The economic burden of cancer, coronary heart disease, dementia, and stroke in England in 2018, with projection to 2050: an evaluation of two cohort studies.

BACKGROUND: Cancer, coronary heart disease, dementia, and stroke are major contributors to morbidity and mortality in England. We aimed to assess the economic burden (including health-care, social care, and informal care costs, as well as productivity losses) of these four conditions in England in 2018, and forecast this cost to 2050 using population projections. METHODS: We used individual patient-level data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) Aurum, which contains primary care electronic health records of patients from 738 general practices in England, to calculate health-care and residential and nursing home resource use, and data from the English Longitudinal Study on Ageing (ELSA) to calculate informal and formal care costs. From CPRD Aurum, we included patients registered on Jan 1, 2018, in a CPRD general practice with Hospital Episode Statistics (HES)-linked records, omitting all children younger than 1 year. From ELSA, we included data collected from wave 9 (2018-19). Aggregate English resource use data on morbidity, mortality, and health-care, social care, and informal care were obtained and apportioned, using multivariable regression analyses, to cancer, coronary heart disease, dementia, and stroke. FINDINGS: We included 4 161 558 patients from CPRD Aurum with HES-linked data (mean age 41 years [SD 23], with 2 079 679 [50·0%] men and 2 081 879 [50·0%] women) and 8736 patients in ELSA (68 years [11], with 4882 [55·9 %] men and 3854 [44·1%] women). In 2018, the total cost was £18·9 billion (95% CI 18·4-19·4) for cancer, £12·7 billion (12·3-13·0) for coronary heart disease, £11·7 billion (9·6-12·7) for dementia, and £8·6 billion (8·2-9·0) for stroke. Using 2050 English population projections, we estimated that costs would rise by 40% (39-41) for cancer, 54% (53-55) for coronary heart disease, 100% (97-102) for dementia, and 85% (84-86) for stroke, for a total of £26·5 billion (25·7-27·3), £19·6 billion (18·9-20·2), £23·5 billion (19·3-25·3), and £16·0 billion (15·3-16·6), respectively. INTERPRETATION: This study provides contemporary estimates of the wide-ranging impact of the most important chronic conditions on all aspects of the economy in England. The data will help to inform evidence-based polices to reduce the impact of chronic disease, promoting care access, better health outcomes, and economic sustainability. FUNDING: Alzheimer's Research UK.

Mapping Factors That Affect the Uptake of Digital Therapeutics Within Health Systems: Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: Digital therapeutics are patient-facing digital health interventions that can significantly alter the health care landscape. Despite digital therapeutics being used to successfully treat a range of conditions, their uptake in health systems remains limited. Understanding the full spectrum of uptake factors is essential to identify ways in which policy makers and providers can facilitate the adoption of effective digital therapeutics within a health system, as well as the steps developers can take to assist in the deployment of products. OBJECTIVE: In this review, we aimed to map the most frequently discussed factors that determine the integration of digital therapeutics into health systems and practical use of digital therapeutics by patients and professionals. METHODS: A scoping review was conducted in MEDLINE, Web of Science, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Google Scholar. Relevant data were extracted and synthesized using a thematic analysis. RESULTS: We identified 35,541 academic and 221 gray literature reports, with 244 (0.69%) included in the review, covering 35 countries. Overall, 85 factors that can impact the uptake of digital therapeutics were extracted and pooled into 5 categories: policy and system, patient characteristics, properties of digital therapeutics, characteristics of health professionals, and outcomes. The need for a regulatory framework for digital therapeutics was the most stated factor at the policy level. Demographic characteristics formed the most iterated patient-related factor, whereas digital literacy was considered the most important factor for health professionals. Among the properties of digital therapeutics, their interoperability across the broader health system was most emphasized. Finally, the ability to expand access to health care was the most frequently stated outcome measure. CONCLUSIONS: The map of factors developed in this review offers a multistakeholder approach to recognizing the uptake factors of digital therapeutics in the health care pathway and provides an analytical tool for policy makers to assess their health system's readiness for digital therapeutics.

Using team-based revision to prepare medical students for the prescribing safety assessment.

BACKGROUND: The Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA) is an online assessment of safe and effective prescribing, taken by final-year UK medical students. To prepare students for the PSA, we used a modified form of team-based learning, team-based revision (TBR), in which students consolidate previously learned prescribing knowledge and skills across a broad range of topics. We evaluated students' response to TBR and their perceptions of team working. METHODS: Eight TBR sessions based on the PSA blueprint were conducted over two days by three faculty members for final year medical students. During TBR sessions, students worked in small groups answering individual multiple-choice questions, followed by group multiple-choice questions. They subsequently answered open-ended questions in their groups, with answers written on a drug chart to increase authenticity. Students completed surveys using Likert-type items to determine views on TBR and their confidence in prescribing. RESULTS: The majority of respondents agreed that the sessions were useful for preparation both for the PSA (82%) and Foundation Year 1 (78%). 92% agreed that using drug-charts aided learning. Prescribing confidence increased significantly after TBR (median pre-TBR: 2, post-TBR: 5, p<0.0001). TBR significantly improved attitudes towards "team experience" (p<0.001), "team impact on quality of learning" (p<0.01) and "team impact on clinical reasoning ability" (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Team-based revision is a resource-efficient addition to undergraduate prescribing teaching and can help with preparation for the PSA. A short course of TBR was effective in influencing students' attitudes towards teamwork.

Very-short-answer questions: reliability, discrimination and acceptability.

CONTEXT: Single-best-answer questions (SBAQs) have been widely used to test knowledge because they are easy to mark and demonstrate high reliability. However, SBAQs have been criticised for being subject to cueing. OBJECTIVES: We used a novel assessment tool that facilitates efficient marking of open-ended very-short-answer questions (VSAQs). We compared VSAQs with SBAQs with regard to reliability, discrimination and student performance, and evaluated the acceptability of VSAQs. METHODS: Medical students were randomised to sit a 60-question assessment administered in either VSAQ and then SBAQ format (Group 1, n = 155) or the reverse (Group 2, n = 144). The VSAQs were delivered on a tablet; responses were computer-marked and subsequently reviewed by two examiners. The standard error of measurement (SEM) across the ability spectrum was estimated using item response theory. RESULTS: The review of machine-marked questions took an average of 1 minute, 36 seconds per question for all students. The VSAQs had high reliability (alpha: 0.91), a significantly lower SEM than the SBAQs (p < 0.001) and higher mean item-total point biserial correlations (p < 0.001). The VSAQ scores were significantly lower than the SBAQ scores (p < 0.001). The difference in scores between VSAQs and SBAQs was attenuated in Group 2. Although 80.4% of students found the VSAQs more difficult, 69.2% found them more authentic. CONCLUSIONS: The VSAQ format demonstrated high reliability and discrimination and items were perceived as more authentic. The SBAQ format was associated with significant cueing. The present results suggest the VSAQ format has a higher degree of validity.

Delayed Diagnosis of Pharyngeal Perforation following Exploding Tyre Blast Barotrauma.

Introduction. Pharyngoesophageal perforation secondary to barotrauma is a rare phenomenon that can have serious complications if identified late. It is challenging to detect due to nonspecific symptoms. We present a case in which detection proved difficult leading to delayed diagnosis. Case Report. A 27-year-old mechanic presented with haemoptysis, dysphonia, and odynophagia after a car tyre exploded in his face. Flexible nasoendoscopy (FNE) revealed blood in the pharynx, thought to represent mucosal haemorrhage. Initial treatment consisted of IV dexamethasone and antibiotics. After 3 days, odynophagia persisted prompting a CT scan. This revealed a defect in the posterior hypopharynx and surgical emphysema in the deep neck tissues. Contrast swallow confirmed posterior hypopharyngeal leak. NG feeding was commenced until repeated contrast swallow confirmed resolution of the defect. Discussion. Prompt nonsurgical management of pharyngoesophageal perforation has good outcomes but untreated perforation can have serious complications. FNE should be performed routinely, but only a contrast swallow can diagnose a functional perforation. Clinicians should have a high index of clinical suspicion when patients present with barotrauma and odynophagia. Patients should be kept nil by mouth until perforation has been excluded. Conclusion. When faced with cases of facial barotrauma, clinicians should have a low threshold for further imaging to exclude pharyngoesophageal perforation.