Comparative Risk: Dread and Unknown Characteristics of the COVID‐19 Pandemic Versus COVID‐19 Vaccines

Background:Biological therapies have significantly improved the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). These molecules are very effective, but are known for their specific risks, especially infectious. It depends on several factors including the type of molecule used.Objectives:The objective of our study is to compare the rate of infection in RA patients treated with rituximab and anti-TNFα.Methods:Prospective, observational, monocentric study. Were included RA patients (ACR / EULAR 2010 criteria) treated with rituximab and anti-TNFα (adalimumab, infliximab and Etanercept) after inadequate response to DMARDs.Demographic characteristics, comorbidities, association with methotrexate and corticosteroids were collected and compared for each group.The number, type and severity of the infections in both cases were noted.SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) was used for data analysis.Results:40 RA patients treated with rituximab and 31 patients who received anti-TNFα were included.Patient characteristics and Comparison of rate of infection in RA patients between the two groups are summarized in Table 1Table 1.ParametersRituximabAnti-TNFαpNumber of patients4031Average age (years)56,2846,060,01Sexratio0,140,110,7Average duration of evolution (years)15,8313,740,3Patients under corticosteroid (%)97,587,10,08Average corticosteroid dose6,415,480,3patients under methotrexate (%)37,545,20,5Diabetes (%)2016,10,7Patients with infection (%)32,551,60,1Number of infections18240,4Number of serious infections500,04Conclusion:The rate of infections in patients with RA treated with rituximab or anti-TNF was similar. However, the infections observed were more serious in patients with RA treated with rituximabReferences:[1]Fabiola Atzeni MD PhD and al. Infections and Biological Therapy in Patients with Rheumatic Diseases. IMAJ . VOL 18. march-APRIL 2016.[2]Huifeng Yun and al. Comparative Risk of Hospitalized Infection Associated with Biologic Agents in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Enrolled in Medicare. ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATOLOGY. Vol. 68, No. 1, January 2016, pp 56–66.[3]Manjari Lahiri and al. Risk of infection with biologic antirheumatic therapies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Best Practice & Research Clinical Rheumatology (2015) 1-16.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

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A comparative risk assessment of dialysis care processes in the home and hospital care contexts

International Journal of Systems Assurance Engineering and Management ◽

10.1007/s13198-020-01032-4 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 985-1002

Author(s):

Peter Chemweno ◽

Liliane Pintelon

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Risk Assessment ◽

Home Care ◽

Domain Knowledge ◽

Assessment Process ◽

Hospital Environment ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Comparative Risk Assessment ◽

Care Givers ◽

Comparative Risk

Abstract Dialysis processes within the home care context is associated with risk factors which are not very prominent in the hospital context. This includes risk factors such as unanticipated device malfunction, or erroneous operation of the equipment, which exposes the patient to injury while undergoing dialysis. Importantly, the mentioned risk factors are further attributed to technical aspects such as sub-optimal equipment maintenance or following improper clinical procedures when administering care to the patient. Hence, it is important to follow a methodological approach to identify and assess hazards embedded within the dialysis treatment process, and on this basis, formulate effective strategies to mitigate their negative consequences on patient safety. This paper presents a comparative risk assessment for in-hospital versus in-home dialysis care. For the two cases, the risk assessment considers expertise of care givers involved in administering dialysis. The findings show that performing risk assessment for hospital environment, is more structured owing to expertise of clinicians and care givers responsible for administering dialysis. However, assessing risks for the home-care environment is more challenging owing to absence of domain knowledge, hence a survey approach to structure the risk assessment process is necessary. Moreover, risks in the home care context is influenced by logistical aspects, and lack of domain knowledge for maintaining dialysis equipment. Overall, insights from the comparative studies yields important learning points expected to improve dialysis care as more healthcare providers transfer care to the home environment.

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