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Showing results for tags 'Cancer'.
Found 545 results
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Content ArticleCancer diagnostics and surgery have been disrupted by the response of healthcare services to the COVID-19 pandemic. Progression of cancers during delay will impact on patient long-term survival. Sud et al., in a paper published in Annals of Oncology, found: Lockdown and re-deployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic is causing significant disruption to cancer diagnosis and management. 3-month delay to surgery across all Stage 1-3 cancers is estimated to cause >4,700 attributable deaths per year in England. The impact on life years lost of 3-6 month to surgery for Stage 1-3 disease varies widely between tumour types. Strategic prioritisation of patients for diagnostics and surgery has potential to mitigate deaths attributable to delays. The resource-adjusted benefit in avoiding delay in cancer management compares favourably to admission for COVID-19 infection.
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Content ArticleProfessor Anne-Sophie Darlington speaks to ecancer at the 2019 EORTC Groups Annual Meeting (EGAM) about the importance of including the patient's experiences and voice during clinical trial assessments. Professor Darlington details the use of questionnaires to measure these patient parameters and how these must be carefully developed to allow flexibility to withstand the evolving environment of clinical trial research.
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Content ArticleThis study, published in the British Medical Journal, found that current algorithm based smartphone apps cannot be relied on to detect all cases of melanoma or other skin cancers. Test performance is likely to be poorer than reported here when used in clinically relevant populations and by the intended users of the apps. The current regulatory process for awarding the CE (Conformit Europenne) marking for algorithm based apps does not provide adequate protection to the public.
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Content ArticleThe independent inquiry into how the rogue breast surgeon Ian Paterson was able to inflict harm on patients over more than decade described the UK healthcare system as “dysfunctional at almost every level.” In this BMJ analysis, Gareth Iacobucci summarises the findings of the inquiry.
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Content Article
Data saves lives - a series of animations
Claire Cox posted an article in Data and insight
Understanding Patient Data has produced a series of animations to explain how data saves lives. Following the journeys of patients with cancer, a heart attack, diabetes, dementia and asthma, they show the huge range of ways data is used to improve care, and the safeguards that are in place to protect confidentiality. -
Content ArticleLetter to all cancer alliances providing guidance on managing cancer referrals.
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Content ArticleThe COVID-19 pandemic is sweeping across the length and breadth of the UK. As a result, NHS England has issued guidelines for effective triaging of urgent cancer 'two-week wait' referrals. The intention of this guideline is to minimise the disruption to cancer services. In order to fully understand the implications of this manual triage approach, this article, Data-Drive Triage Automation – YouDiagnose’s fight against COVID-19, will first explain the triage process during normal circumstances, and then highlight the additional impacts due to the coronavirus emergency. Finishing with a suggested solution (from YouDiagnose) to improve the efficiency of the triaging process and save lives during the pandemic.
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Content ArticleThe way we treat cancer over the next few months will change enormously. Oncologists, will have to find a tenuous balance between under-treating people with cancer, resulting in more deaths from the disease in the medium to long term, and increasing deaths from Covid-19 in a vulnerable patient population. Lucy Gossage, an oncologist, discusses in the Guardian the difficult decisions that will need to be made.
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Content ArticleProfessor Karol Sikora, in this video on Medscape, talks about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on cancer care globally. Karl is a Professor of Cancer Medicine and Founding Dean, University of Buckingham Medical School; Consultant Oncologist; Harley Street Cancer Centre, London.
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Content Article
'Cancer patients like me are just getting forgotten about'
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Blogs
COVID-19 has led to hospitals suspending cancer treatment and deterred some from seeking care. Alan Mayberry, 67, was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in January and was due to have four treatments and then surgery to remove the cancer. Unfortunately due to the coronavirus pandemic Alan's operation in early May has been cancelled because beds in the intensive care unit are in short supply. Read Alan's story (published in The Guardian). -
Content Article
How coronavirus is impacting cancer services in the UK
PatientSafetyLearning Team posted an article in Blogs
This blog by Cancer Research UK, discusses some key themes emerging for cancer services during the pandemic – from screening and diagnosis to treatment and care. It is important that COVID-19’s impact on cancer services is recognised and discussed to ensure as few lives as possible are needlessly lost to cancer during the pandemic. -
Content ArticleRadio 4's Women's Hour programme discusses coronavirus and the impact the current pandemic is having on access to cervical screening services. Later in the programme, the discussion turns to the topic of dealing with addiction during the lockdown. Cervical screening (listen from the start of the recording) Speakers, Kate Sanger, Head of Public Affairs at Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, and consultant gynaecologist Dr Christine Ekechi stress that patients should not hesitate to contact their GP if they have any concerns or symptoms. Symptoms might include: abnormal bleeding, bleeding after sex, bleeding after the menopause, bleeding in between periods, unexplained pelvic pain and in some cases increased vaginal discharge. Addiction (21:45) According to the charity Action on Addiction, one in three people are addicted to something. How difficult can it be to remain sober or clean in lockdown, and what support can you still access? Speakers include Holly Sexton, Substance Misuse Practitioner at We Are With You, and Caroline Turriff, a freelance journalist who is 15 years in recovery. They discuss whether opiate painkillers and methadone being more easily available through pharmacies creates safety issues. Caroline argues that it will reduce the risk of people obtaining opiates online or heroin via street dealers which she says could enable them to obtain life-threatening amounts.
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Content ArticleThe ongoing coronavirus outbreak is an understandable concern for all of us and people with a weakened immune system are at a higher risk of experiencing more serious complications from it. This web resource from the charity Anthony Nolan, gives advice on the coronavirus for people who have received or are waiting to receive a stem cell transplant to treat their blood cancer or blood disorder. Anthony Nolan is working alongside other cancer charities, medical experts and the NHS to make sure this advice is updated as the situation develops.
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Content ArticleThe major conditions strategy is a national framework being developed by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID). It will focus on six major groups of conditions: cancers cardiovascular diseases, including stroke and diabetes chronic respiratory diseases dementia mental ill health musculoskeletal disorders This briefing by NHS Confederation examines how the upcoming major conditions strategy can set the conditions to prevent, treat and manage multimorbidity in England.
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Content ArticleThis article by the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists and The My Body Back Project provides tips for healthcare professionals to make cervical cancer screening attendees feel as comfortable as possible during their appointments. Cervical screening can be very daunting for some women, and for those who have experienced sexual violence it can be triggering and cause emotional distress. The article provides the following tips, with more detailed guidance: Communication – language and listening - build trust by listening and acknowledging rather than downplaying any concerns. A sense of calm – how can you can make the environment feel calm and safe? Share control – Consider how you can demonstrate shared control within the consultation and examination. Position – a good position can make all the difference to their comfort and your ability to visualise the cervix. It’s about time…. Offer a double appointment so there is time to check in, build trust and for the woman or person with a cervix to feel ready to be examined.
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Content Article
WHO European non-communicable disease dashboard (January 2022)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in WHO
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes, are leading causes of morbidity, disability and mortality in the WHO European Region, causing nearly 90% of all deaths and 67% of premature deaths. The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe has released the WHO Europe NCD Dashboard, which provides graphical data on NCDs in the 53 Member States of the Region and makes comparisons between them. The dashboard enables analysis of a country’s health situation and its progress towards meeting NCD health targets. It includes standardised data from national and international registries and surveys collected by countries, WHO and other international organisations -
Content ArticleThis German study in the journal Implementation Science aimed to evaluate an empirically and theoretically grounded implementation program for shared decision making (SDM) in cancer care. The program included six elements: Training for health care professionals Individual coaching for physicians Patient activation intervention Patient information material/decision aids Revision of quality management documents Reflection on multidisciplinary team meetings. The results showed no statistically significant improvement in SDM uptake and the authors conclude that this may be because of the low reach of the study. They call for further research to understand factors influencing the uptake of SDM in cancer care.
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Content ArticleIn this BMJ opinion piece, Consultant Orthopaedic surgeon Scarlett McNally writes about the need for a new approach to preventing long-term conditions and providing healthcare for patients with multiple conditions. She highlights the importance of Government policy in promoting healthier lifestyle choices and improving patient engagement in shared decision making. She also outlines the importance of retaining healthcare professionals with expertise in managing risk and complexity in patients with multiple morbidity.
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Content ArticleThis report describes an adverse incident at Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham in 2001, when a male patient being treated for leukaemia died after being mistakenly given the chemotherapy drug Vincristine intrathecally (into the spine). Vincristine should be administered intravenously, and accidental intrathecal administration of Vincristine is almost always fatal.
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Content ArticleFollowing Jeremy Hunt’s appointment as chancellor, HSJ is now hosting the Patient Safety Watch newsletter, written by Patient Safety Watch trustee James Titcombe. Read the latest newsletter: Patient Safety Watch: What can be done to improve duty of candour?
