Health Care Delivery

The increasing complexity and costs of oncology care and resulting patient financial toxicity is driving more health systems to adopt oncology stewardship principles in their pharmacy practices, according to a session at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) 2022 Midyear Clinical Meeting & Exposition.

From comparing outcomes, it is known that cemiplimab has the potential to improve responses among patients who have cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), although many important questions remain, explained Neil D. Gross, MD, FACS, head and neck surgeon and director of clinical research in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

The monthly volume of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine doses administered have returned to the level observed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic among children in an integrated health care system in California, but HPV vaccine coverage remains lower compared with prepandemic levels.

Liz Lightstone, MBBS, PhD, FRCP, professor of renal medicine for the Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, discussed the influence of genetics and background on the care management of lupus nephritis.

Female allopathic medical students pursuing careers in dermatology were less likely than those pursuing other specialties to be from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in medicine or be a sexual minority, with a lack of interest in underserved care and public health shown overall.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the last 2 years have been virtual; the organization previously met in Las Vegas in 2019 and 2016.

Melissa O'Connor, PhD, MBA, RN, FGSA, FAAN, endowed professor in Community and Home Health Nursing, M. Louise Fitzpatrick School of Nursing, Villanova University, and director, Gerontology Interest Group, noted that a comprehensive assessment of each patient is necessary to develop individualized care plans that can achieve better outcomes and keep older adults in the home setting.

Teenage brains prematurely aged by 3 years during pandemic lockdowns; Washington state health officials report high flu activity and 7 deaths; medical groups ask a Texas judge to refrain from issuing a nationwide injunction against the preventive health screenings covered by the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures were included in approximately one-half of acne vulgaris and rosacea randomized controlled trials, despite their utility in capturing the patient perspective.

During an Institute for Value-Based Medicine® event held in New York City, Samyukta Mullangi, MD, MBA, fellow in medical oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discussed how disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic are ushering in health care delivery reform.

People with a gastrointestinal biopsy of normal mucosa or nonspecific inflammation were shown to be at increased risk of Alzheimer disease and Parkinson disease.

Ferring’s Rebyota, a novel first-in-class microbiota-based live biotherapeutic, has been approved by the FDA for the prevention of recurrence of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in individuals 18 years and older, following antibiotic treatment for recurrent CDI.

Thirteen years of population-based data highlight substantial rates of aggressive end-of-life care and disparities in care within a publicly funded health care system in Ontario, Canada.

Early life exposure to antibiotics, particularly during weeks 2, 3, and 4 of life, was associated with a decreased risk of atopic dermatitis development.

Infertility and mental health are intertwined, and individuals and couples trying to conceive should have support, according to a recent review.

Malignant cutaneous melanoma outcomes were investigated as they relate to diagnosis delay and potential influence from socioeconomic and demographic factors in Brazil, where skin cancer diagnoses represent 30% of all cancer diagnoses.

Researchers underscore a need for prospective data, noting that women with chronic kidney disease (CKD) tended to have higher rates of preterm delivery and lower birthweight.

Researchers investigated subgroups of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with polyposis (CRSwNP), wanting more data on their responses to dupilumab and hoping to stratify their level of benefit.

Nearly 40 million children missed their measles vaccine dose; health experts in the Biden administration are cautiously optimistic about a new campaign for COVID-19 boosters; about 1 in 7 older adults die within a year of having major surgery, according to a new study.

The study of real-world evidence (RWE) found nearly 9 in 10 patients in a highly vaccinated cohort avoided hospitalization within 15 days of treatment for COVID-19.

The risk of experiencing symptoms of postpartum depression may be higher in women who give birth after unintended pregnancies vs those who get pregnant intentionally, according to a recent study.

Melissa O'Connor, PhD, MBA, RN, FGSA, FAAN, endowed professor in community and home health nursing, M. Louise Fitzpatrick School of Nursing, Villanova University, and director, Gerontology Interest Group, addressed barriers related to access, cost, and knowledge impeding technology use in home health.

Data on empagliflozin in chronic kidney disease (CKD) showed the drug had similar efficacy across subgroups, but more data is needed to really understand the benefit of the drug in CKD, said Jennifer Green, MD, professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, member of Duke Clinical Research Institute, and EMPA-KIDNEY collaborator.

The findings mean that scarring in the esophagus as a result of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) can be found earlier, allowing for more targeted intervention.

A recent review poses gene therapy as a novel treatment option with potential to reduce health care disparities globally.

Findings of a meta-analysis show that pioglitazone use with a dose duration greater than 438 days was associated with a significantly reduced risk of Parkinson disease in patients with diabetes.

Liz Lightstone, MBBS, PhD, FRCP, professor of renal medicine for the Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, discussed how the potential teratogenic effects of novel therapies being investigated for lupus nephritis can impede clinical trial recruitment for women of childbearing age.

A survey conducted by the Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network found that “more plans are using incentives in value-based care arrangements to improve health equity.”

Jason Ezra Hawkes, MD, MS, FAAD, board-certified dermatologist and associate professor of dermatology at the University of California Davis in Sacramento, spoke on how clinical studies in atopic dermatitis (AD) are increasingly investigating topics that remain unknown for disease management, including primary vs secondary failures and AD pathophysiology across different ethnic groups.

The study's goal was to clarify possible second and third skin cancer development patterns among organ transplant recipients who developed more than 1 instance of skin cancer and to better characterize this patient population by patient age and transplanted organ type.