International journal of clinical practice
-
Int. J. Clin. Pract. · Aug 2021
Evaluation of the role and usefulness of clinical pharmacists at the Fangcang Hospital during COVID-19 outbreak.
Fangcang Hospitals (cabin hospitals) played a key role in isolation and control of the infection sources during COVID-19 epidemic. Many patients at Fangcang Hospitals had complications or mental stress. As the doctors, nurses and paramedics presented in the emergency, there was a growing demand for clinical pharmacists to provide pharmaceutical care for the affected patients with chronic diseases via telemedicine. ⋯ The results of the retrospective study indicated that clinical pharmacist can effectively reduce and prevent drug-related, life-related and COVID-19-related problems for COVID-19 patients, which is important for the disease recovery. This study also demonstrated that clinical pharmacist played a key role for patients' healthcare during the pandemic.
-
Int. J. Clin. Pract. · Aug 2021
Determinants of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for urothelial muscle-invasive bladder cancer: Does location matter?
Bladder cancer care has been increasingly concentrated in high-volume metropolitan medical centres (ie, "regionalisation" of care). We aimed to assess the potential role of geographic factors, including facility region and distance to treatment centre, as determinants of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) delivery in patients with non-metastatic urothelial muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) using nationally representative data from the United States. ⋯ Distance to treatment centre and United States geographic region were found to affect the likelihood of NAC receipt independently of other established predictors of success in this quality-of-care metric. Access to transportation and related resources merits consideration as additional pertinent social determinants of health in bladder cancer care.
-
Int. J. Clin. Pract. · Aug 2021
Detection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is Influenced by the Type of Transport Medium: Implications for Diagnosis and Monitoring.
It is unclear if the use of a molecular transport medium (MTM) containing guanidine isothiocyanate (GITC) would be advantageous over the CDC recommended, commonly used viral transport medium (VTM). We retested 70 SARS-CoV2 cases by RT-PCR in varying stages of follow-up using MTM and VTM in parallel and found discrepant results of RNase P, E and N genes. Majority (81%) patients tested positive with MTM as compared with VTM (27.1%). Even patients who were sampled 3 weeks after diagnosis demonstrated a significant discrepancy in the positivity rates between MTM vs VTM raising concerns about the clinical utility of VTM.
-
Int. J. Clin. Pract. · Aug 2021
Single-pill Sofosbuvir and Daclatasvir for Treating Hepatis C in Patients Co-infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
The current recommendation for treating hepatitis C virus (HCV) in HIV patients includes the combination of sofosbuvir (SOF) and daclatasvir (DCV). DCV should be used at different doses to compensate for interactions with antiretroviral therapy (ART). Up to three pills a day might be required which will significantly add to the pill burden of these patients. In this study, we have used a single-tablet approach to treating HCV-HIV coinfection. ⋯ Single-tablet combination of DCV and SOF is an effective and safe treatment for patients coinfected with HIV and HCV. The combination works well in patients on ART in which dose adjustment is required. Patients with cirrhosis, previous treatment failure and various genotypes respond identically. The expenses of genotyping can be saved.
-
Int. J. Clin. Pract. · Aug 2021
Womens' self-management skills for prevention and treatment of recurring urinary tract infection.
The guideline on urinary tract infections (UTI) of the Dutch College of General Practitioners provides recommendations on patient-initiated treatment and prevention of recurring UTI. ⋯ Almost half of all women applied self-management (increased fluid intake, analgesics) before consulting a GP for recurring UTI. Awareness of preventive behavioural measures for recurring UTI varied considerably. Thus, education of women about the use of analgesics and behavioural measures deserves attention.