Effectiveness,Patient Satisfaction,and Cost Reduction of Virtual Joint Replacement Clinic Follow-Up of Hip and Knee Arthroplasty

BackgroundTotal hip and knee arthroplasties are increasingly performed operations, and routine follow-up places huge demands on orthopedic services. This study investigates the effectiveness, patients’ satisfaction, and cost reduction of Virtual Joint Replacement Clinic (VJRC) follow-up of total hip arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty patients in a university hospital. VJRC is especially valuable when in-person appointments are not advised or feasible such as during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA total of 1749 patients who were invited for VJRC follow-up for knee or hip arthroplasty from January 2017 to December 2018 were included in this retrospective study. Patients were referred to VJRC after their 6-week postoperative review. Routine VJRC postoperative review was undertaken at 1 and 7 years and then 3-yearly thereafter. We evaluated the VJRC patient response rate, acceptability, and outcome. Patient satisfaction was measured in a subgroup of patients using a satisfaction survey. VJRC costs were calculated compared to face-to-face follow-up.ResultsThe VJRC had a 92.05% overall response rate. Only 7.22% required further in-person appointments with only 3% being reviewed by an orthopedic consultant. VJRC resulted in an estimated saving of £42,644 per year at our institution. The patients’ satisfaction survey showed that 89.29% of the patients were either satisfied or very satisfied with VJRC follow-up.ConclusionVJRC follow-up for hip and knee arthroplasty patients is an effective alternative to in-person clinic assessment which is accepted by patients, has high patient satisfaction, and can reduce the cost to both health services and patients.     

An ethics-based approach to global health research part 4: Scholarship and publications

Disseminating research findings from global health collaborations is essential to advancing science. However, there are a number of ethical considerations and potential challenges to address to ensure thoughtful and non-exploitative reporting. The factors include the benefits and risks to publication, authorship criteria or values, and the accessibility of forums or journals in which to pursue publication. This paper provides commentary related to planning for writing, communicating intentions to publish, obtaining permissions to publish, risks in internationally collaborative work, authorship principles, and journal selection. Authors' and editors’ knowledge of experienced individuals from both pharmacy literature, medical fields, and general publications is incorporated to provide an assessment of risks and benefits of publication of international global health research.     

Pharmacy in transition: A work sampling study of community pharmacists using smartphone technology

Introduction

The nature of community pharmacy is changing, shifting from the preparation and distribution of medicines to the provision of cognitive pharmaceutical services (CPS); however, often the provision of traditional services leaves little time for innovative services. This study investigated the time community pharmacists spend on the tasks and activities of daily practice and to what extent they are able to implement CPS-related services in daily practice.

内听动脉闭塞综合征的临床与发病机理

目的：探讨内听动脉闭塞综合征的临床与发病机理。方法：分析24例患者年龄、性别及所伴发疾病如高血压病、糖尿病、冠心痛及椎-基底动脉供血不足等。结果：50岁以上，有高血压病、冠心病、糖尿病、椎-基底动脉供血不足者内听动脉闭塞发病明显增加。结论：高血压病、冠心病、糖尿病、椎基底动脉供血不足是内听动脉闭塞综合征的主要危险因素。     

骨旁脂肪瘤临床影像学表现与病理分析(文献综述附14例报告)

[目的]结合文献探讨骨旁脂肪瘤的命名、病因、临床病理表现和影像学特点。[方法]将国内文献的20例一起列入临床资料分析,包括作者14例共34例术前均行X线摄片,18例行CT检查,4例行MRI检查。[结果]本病发生于任何年龄,成人多见,以四肢长管状骨为好发,其次发生于扁平骨(骨盆、肩岬骨、髌骨、肋骨)、不规则骨(胸椎、腰椎、骶尾椎)、短管状骨和跗骨;本病临床误诊率为41.17%,X线误诊率26.47%,CT及MRI诊断率100%;34例均手术切除,病理报告为脂肪瘤,3例低度恶变;随访2~10年,仅1例复发并恶变。[结论]骨旁脂肪瘤是最佳的命名,病因未明,但与遗传和先天因素及创伤和炎症因素有关;病理表现为带骨蒂的脂肪瘤,细胞学形态为脂肪组织;影像学具有特征性表现。     

成人水痘20例临床分析

目的探讨成人水痘的临床特点。方法分析20例成人水痘的临床特点，并与30例儿童水痘比较。结果患者出疹时间、皮疹分布区域、发热时间和并发症等，成人水痘都与儿童水痘不同。结论与儿童水痘相比较，成人水痘有自己的临床特点。     

Pharmacy customers’ views and experiences of using pharmacies which provide needle exchange services in Aberdeen and Glasgow, Scotland

Community pharmacists contribution to the management of drug problems is considerable. As the use of illicit drugs has increased, pharmacists have come under increasing pressure to offer services to problem drug users. However, there is concern among some pharmacists that offering such services may deter other customers. There is particular concern among some pharmacists about needle exchange services. Only 9.5% of Scottish pharmacies offer needle exchange services compared to 69% which are dispensing methadone (57% of which supervise methadone consumption). Qualitative interviews were used in a purposive sample of 10 pharmacies in Scotland. Eight customers were interviewed in each pharmacy to ascertain pharmacy customers’ views on these services. The majority of customers were supportive of these services. Customers were often unaware that the pharmacy they were interviewed in was offering services for people with drug problems. Pharmacy customers were more knowledgeable about, and more supportive, of needle exchange services than they were of methadone. This was because they believed needle exchange services helped to reduce the amount of discarded needles in public places. Pharmacy customers also recognised that needle exchange helped reduce the spread of disease. These findings should be used to encourage more pharmacists to offer needle exchange services.