Latest News — Page 87

A New Class IA Recommendation for Heart Failure Treatment Heart failure, a major cause of hospital admissions in the U.S., comes with high morbidity, mortality, and financial costs. Recent advances in pharmacotherapy for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) have given rise to new disease-modifying therapies. One such novel angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) is sacubitril-valsartan. The PARADIGM-HF clinical trial found that sacubitril-valsartan reduced the risk of cardiovascular death or hospitalization due to heart failure (HF), among ambulatory patients […]

In healthcare, artificial intelligence has made considerable strides. It has the potential to enhance prediction, diagnosis, and decision-making. Researchers in orthopaedic surgery, where AI technologies have the potential to alter the discipline, have also seen this. They can apply artificial intelligence in orthopaedics to find trends in data. Predicting patient risk potential or bad occurrences, for example, offers clinicians with crucial information. Despite the label “experimental,” there is mounting evidence that AI is successful and suitable for widespread use. AI […]

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has initiated a new era in drug pricing. Soon, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in the U.S will negotiate prices for certain high-cost drugs. This includes direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) apixaban (Eliquis) and rivaroxaban (Xarelto). These were among the first 10 drugs selected for negotiation. Clinical and Economic Comparisons The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) released a Special Report that examines these two drugs, primarily used for non-valvular atrial fibrillation […]

A Collaborative Approach to Diabetes Care A recent study has shown that clinical pharmacists, in collaboration with health coaches, are making a significant impact on diabetes management and cardiovascular disease risk reduction. They provide comprehensive medication management, addressing adverse effects and drug interactions, assisting in medication taking, and intensifying therapy. The study also highlighted the importance of collaborative action with physicians in improving patient outcomes. Innovative Methods for Effective Diabetes Management The study deployed innovative methods to achieve effective diabetes […]

A New Era in Melanoma Treatment The landscape of treating stage III and IV malignant melanoma (MM), one of the most aggressive skin cancers, has drastically transformed over the past decade. The introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) such as ipilimumab (IPI) and nivolumab (NIVO) has revolutionized melanoma treatment, offering increased overall survival rates compared to traditional chemotherapy. The Rise of Combination Therapies The development and approval of combination therapies have further enhanced treatment effectiveness. These therapies, which combine two […]

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a game-changer in many sectors, including healthcare. AI has been successful in Assistive Technology, an area that’s always been at the forefront of technology. AI has the potential to revolutionize AT, as highlighted by the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities. It can enhance assistive robots, autonomous wheelchairs, and guidance systems for visually impaired individuals. Speech recognition improvements are improving AT applications, while smart homes can boost independence and well-being. However, […]

First 10 Drugs Announced for Medicare Price Negotiation On August 29, 2023, the Biden-Harris administration revealed the first 10 drugs chosen for Medicare price negotiation under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Five of these drugs treat cardiovascular conditions such as atrial fibrillation and heart failure. This is a significant step towards improving access to lifesaving therapies for cardiovascular conditions that affect millions of older US residents. The rising prevalence of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in the elderly (65 years and […]

Oracle, an IT company, has been making recent waves within the healthcare space. In late 2021, Oracle announced its plans to acquire Cerner, a digital information systems provider whose software hospitals use. The deal concluded a year later, in 2022, which saw Oracle take a share of the healthcare market in the Electronic Health Record space. This is because of Cerner’s already established presence. The US has had a strong focus on healthcare services. The HITECH Act introduced an important […]

Introduction to the ACTFAST-3 Study The Anesthesiology Control Tower (ACT), a real-time telemedicine decision support system, was tested in the ACTFAST-3 Randomised Clinical Trial. The study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of the ACT and its impact on two quality of care measures: postoperative hypothermia and hyperglycemia. The ACTFAST-3 study, a single-centre pilot superiority RCT, took place in the USA from April 2017 to June 2019. The study involved all patients aged 18 years and above who had undergone surgery. […]

In the rapidly evolving landscape of healthcare, the concept of collaborative intelligence is emerging as a transformative force. The new approach uses AI and human learning to improve patient care, which is a promising future for healthcare. Collaborative intelligence strives to enhance outcomes through collective data interpretation, a stark contrast to the human-in-the-loop (HITL) approach, which leverages both AI and human collaboration for quick algorithm development. This technology has already significantly transformed areas like radiology, and it will further integrate […]

The English National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is a key player in Health Technology Assessment (HTA) worldwide. A report from the Office of Health Economics (OHE) explored NICE’s decision outcomes and their effects on HTA in 12 other countries. Data showed that NICE decisions are issued relatively quickly, often favouring positive outcomes. However, NICE frequently issued “optimised decisions,” recommendations for using an intervention in a smaller population than licensed but with more favourable cost-effectiveness evidence. The report […]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals faced immense pressure. Singapore was also grappling with a dengue outbreak, adding to the strain on hospital capacity. This situation led to the rapid implementation of novel care models to treat patients with acute, low-severity medical conditions. Two of these models, the hospital-at-home (HaH) and ambulatory care team (ACT) models, were used to treat patients with dengue and chest pain respectively. The HaH model allowed patients to receive care at home, while the ACT model […]

The Electronic Clinical Dementia Rating (eCDR) is a digital tool showing potential in dementia screening and staging, according to a recent cross-sectional study. The eCDR, which can be self-administered remotely and scored automatically, was compared to the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), a widely used instrument for detecting and staging dementia due to Alzheimer disease. Recent study from the USA The study involved 288 participants, aged 55 years and above, from three Alzheimer Disease Research Centers and the Brain Health Registry. […]

Artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare continues to show its vast capabilities. Many examples have shown how they deploy it as a predictive tool for early disease identification. This has enabled the provision of early and effective treatment where necessary. But could we do this earlier? And how early could healthcare implement a tool like this?  Machine learning algorithms have helped predict harmful genetic changes. Thus, healthcare benefits from this through improved rare disease diagnosis and targeted treatments. In a recent […]

We’ve shown how AI and ML help diagnose and manage heart problems. New research has recently shown that a new ML model can improve ECG data interpretation, reducing misdiagnosis and optimizing patient monitoring data. A further step is to look at monitoring and early disease detection while patients are being monitored within the home space. This is something our recent insight article has touched on. By using traditional signal processing and ML, this model can overcome challenges caused by noisy […]

The Rising Costs and Patent Exclusivities of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists GLP-1 receptor agonists are a crucial class of medications used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity. Despite their importance, these drugs have seen a significant price increase, with mean monthly net prices rising from approximately $200 in 2007 to over $600 in 2017. Manufacturers have earned more than $10 billion on GLP-1 agonists in the US alone in 2021. The lack of generic competition for these drugs […]