Patient-reported outcome measures and value-based medicine in paediatrics: a timely review

Healthcare delivery is moving towards a more personalised and patient-centric approach. There is now an appropriate emphasis on providing value in our healthcare system. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) assess our patients' perceptions of the status of their health and quality of life, measured over a period of time. PROM is an integral component of a value-driven and value-based healthcare system and is key if we want to practise value-based medicine. In paediatrics and child health, PROMs, if implemented well with appropriate measurement tools that are regularly updated and validated in a self-learning healthcare ecosystem, will help to enhance personalised healthcare delivery and collectively improve the health of the community at large. This review covers the role of PROMs in paediatrics, as well as their role in value-based medicine.

Comparative evaluation of serum superoxide dismutase and glutathione levels in periodontally diseased patients: An interventional study.

Background: Periodontal disease is an immune-inflammatory disease characterized by connective tissue breakdown, loss of attachment, and alveolar bone resorption. Under normal physiological conditions, a dynamic equilibrium is maintained between the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant defense capacity. Oxidative stress occurs when this equilibrium shifts in favor of ROS. Oxidative stress is thought to play a causative role in the pathogenesis of periodontal diseases. Aim: The present study was designed to estimate and compare the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) levels in the serum of periodontitis, gingivitis, and healthy individuals before and after nonsurgical periodontal therapy. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted in the Department of Periodontics, A. B. Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences, Deralakatte, Mangalore. The study was designed as a single blinded interventional study comprising 75 subjects, inclusive of both sexes and divided into three groups of 25 patients each. Patients were categorized into chronic periodontitis, gingivitis, and healthy. The severity of inflammation was assessed using gingival index and pocket probing depth. Biochemical analysis was done to estimate the SOD and GSH levels before and after nonsurgical periodontal therapy. Results obtained were then statistically analyzed using ANOVA test and paired t-test. Results: The results showed a higher level of serum SOD and GSH in the healthy group compared to the other groups. The difference was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.0001). The post-treatment levels of SOD were statistically higher than the pre-treatment levels in periodontitis and gingivitis group.