Health technology assessment : HTA
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Health Technol Assess · Jul 2019
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Pragmatic Clinical TrialExercise- and strategy-based physiotherapy-delivered intervention for preventing repeat falls in people with Parkinson's: the PDSAFE RCT.
People with Parkinson's disease are twice as likely to experience a fall as a healthy older person, often leading to debilitating effects on confidence, activity levels and quality of life. ⋯ Further trials of falls prevention on targeted groups of people with Parkinson's disease are recommended.
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Health Technol Assess · Jul 2019
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical TrialAnaesthetic-analgesic ear drops to reduce antibiotic consumption in children with acute otitis media: the CEDAR RCT.
Acute otitis media (AOM) is a common reason for primary care consultations and antibiotic prescribing in children. Options for improved pain control may influence antibiotic prescribing and consumption. ⋯ The observed reduction in antibiotic consumption following the prescription of ear drops requires replication in a larger study. Future work should establish if the effect of ear drops is due to pain relief.
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Health Technol Assess · Jul 2019
Randomized Controlled TrialLow-dose oral theophylline combined with inhaled corticosteroids for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and high risk of exacerbations: a RCT.
Despite widespread use of therapies such as inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs), people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) continue to suffer, have reduced life expectancy and utilise considerable NHS resources. Laboratory investigations have demonstrated that at low plasma concentrations (1-5 mg/l) theophylline markedly enhances the anti-inflammatory effects of corticosteroids in COPD. ⋯ To promote consideration of the findings of this trial in national and international COPD guidelines.
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Health Technol Assess · Jun 2019
Randomized Controlled TrialHPV testing compared with routine cytology in cervical screening: long-term follow-up of ARTISTIC RCT.
The National Screening Committee (NSC) based its recommendation that human papillomavirus (HPV) testing should replace cytology in primary cervical screening largely on the 2009 follow-up results of the ARTISTIC trial (A Randomised Trial In Screening To Improve Cytology). The NSC must now decide on screening intervals and triage policy. Options include extending the screening interval up to 10 years for human papillomavirus-negative (HPV-) women, delaying recall for human papillomavirus-positive (HPV+) women with normal cytology (as their infections are usually transient), and basing triage on full HPV typing. ⋯ This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 23, No. 28. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.
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Health Technol Assess · Jun 2019
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Pragmatic Clinical TrialNocturnal temperature-controlled laminar airflow device for adults with severe allergic asthma: the LASER RCT.
Severe asthma exacerbations are costly to patients and the NHS, and occur frequently in severely allergic patients. ⋯ Within the limits of the data, no consistent benefits of the active device were demonstrated, and the differences observed were not sufficient to make the device cost-effective. The types of patients who may benefit from the TLA device, and the reasons for large reductions in exacerbation frequency in severe asthma trials, which also incorporate other methods of recording exacerbations, need to be explored.