Patient and health professional views on risk-stratified monitoring of immune-suppressing treatment in adults with inflammatory diseases
Authors' conclusion
A risk-stratified approach to monitoring was acceptable to patients and health care professionals.
Study context
- Population
- Adults with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases established on immune-suppressing treatment(s), and healthcare professionals (HCPs) who prescribe and/or monitor these drugs
- Participants
- 18 vs 13
- Comparison
- Patients vs HCPs
- Patientsn = 18
- HCPsn = 13
- Outcome
- Acceptability of an individualized risk-stratified approach to monitoring for target-organ toxicity
Methodological detailssemi-structured one-to-one interviews, remote, thematic analysis, Interviews conducted by a trained qualitative researcher, transcribed verbatim and inductively analysed using thematic analysis in NVivo
- Semi-structured one-to-one interviews
- Remote
- Thematic analysis
- Interviews conducted by a trained qualitative researcher, transcribed verbatim and inductively analysed using thematic analysis in NVivo
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Acceptability of risk-stratified monitoring
- Frequent monitoring blood-tests reassuring, but current frequency considered burdensome by patients and HCPs and a superfluous use of healthcare resources
- Most felt monitoring blood-tests were not needed as often, as abnormalities rarely arose during long-term treatment
- Acceptable to increase interval between monitoring blood-tests from three-monthly to six-monthly or annually depending on patients' risk profiles
- Conditions: clinician and patient autonomy in determining frequency, flexibility to change frequency if risk profile changed, endorsement from specialist societies and healthcare providers such as the NHS
Original publication
Patient and health professional views on risk-stratified monitoring of immune-suppressing treatment in adults with inflammatory diseases. Rheumatology (Oxford). Published 14 March 2024. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →