES There has been multiple advances in the management of acute respiratory distress syndrome, but the temporal trends in acute respiratory distress syndrome-related mortality are not well known. This study aimed to investigate the trends in mortality in acute respiratory distress syndrome patients over time and to explore the roles of daily fluid balance and ventilation variables in those patients. DESIGN Secondary analysis of randomized controlled trials conducted by the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Network from 1996 to 2013. SETTING Multicenter study involving Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Network trials. PATIENTS Patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. INTERVENTIONS None. MEASURES AND MAIN RESULTS Individual patient data from 5,159 acute respiratory distress syndrome patients (excluding the Late Steroid Rescue Study trial) were enrolled in this study. The crude mortality rate decreased from 35.4% (95% CI, 29.9-40.8%) in 1996 to 28.3% (95% CI, 22.0-34.7%) in 2013. By adjusting for the baseline Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation III, age, ICU type, and admission resource, patients enrolled from 2005 to 2010 (odds ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.50-0.74) and those enrolled after 2010 (odds ratio, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.58-0.92) were associated with lower risk of death as compared to those enrolled before 2000. The effect of year on mortality decline disappeared after adjustment for daily fluid balance, positive end-expiratory pressure, tidal volume, and plateau pressure. There were significant trends of declines in daily fluid balance, tidal volume, and plateau pressure and an increase in positive end-expiratory pressure over the 17 years. CONCLUSIONS Our study shows an improvement in the acute respiratory distress syndrome-related mortality rate in the critically ill patients enrolled in the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Network trials. The effect was probably mediated via decreased tidal volume, plateau pressure, and daily fluid balance and increased positive end-expiratory pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongheng Zhang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Peter Markus Spieth
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, University Hospital Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany
| | - Davide Chiumello
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
- SC Anestesia e Rianimazione, Ospedale San Paolo - Polo Universitario, ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo, Milan, Italy
- Centro ricerca cordinata di insufficienza respiratoria, Università degli Studi di Milan, Italy
| | - Hemant Goyal
- Department of Internal Medicine, Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, GA
| | - Antoni Torres
- Department of Pneumology, Institut Clinic del Tórax, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona - Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), University of Barcelona - SGR 911- Ciber de Enfermedades Respiratorias (Ciberes) Barcelona, Spain
| | - John G Laffey
- Critical Illness and Injury Research Centre, Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science of St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Yucai Hong
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
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Courcoulas AP, Stefater MA, Shirley E, Gourash WF, Stylopoulos N. The Feasibility of Examining the Effects of Gastric Bypass Surgery on Intestinal Metabolism: Prospective, Longitudinal Mechanistic Clinical Trial. JMIR Res Protoc 2019; 8:e12459. [PMID: 30679147 PMCID: PMC6483060 DOI: 10.2196/12459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2018] [Revised: 12/05/2018] [Accepted: 12/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Bariatric surgery, especially Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), is the best treatment for severe obesity and its complications including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Understanding the mechanisms responsible for the beneficial metabolic effects will help to engineer ways to improve the procedure or produce these effects without surgery. Objective The aim is to present data on recruitment and feasibility of a translational study designed to collect intestinal samples before and after bariatric surgery. The goal of biobanking is to allow future studies to test the hypothesis that the mechanism of action of RYGB involves specific changes in the postsurgical short- and long-term metabolism and morphology of the jejunum (Roux limb). Specifically, to test whether the intestine enhances its metabolism and activity after RYGB and increases its fuel utilization, we designed a prospective, longitudinal study, which involved the recruitment of candidates for RYGB with and without T2DM. We describe the tissue bank that we have generated, and our experience, hoping to further facilitate the performance of longitudinal mechanistic studies in human patients undergoing bariatric surgery and especially those involving post-RYGB intestinal biology. Methods We conducted a trial to characterize the effects of RYGB on intestinal metabolism. Intestinal tissue samples were collected from the jejunum at surgery, 1, 6, and 12 months postoperatively for the analysis of intestinal gene expression and metabolomic and morphologic changes. The target number of patients who completed at least the 6-month follow-up was 26, and we included a 20% attrition rate, increasing the total number to 32. Results To enroll 26 patients, we had to approach 79 potential participants. A total of 37 agreed to participate and started the study; 33, 30, and 26 active participants completed their 1-month, 6-month, and 12-month studies, respectively. Three participants withdrew, and 30 participants are still active. Altruism and interest in research were the most common reasons for participation. Important factors for feasibility and successful retention included (1) large volume case flow, (2) inclusion and exclusion criteria broad enough to capture a large segment of the patient population but narrow enough to ensure the completion of study aims and protection of safety concerns, (3) accurate assessment of willingness and motivation to participate in a study, (4) seamless integration of the recruitment process into normal clinical flow, (5) financial reimbursement and nonfinancial rewards and gestures of appreciation, and (6) nonburdensome follow-up visits and measures and reasonable time allotted. Conclusions Human translational studies of the intestinal mechanisms of metabolic and weight changes after bariatric surgery are important and feasible. A tissue bank with unique samples has been established that could be used by investigators in many research fields, further enabling mechanistic studies on the effects of bariatric surgery. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02710370; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02710370 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/75HrQT8Dl)
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Eleanor Shirley
- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - William F Gourash
- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
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Gamerman V, Cai T, Elsäßer A. Pragmatic randomized clinical trials: best practices and statistical guidance. HEALTH SERVICES AND OUTCOMES RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10742-018-0192-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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41
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Cannizzo S, Lorenzoni V, Palla I, Pirri S, Trieste L, Triulzi I, Turchetti G. Rare diseases under different levels of economic analysis: current activities, challenges and perspectives. RMD Open 2018; 4:e000794. [PMID: 30488003 PMCID: PMC6241967 DOI: 10.1136/rmdopen-2018-000794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Revised: 10/08/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Rare diseases imply clinical and economic burden as well as a significant challenge for health systems. One relevant objective of the activities planned within the European Reference Network on Rare and Complex Connective Tissue and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ERN ReCONNET) is to address the economic dimensions of rare diseases to identify, develop and suggest strategies to improve research and patients' access to orphan drugs (ODs) and highly specialised health technologies. This paper presents a preliminary review of the existing policies on rare diseases in the countries of the Network members. It also introduces and discusses the theme of how to perform health economic evaluations of rare diseases and of existing or new treatments for rare diseases. To obtain a preliminary overview aiming at defining the state of the art of rare diseases policies and initiatives in ERN ReCONNET countries, we collected and analysed the rare diseases national plans of all the eight countries of the ERN ReCONNET participants. The preliminary overview that has been performed showed that in all the ERN ReCONNET countries are in place national plans for rare diseases; however, heterogeneity exists in the reimbursement of ODs, direct provision by the healthcare system, involvement of patients' associations in decision making and implementation of clinical practice guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Cannizzo
- Institute of Management, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Ilaria Palla
- Institute of Management, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | - Salvatore Pirri
- Institute of Management, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | - Leopoldo Trieste
- Institute of Management, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | - Isotta Triulzi
- Institute of Management, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy
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Kessel KA, Vogel MME, Kessel C, Bier H, Biedermann T, Friess H, Herschbach P, von Eisenhart-Rothe R, Meyer B, Kiechle M, Keller U, Peschel C, Bassermann F, Schmid R, Schwaiger M, Combs SE. Cancer clinical trials - Survey evaluating patient participation and acceptance in a university-based Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC). Clin Transl Radiat Oncol 2018; 13:44-49. [PMID: 30345398 PMCID: PMC6192009 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctro.2018.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2018] [Revised: 09/23/2018] [Accepted: 10/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
>50% of patients are willing to participate in clinical trials, only 18% are currently enrolled. The top reason to participate in trials was to serve medical progress and cancer research. Reasons for refusing were extensive travel time, no therapeutic advantage and too time-consuming. Good information strategies need to be implemented, and doctors need to be aware of running trials. Trial concepts must include patients’ needs, e.g. number of appointments, risk-benefit profile.
Introduction Prospective clinical trials are essential to translate new therapy concepts or rather any scientific development into the medical routine. Besides a sophisticated trial protocol, the success of clinical trials depends on patient recruitment and participation. Patient recruitment remains a challenge and depends on several factors. To get a current picture of the patients’ attitude, we conducted the present survey. Methods We designed a survey with seven questions, which was given to all oncological patients treated within a timeframe of three months between Mai and July 2017. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. The questionnaire mainly inquires patients’ participation in clinical trials in a university-based setting, their attitude towards clinical trials regarding risks and benefits, and their source of information in this context. Results 771 patients (1:1 male/female) participated with a median age of 61 years (range 18–91 years) with a response rate of 71.5%. Of all, 17.8% (137/771) were participating in a clinical trial. The most mentioned reason was to serve medical progress and cancer research. Out of the patients not currently participating in a trial, 79 (12.7%, 79/623) refusers named the following main reasons: extensive travel time to the clinic, no therapeutic advantage, and too time-consuming. Out of the patients not offered to take part in a trial, 265 (51.0%, 265/520) would participate if offered. Of all patients, 8.3% (64/771) used the clinics' homepage as a source of information, of those 79.7% (51/64) were satisfied with its content. To enhance patient recruitment strategies, we asked how patients wish to be informed about possible trials: More than half (52.0%) of the questioned patients preferred an individual medical consultation with their physician. We further analyzed the trial participation depending on age, gender, unit, and tumor entity. We could show a significant influence of age (p < 0.001) but not for gender (p = 0.724). The trial participation was also significantly associated with the treating unit (p < 0.001) and tumor entity (p = 0.001). Conclusion Patients are willing to participate in clinical trials. Better information strategies need to be implemented. Physicians need to be aware of running trials within their department and must counseling counsel patients effectively to improve recruitment. Trial concepts should keep in mind patients’ needs including an adequate number of appointments, positive risk-benefit profiles, and information material.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerstin A Kessel
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Ismaninger Straße 22, Munich, Germany.,Institute for Innovative Radiotherapy (iRT), Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, Neuherberg, Germany.,Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung (DKTK), DKTK Partner Site Munich, Germany
| | - Marco M E Vogel
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Ismaninger Straße 22, Munich, Germany.,Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung (DKTK), DKTK Partner Site Munich, Germany
| | - Carmen Kessel
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Ismaninger Straße 22, Munich, Germany.,Onkologisches Zentrum im RHCCC am Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Ismaninger Straße 22, Munich, Germany.,Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung (DKTK), DKTK Partner Site Munich, Germany
| | - Henning Bier
- Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung (DKTK), DKTK Partner Site Munich, Germany.,Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Ismaninger Straße 22, Munich, Germany
| | - Tilo Biedermann
- Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung (DKTK), DKTK Partner Site Munich, Germany.,Department of Dermatology and Allergy Biederstein, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Biedersteiner Straße 29, Munich, Germany
| | - Helmut Friess
- Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung (DKTK), DKTK Partner Site Munich, Germany.,Department of Surgery, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Ismaninger Straße 22, Munich, Germany
| | - Peter Herschbach
- Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung (DKTK), DKTK Partner Site Munich, Germany.,Roman Herzog Comprehensive Cancer Center (RHCCC), Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Trogerstraße 26, Munich, Germany
| | - Rüdiger von Eisenhart-Rothe
- Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung (DKTK), DKTK Partner Site Munich, Germany.,Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Ismaninger Straße 22, Munich, Germany
| | - Bernhard Meyer
- Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung (DKTK), DKTK Partner Site Munich, Germany.,Department of Neurosurgery, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Ismaninger Straße 22, Munich, Germany
| | - Marion Kiechle
- Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung (DKTK), DKTK Partner Site Munich, Germany.,Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Ismaninger Straße 22, Munich, Germany
| | - Ulrich Keller
- Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung (DKTK), DKTK Partner Site Munich, Germany.,3rd Department of Internal Medicine (Hematology and Oncology), Technical University of Munich (TUM), Ismaninger Straße 22, Munich, Germany
| | - Christian Peschel
- Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung (DKTK), DKTK Partner Site Munich, Germany.,3rd Department of Internal Medicine (Hematology and Oncology), Technical University of Munich (TUM), Ismaninger Straße 22, Munich, Germany
| | - Florian Bassermann
- Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung (DKTK), DKTK Partner Site Munich, Germany.,3rd Department of Internal Medicine (Hematology and Oncology), Technical University of Munich (TUM), Ismaninger Straße 22, Munich, Germany
| | - Roland Schmid
- Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung (DKTK), DKTK Partner Site Munich, Germany.,Department of Gastroentereology, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Ismaninger Straße 22, Munich, Germany
| | - Markus Schwaiger
- Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung (DKTK), DKTK Partner Site Munich, Germany.,Department of Nuclear Medicine, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Ismaninger Straße 22, Munich, Germany
| | - Stephanie E Combs
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Ismaninger Straße 22, Munich, Germany.,Institute for Innovative Radiotherapy (iRT), Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, Neuherberg, Germany.,Onkologisches Zentrum im RHCCC am Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Ismaninger Straße 22, Munich, Germany.,Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung (DKTK), DKTK Partner Site Munich, Germany
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Zhang Z, Seibold H, Vettore MV, Song WJ, François V. Subgroup identification in clinical trials: an overview of available methods and their implementations with R. ANNALS OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2018; 6:122. [PMID: 29955582 PMCID: PMC6015941 DOI: 10.21037/atm.2018.03.07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2018] [Accepted: 02/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) usually enroll heterogeneous study population, and thus it is interesting to identify subgroups of patients for whom the treatment may be beneficial or harmful. A variety of methods have been developed to do such kind of post hoc analyses. Conventional generalized linear model is able to include prognostic variables as a main effect and predictive variables in an interaction with treatment variable. A statistically significant and large interaction effect usually indicates potential subgroups that may have different responses to the treatment. However, the conventional regression method requires to specify the interaction term, which requires knowledge of predictive variables or becomes infeasible when there is a large number of feature variables. The Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) method does variable selection by shrinking less clear effects (including interaction effects) to zero and in this way selects only certain variables and interactions for the model. There are many tree-based methods for subgroup identification. For example, model-based recursive partitioning incorporates parametric models such as generalized linear models into trees. The model incorporated is usually a simple model with only the treatment as covariate. Predictive and prognostic variables are found and incorporated automatically via the tree. The present article gives an overview of these methods and explains how to perform them using the free software environment for statistical computing R (version 3.3.2). A simulated dataset is employed for illustrating the performance of these methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongheng Zhang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Sir Run-Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310016, China
| | - Heidi Seibold
- Biostatistics Department, Epidemiology, Biostatistics & Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mario V. Vettore
- Academic Unit of Oral Health, Dentistry and Society, School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Woo-Jung Song
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
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Donovan JL, Young GJ, Walsh EI, Metcalfe C, Lane JA, Martin RM, Tazewell MK, Davis M, Peters TJ, Turner EL, Mills N, Khazragui H, Khera TK, Neal DE, Hamdy FC. A prospective cohort and extended comprehensive-cohort design provided insights about the generalizability of a pragmatic trial: the ProtecT prostate cancer trial. J Clin Epidemiol 2018; 96:35-46. [PMID: 29288137 PMCID: PMC5854278 DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2017.12.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2017] [Revised: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 12/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) deliver robust internally valid evidence but generalizability is often neglected. Design features built into the Prostate testing for cancer and Treatment (ProtecT) RCT of treatments for localized prostate cancer (PCa) provided insights into its generalizability. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING Population-based cluster randomization created a prospective study of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing and a comprehensive-cohort study including groups choosing treatment or excluded from the RCT, as well as those randomized. Baseline information assessed selection and response during RCT conduct. RESULTS The prospective study (82,430 PSA-tested men) represented healthy men likely to respond to a screening invitation. The extended comprehensive cohort comprised 1,643 randomized, 997 choosing treatment, and 557 excluded with advanced cancer/comorbidities. Men choosing treatment were very similar to randomized men except for having more professional/managerial occupations. Excluded men were similar to the randomized socio-demographically but different clinically, representing less healthy men with more advanced PCa. CONCLUSION The design features of the ProtecT RCT provided data to assess the representativeness of the prospective cohort and generalizability of the findings of the RCT. Greater attention to collecting data at the design stage of pragmatic trials would better support later judgments by clinicians/policy-makers about the generalizability of RCT findings in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny L Donovan
- School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care West, Hosted by University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol, UK.
| | - Grace J Young
- School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Eleanor I Walsh
- School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Chris Metcalfe
- School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; Bristol Randomised Trials Collaboration, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - J Athene Lane
- School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; Bristol Randomised Trials Collaboration, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Richard M Martin
- School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, National Institute for Health Research, Bristol Nutrition Biomedical Research Unit, Bristol, UK
| | - Marta K Tazewell
- School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Michael Davis
- School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Tim J Peters
- School of Clinical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Emma L Turner
- School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Nicola Mills
- School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Hanan Khazragui
- School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Tarnjit K Khera
- School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - David E Neal
- Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Freddie C Hamdy
- Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Cannizzo S, Lorenzoni V, Palla I, Pirri S, Trieste L, Triulzi I, Turchetti G. Rare diseases under different levels of economic analysis: current activities, challenges and perspectives. RMD Open 2018. [PMID: 30488003 DOI: 10.1136/rmdopen-2018-000794.pmid:30488003;pmcid:pmc6241967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Rare diseases imply clinical and economic burden as well as a significant challenge for health systems. One relevant objective of the activities planned within the European Reference Network on Rare and Complex Connective Tissue and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ERN ReCONNET) is to address the economic dimensions of rare diseases to identify, develop and suggest strategies to improve research and patients' access to orphan drugs (ODs) and highly specialised health technologies. This paper presents a preliminary review of the existing policies on rare diseases in the countries of the Network members. It also introduces and discusses the theme of how to perform health economic evaluations of rare diseases and of existing or new treatments for rare diseases. To obtain a preliminary overview aiming at defining the state of the art of rare diseases policies and initiatives in ERN ReCONNET countries, we collected and analysed the rare diseases national plans of all the eight countries of the ERN ReCONNET participants. The preliminary overview that has been performed showed that in all the ERN ReCONNET countries are in place national plans for rare diseases; however, heterogeneity exists in the reimbursement of ODs, direct provision by the healthcare system, involvement of patients' associations in decision making and implementation of clinical practice guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Cannizzo
- Institute of Management, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Ilaria Palla
- Institute of Management, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | - Salvatore Pirri
- Institute of Management, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | - Leopoldo Trieste
- Institute of Management, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | - Isotta Triulzi
- Institute of Management, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
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Series: Pragmatic trials and real world evidence: Paper 7. Safety, quality and monitoring. J Clin Epidemiol 2017; 91:6-12. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2017.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2016] [Revised: 12/14/2016] [Accepted: 05/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Welsing PM, Oude Rengerink K, Collier S, Eckert L, van Smeden M, Ciaglia A, Nachbaur G, Trelle S, Taylor AJ, Egger M, Goetz I. Series: Pragmatic trials and real world evidence: Paper 6. Outcome measures in the real world. J Clin Epidemiol 2017; 90:99-107. [PMID: 28502810 DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2016.12.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2016] [Revised: 12/05/2016] [Accepted: 12/12/2016] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Results from pragmatic trials should reflect the comparative treatment effects encountered in patients in real-life clinical practice to guide treatment decisions. Therefore, pragmatic trials should focus on outcomes that are relevant to patients, clinical practice, and treatment choices. This sixth article in the series (see Box) discusses different types of outcomes and their suitability for pragmatic trials, design choices for measuring these outcomes, and their implications and challenges. Measuring outcomes in pragmatic trials should not interfere with real-world clinical practice to ensure generalizability of trial results, and routinely collected outcomes should be prioritized. Typical outcomes include mortality, morbidity, functional status, well-being, and resource use. Surrogate endpoints are typically avoided as primary outcome. It is important to measure outcomes over a relevant time horizon and obtain valid and precise results. As pragmatic trials are often open label, a less subjective outcome can reduce bias. Methods that decrease bias or enhance precision of the results, such as standardization and blinding of outcome assessment, should be considered when a high risk of bias or high variability is expected. The selection of outcomes in pragmatic trials should be relevant for decision making and feasible in terms of executing the trial in the context of interest. Therefore, this should be discussed with all stakeholders as early as feasible to ensure the relevance of study results for decision making in clinical practice and the ability to perform the study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paco M Welsing
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Katrien Oude Rengerink
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Sue Collier
- GSK, Respiratory R&D, Stockley Park West, Brentford, Middlesex TW89GS, UK
| | - Laurent Eckert
- Health Economics and Outcome Research, Sanofi, Avenue Pierre Brossolette, 91385, Chilly-Mazarin, France
| | - Maarten van Smeden
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Antonio Ciaglia
- International Alliance of Patients' Organizations, 49-51 East Road, London, N1 6AH, UK
| | - Gaelle Nachbaur
- Medical Department, GSK, 100 route de Versailles, Marly-le-Roi 78163, France
| | - Sven Trelle
- Department of Clinical Research, CTU, University of Bern, Finkenhubelweg 11, CH-3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Aliki J Taylor
- Global Outcomes Research, Takeda Development Centre Europe Ltd, 61 Aldwych, WC2B 4AE, London, UK
| | - Matthias Egger
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Finkenhubelweg 11, CH-3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Iris Goetz
- Global Patient Outcomes & Real World Evidence, Eli Lilly and Company Ltd, Erl Wood Manor, Sunninghill Road, Windlesham, Surrey, GU20 6PH, UK
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