ABSTRACT
The required minimum number of psychiatric inpatient beds is highly debated and has substantial resource implications. The present study used the Delphi method to try to reach a global consensus on the minimum and optimal psychiatric bed numbers. An international board of scientific advisors nominated the Delphi panel members. In the first round, the expert panel provided responses exploring estimate ranges for a minimum to optimal numbers of psychiatric beds and three levels of shortage. In a second round, the panel reconsidered their responses using the input from the total group to achieve consensus. The Delphi panel comprised 65 experts (42% women, 54% based in low- and middle-income countries) from 40 countries in the six regions of the World Health Organization. Sixty psychiatric beds per 100 000 population were considered optimal and 30 the minimum, whilst 25-30 was regarded as mild, 15-25 as moderate, and less than 15 as severe shortage. This is the first expert consensus on minimum and optimal bed numbers involving experts from HICs and LMICs. Many high-income countries have psychiatric bed numbers that fall within the recommended range. In contrast, the number of beds in many LMIC is below the minimum recommended rate.
Subject(s)
Consensus , Delphi Technique , Female , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
The Primary Immune Deficiency Treatment Consortium (PIDTC) is enrolling children with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) to a prospective natural history study. We analyzed patients treated with allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) from 2010 to 2014, including 68 patients with typical SCID and 32 with leaky SCID, Omenn syndrome, or reticular dysgenesis. Most (59%) patients were diagnosed by newborn screening or family history. The 2-year overall survival was 90%, but was 95% for those who were infection-free at HCT vs 81% for those with active infection (P = .009). Other factors, including the diagnosis of typical vs leaky SCID/Omenn syndrome, diagnosis via family history or newborn screening, use of preparative chemotherapy, or the type of donor used, did not impact survival. Although 1-year post-HCT median CD4 counts and freedom from IV immunoglobulin were improved after the use of preparative chemotherapy, other immunologic reconstitution parameters were not affected, and the potential for late sequelae in extremely young infants requires additional evaluation. After a T-cell-replete graft, landmark analysis at day +100 post-HCT revealed that CD3 < 300 cells/µL, CD8 < 50 cells/µL, CD45RA < 10%, or a restricted Vß T-cell receptor repertoire (<13 of 24 families) were associated with the need for a second HCT or death. In the modern era, active infection continues to pose the greatest threat to survival for SCID patients. Although newborn screening has been effective in diagnosing SCID patients early in life, there is an urgent need to identify validated approaches through prospective trials to ensure that patients proceed to HCT infection free. The trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01186913.