Development of an international template to support patient submissions in Health Technology Assessments.

Objectives: To develop an international template to support patient submissions in Health Technology Assessments (HTAs). This was to be based on the experience and feedback from the implementation and use of the Scottish Medicines Consortium's (SMC) Summary Information for Patient Groups (SIP).

Methods: To gather feedback on the SMC experience, web-based surveys were conducted with pharmaceutical companies and patient groups familiar with the SMC SIP.

Evaluation of the impact of patient input in health technology assessments at NICE.

Objective: Accounts of patient experiences are increasingly used in health technology assessment (HTA) processes. However, we know little about their impact on the decision-making process. This study aims to assess the level and the type of impact of patient input to highly specialised technologies (HSTs) and interventional procedures (IPs) guidance at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Strengthening patient outcome evidence in health technology assessment: a coproduction approach.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) worked with patients and staff from six patient organizations to review existing health technology assessment (HTA) methods and coproduce proposals to improve the following: patient involvement, how patient evidence is identified and considered by committees, and the support offered to patient stakeholders. This engagement identified important factors that HTA bodies need to understand to enable meaningful patient and public involvement (PPI), such as having clearly documented processes, appropriate evidence submission processes, transparent decisions, and suitable support. This work demonstrated the benefits of HTA bodies working collaboratively with patient stakeholders to improve PPI.

Use of Patient Preference Studies in HTA Decision Making: A NICE Perspective.

Patient preference studies could provide valuable insights to a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence committee into the preferences patients have for different treatment options, especially if the study sample is representative of the broader patient population. We identify three main uses of patient preference studies along a technology's pathway from drug development to clinical use: in early clinical development to guide the selection of appropriate endpoints, to inform benefit-risk assessments carried out by regulators and to inform reimbursement decisions made by health technology assessment bodies. In the context of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's methods and processes, we do not see a role for quantitative patient preference data to be directly incorporated into health economic modelling.

Stories of Patient Involvement Impact in Health Technology Assessments: A Discussion Paper.

Objectives: As more health technology assessment (HTA) bodies seek to implement patient involvement, there is a desire to learn from other HTA bodies about their experiences and understand what approaches can be used and which ones make a real difference to HTA. This is difficult, as the impact of patient involvement in HTA is not well documented. This study aims to promote further discussion about the ways in which patient involvement can impact HTAs by studying stories of impact.

'A Friend in the Corner': supporting people at home in the last year of life via telephone and video consultation-an evaluation.

Objective: To evaluate 'Gold Line', a 24/7, nurse-led telephone and video-consultation support service for patients thought to be in the last year of life in Bradford, Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven.

Method: Data on the time and nature of all calls between 1 April 2014 and 30 March 2015 were obtained from the patient Electronic Records. Interviews with 13 participants captured patients and carers perspectives.

Hypertrophic pyloric stenosis in premature infants: evaluation of sonographic criteria and short-term outcomes.

Purpose: To examine the sonographic measurements of pyloric muscle and pyloric thickness in premature infants with hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (HPS) and to correlate these measurements with patients variables. We aimed also to evaluate the clinical features and short-term outcome of HPS in premature compared to term infants.

Methods: The medical notes and the pyloric ultrasounds of all premature infants (<37 weeks) admitted to the Neonatal Surgical Unit with HPS over a 20-year period (1990-2010) were retrospectively reviewed.

Ultrasound-guided percutaneous insertion of 2.7 Fr tunnelled Broviac lines in neonates and small infants.

Background/purpose: Insertion of permanent central venous access (Broviac line) can be a challenge in neonates especially when sites for peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) have been exhausted. The landmark technique (LT) has been well described for the percutaneous insertion of central lines in neonates but can be associated with significant complications including death. The use of the ultrasound-guided approach for temporary central line access has been reported but as yet there are no reports of the adaptation of the technique for Broviac line insertion in neonates.

Pain relief in the developing world: the experience of hospice Africa-Uganda.

The need for high quality end-of-life care in the developing world is increasingly becoming recognized. One of the core parts of such a service is adequate pain control. Poor health care infrastructures and lack of access to opioid analgesics are common problems.

Chronic and acute stressors among military personnel: do coping styles buffer their negative impact on health?

This study examined the moderating impact of positive and negative coping styles on the relationship of acute and chronic job stressors with self-reported health symptoms of 521 military personnel. The number of acute work-related events was associated with a high frequency of self-reported symptoms. Similarly, role ambiguity, overload, and lack of job stimulation were associated with increased symptoms.