Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis: A Brief Review.

Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis (CPA) is a destructive pulmonary disease caused by a fungal infection, affecting mainly individuals with prior or concurrent pulmonary conditions. It has a global prevalence of 42 per 100,000 population, but in the US and Europe, prevalence is less than 1 per 100,000. The clinical definition of CPA is based on various factors accounting for comorbidities, clinical presentation, and duration. It may be categorized into five subtypes that the disease may evolve between over time. Based on global consensus covering the spectrum of low-resource to high-resource settings, diagnosis is a multi-factorial process that involves a combination of clinical presentation persisting over 3 months, radiological findings, positive culture growth, and serological tests. CPA remains underdiagnosed due to a lack of awareness and is often misdiagnosed due to the comorbidities present. Treatment options are limited due to a lack of research. Furthermore, associated comorbidities and drug interactions further complicate treatment plans. Follow-up throughout treatment should be based on understanding the predictors of mortality. Identification of potential relapse or resistance to antifungal therapy is crucial to limit the low long-term survival rate. Awareness surrounding this devastating disease needs to be raised further to enable earlier identification, improve understanding of patient factors associated with prognosis, and the future potential for targeted therapies. This review aims to raise awareness of this rare condition among practitioners, by providing an overview of common risk factors influencing the prevalence and incidence of the disease. We further discuss current approaches and recent advancements in CPA diagnosis and treatment

Delivering medical leadership training through the Healthcare Leadership Academy: a four year analysiS

Background: Formal leadership training is typically targeted at senior health professionals. The Healthcare Leadership Academy (HLA) was formed in 2016 to provide a leadership programme for students and early-career health professionals. This study analyses the effectiveness of the HLA scholarship programme as an intervention for improving interest in and preparing scholars for future leadership roles. Methods: Survey data was used to assess the effectiveness of the HLA Scholarship program in cultivating leadership development. Questions required either multiple-choice, free text, ranking or Likert scale (‘strongly agree’, ‘agree’, ‘neither agree nor disagree’, ‘disagree’, ‘strongly disagree) responses. Participants spanned six regions (London, Newcastle, Bristol, Belfast, Edinburgh, and Amsterdam) in four countries (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the Netherlands). Descriptive statistical analyses were conducted, and insights were drawn from the open-ended survey questions using a leadership framework. Results: Seventy participants who underwent the course between 2016 and 2020 completed the questionnaire. Nearly all (99%) found that the training provided on the programme had equipped them to be more effective leaders, with 86% of respondents stating that they were more likely to take on leadership roles. Nearly all (97.1%) found the course to be either of good or very good quality. Nineteen insights were identified from free text responses that fitted under one of the four themes of the leadership framework: “optimising”, “resolving uncertainty”, “enhancing adaptability”, and “promulgating a vision”. Conclusions: Healthcare leadership is a non-negotiable component of healthcare delivery in the 21st Century. As healthcare professionals, it is our duty to be effective leaders confident and competent in navigating the increasingly complex systems within which we operate for the benefit of ourselves, colleagues, and patients. By accounting for known shortcomings and developing ameliorative measures, the HLA Scholarship programme addresses unmet needs in a structured manner to support effective long-term healthcare leadership development

The ethical challenges facing the widespread adoption of digital healthcare technology

Funder: NIHR School for Primary Care Research; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013374Abstract: With the rise of telemedicine, wearable healthcare, and the greater leverage of ‘big data’ for precision medicine, various challenges present themselves to organisations, physicians, and patients. Beyond the practical, financial, and clinical considerations, we must not ignore the ethical imperative for fair and just applications to improve the field of healthcare for all. Given the increasing personalisation of medicine and the role technology will play at the interface of healthcare delivery, a thorough understanding of the challenges presented is critical for future physicians who will navigate a novel environment. This article aims to explore the ethical challenges that the adoption of digital healthcare technology presents, contextualised at multiple levels. Potential solutions are suggested to initiate a discussion about the future of medicine and digital healthcare

Delivering medical leadership training through the Healthcare Leadership Academy: a four year analysis.

Acknowledgements: We would like to thank all the former HLA scholars who took the time to complete the survey.BACKGROUND: Formal leadership training is typically targeted at senior health professionals. The Healthcare Leadership Academy (HLA) was formed in 2016 to provide a leadership programme for students and early-career health professionals. This study analyses the effectiveness of the HLA scholarship programme as an intervention for improving interest in and preparing scholars for future leadership roles. METHODS: Survey data was used to assess the effectiveness of the HLA Scholarship program in cultivating leadership development. Questions required either multiple-choice, free text, ranking or Likert scale ('strongly agree', 'agree', 'neither agree nor disagree', 'disagree', 'strongly disagree) responses. Participants spanned six regions (London, Newcastle, Bristol, Belfast, Edinburgh, and Amsterdam) in four countries (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the Netherlands). Descriptive statistical analyses were conducted, and insights were drawn from the open-ended survey questions using a leadership framework. RESULTS: Seventy participants who underwent the course between 2016 and 2020 completed the questionnaire. Nearly all (99%) found that the training provided on the programme had equipped them to be more effective leaders, with 86% of respondents stating that they were more likely to take on leadership roles. Nearly all (97.1%) found the course to be either of good or very good quality. Nineteen insights were identified from free text responses that fitted under one of the four themes of the leadership framework: "optimising", "resolving uncertainty", "enhancing adaptability", and "promulgating a vision". CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare leadership is a non-negotiable component of healthcare delivery in the 21st Century. As healthcare professionals, it is our duty to be effective leaders confident and competent in navigating the increasingly complex systems within which we operate for the benefit of ourselves, colleagues, and patients. By accounting for known shortcomings and developing ameliorative measures, the HLA Scholarship programme addresses unmet needs in a structured manner to support effective long-term healthcare leadership development

Additional file 1 of Delivering medical leadership training through the Healthcare Leadership Academy: a four year analysis

Additional file 1

Serial measurement of global longitudinal strain among women with breast cancer treated with proton radiation therapy : a prospective trial for 70 patients

Purpose: Conventional photon radiation therapy (RT) for breast cancer is associated with a reduction in global longitudinal strain (GLS) and an increase in troponin, N-terminal pro hormone B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and incident heart failure. The cardiac radiation exposure with proton-RT is much reduced and thus may be associated with less cardiotoxicity. The objective was to test the effect of proton-RT on GLS, troponin, and NT-proBNP. Methods and Materials: We conducted a prospective, observational, single-center study of 70 women being treated with proton-RT for breast cancer. Serial measurements of GLS, high-sensitivity troponin I, and NT-proBNP were performed at prespecified intervals (before proton-RT, 4 weeks after completion of proton-RT, and again at 2 months after proton-RT). Results: The mean age of the patients was 46 ± 11 years, and the mean body mass index was 25.6 ± 5.2 kg/m2; 32% of patients had hypertension, and the mean radiation doses to the heart and the left ventricle (LV) were 0.44 Gy and 0.12 Gy, respectively. There was no change in left ventricular ejection fraction (65 ± 5 vs 66 ± 5 vs 64 ± 4%; P = .15), global GLS (–21.7 ± 2.7 vs –22.7 ± 2.3 vs –22.8 ± 2.1%; P = .24), or segmental GLS from before to after proton-RT. Similarly, there was no change in either high-sensitivity troponin or NT-proBNP with proton-RT. However, in a post hoc subset analysis, women with hypertension had a greater decrease in GLS after proton-RT compared with women without hypertension (–21.3 ± 3.5 vs –24.0 ± 2.4%; P = .006). Conclusions: Proton-RT did not affect LV function and was not associated with an increase in biomarkers. These data support the potential cardiac benefits of proton-RT compared with conventional RT