Personalising your health: an EU imperative.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Horgan D
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5533597 | biostudies-other | 2017
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
Similar Datasets
Project description:There is a note of caution expressed when clinical care providers enroll their own patients into investigational trials, a concern expressed in the called dual-role consent. There is concern that this circumstance may create a conflict of interest for the physician-investigator, lead to loss of patient voluntarism, and promote the therapeutic misconceptions. In this opinion paper, I review the circumstances surrounding participation in clinical research and the conduct of standard patient care. I propose that when a patient is eligible for an institutional review board-approved clinical trial, instead of representing a potential ethical lapse, soliciting enrollment by the clinician-researcher may represent optimal care for the patient.
| S-EPMC6461583 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundLife-saving orphan drugs are some of the most expensive medicines. European Union governments aim to accommodate their provision within stretched healthcare budgets but face pressure to reduce funding of such treatments. Patients struggle to retain or gain access to them as their special status is questioned, causing distress and in some cases, fears of premature death. In the UK and EU reimbursement and pricing model of drugs, and orphan drugs in particular, is being re-evaluated.MethodsUsing the United Kingdom as a case study we present, for the first time, legal arguments which compel governments to provide orphan medicinal products. These include (i) disability legislation, (ii) national and organisational constitutions, (iii) judicial review, (iv) tort law and (v) human rights legislation. We then address directly potential objections to our analysis and counter arguments which aim to limit provision of orphan drugs to the intended patient recipients.ResultsWe demonstrate that a compelling case can be made that the law demands the treatment of orphan diseases.ConclusionsOur legal framework will assist doctors and patients in ensuring the continued provision of treatments despite significant economic pressure to reduce funding. These legal avenues will empower stakeholders in drafting funding guidelines throughout the EU. The legal right to treatment extends beyond rare diseases and our analysis may therefore affect allocation of healthcare budgets throughout the EU.
| S-EPMC4016581 | biostudies-literature
Project description:FLORINASH - The role of intestinal microflora in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) EU FP7-HEALTH, project number 241913<br>Florinash examined the role on the gut microbiota in NAFLD. Metagenomic, proteomic, metabolomic and transcriptomic data were integrated to give provide a systems biology approach to disease-associated studies. Liver biopsies were obtained from patients undergoing bariatric surgery; one was used to diagnose NAFLD, the other was used to examine the host transcriptome in NAFLD. This dataset is part of the TransQST collection.
2018-03-15 | E-MTAB-4856 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:BackgroundIn accordance the WHO framework of health system functions and by using the indicators collected within the EURO-HEALTHY project, this work aims to contribute to the discussion on the classification of EU health systems.MethodsThree methods were used in this article: factor analysis, cluster analysis and descriptive analysis; data were mainly collected from the WHO and Eurostat databases.ResultsThe most relevant result is the proposed classification of health systems into the following clusters: Austria-Germany, Central and Northern Countries, Southern Countries, Eastern Countries 'A' and Eastern Countries 'B'.ConclusionsThe proposed typology contributes to the discussion about how to classify health systems; the typology of EU health systems allows comparisons of characteristics and health system performance across clusters and policy assessment and policy recommendation within each cluster.
| S-EPMC6029343 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Following periods of health workforce crisis characterised by a severe shortage of nurses, midwives and doctors due to low production rates and excessive out-migration, the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Health (MOH) responded by expanding training and allowing private sector involvement in the training of health workers especially nurses and midwives. This resulted in substantial increases in the production levels of nurses and midwives even above the projections of the MOH. In this paper, we discuss how a strategy that was seemingly well planned suffered a decade of uncorrected implementation lapses resulting in a lingering need-based shortage of nurses and midwives at service delivery points whilst thousands of trained nurses and midwives remained unemployed for up to 4?years and constantly protesting for jobs. In the short term, we argue that the Government of Ghana would need to increase investment to recruit trained and unemployed nurses and midwives whilst a comprehensive health labour market analysis is conducted to provide robust evidence towards the development of a long-term health workforce plan that would guide future production of nurses and midwives. The Government of Ghana may also explore the option of a managed migration programme to export nurses/midwives to countries that are already destinations to individual migration initiatives in a bid to mitigate the potential skill loss associated with long periods of unemployment after training, especially for those who trained from the private institutions.
| S-EPMC7059310 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Adherence to a 'Mediterranean diet' has been shown to be beneficial to human health. Fruit and vegetables represent some of the main components of the Mediterranean diet and their role has been increasingly considered in the process of preventing or reducing the risk of chronic degenerative diseases, such as cerebrovascular or coronary heart disorders, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. To investigate the beneficial effect of these dietary compounds, two EU-funded projects were conducted during the last 10 years. Their results from experimental models suggest that dietary anthocyanin enrichment is beneficial against a number of ischemic and degenerative conditions. On the other hand, human studies demonstrated that anthocyanin supplementation can counteract the inflammatory response to stress conditions, such as a fatty meal. Moreover, an intervention trial in patients with breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy is presently testing the possible beneficial effect of the administration of a product enriched in anthocyanins on the inflammatory response to radiation and on its consequent skin toxicity, as well as on systemic low-grade inflammation reaction.
| S-EPMC5338134 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The recent worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of a performant public sector in terms of health. To achieve greater use and efficiency of health information and communication technology (ICT), the whole community of European states needs a model to develop a common strategy to support the implementation of e-health and reduce decision-making difficulties. Our research suggests such a model, starting from the level of adoption to the implementation of e-health and points out the existing disparities in the European countries regarding the difficulties of adopting e-health. We draw a composite index to assess the inequalities present in the quality of life, the public health system, and the adoption of e-health. Furthermore, to return to a hierarchy of European countries, the relative distance method (RDM) is applied by combining various classification criteria. The results identify the European countries with the highest levels of adoption (Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Sweden, Finland, and the United Kingdom), where e-health is routine, and the countries with the lowest levels of adoption (Greece, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Romania, and Slovakia), where e-health is not widespread. These results reveal critical implications in identifying solutions to reduce the gaps between countries, identifying public policies to support the adoption of e-health, and reducing difficulties in decision-making.
| S-EPMC8329364 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe European Commission supports the initiation of health information related projects and networks serving comparative population health monitoring and health system performance assessment. Many of these projects and networks have produced relevant data, standards, methods, indicators and knowledge that may be lost as these networks become inactive. The aim of this project retrieval and review was to identify health information projects and networks and their produced output; and subsequently facilitate systematic access to this information for policy makers, researchers and interested others via a web-based repository.MethodsThe scope of this article covers 1. population health oriented topics and 2. health system/health services oriented topics. Out of scope are specific infectious diseases; individual rare diseases; and the occurrence and effects of specific medical treatments, interventions and diagnostics; cohort studies; or studies focusing on research methods. We searched bibliographic databases and EU project databases for policy supporting projects and networks and selected those fulfilling our inclusion criteria after more in-depth inspection. We searched for their outputs. In addition, we reviewed country participation in these projects and networks.ResultsWe identified 36 projects and networks, 16 of which are population health oriented, 6 are health systems and services oriented and 14 cover both. Their total volume of output is not easily retrievable, as many project websites have been discontinued. Some networks and/or their outputs have found continuance within European agencies and/or national institutions. Others are struggling or have gone lost, despite their policy relevance. Participation in the projects was not evenly distributed across Europe. Project information was made available through the Health Information Portal.ConclusionsEU funded projects and networks have contributed greatly to the evidence-base for policy by providing comparative health information. However, more action is needed to evaluate and conserve their outputs and facilitate continued contribution to the field after project funding stops. The realization of a sustainable infrastructure for these projects and networks is urgent. The Health Information Portal can play an important role in conserving and reusing health information. Information inequalities may exist across Europe but need further investigating.
| S-EPMC8800830 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy and the second cause of cancer-related death among women. It is estimated that 9 in 10 cases of BC are due to non-genetic factors, and approximately 25% to 30% of total breast cancer cases should be preventable only by lifestyle interventions. In this context, physical activity represents an excellent and accessible approach not only for the prevention, but also for being a potential support in the management of breast cancer. The present review will collect the current knowledge of physical activity in the background of breast cancer, exploring its systemic and molecular effects, considering important variables in the training of these women and the evidence regarding the benefits of exercise on breast cancer survival and prognosis. We will also summarize the various effects of physical activity as a co-adjuvant therapy in women receiving different treatments to deal with its adverse effects. Finally, we will reveal the impact of physical activity in the enhancement of quality of life of these patients, to conclude the central role that exercise must occupy in breast cancer management, in an adequate context of a healthy lifestyle.
| S-EPMC7796347 | biostudies-literature