A Global Collaboration to Develop and Pilot Test a Mobile Application to Improve Cancer Pain Management in Nepal

INTRODUCTION: Quality palliative care, which prioritizes comfort and symptom control, can reduce global suffering from non-communicable diseases, such as cancer. To address this need, the Nepalese Association of Palliative Care (NAPCare) created pain management guidelines (PMG) to support healthcare providers in assessing and treating serious pain. The NAPCare PMG are grounded in World Health Organization best practices but adapted for the cultural and resource context of Nepal. Wider adoption of the NAPCare PMG has been limited due to distribution of the guidelines as paper booklets. METHODS: Building on a long-standing partnership between clinicians and researchers in the US and Nepal, the NAPCare PMG mobile application (“app”) was collaboratively designed. Healthcare providers in Nepal were recruited to pilot test the app using patient case studies. Then, participants completed a Qualtrics survey to evaluate the app which included the System Usability Scale (SUS) and selected items from the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS). Descriptive and summary statistics were calculated and compared across institutions and roles. Regression analyses to explore relationships (α = 0.05) between selected demographic variables and SUS and MARS scores were also conducted. RESULTS: Ninety eight healthcare providers (n = 98) pilot tested the NAPCare PMG app. Overall, across institutions and roles, the app received an SUS score of 76.0 (a score > 68 is considered above average) and a MARS score of 4.10 (on a scale of 1 = poor, 5 = excellent). 89.8% (n = 88) “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that the app will help them better manage cancer pain. Age, years of experience, and training in palliative care were significant in predicting SUS scores (p-values, 0.0124, 0.0371, and 0.0189, respectively); institution was significant in predicting MARS scores (p = 0.0030). CONCLUSION: The NAPCare PMG mobile app was well-received, and participants rated it highly on both the SUS and MARS. Regression analyses suggest end-user variables important to consider in designing and evaluating mobile apps in lower resourced settings. Our app design and pilot testing process illustrate the benefits of cross global collaborations to build research capacity and generate knowledge within the local context

Acute Coronary Syndrome in an Intensive Care Unit of a Tertiary Referral Centre in Central Nepal: The Spectrum and Coronary Risk Factors.

Introduction: Acute coronary syndrome is the major leading cause for coronary care unit admission. Its spectrum comprises a variety of disorders including unstable angina, non ST elevation and ST elevation myocardial infarction. Methods: An observational study was designed to study the spectrum of acute coronary syndrome and associated coronary heart disease risk factors in subjects admitted in intensive care unit from August 2009 to September 2010. Details including coronary risk factors and the categories and outcomes of acute coronary syndrome were analyzed. Results: A total of 57 subjects were included in the study. The majority (63.1%) were males. The mean age was 64.54±13.8 years.  Five (8.8%) patients were ≤45 years and 29 (50.88%) patients were ≥65 years. Majority of the patients were smokers (50.87%). The other major coronary heart disease risk factors were diabetes (43.85%), hypertension (36.87%), dyslipidemia (26.32%) and previous history of coronary heart disease (31.58%). Coronary heart disease figured prominently in the family history as well (26.32%). ST elevation myocardial infarction was the major category (42.11%) followed by non-ST elevation myocardial infarction and unstable angina (31.58% and 26.32% respectively). Myocardial infarction complicated with cardiogenic shock had very high mortality (83.33%).   Conclusions: The ST elevation myocardial infarction was the major clinical form of acute coronary syndrome admitted in intensive care unit. Prevention should be targeted on modifiable risk factors such as the management of risk factors. In addition, the improvement in cardiology service with the establishment of CCU and cathlab might alter the mortality and morbidity in ACS management. Keywords: acute coronary syndrome; coronary risk factors; intensive care unit

Discordance in Recommendation Between Next-Generation Sequencing Test Reports and Molecular Tumor Boards in India

PURPOSEAccurate understanding of the genomic and transcriptomic data provided by next-generation sequencing (NGS) is essential for the effective utilization of precision oncology. Molecular tumor boards (MTBs) aim to translate the complex data in NGS reports into effective clinical interventions. Often, MTB treatment recommendations differ from those in the NGS reports. In this study, we analyze the discordance between these recommendations and the rationales behind the discordances, in a non–high-income setting, with international input to evaluate the necessity of MTB in clinical practice.METHODSWe collated data from MTB that were virtually hosted in Chennai, India. We included patients with malignancies who had NGS reports on solid tissue or liquid biopsies, and excluded those with incomplete data. MTB forms and NGS reports of each clinical case were analyzed and evaluated for recommendation concordance. Concordance was defined as an agreement between the first recommendation in the MTB forms and the therapeutic recommendations suggested in the NGS report. Discordance was the absence of the said agreement. The rationales for discordance were identified and documented.RESULTSSeventy MTB reports were analyzed with 49 cases meeting the inclusion criteria. The recommendation discordance was 49% (24 of 49). Discordant recommendations were mainly due to low level of evidence for the drug (75% of cases).CONCLUSIONThe discordance between MTB and NGS vendor recommendations highlights the clinical utility of MTB. The educational experiences provided by this initiative are an example of how virtual academic collaborations can enhance patient care and provider education across geographic borders