scholarly journals Application of Clinical Decision Support System to Assist Breast Cancer Patients with Lifestyle Modifications during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 2115
Author(s):  
Panos Papandreou ◽  
Aristea Gioxari ◽  
Frantzeska Nimee ◽  
Maria Skouroliakou

Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) are data aggregation tools based on computer technology that assist clinicians to promote healthy weight management and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. We carried out a randomised controlled 3-month trial to implement lifestyle modifications in breast cancer (BC) patients by means of CDSS during the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, 55 BC women at stages I-IIIA were enrolled. They were randomly assigned either to Control group, receiving general lifestyle advice (n = 28) or the CDSS group (n = 27), to whom the CDSS provided personalised dietary plans based on the Mediterranean diet (MD) together with physical activity guidelines. Food data, anthropometry, blood markers and quality of life were evaluated. At 3 months, higher adherence to MD was recorded in the CDSS group, accompanied by lower body weight (kg) and body fat mass percentage compared to control (p < 0.001). In the CDSS arm, global health/quality of life was significantly improved at the trial endpoint (p < 0.05). Fasting blood glucose and lipid levels (i.e., cholesterol, LDL, triacylglycerols) of the CDSS arm remained unchanged (p > 0.05) but were elevated in the control arm at 3 months (p < 0.05). In conclusion, CDSS could be a promising tool to assist BC patients with lifestyle modifications during the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 731-737
Author(s):  
Matteo Balestrieri ◽  
Davide Sisti ◽  
Marco Rocchi ◽  
Paola Rucci ◽  
Gregory Simon ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Computerized Clinical Decision Support Systems (CCDSS) are information technology tools, designed to improve clinical decision-making. Telemedicine is a health care service delivery using videoconferencing, telephone or messaging technologies. Objectives Our project aimed at testing the effectiveness of a composite CCDSS and telemedicine approach designed to treat depression in primary care. Methods This cluster randomized trial involved four GP clinics located in Northern Italy. Two clinics were assigned to the experimental protocol, and two served as controls. The study compared the telemedicine group (TG), in which GPs had access to a CCDSS platform, with the control group (CG) in which GPs provided treatment as usual (TAU). Patients scoring ≥11 on Patient Heath Questionnaire and ≥26 on the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self-Report were eligible for participation. Patients were also administered the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF to assess quality of life and Medical Interview Satisfaction Scale 21 to assess satisfaction with the medical interview. Results Overall, 2810 patients were screened and 66 in the experimental group and 32 in the CG passed the screening stages and met inclusion criteria. The percentage of remitters at 6 months was significantly higher in the TG than in the CG group (24.1% versus 3.1%, χ 2 = 6.6, P = 0.01). This difference remained significant after adjusting for baseline confounders. Physical and psychological quality of life improved significantly from baseline in both groups. Patients reported, on average, good satisfaction with the medical interview. Conclusions Our study showed that a combined CCDSS and telemedicine approach may be more effective than the TAU offered by GPs to patients with depression. Trial registration The trial was registered on https://clinicaltrials.gov/ on 5 October 2012 with identifier: NCT01701791. The first participant was enrolled on 5 May 2014 and the study was completed on May 2016.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. e050974
Author(s):  
Wicharn Boonjindasup ◽  
Julie M Marchant ◽  
Margaret S McElrea ◽  
Stephanie T Yerkovich ◽  
Ian Brent Masters ◽  
...  

IntroductionAlthough spirometry has been available for decades, it is underused in paediatric practice, other than in specialist clinics. This is unsurprising as there is limited evidence on the benefit of routine spirometry in improving clinical decision making and/or outcomes for children. We hypothesised that using spirometry for children being evaluated for respiratory diseases impacts on clinical decision making and/or improves patient-related outcome measures (PROMs) and/or quality of life (QoL), compared with not using spirometry.Methods and analysisWe are undertaking a randomised controlled trial (commenced in March 2020) that will include 106 children (aged 4–18 years) recruited from respiratory clinics at Queensland Children’s Hospital, Australia. Inclusion criteria are able to perform reliable spirometry and a parent/guardian who can complete questionnaire(s). Children (1:1 allocation) are randomised to clinical medical review with spirometry (intervention group) or without spirometry (control group) within strata of consultation status (new/review), and cough condition (present/absent). The primary outcome is change in clinical decision making. The secondary outcomes are change in PROM scores, opinions regarding spirometry and degree of diagnosis certainty. Intergroup differences of these outcomes will be determined by χ2 test or unpaired t-test (or Mann-Whitney if not normally distributed). Change in outcomes within the control group after review of spirometry will also be assessed by McNemar’s test or paired t-test/Wilcoxon signed-rank test.Ethics and disseminationThe Human Research Ethics Committee of the Queensland Children’s Hospital approved the study. The trial results will be disseminated through conference presentations, teaching avenues and publications.Trial registration numberACTRN12619001686190; Pre-results.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 3-13
Author(s):  
Yuriy Dumanskiy ◽  
Oleksandr Bondar ◽  
Oleksandr Tkachenko ◽  
Evhenii Stoliachuk ◽  
Vasilii Ermakov

In recent years, breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer pathology and the most common cause of disability among women in developed countries. Finding the most effective ways of interaction between the patient and the doctor creates the preconditions for the necessary analysis of the treatment process from an objective and subjective point of view. Therefore, an important indicator to be taken into account is the quality of life of a patient. To compare the indicators of a comprehensive assessment of the quality of life of patients to the adverse locally advanced forms (LA) of breast cancer before and after systemic intravenous polychemotherapy (SPCTx) and selective endolymphatic polychemotherapy (ELPCTx) in neoadjuvant mode. The study was conducted on the basis of a random analysis of outpatient cards from 112 patients with LA BC T4A-DN0-3M0 who received a comprehensive antitumor treatment on the basis of the Donetsk regional antitumor center and the University Clinic of the Odessa National Medical University from 2000 to 2017, which was proposed a questionnaire at various stages of preoperative treatment. The first (control) group consisted of 65 patients (58 %) with inoperable forms of LA BC, which was performed in neoadjuvant mode by SPCTx. The second (study group) included 47 patients (42 %) with inoperable forms of LA BC, which was performed as a neoadjuvant course ELPCTx. According to the integral indicators of quality of life and quality of health between patients in the control and study groups, there was no statistically significant difference. In a detailed analysis of the indicators of symptomatic scales, the difference between the groups did not exceed the critical. Based on the results of a study conducted among patients receiving endolymphatic chemotherapy in a neoadjuvant mode, the subjective evaluations of treatment in absolute numbers have better reference values without statistical superiority. The study of the integrative indicator of quality of life and its discrete elements is an ergonomic and economical means of heuristic assessment of the health of patients in order to further develop more rational and convenient ways of solving urgent issues of modern oncology by increasing compliance and finding a compromise between the physician and the patient.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (02) ◽  
pp. 199-207
Author(s):  
Liang Yan ◽  
Thomas Reese ◽  
Scott D. Nelson

Abstract Objective Increasingly, pharmacists provide team-based care that impacts patient care; however, the extent of recent clinical decision support (CDS), targeted to support the evolving roles of pharmacists, is unknown. Our objective was to evaluate the literature to understand the impact of clinical pharmacists using CDS. Methods We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central for randomized controlled trials, nonrandomized trials, and quasi-experimental studies which evaluated CDS tools that were developed for inpatient pharmacists as a target user. The primary outcome of our analysis was the impact of CDS on patient safety, quality use of medication, and quality of care. Outcomes were scored as positive, negative, or neutral. The secondary outcome was the proportion of CDS developed for tasks other than medication order verification. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Results Of 4,365 potentially relevant articles, 15 were included. Five studies were randomized controlled trials. All included studies were rated as good quality. Of the studies evaluating inpatient pharmacists using a CDS tool, four showed significantly improved quality use of medications, four showed significantly improved patient safety, and three showed significantly improved quality of care. Six studies (40%) supported expanded roles of clinical pharmacists. Conclusion These results suggest that CDS can support clinical inpatient pharmacists in preventing medication errors and optimizing pharmacotherapy. Moreover, an increasing number of CDS tools have been developed for pharmacists' roles outside of order verification, whereby further supporting and establishing pharmacists as leaders in safe and effective pharmacotherapy.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. e041548
Author(s):  
Cristian Ochoa-Arnedo ◽  
Joan Carles Medina ◽  
Aida Flix-Valle ◽  
Dimitra Anastasiadou

IntroductionPsychosocial interventions for patients with breast cancer (BC) have demonstrated their effectiveness at reducing emotional distress and improving quality of life. The current digitisation of screening, monitoring and psychosocial treatment presents the opportunity for a revolution that could improve the quality of care and reduce its economic burden. The objectives of this study are, first, to assess the effectiveness of an e-health platform with integrated and stepped psychosocial services compared with usual psychosocial care, and second, to examine its cost–utility.Methods and analysisThis study is a multicentre randomised controlled trial with two parallel groups: E-health intervention with integrated and stepped psychosocial services vs usual psychosocial care. An estimated sample of 338 patients with BC in the acute survival phase will be recruited from three university hospitals in Catalonia (Spain) and will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. All participants will be evaluated at the beginning of the study (T1: recruitment), 3 months from T1 (T2), 6 months from T1 (T3) and 12 months from T1 (T4). Primary outcome measures will include number of clinical cases detected, waiting time from detection to psychosocial intervention and proportion of cases successfully treated in the different steps of the intervention, as well as outcomes related to emotional distress, quality of life, post-traumatic stress and growth, treatment adherence and therapeutic alliance. Secondary outcomes will include the acceptability of the platform, patients’ satisfaction and usability. For the cost–utility analysis, we will assess quality-adjusted life years and costs related to healthcare utilisation, medication use and adherence, work absenteeism and infrastructure-related and transport-related costs.Ethics and disseminationThis study was approved by the Ethics committee of the Institut Català d’Oncologia network in Hospitalet, Spain. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, reports to the funding body, conferences among the scientific community, workshops with patients and media press releases.Trial registration numberOnline Psychosocial Cancer Screening, Monitoring and Stepped Treatment in Cancer Survivors (ICOnnectat-B),NCT04372459.


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