Specialized Rheumatology Nurse Substitutes for Rheumatologists in the Diagnostic Process of Fibromyalgia: A Cost-Consequence Analysis and a Randomized Controlled Trial

Examining the critical role of advanced practice providers on a multidisciplinary transplant team

It is well documented that Physician Assistants (PAs) and Nurse Practitioners (NPs), collectively known as Advanced Practice Providers (APPs), have a beneficial role beyond the field of primary care. APPs broad spectrum of knowledge make them particularly well suited for specializing in complex fields such as transplant. Variations in practice across transplant centers lead to questions regarding optimal use of APPs. Using job descriptions from transplant centers currently employing APPs, we sought to examine the critical role of transplant APPs beyond clinical care alone. In this review, we explore not only the general training of APPs and current utilization of APPs in transplant, but also safety, cost effectiveness, and comparison of APPs to other transplant providers. We aimed to highlight the importance of recruitment and retention of transplant specific trained APPs to provide continuity in transplant programs. Additionally, APPs expansion into transplant research, quality improvement, leadership, and management must be considered. We challenge transplant centers utilizing APPs to consider these important aspects when seeking ways to expand and optimize the critical role APPs provide on the transplant team.

Home-based subcutaneous immunoglobulin for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy patients: A Swiss cost-minimization analysis

PURPOSE

To compare the cost of two patient management strategies with similar efficacies for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) patients in the chronic phase: hospital-based IV immunoglobulin G (IVIg) and home-based subcutaneous immunoglobulin G (SCIg) associated with an interprofessional drug therapy management programme (initial training and follow-up).

METHODS

A 48-week model-based cost-minimization analysis from a societal perspective was performed. Resources included immunoglobulin (IVIg: 1 g/kg/3 weeks; SCIg: 0.4 g/kg/week initially and 0.2 g/kg/week in the maintenance phase), hospital charges, time of professionals, infusion material, transport and losses of productivity for patients. Costs were expressed in Swiss francs (CHF) (1 CHF = 0.93€ = US$1.10, www.xe.com, 2020/10/28).

RESULTS

The total costs of IVIg were higher than those of SCIg for health insurance and other payers: 114,747 CHF versus 86,558 CHF and 8,762 CHF versus 2,401 CHF, respectively. The results were sensitive to the immunoglobulin doses, as this was the main cost driver. The SCIg daily cost in the initial phase was higher for health insurance than hospital-based IVIg was, but the additional costs were compensated during the maintenance phase (from week 28). The professional costs associated with the switch were not fully covered by the insurance and were borne by the pharmacist and the nurse.

CONCLUSIONS

SCIg for CIDP patients reinforced by an interprofessional drug therapy management programme may be a cost-effective and sustainable alternative to IVIg in the Swiss system context. From an economic perspective, this therapy alternative should be more widely supported by healthcare systems and proposed to eligible patients by professionals.

Substitution of nurses for physicians in the hospital setting for patient, process of care, and economic outcomes

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows:

The main objective of the review is to examine the impact of substituting nurses for doctors in the hospital setting (hospital inpatient units and outpatient clinics) on patient outcomes, process of care outcomes, and economic outcomes.

The secondary objectives of this review are to assess whether the effects of nurse‐doctor substitution differ according to healthcare setting (low‐ and middle‐income countries versus high‐income countries), patient disease, patient type (inpatients versus outpatients), and mode of nursing practice (unsupervised versus delegated/under medical supervision).

Fibromyalgia: Timely diagnosis and treatment options

Fibromyalgia can be challenging to diagnose and treat, and patients often feel isolated and misunderstood. Surveys of patients with fibromyalgia suggest that patients would benefit from greater understanding and acceptance. NPs can provide this support and play a prominent role in helping patients manage their fibromyalgia.

Economic evaluation of implementation strategies in health care

Economic evaluations can inform decisions about the efficiency and allocation of resources to implementation strategies—strategies explicitly designed to inform care providers and patients about the best available research evidence and to enhance its use in their practices. These strategies are increasingly popular in health care, especially in light of growing concerns about quality of care and limits on resources. But such concerns have hardly motivated health authorities and other decision-makers to spend on some form of economic evaluation in their assessments of implementation strategies. This editorial addresses the importance of economic evaluation in the context of implementation science—particularly, how these analyses can be most efficiently incorporated into decision-making processes about implementation strategies.