Inclusion of person-centred care in UK postgraduate medical education curricula: Interviews and documentary analysis.

BACKGROUND: Person-centred care (PCC) involves placing people at the centre of their healthcare decision making to ensure it meets their needs, values, and personal circumstances. Increasingly, PCC is promoted in healthcare policy and guidance, but little is known about how this is embedded in postgraduate medical training. The aim of this research was to understand how PCC is embedded in UK postgraduate medical training and explore factors influencing inclusion of PCC in curricula content. METHODS: To explore this, we interviewed senior professionals with key roles in the curricula from four UK Royal Colleges (Psychiatrists; Physicians; Surgeons; and GPs) and used framework analysis on interviews and relevant curricula documents to identify themes. RESULTS: Legislation and professional/educational guidance influenced inclusion. PCC definitions and terminology differed and placement within curricula was variable. Royal Colleges defined the curriculum and provided training to ensure competence, but local deaneries independently implemented the curriculum. Trainer engagement was greater than trainee buy in. Quality assurance focused on feedback from trainers and trainees rather than patients, and patient and public involvement in curriculum development, teaching, and assessment was limited. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need for cross-organisation collaboration to develop a PCC competence framework that defines the skills and level of competence required at different points in training, with clarity around the differences between undergraduate and postgraduate requirements. Greater auditing and quality assurance of programme delivery would help identify successful practices to share within and across Royal Colleges, while still maintaining the flexibility of local provision. Engagement with patients and the public in this work can only strengthen provision.

Repurposing existing medications as cancer therapy: design and feasibility of a randomized pilot investigating propranolol administration in patients receiving hematopoietic cell transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Repurposing existing medications for antineoplastic purposes can provide a safe, cost-effective, and efficacious means to further augment available cancer care. Clinical and preclinical studies suggest a role for the ß-adrenergic antagonist (ß-blocker) propranolol in reducing rates of tumor progression in both solid and hematologic malignancies. In patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), the peri-transplant period is a time of increased activity of the ß-adrenergically-mediated stress response. METHODS: We conducted a proof-of-concept randomized controlled pilot study assessing the feasibility of propranolol administration to patients between ages 18-75 who received an autologous HCT for multiple myeloma. Feasibility was assessed by enrollment rate, tolerability, adherence, and retention. RESULTS: One hundred fifty-four patients underwent screening; 31 (20%) enrolled in other oncology trials that precluded dual trial enrollment and 9 (6%) declined to enroll in the current trial. Eighty-nine (58%) did not meet eligibility requirements and 25 (16%) were eligible; of the remaining eligible patients, all were successfully enrolled and randomized. The most common reasons for ineligibility were current ß-blocker use, age, logistics, and medical contraindications. 92% of treatment arm patients tolerated and remained on propranolol for the study duration; 1 patient discontinued due to hypotension. Adherence rate in assessable patients (n = 10) was 94%. Study retention was 100%. CONCLUSIONS: Findings show that it is feasible to recruit and treat multiple myeloma patients with propranolol during HCT, with the greatest obstacle being other competing oncology trials. These data support further studies examining propranolol and other potentially repurposed drugs in oncology populations. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This randomized controlled trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov with the identifier NCT02420223 on April 17, 2015.

Inclusion of person-centred care in medical and nursing undergraduate curricula in the UK: Interviews and documentary analysis.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to understand how person-centred care (PCC) is represented in UK professional standards for undergraduate medical/nursing education and explored how these are reflected in programme provision. METHODS: We identified PCC components in medical (GMC) and nursing (NMC) professional standards and university curricula documents provided. We also identified themes from interviews with high-level informants for medical/nursing undergraduate programmes using framework analysis. RESULTS: The GMC appears to promote a more paternalistic model of care with discrete PCC components in specific sections and the NMC a more collaborative model with PCC distributed throughout. These differences persisted into education delivery. Medical educators perceived greater barriers to inclusion of PCC than nursing educators; however, both consistently identified cultural and organisational attributes. Clarity was lacking regarding PCC definition, how to teach/assess PCC, and competence expectations. CONCLUSION: Development of a PCC skills competence framework would increase consistency and support teaching and assessment in undergraduate curricula. Further research to understand the perspectives of healthcare professionals involved in placements would help inform PCC teaching recommendations. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: High-level support from senior HEI leaders; multi-disciplinary approaches to curricula development, teaching, and assessment; and greater inclusion of service users would ensure higher quality PCC education for undergraduate students.

Report of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Task Force on Lessons Learned From the COVID-19 Pandemic: Executive Summary.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic forced consultation-liaison psychiatrists to adapt to unprecedented circumstances. The Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry (ACLP) recognized the need and opportunity to assess its response and convened a task force in mid-2020 to review the lessons learned from the initial experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to summarize experience and make recommendations to the ACLP Board of Directors about potential ACLP directions related to current and future pandemic response. METHODS: In August-November 2020, the task force reviewed local experiences, ACLP list-serv contributions, and the published literature and generated recommendations for ACLP actions. RESULTS: Recommendations addressed telepsychiatry, hospital staff wellness, support for consultation-liaison psychiatrists, the need for additional research on psychiatric and neuropsychiatric aspects of COVID-19, and the ACLP's role in advocacy and dissemination of information. The task force report was submitted to the ACLP Board of Directors in November 2020. CONCLUSIONS: As the preeminent organization of consultation-liaison psychiatrists, the ACLP can implement actions related to pandemic awareness and preparedness for the benefit of consultation-liaison psychiatrists, other health care workers, patients, and the general population.

Propranolol inhibits molecular risk markers in HCT recipients: a phase 2 randomized controlled biomarker trial.

Preclinical research shows that stress-induced activation of the sympathetic nervous system can promote hematopoietic malignancies via ß-adrenoreceptor-mediated molecular pathways. Hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients exposed to conditions of chronic stress show activation of a conserved transcriptional response to adversity (CTRA) gene expression profile, which in turn is associated with increased relapse and decreased disease-free survival. We conducted a randomized controlled phase 2 biomarker trial testing the impact of the nonselective ß-antagonist propranolol on CTRA-related gene expression of 25 individuals receiving an autologous HCT for multiple myeloma. Propranolol was administered for 1 week prior to and 4 weeks following HCT. Blood was collected at baseline, day -2, and day +28. Intention-to-treat analyses controlling for demographic characteristics, high-risk disease (International Myeloma Working Group risk score), and tumor stage tested effects on a 53-gene CTRA indicator profile and measures of CTRA-related cellular processes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Twelve participants were randomized to the intervention and 13 to the control. Relative to the control group, propranolol-treated patients showed greater decreases from baseline to HCT day -2 and day +28 for both CTRA gene expression (P = .017) and bioinformatic measures of CD16- classical monocyte activation (P = .005). Propranolol-treated patients also showed relative upregulation of CD34+ cell-associated gene transcripts (P = .011) and relative downregulation of myeloid progenitor-containing CD33+ cell-associated gene transcripts (P = .001). Ancillary analyses identified nonsignificant trends toward accelerated engraftment and reduced posttransplant infections in propranolol-treated patients. Peri-HCT propranolol inhibits cellular and molecular pathways associated with adverse outcomes. Changes in these pathways make propranolol a potential candidate for adjunctive therapy in cancer-related HCT.

A survey of glenohumeral joint rotational range and non-specific shoulder pain in elite cricketers.

OBJECTIVES: To determine if a glenohumeral joint internal rotation range of motion difference (IRD) and external rotation difference (ERD) exists between dominant and non-dominant shoulders of cricketers as demonstrated in other overhead sports, and, if present, to establish if differences exist between cricketers with and without a history of gradual onset non-specific shoulder pain. DESIGN: An observational study. SETTING: Non-clinical, at national cricket indoor training venues. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and nine elite male and female cricketers (11-35 years), representing 97% of the England and Wales national and West of England regional Under 13 teams, consented. The final number included for data analysis was 133. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Data relating to playing position, cricket exposure, shoulder pain and demographic details collected using a questionnaire. Passive isolated glenohumeral rotation measured in 90 degrees shoulder abduction using an inclinometer. RESULTS: Cricketers who regularly bowl or throw overarm had significantly less internal (-7.9 degrees , p<0.001) and greater external (8.6 degrees , p<0.001) dominant to non-dominant glenohumeral rotation. Wicket-keepers had tendencies for smaller differences that were still statistically significant [mean IRD -5.9 degrees (p<0.001); ERD 5.0 degrees (p=0.002)]. Cricketers who experienced shoulder pain demonstrated a significantly greater IRD [mean 3.2 degrees (p=0.032)] than those who did not. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study support measurement of passive glenohumeral joint rotation during musculoskeletal profiling and indicate that a possible link between increased IRD and non-specific shoulder pain warrants further investigation.