RESUMEN
Objective: Facilitate the multi-appointment scheduling problems (MASPs) characteristic of longitudinal clinical research studies. Additional goals include: reducing management time, optimizing clinical resources, and securing personally identifiable information. Materials and methods: Following a model view controller architecture, we developed a web-based tool written in Python 3. Results: Smart Scheduling (SMASCH) system facilitates clinical research and integrated care programs in Luxembourg, providing features to better manage MASPs and speed up management tasks. It is available both as a Linux package and Docker image (https://smasch.pages.uni.lu). Discussion: The long-term requirements of longitudinal clinical research studies justify the employment of flexible and well-maintained frameworks and libraries through an iterative software life-cycle suited to respond to rapidly changing scenarios. Conclusions: SMASCH is a free and open-source scheduling system for clinical studies able to satisfy recent data regulations providing features for better data accountability. Better scheduling systems can help optimize several metrics that ultimately affect the success of clinical studies.
RESUMEN
In Poland, more than half of the adult population suffers from lipid disorders. Among the 18 million Polish people with hypercholesterolemia, over 10.8 million are unaware of this problem. To estimate the lipid profile of selected primary care patients in the district of Pleszew (Western Poland), general practitioners (GPs) recruited 681 patients aged 35-55 years in 2011. Fasting serum lipids were evaluated. We found statistically significant differences in all lipid parameters between all younger (35-45 years) and older (46-55 years) patients, between all female and male subjects, between women and men ages 35-45 years; in total cholesterol (TC), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglycerides (TG) between younger and older female population; in HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and TG between women and men ages 46-55 years. Dyslipidemia, both, newly detected and previously treated, was detected in 591 patients (86.8%): 322 females (84.3%) and 269 males (90.0%). The highest percentage of lipid disorders was found in males aged 46-55 years (91.9%) and the lowest among women aged 35-45 years (78.0%). Age and gender differences in the prevalence of dyslipidemia proved of statistical importance. Among 155 patients on lipid-lowering therapy, only 28 subjects (18.1%) reached the target value of serum lipids. The prevalence of lipid disorders among primary care patients aged 35-55 years in the district of Pleszew was significantly high, and it was proved that dyslipidemia is statistically prominent in males and older patients. Polish healthcare professionals should make more efforts to improve the detection and treatment of lipid disorders.
