Weekly Spotlight - 07.11.24

In the News

CAR-T Therapy: Digital Tool for Patient Feedback Development

The PRO-CAR-T study aims to develop a digital tool for gathering patient-reported outcomes after CAR-T therapy, a promising cancer treatment. Patients, families, and healthcare professionals will co-design this system. Initially, it involves CAR-T patients, later expanding to those with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Patient Travel Patterns Challenge Geographic Market Definitions

Researchers found that standard geographic market definitions often misalign with actual patient travel patterns. Using data from 2018-2021, they highlighted the need for more accurate metrics to assess healthcare access and competition. Flexible, data-driven market definitions may better reflect real care-seeking behaviours, improving healthcare evaluation.

Finger-Prick Test Revolutionises Alzheimer's Diagnosis Accessibility

A finger-prick blood test can detect Alzheimer's biomarker p-tau217, offering a less invasive and more accessible alternative to traditional methods. This promising approach could enable early diagnosis and treatment, especially in remote areas, though further validation is needed before clinical use.

NHS Staff Covid Death Data Gaps in Wales Highlighted

Public Health Wales admitted missing data on key worker Covid deaths and ethnic minority impacts during the pandemic. Over 1,000 records lacked key worker status, and ethnicity data was unreliable. This limited understanding of disparities, highlighting the need for better data collection to support affected communities.