An Assessment of Biomedical Waste (BMW) Production and Management and its Impact on the Environment and Disease Transmission Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Philippines

The study aimed to analyze the impact of pandemic-related BMW production and management in the Philippines and its potential role in transmitting the COVID-19 virus via a mixed-methods analysis of data from surveys of different sectors (consumers of medical waste, deliverymen, and medical workers) and using secondary sources. The results revealed that the most common types of PPE used in the country are disposable face masks and face shields, wherein all respondents reported an increase in the consumption of medical materials. An improper disposal of an estimated 85 million disposable face masks and 50 million face shields in the Philippines poses a serious threat to the environment and health in the Philippines, a biodiversity hot spot. There was a strong correlation between the increased exposure to BMW and laxer degrees of implementation of proper BMW disposal practices. The paper also established an estimated consumption of - 120.5 million face masks, - 71.4 million face shields, -38 million disposable gloves, and - 4.1 million full-body suits per day in the Philippines. The actual output of biomedical waste in the country drastically increased in a year, comprising an average daily output of 3,390 tons of BMW (- 482 tons for face masks, - 2,544 tons for face shields, - 198 tons for disposable gloves, and - 167 tons for full-body suits which is an important discovery regarding the biomedical waste in the country. These estimates were found to be higher than those reported by the Asian Development Bank in 2020. All sectors reported low awareness levels and confidence in the country's effectiveness in implementing current BMW management practices. Copyright © 2022 Oriental Scientific Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Pilot Trial of the My Hematology Oncology Patient Experience (MyHOPE™) for Multiple Myeloma (MM) Digital Solution in Patients with MM

Background: There is growing evidence to suggest that continuous monitoring and a proper use of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in the clinical setting may improve patient care by facilitating doctor-patient communication, promoting individualized supportive care, and increasing patient satisfaction (Velikova, J Clin Oncol. 2004;22(4):714-24;Yang, Support Care Cancer. 2018 Jan;26(1):41-60). This may be of particular importance for patients with MM, a condition characterized by considerable heterogeneity in PROs at different timepoints within a patient's disease journey (TA King et al, Semin Oncol Nurs. 2017;33(3):299-315;R Abonour et al, Ann Hematol. 2018;97(12):2425-36). There is also a growing body of evidence to support that digital platforms in healthcare can have an impact on patients' lives and improve the patient care experience across diverse medical settings. Web-based platforms that provide education and allow patients to track data have demonstrated improvement across a range of PROs measuring empowerment, self-efficacy, and mastery when compared against standard of care in a variety of disease states (MR Fu et al, Internet Interv. 2016;5:56-64;G Bouma et al, Support Care Cancer. 2017;25(7):2075-2083). This may be particularly relevant in light of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic. Patient-reported outcome data (e.g., symptoms) that can be readily shared with healthcare professionals (HCPs) can support clinical decision making and impact patient outcomes (E Basch et al, JAMA. 2017 Jul 11;318(2):197-8). Data collected through wearables (such as emoji scales and activity) have been shown to be correlated with traditional, validated PRO measures in patients with cancer (CA Thompson et al, Blood. 2017;130(Suppl 1):2179). Digital medication tracking has led to better medication adherence, increased prescription refills, and better clinical outcomes. Centralized disease management digital platforms have shown potential to reduce patients’ risk of complications (S Kumar et al, Abstract for the 77th American Diabetes Association. 2017). Despite this body of evidence supporting the potential impact of the use of digital platforms, there is little evidence specifically in MM. The MyHOPE™ for MM Solution is a validated investigational digital technology platform designed to provide patients with a comprehensive set of tools and resources to support the patient throughout their overall experience with MM and to collect biometrics and self-reported data such as symptom tracking, medication adherence, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) with the ability to share this data with the patient's care team. MyHOPE™ for MM is the first prospective study evaluating the impact of a digital intervention for patients with hematological malignancies. Study Design and Methods: This is a multi-center, randomized, pilot trial of the MyHOPE™ for MM Solution. Approximately 126 adult patients (≥ 18 years of age) with a diagnosis of MM and who reside in the USA will be recruited from approximately 30 study sites within the USA, reflecting both community and academic centers. Patients will be stratified according to disease status (newly-diagnosed multiple myeloma transplant-eligible or ineligible, newly-diagnosed multiple myeloma in patients undergoing their first autologous stem cell transplant, or relapsed and/or refractory) and will be randomized in a 2:1 manner to either the Patient App + HCP Portal (Cohort 1) or Patient App Alone (Cohort 2). Primary objectives include feasibility of the platform and patient empowerment and self-efficacy. Other objectives include user satisfaction with the platform, health-related quality of life, and clinical outcomes. Enrolled patients will receive MM-treament regimen according to their physician's care plan. The study is in start-up and recruitment is expected through 2021. Disclosures: Raje: Celgene: Consultancy. Nadeem: Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees;Adaptive: Membership on an entity's Board of Direct rs or advisory committees;Sanofi: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees;Takeda: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES;Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES;Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES. Mikhael: Amgen, Celgene, GSK, Janssen, Karyopharm, Sanofi, Takeda: Honoraria. Ludwig: Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy. Agarwal: Bristol-Myers Squibb Company: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Inumerable: Bristol Myers Squibb: Current Employment. Ong: Bristol Myers Squibb: Current Employment. Jagannath: BMS, Janssen, Karyopharm, Legend Biotech, Sanofi, Takeda: Consultancy.