Increasing Uptake of COVID-19 Vaccination and Reducing Health Inequalities in Patients on Renal Replacement Therapy-Experience from a Single Tertiary Centre.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 vaccination has changed the landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, decreased uptake due to vaccine hesitancy has been observed, particularly in patients from minority ethnic backgrounds and socially deprived areas. These patient characteristics are common in patients on Renal Replacement Therapy (RRT), a population at extremely high risk of developing serious illness from COVID-19 and who would thus benefit the most from the vaccination programme. We designed a bespoke COVID-19 vaccination programme for our RRT population with the aim of decreasing health inequalities and increasing vaccination uptake. METHODS: Key interventions included addressing vaccine hesitancy by deploying the respective clinical teams as trusted messengers, prompt eligible patient identification and notification, the deployment of resources to optimise vaccine administration in a manner convenient to patients, and the timely collection and analysis of local safety and efficacy data. First, COVID-19 vaccination data in relation to ethnicity and social deprivation in our RRT population, measured by the multiple deprivation index, were analysed and compared to uptake data in the total regional adult clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) population in Greater Manchester (GM). Univariate logistic regression analysis was used to explore the factors associated with not receiving a vaccine. RESULTS: Out of 1156 RRT patients included in this analysis, 96.7% received the first dose of the vaccination compared to 93% in the cohort of CEV patients in the GM. Age, gender, ethnicity, and a lower index of multiple deprivation were not identified as significant risk factors for poor first dose vaccine uptake in our cohort. Vaccine uptake in Asian and Black RRT patients was 94.9% and 92.3%, respectively, compared to 93% and 76.2% for the same ethnic groups in the reference CEV GM. Vaccine uptake was 96.1% for RRT patients in the lowest quartile of the multiple deprivation index, compared to 90.5% in the GM reference population. CONCLUSION: Bespoke COVID-19 vaccination programmes based on local clinical teams as trusted messengers can improve negative attitudes towards vaccination and reduce health inequalities.

Humoral Response in Hemodialysis Patients Following COVID-19 Vaccination and Breakthrough Infections during Delta and Omicron Variant Predominance.

BACKGROUND: The advancement of COVID-19 vaccination programs globally has been viewed as an integral strategy to reduce both the number of COVID-19 cases and consequential complications of COVID-19, particularly for high-risk patient groups. There are limited data on the antibody response and protection from disease infection and severity in patients requiring hemodialysis (HD) following COVID-19 vaccination during the Delta and Omicron variant predominance. We conducted a study aiming to evaluate humoral immunity derived from two different COVID-19 vaccines administered to our in-centre HD population and investigated the characteristics of breakthrough COVID-19 infections occurring post-vaccination within this population. METHODS: This is a prospective observational study including patients receiving HD at Salford Royal Hospital. The first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccinations (Pfizer BioNTech BNT162b2 or Oxford AstraZeneca ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) were administered to this patient cohort since January 2021. The incidence of any breakthrough COVID-19 infections occurring in double vaccinated patients between 1 April 2021 and 15 January 2022 was recorded. Patients were screened weekly with nasal and pharyngeal nasopharyngeal swabs for real-time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (rRT-PCR) for COVID-19, whilst SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing was performed alongside monthly routine HD bloods. RESULTS: Four hundred eleven patients receiving HD were included in this study, of which 170 of 178 patients (95.5%) with available data on antibody status following two doses of the Pfizer BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccination had detectable antibody response, whilst this was the case for 97 of 101 patients (96.1%) who received two doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine. For 12 seronegative patients who received a booster vaccine (third dose), nine seroconverted, while one remained negative and two were not tested. No statistically significant differences were observed with regards to antibody status between those receiving Pfizer BioNTech BNT162b2 and Oxford AstraZeneca ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccines. Sixty-three of 353 patients with two doses of COVID-19 vaccination had breakthrough COVID-19 infection (40 during Delta and 23 during Omicron variant predominance). Of the 40 patients during the delta period, five were admitted into hospital and there were two reported deaths due to COVID-19-related illness. There were no COVID-19 associated hospitalizations or deaths during the Omicron variant predominance. CONCLUSIONS: The vast majority of HD patients who received two doses of the Pfizer BioNTech BNT162b2 or Oxford AstraZeneca ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccinations developed detectable antibody responses. Our results support the value of booster vaccination with mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine in HD patients and highlight the need for ongoing surveillance programmes with rRT-PCR and antibody testing for timely detection of positive cases.

Major Urological Cancer Surgery for Patients is Safe and Surgical Training Should Be Encouraged During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multicentre Analysis of 30-day Outcomes.

COVID-19 has resulted in the deferral of major surgery for genitourinary (GU) cancers with the exception of cancers with a high risk of progression. We report outcomes for major GU cancer operations, namely radical prostatectomy (RP), radical cystectomy (RC), radical nephrectomy (RN), partial nephrectomy (PN), and nephroureterectomy performed at 13 major GU cancer centres across the UK between March 1 and May 5, 2020. A total of 598 such operations were performed. Four patients (0.7%) developed COVID-19 postoperatively. There was no COVID-19-related mortality at 30 d. A minimally invasive approach was used in 499 cases (83.4%). A total of 228 cases (38.1%) were described as training procedures. Training case status was not associated with a higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score (p = 0.194) or hospital length of stay (LOS; p > 0.05 for all operation types). The risk of contracting COVID-19 was not associated with longer hospital LOS (p = 0.146), training case status (p = 0.588), higher ASA score (p = 0.295), or type of hospital site (p = 0.303). Our results suggest that major surgery for urological cancers remains safe and training should be encouraged during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic provided appropriate countermeasures are taken. These real-life data are important for policy-makers and clinicians when counselling patients during the current pandemic. PATIENT SUMMARY: We collected outcome data for major operations for prostate, bladder, and kidney cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic. These surgeries remain safe and training should be encouraged during the ongoing pandemic provided appropriate countermeasures are taken. Our real-life results are important for policy-makers and clinicians when counselling patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A reflection on an adapted approach from face-to-face to telephone consultations in our Urology Outpatient Department during the COVID-19 pandemic - a pathway for change to future practice?

The sudden and unanticipated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) viral pandemic of 2020 and its profound impact on the NHS prompted an almost overnight change in the services we are able to offer our patients to fulfil clinical demands. From March 2020, we have changed outpatient appointments from face-to-face to telephone-led consultations. We have performed an early review of this service to ensure its sustainability during the unknown duration of this current crisis and to establish its potential utility when normal services resume in the future. Our present results show a patient satisfaction of 93%, with 83% happy to have telephone follow-up in the future, and a clinician satisfaction of 82% in the adequacy of the telephone consultation for making a clinical decision. Telephone clinics are a safe and efficient alternative to face-to-face outpatient consultations for many patients, particularly non-complex benign follow-ups.

Current best practice in the management of cystitis and pelvic pain.

Bladder pain syndrome (BPS) is a difficult disorder to diagnose and subsequently manage despite having been recognized for more than 200 years according to references in medical literature. There are currently three widely accepted guidelines on BPS: the American Urological Association Guidelines; the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in conjunction with the British Society of Urogynaecologists Guidelines; and the European Association of Urology Guidelines. These guidelines have similarities to each other but also significant differences. This leaves clinicians still confused about this condition and how to appropriately manage the 'real' patient. We review the current guidelines and appropriate literature and put forward a clinically usable management strategy.

Reduction of emergency department visits using an urgent clinic for children with established epilepsy.

BACKGROUND: Emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations account for a large portion of the cost of care in people with established epilepsy. In an attempt to decrease seizure-related ED visits, we created an urgent epilepsy clinic (UEC) for children with epilepsy. Our aim was to decrease ED visits for patients seen in the clinic by 30% and decrease unplanned hospitalizations by 10% 3 months following an appointment. METHODS: Children at risk for an ED visit or unplanned hospitalization were referred and seen by a nurse practitioner and social worker. Factors influencing the need for the appointment and actions taken were recorded. Cost savings were also calculated. RESULTS: A total of 317 patients were seen in the UEC clinic from October 2013 to July 2015. Ninety-three percent of scheduled patients completed their appointment, compared to 84% in other neurology clinics. Eighty-three percent of patients were seen in the clinic within 5 days of the referral. Children were significantly less likely to come to the ED in the 3 months after an appointment compared to the 3 months before. CONCLUSIONS: An urgent clinic for children with established epilepsy was associated with a reduction in ED visits for seizures and improved adherence to outpatient clinic appointments for seizures. Further research is needed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of UECs, and to compare health services and clinical outcomes to those of children without access to such services.

Enhanced recovery protocols in urological surgery: a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: The principles of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols have been developed to optimize care and facilitate recovery after major surgery. The purpose of this systematic review is to present an up-to-date assessment of the perioperative cares in complex urological surgery from the available evidence and ERAS group recommendations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Systematic searches of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library and conference abstracts and bibliographies databases. RESULTS: A total of six studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria. Two examined the role of ERAS in radical cystectomy, and the rest examined its role in renal surgery (open, laparoscopic or partial nephrectomy). These studies demonstrated a reduction in duration of inpatient stays with no increase in morbidity in ERAS groups compared with traditional care. CONCLUSIONS: ERAS protocols can reduce the length of hospital stay after major urological surgery, without increasing morbidity or mortality.

Cryotherapy and its applications in the management of urologic malignancies: a review of its use in prostate and renal cancers.

Cryotherapy has been established as an ablative modality for the treatment of a wide range of malignancies. Being minimally invasive, it is associated with less morbidity than conventional extirpative surgical procedures. In recent years, it has been used with success for treating two of the common urologic malignancies, that is, prostate and renal cancer. In this review, we highlight the role of cryotherapy as a treatment modality, the proposed destructive mechanisms of action and the risks of its use in the management of prostate and renal malignancy.

Specialist competencies in occupational medicine: appraisal of the peer-reviewed literature.

BACKGROUND: A re-assessment of competencies and therefore learning outcomes for higher specialist training in occupational medicine (OM) is being undertaken. Although peer-reviewed literature on the subject exists, it is limited and needs appraisal. AIMS: To search, and critically appraise the peer-reviewed literature on specialist competencies in OM. METHODS: Systematic search of a range of databases of peer-reviewed literature, followed by criterion based appraisal and categorization of the findings. RESULTS: Two hundred and thirty five papers were found of which only 20 were left after application of the grading and exclusion criteria. These addressed competencies from four perspectives: peer consensus, client, educational and legal. CONCLUSIONS: Limited evidence can be obtained from the peer-reviewed literature on specialist competencies in OM. However, it suggests the main paradigms for deriving these competencies as well as indicating gaps and the manner in which these might be filled.

What's behind RN turnover?

Examine the results of a qualitative study designed to enhance your understanding of RNs' perceptions of the factors prompting them to leave employment in acute care settings.

Rural-urban partnering in continuing education.

BACKGROUND: One urban center provided an Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) course to a rural hospital using a minimum of on-site instructors. METHOD: Interactive television (ITV) conferencing was used to educate health care providers in a hospital more than 100 miles away. RESULTS: Nurses and physicians from a small rural hospital in northern Nevada were able to "attend" a full-scale ACLS course without having to leave their hospital, resulting in minimal cost to the agency. CONCLUSION: Rural and urban hospitals can partner to provide high-quality, cost-effective education to nurses and other health care providers through the use of ITV conferencing.