Level of knowledge about anaphylaxis and its management among health care providers.

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to assess the level of knowledge of health care providers regarding anaphylaxis and its management at a tertiary care teaching hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A pretested structured questionnaire was administered to interns, MBBS Phase II students, and nursing students. The subjects were asked to answer the questionnaire, which included questions regarding anaphylaxis and its management. RESULTS: Of 265 subjects, 151 (56.9%) of subjects answered correctly that adrenaline is the first line of drug for the treatment of anaphylaxis. Among 151 subjects, 40 (26.4%) answered the correct dose of adrenaline, of which 25 (16.5%) subjects selected intramuscular injection as the most appropriate route of administration. Medical students' performance was better than interns and nursing students on questions regarding dose, route, and site of adrenaline administration. CONCLUSION: Knowledge regarding the management of anaphylaxis was inadequate in almost all the health care providers who were included in the study. Improved education and training of health care providers are necessary for better management of anaphylaxis.

Significance of emerging clinical oncology endpoints in support of overall survival.

Despite a better understanding of the pathophysiology and development of newer therapeutic options, cancer remains an area with several unmet needs. Although overall survival (OS) remains a gold standard endpoint for all cancer therapies, it poses challenges such as the requirement of a long-term follow-up, a higher number of patients, and a higher financial burden. Therefore, surrogate endpoints such as progression-free survival, time to progression, duration of response, and objective response rate are being investigated and used in oncology studies. Patient-related outcomes that measure the patient's overall health, quality of life, and satisfaction in the long term are crucial surrogate endpoints considered for drug approval. Surrogate endpoints shorten oncology clinical studies and accelerate the evaluation and implementation of newer therapies. Emerging surrogate endpoints such as biomarkers, immune-related response criteria, minimal residual disease, and pathological complete response are increasingly being considered in oncology trials. Validation of surrogate endpoints enables their substitution for OS and gain market approval. The selection of surrogate endpoints for an oncology trial depends on cancer type and stage, the purpose of treatment, and expected duration of survival for the relevant disease. With the advent of individualized approach and complex study designs, the field of oncology is currently undergoing a paradigm shift. The use of newer surrogate endpoints will aid in accelerating the drug development process, making patient care for oncology more accessible.