An innovation procurement clinical framework: A qualitative study.

Innovation Procurement Strategies (IPS) strive for purchasing healthcare solutions that do not yet exist on the market and are increasingly being advocated to improve health outcomes while managing escalating healthcare costs. Due to the newness of IPS, there are limited resources available to healthcare organizations and professionals looking to engage in IPS. The purpose of this study was to develop an evidence-based clinical framework to guide healthcare organizations and professionals. Adopting a qualitative grounded theory approach, we interviewed participants with experience in innovation procurement to understand the skills, resources, and supports needed to initiate and oversee an IPS project. Using thematic design and open coding, three overarching themes emerged from the data and formed the basis of our IPS clinical framework. By describing the components, skills, and supports and resources necessary for engaging in IPS, our framework addresses the knowledge gap in healthcare organizations and professionals wishing to implement IPS.

Analgesic and anti-arthritic effects of Lingzhi and San Miao San supplementation in a rat model of arthritis induced by Freund's complete adjuvant.

AIM OF STUDY: In this study, we have investigated the analgesic and anti-arthritic effects of a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) combination of Lingzhi and San Miao San (SMS) in a rat model of arthritis induced by Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats were induced with monoarthritis by single unilateral injection of FCA into the knee joint. The TCM combination was administered to the rats daily by intraperitoneal injection (50mg/(kgday)) or via oral administration (500mg/(kgday)) for 7 days before induction of arthritis and 7 days after. Extension angle that provoked struggling behavior, and size and blood flow of the rat knees were measured to give indexes of allodynia, edema, and hyperemia, respectively. The extent of cell infiltration, tissue proliferation, and erosions of joint cartilage provided additional indexes of the arthritis condition. RESULTS: FCA injection produced significant allodynia, edema, hyperemia, immune cell infiltration, synovial tissue proliferation, and erosions of joint cartilage in the ipsilateral knees compared with the contralateral saline-injected knees. Intraperitoneal injection of the TCM combination (50mg/(kgday)) suppressed allodynia, edema, and hyperemia in the inflamed knees, and oral administration (500mg/(kgday)) suppressed edema and hyperemia. Histological examination showed that the TCM administered by either route reduced immune cell infiltration and erosion of joint cartilage. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest the Lingzhi and SMS formulation has analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects in arthritic rat knees, and concur to previous clinical studies that showed the TCM combination reduced pain in rheumatoid arthritis patients, and extends its possible benefit to suppression of inflammatory symptoms in these patients.