Physicians’ Perceptions of Clinical Utility of a Digital Health Tool for Electronic Patient-Reported Outcome Monitoring in Real-Life Hematology Practice. Evidence From the GIMEMA-ALLIANCE Platform

Digital health tools are increasingly being used in cancer care and may include electronic patient-reported outcome (ePRO) monitoring systems. We examined physicians’ perceptions of usability and clinical utility of a digital health tool (GIMEMA-ALLIANCE platform) for ePRO monitoring in the real-life practice of patients with hematologic malignancies. This tool allows for the collection and assessment of ePROs with real-time graphical presentation of results to medical staff. Based on a predefined algorithm, automated alerts are sent to medical staff. Participating hematologists completed an online survey on their experience with the platform. Of the 201 patients invited to participate between December 2020 and June 2021 (cut-off date for current analysis), 180 (90%) agreed to enter the platform and had a median age of 57 years. Twenty-three hematologists with a median age of 42 years and an average of 17 years of experience in clinical practice were surveyed. All hematologists agreed or strongly agreed that the platform was easy to use, and 87%, agreed or strongly agreed that ePROs data were useful to enhance communication with their patients. The majority of physicians (78%) accessed the platform at least once per month to consult the symptom and health status profile of their patients. The frequency of access was independent of physician sex (p=0.393) and years of experience in clinical practice (p=0.404). In conclusion, our preliminary results support the clinical utility, from the perspective of the treating hematologist, of integrating ePROs into the routine cancer care of patients with hematologic malignancies

Usefulness of bronchoalveolar lavage in suspect COVID-19 repeatedly negative swab test and interstitial lung disease

The diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) relies on nasopharyngeal swab, which shows a 20–30% risk of false negativity [1]. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is reported to be useful in patients with pulmonary interstitial infiltrates on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). We investigated the usefulness of BAL in symptomatic patients with positive HRCT and a repeatedly negative swab test (‘grey zone’)

Logística reversa: como as empresas comunicam o descarte de baterias e celulares?

The Law 12305 requires cell phones manufacturers to organize Reverse Logistics programs and comunicatte customers on how to handle pos-consumption appliances. The objective of this research was to analyse, based on the principles of Integrated Marketing Communication, Reverse Logistics Programs communication at mobile phones manufacturers operating in Brazil. Therefore, a resesarch was conducted from a consumer perspective, focused on information available to consumers in different communication channels. Results show that the companies surveyed are not aligned with current legislation. None of the Reverse Logistics programs effectively communicate consumers in order to estimulate their participation in the reverse flow of post-consumption products. The research also revealed a mismatch between behavioral intention and behavior of consumers increased by the communication deficiencies identified here

A USLE-based model with modified LS-factor combined with sediment delivery module for Alpine basins

Sedimentation in reservoirs constitutes a major issue worldwide, especially when hydropower, and hence profit, is involved. In this study, the sedimentation rates, due to soil erosion and sediment yields, are analyzed in the reservoir of the Rio di Pusteria hydropower dam, in South Tyrol (Italian Alps). The focus is on a five-year period, between two consecutive sediment flushing operations occurred in June 2014 and May 2019. Based on the difference between the pre- and post-flushing bathymetries, the five-year aggregated sediment yield was determined. The soil erosion from the basin surface and the sediment budget in the reservoir are calculated by means of a gridded Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), combined with a Sediment Delivery Ratio (SDR) module. The topographic factor is improved by the use of a fine-scale DEM and the slope length factor is adjusted to the Alpine terrain by means of a fitting threshold. The rainfall erosivity factor is determined in two different ways, one representing the precipitation regime of the study area and one the specific rainfall conditions of the study period. The two different applications result to calculated reservoir sedimentation rates of 439,279.2 tons and 589,520.5 tons with deviations from the measured value of 3.1% and 23.2%, respectively, while the sediment delivery ratio to the reservoir was found to be 12.5%. The calculations are also compared with results of the application of the conventional six-factor USLE. The comparison between calculations and measurements shows that the methods used can be efficiently applied in an Alpine basin for the estimation of reservoir sedimentation rates