Ethambutol and visual assessment in England: current practice and recommendations.

BACKGROUND: Standard treatment for tuberculosis (TB) in children and adults includes an initial two-month course of ethambutol, a drug that in rare cases can cause optic neuropathy and irreversible vision loss. There is a lack of clear guidance on what vision assessments are needed before and during treatment with ethambutol, with the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, British National Formulary and British Thoracic Society offering different guidance. We aimed to assess how vision is routinely tested in patients treated with ethambutol in TB services across England. METHODS: An online survey developed by Public Health England was sent to all TB services in England in 2018 to assess current practice and inform the development of best practice recommendations for visual assessment of patients treated with ethambutol for TB. RESULTS: Sixty-six TB professionals from across England responded, a response rate of 54%. The results showed variations in practice, including when to omit ethambutol from treatment, the timing and frequency of visual assessment, the type of visual assessment, referral processes and management of visual changes. CONCLUSION: This national survey highlights the need for clear guidelines on the testing of vision for patients taking ethambutol at recommended doses, before and during treatment. We suggest a pragmatic approach to visual assessment to reduce variation in practice, proposing a stepwise pathway for patients on standard TB treatment for local adaptation.

Lessons identified from initiating a thalassaemia programme in a conflict setting: a case study from northeast Syria.

BACKGROUND: Thalassaemia affects many families in Northeast Syria, an area devastated by over a decade of conflict which has significantly impacted their health system. People with thalassaemia require holistic multidisciplinary care for the clinical complications of thalassaemia. The risks of thalassaemia treatment include blood-borne viral infections secondary to unsafe transfusion, increased vulnerability to serious bacterial infection following splenectomy, and complications of both iron overload and iron chelation therapy. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) provided outpatient thalassaemia care programmes in northeast Syria between April 2017 October 2019 in a complex conflict context challenged by population displacement, the destruction of medical facilities, and periods of insecurity. METHODS: We performed a secondary descriptive analysis of the thalassaemia cohort data to describe basic clinical and demographic characteristics of the patient population. A desk review of internal and publicly available documents was supplemented by informal interviews with MSF staff to describe and analyse the programmatic approach. CASE DESCRIPTION: MSF delivered programmes with thalassaemia investigations, provision of blood transfusion, iron chelation therapy, and psychosocial support. Thalassemia programmes were novel for the organisation and operational learning took place alongside service implementation. Lessons were identified on equipment procurement and the requirements for the implementation of vital investigations (including ferritin testing), to inform clinical decision making. Lessons included the importance of supply planning for sufficient blood products to meet diverse clinical needs in a conflict area, so those with thalassaemia have continued access to blood products among the competing priorities. Iron chelation therapy met a large need in this cohort. Adapted protocols were implemented to balance social factors, hygiene considerations, toxicity, tolerability, and adherence to therapy. Wider service needs included considerations for family planning advice and services, continuity of care and patient access through decentralised services or laboratory access, psychosocial support, and improved data collection including quality of life measurements to understand the full impact of such programmes. CONCLUSIONS: Although this type of programming was not "routine" for the organisation, MSF demonstrated that life-sustaining thalassaemia care can be provided in complex conflict settings. International non-governmental organisations can consider this care possible in similar contexts.